August 17, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Full-season affiliates go unbeaten with a pair of shutouts
8/16 Cup of Coffee: It was a great evening of baseball stateside, as both Worcester and Greenville recorded shutouts, while Portland and Salem each rode the momentum from fast offensive starts to victory. Blake Wehunt (pictured) had the best of some strong performances on the mound, with five no-hit innings and just one walk. Isaac Coffey struck out nine over five frames for Greenville and Quinn Priester permitted just three baserunners. There weren't many standout evenings in the batter's box, as Greenville and Worcester had three hits each, but with the pitching going the way it was, it wasn't a hindrance to a 4-0 night for the full-season affiliates. Despite that, Freili Encarnacion nearly beat Fredericksburg by himself, with three hits and five RBI. It was more of a mixed bag in the Dominican Republic, as Red had a dramatic, come-from-behind, walk-off win, while Blue got blown out.
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There were just six hits between the two squads, three on each side, but Worcester was able to bang out a three-run sixth to secure the win. Bobby Dalbec did most of the damage with a two-run double, breaking a scoreless tie. The Red Sox also worked eight walks, headlined by Chase Meidroth's three. The start went to Quinn Priester and he was outstanding, facing just one over the minimum in his five-inning stint. He scattered a pair of hits, didn't walk anyone and added a strikeout. Luis Guerrero also contributed a pair of clean innings in relief.
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There was a bit more offense in Binghamton, as the Sea Dogs scored four in the first inning on the way to a strong victory, taking advantage of three errors along the way. Phillip Sikes and Elih Marrero each had multiple hits, while Kristian Campbell, who is now able to play shortstop with Marcelo Mayer's promotion, added a triple. Isaac Coffey was able to cruise with the strong run support, with just a trio of hits, one run and a walk on his ledger over five innings. He punched out nine. Robert Kwiatkowski held down the fort with one run allowed over the ensuing three frames, while Jonathan Brand handled the ninth.
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Greenville was the second affiliate to come away with a shutout, with the winning run coming early. Andy Lugo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second, bringing home Hudson White. This game had even less production than Worcester's, as the squads combined for just five singles, though Greenville also secured eight free passes. Blake Wehunt faced the minimum across five no-hit innings, but he lost the perfect game on a fourth-inning walk, though the runner was erased on an inning-ending double play. Wehunt struck out six hitters. Gabriel Jackson lost the no-hitter on the first batter he faced but scattered just a pair of singles across four frames of relief.
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Salem was up 3-0 after the top of the second and was able to keep that momentum, allowing just two runs in the sixth, to complete the undefeated night stateside. The Red Sox pounded out 10 hits, three of which were off the bat of Freili Encarnacion, who added a double. He also drove in five of his team's runs. It was a unique setup for the pitching staff, with Luis Cohen pitching the final five innings after three arms got no more than six outs in front of him. Both runs came on his watch, but he struck out seven against one walk, allowing a trio of hits in the process. Cole Tolbert started the game with two innings of one-hit ball, while Griffin Kilander and Calvin Bickerstaff each had a no-hit inning.
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The Red Sox scored five unanswered runs, including two in the ninth, to secure another win as the regular season draws to a close. They were sloppy in the field, committing four errors, but only struck out six times, keeping the ball in play. A trio of hitters in Enddy Azocar, Carlos Carrasquel, and Efren Teran each had multiple hits. Justin Barry brought his team to within one run with a two-run homer in the seventh, then Alexander Mambel finished the deed with the team down to its final out.
Yermain Ruiz handled the first three innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks. He also struck out one. Jose Martinez threw two shutout frames and Breilin Arredondo had a clean eighth.
In the race for the top seed in the DSL playoffs, the Red Sox are back by the slightest of margins in percentage points. The regular season ends Tuesday and both teams are off Saturday and Sunday. Giants Black finishes the season off with a Monday doubleheader against the Mariners and a single game Tuesday against the White Sox, while the Red Sox play one each against Padres Brown and the Braves.
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The Royals got off to a fast start, scoring eight runs on just three hits in the first four innings. Red Sox pitching issued 12 walks and the defense committed two errors, giving plenty of free bases. Blue was only able to break the shutout in the eighth on a Moises Semerite triple. He had one of six hits, two of which were off the bat of Yoiber Ruiz. Each of Jesus Travieso and William Reynoso allowed four runs in 1 2/3 innings of work to start the contest. Travieso walked two and struck out three, while Reynoso didn't have any punch outs and walked four. Yohandry Gonzalez issued four free passes over two innings, but did not allow any runs.
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Player of the Day: It was the night of the pitcher in the system on Friday and Blake Wehunt had the best performance of them all. While some had more strikeouts, it's hard to argue with five no-hit innings, especially when the only runner who reached was erased on a double play just one hitter later. A ninth-round pick in 2023, Wehunt throws plenty of strikes and knows how to pitch, pounding the zone and not giving hitters free bases. He's up to 93 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings so far this season and had his best start in Greenville since being called up in early June.
Photo Credit: Blake Wehunt by Kelly O'Connor