June 30, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Wehunt bounces back; fireworks in the DSL
6/30 Cup of Coffee: With Worcester and Portland rained out, all eyes were on the lower minors. Blake Wehunt pitched well in a tough loss for Greenville, while Stanley Tucker (pictured) filled up the stat sheet for Salem. The offense was the story in the complex leagues, with the FCL and DSL teams combining to score 27 runs in only 23 innings.
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Worcester Red Sox @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY), PPD (rain)
A game got postponed for the second time in the series due to rain. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 24.
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Portland Sea Dogs @ Binghamton Rumble Ponies (NYM), PPD (rain)
Saturday's game was postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 13.
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The Crawdads broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth to steal a win in Greenville. Blake Wehunt turned in his best start since his promotion, allowing one run over four innings while striking out five. Cooper Adams followed and allowed three runs over three innings, and Zach Fogell gave up the winning run in the ninth. Allan Castro led the way offensively, going 1 for 2 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored. Eduardo Lopez went 2 for 4 and Cutter Coffey went 0 for 2 but walked twice and stole a base.
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The Nationals got to Matt Duffy for five runs in 4 1/3 as they won their second game in a row. Antonio Anderson continues to come alive as he went 2 for 4 and is now hitting .277 over his last 65 at-bats. Stanley Tucker went 2 for 3 with a double, walk, and a stolen base, and Freili Encarnacion went 1 for 4 with a double. Danny Kirwin kept things close by limiting Fredericksburg to one run over the final 4 2/3 innings.
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Yosander Asencio and Kelvin Diaz hit their first home runs of the season, and Stijn Van Der Schaaf was dominant in long relief. Both of the home runs were two-run shots, and the other two runs were driven in by Armando Sierra. Sierra went 2 for 3 with two doubles, and Franklin Arias went 2 for 4 with two doubles and a stolen base. Starter Gilberto Batista struck out three and allowed one run over three innings, while Van Der Schaaf surrendered only one hit in four scoreless innings.
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In just seven innings the Red Sox had four players collect multiple hits as they beat up on the Dodgers. Vladimir Asencio, Tavano Baker, Jhiancarlos Diaz, and Justin Gonzales had two hits, and Yoiber Ruiz went 1 for 2 with two walks. Yodrian Beltre fired three shutout innings while striking out two.
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The firepower in the DSL continued, with the Red squad amassing 17 hits. Every starter had at least one hit, though a double from Kenyon Simmons was the team's only extra-base hit. Alexander Mambel led the way going 3 for 4 with three RBI. Anderson Fermin went 2 for 3 with two walks, Edwin Brito went 1 for 3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch, and Enddy Azocar went 2 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. Jeison Payano and Jose Martinez combined to strike out seven over seven shutout frames.
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Player of the Day: Stanley Tucker went 2 for 3 with a double, walk, and a stolen base in Salem's loss to Fredericksburg. A 19th-round pick in the 2023 draft, Tucker appeared in 8 games for Salem last year before returning to the team in 2024. It has been a tough campaign for the 22-year-old, as Saturday's performance improved his line to .163/.305/.231 over 147 at-bats. Tucker is a quick-twitch athlete with plus speed and good defensive versatility. He has seen time at every outfield position and second and third base.
Photo Credit: Stanley Tucker by Kelly O'Connor