July 5, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Anthony inside-the-park homer highlights July 4th fireworks
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Very little went right for the WooSox as they returned from Syracuse to Polar Park for the second half of their home-and-home series. Richard Fitts went four innings, surrendering three runs, all on a three-run homer in the fourth. He gave up five hits, struck out six, and walked two. The offense generated only four hits, all singles. Mickey Gasper extended his hitting streak to seven games with an infield hit. Gasper is 25 for 61 (.410) since his promotion from Portland.
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The Sea Dogs won their fifth straight with an all-around effort that saw five batters collect multiple hits. Roman Anthony provided the spotlight, hitting a sky-high fly ball to left-center field that appeared to get lost between the lights and the dusk. By the time it landed 20 feet from any defender, Anthony had plenty of time to race around the bases for a stand-up inside-the-park home run. The system's top-ranked prospect also singled, walked, and stole a base. Nick Decker blasted a three run homer, while Tyler Miller doubled as part of his two-hit night. A good indication of how hot Kristian Campbell has been: with only a single and a walk, his Double-A OPS fell by 17 points.
Wikelman Gonzalez turned in a scoreless three-inning start, allowing just one hit, striking out three, and walking two. After making two appearances out of the bullpen, it was the second straight start in which Gonzalez was held to three innings despite not having allowed a run. Christopher Troye got the win in relief, surrendering one run that came on a solo homer in three innings, striking out five and walking two.
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A late Drive rally fell short as both teams brought the high-powered offenses back from Asheville. The Tourists jumped on starter Dalton Rogers for a seven-run second inning, knocking him out after just 1 1/3. The 2022 third-round pick struggled with his control, walking four batters while striking out one. Cooper Adams gave up one run on one hit in 3 2/3 of relief. He was followed by Nathan Landry, who struck out seven of the 16 batters he faced in four innings while also allowing one run. At the plate, Bryan Gonzalez and Ronald Rosario clubbed solo homers. Luis Ravelo scored three runs, going 1 for 2 with a double and two walks. Mikey Romero tripled, and Miguel Bleis added a single and a walk.
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A balanced offensive attack in which every starter reached base supported a strong effort by Ovis Portes. The 19-year-old Antiguan went four shutout innings, scattering two hits, striking out four without walking a batter. Across two levels, Portes has given up only 16 hits in 29 innings, spinning an impressive .160 opponents' batting average. Francis Hernandez picked up his first win of the year in relief, giving up three runs in 2 2/3. Brooks Brannon doubled and drove in a run as part of his 2-for-4 evening. Andy Lugo also picked up a pair of singles while Nelly Taylor added his 20th double of the season.
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The two pitchers generating some of the strongest buzz out of Fort Myers split the pitching duties in the FCL squad's win. Juan Valera went the first four innings, allowing two runs on six hits, striking out four without issuing a walk. It was the first time since May 23 that Valera had given up more than one run, and he's yet to allow more than two in any of his nine appearances. Yeferson Vargas followed with three hitless innings, striking out three against two walks. Pitching mostly in a piggyback role, Vargas has not allowed more than one earned run in an outing since his first appearance of the season on May 7th. At the plate, Starlyn Nunez ripped two doubles and drove in a run, while Kleyver Salazar was 2 for 3 with a double, RBI, and run scored.
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The first-place Red squad continues to roll, winning their seventh straight to push their record to 16-5. Madinson Frias gave up just one hit in three scoreless innings in his start. Yander Bonaci got the win, surrendering one run in two frames. Yoandys Veraza spun four scoreless innings to get credit for the save, scattering four hits while striking out three without issuing a walk. Carlos Carrasquel delivered the biggest hit, a bases-loaded double in the second inning that plated two runs.
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An early 7-0 advantage was too much to overcome for the Blue squad. Ilan Fernandez had a strong day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a double and run scored. Tavano Baker was 2 for 2 with an RBI before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. Jose Golidano took the loss, giving up two runs in 2/3 of an inning.
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Player of the Day: Add "inside-the-park homer on the 4th of July" to the ever-growing list of Roman Anthony accomplishments. Anthony has seen his prospect status rocket since being with the 79th pick of the 2022 draft. His 10 homers on the year rank second on the Sea Dogs, and he leads the team with 37 walks. While his .245/.353/.455 may look pedestrian at first glance, Anthony is doing that as the second-youngest player to start the season the Eastern League and third-youngest in all of Double-A.
Photo Credit: Roman Anthony by Kelly O'Connor