May 2, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Teel has career night in Portland; Campbell homers again for Greenville
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Grant Gambrell picked up his first win in his sixth start of the season for Worcester. The 26-year-old right-hander allowed just one earned run on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts over six innings. Out of the WooSox bullpen, Jorge Benitez and Sal Romano each spun a scoreless frame while Luis Guerrero gave up one run in the ninth before closing things out.
As part of a four-run fourth inning, Corey Rosier had an RBI double and Karson Simas had an RBI single. Chase Meidroth then drove in two runs with a single of his own. Niko Kavadas doubled in another run in the bottom of the seventh to extend his hitting streak to five games. Nathan Hickey also doubled, while Tyler McDonough went 2 for 3 with a walk, a run scored, and a stolen base.
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Kyle Teel led the way offensively, going 2 for 4 with a two-run single and a two-run home run. The homer, which came in the eighth inning, was his third of the season and his first-ever off a lefty. Batting in front of Teel, Marcelo Mayer went 1 for 5 with a double, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Eddinson Paulino also doubled and scored a run while stealing his third base of the year. Blaze Jordan went 2 for 4 with a walk and now owns an 11-game hitting streak.
Helcris Olivarez took a no-hit bid into the fifth but failed to end the inning. The 23-year-old lefty wound up allowing three unearned runs on one hit, four walks, and two hit batters over 4 2/3 frames. Alex Hoppe and Jacob Webb combined for seven punchouts across 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Hoppe earned the winning decision while Webb notched his first save of the year.
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Connelly Early went five innings in his fifth start of the season for Greenville. The 22-year-old lefty allowed two earned runs on three hits (including two solo homers), zero walks, three hit batters, and six strikeouts. He finished with 76 pitches (50 strikes) and induced 16 swings-and-misses. At the plate, Ahbram Liendo went 1 for 2 with a leadoff home run for his first big fly of the year. Kristian Campbell, who pinch-hit for Liendo in the fifth inning, also homered for the second time in as many days. Tyler Miller doubled and drove in a run while Miguel Ugueto singled and scored a run to extend his hitting streak to six games.
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Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz went 3 2/3 innings in his fifth start of the season for Salem. The 20-year-old righty surrendered three runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Max Carlson contributed with three scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Offensively, Johanfran Garcia went 3 for 4 but was carted off the field after falling to the ground while rounding first base on his seventh-inning single. Nelly Taylor doubled in one run, scored another, and stole his fifth base of the season as part of a 1-for-4 night at the plate. Antonio Anderson drew three walks and drove in one run out of the leadoff spot.
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Player of the Day: Kyle Teel entered play Wednesday having last recorded a multi-hit game on April 12. After grounding out and drawing a walk in his first two plate appearances, he plated the tying and go-ahead run on a two-run single in the fifth inning. He later broke things open with a two-run homer in the eighth to cap the first four-RBI game of his young career. The 22-year-old backstop is now batting .231/.351/.400 with three home runs and 12 RBIs over 17 games (77 plate appearances) for Portland this season. He is currently ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the organization.
Photo Credit: Kyle Teel by Kelly O'Connor