Podcast Ep. #428: New month, new rankings

Chris and Mike got together to discuss the newest #SP60, but not after first recapping the last few weeks in the organization, including the reintegration of Roman Anthony and Trevor Story, the change in focus following the Yankees series, Jedixson Paez's MLB debut and the return of Yordanny Monegro. Plus, another crop of listener emails!

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Cup of Coffee: Godbout homers again; season comes to an end for Greenville and Salem

9/7 Cup of Coffee: A heartbreaking loss for Worcester did not help the playoff picture despite strong games from Kristian Campbell and Franklin Arias. Henry Godbout hit his fourth home run of the week, and Leighton Finley had a strong showing in Greenville's season finale. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 8, Worcester Red Sox 7

Seven runs in the seventh doomed the WooSox as they lost a pivotal game to Buffalo. Starter Gage Ziehl cruised through five innings, needing just 56 pitches as he left in line for the win. But the Bisons got to Angel Bastardo for five runs and then Tyler Samaniego for two runs to take the lead. The heart of Worcester's offense did its part, led by Kristian Campbell who went 3 for 4 with a double, walk, and two RBI. Both Franklin Arias and Romy Gonzalez went 3 for 5, with Arias notching an RBI double while Gonzalez had two run-scoring singles. 

Worcester is now in fourth place and two games out of a playoff spot with two weeks to play. 

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Cup of Coffee: Comebacks abound, Campbell homers

9/6 Cup of Coffee: It was a big day for comebacks across the system, as Worcester and Salem each scored three in the eighth to take the lead, while Portland doubled up the two squads in the penultimate frame, adding six to take the lead. Greenville got it done a bit earlier, as its big inning came in the sixth, with a four-run inning. Kristian Campbell (pictured) had a huge day for Worcester, going 3 for 4 with a two-run homer in the eighth. He was joined in the three-hit club by Tyler McDonough and Ronny Hernandez, the latter of whom was perfect on the day. Barrett Morgan also threw four shutout innings.

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Worcester Red Sox 4, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 2

Worcester had some theatrics on Saturday night, as the WooSox went from down 2-1 to up 4-2 in the top of the eighth with a three-run frame, including a two-run homer by Kristian Campbell, who was 3 for 4. He and Anthony Siegler accounted for five of their team’s eight hits. It was a strong start for Michael Sansone, who struggled with control, walking four over five innings, but got results, as he allowed just one run. Devin Sweet pitched a clean eighth, while Sam McWilliams recorded his first save for Worcester this season, working around a hit with two strikeouts in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Capra, Arias power WooSox sweep; Salazar powers RidgeYaks

9/5 Cup of Coffee: It was a full day of action down on the farm, with all four full-season teams in action and Worcester getting some extra baseball. The WooSox got a de facto sweep, as Vinny Capra homered in the 10th inning of the restart of Thursday's suspended contest before Franklin Arias and John Holobetz slaughtered the Bisons in the regularly scheduled game. Salem was also victorious on Friday, led by another big night from Kleyver Salazar (pictured). Greenville saw its postseason hopes dashed in an extra-inning walk-off loss, while Portland fell in Eastern League action. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4 (Game 1)

On Thursday night, Buffalo had just staged a comeback to send the contest to extra innings when the skies fully opened. Shortly after the restart on Friday, Vinny Capra blasted a three-run bomb in the 10th to give Worcester the win. It was the third hit of the game for Capra, who was also hit by a pitch and stole a base. Romy Gonzalez was 4 for 5 with an RBI, while Mikey Romero doubled and drove in a run as part of a 3-for-5 effort. Franklin Arias finished with a pair of hits. Blake Wehunt had gone six innings, allowing one run on seven hits, earning a no decision. The Capra homer made a winner of Hobie Harris, who had surrendered the tying run in the ninth on Thursday. Seth Martinez allowed the automatic runner to score on a base hit in the 10th but struck out a pair to secure the save. 

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Cup of Coffee: Godbout homers twice as Portland bests Eyanson, Chesapeake

9/4 Cup of Coffee: Excluding Worcester's suspended contest against Buffalo, Boston's affiliates went 1-2 in three tightly contested games on Thursday. Henry Godbout (pictured) homered twice in Portland's win over Chesapeake. Ronny Hernandez, Nazzan Zanetello, and Givian Sirvania all went deep as Greenville fell to Bowling Green. Cole Tolbert worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings as Salem was shut out by Hill City.

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Worcester Red Sox 3, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 3 (Suspended in 10th inning)

This game was suspended in the top of the 10th inning due to rain. It will resume at 5:05 p.m. ET Friday evening and be followed by Friday's regularly scheduled nine-inning contest.

Before the skies opened, Blake Wehunt put together a solid start for Worcester, allowing only one earned run on seven hits, one walk, and six strikeouts over six quality innings. He threw 84 pitches (62 strikes) and generated eight whiffs. In relief of Wehunt, Angel Bastardo tossed a scoreless bottom of the seventh, while John Brebbia and Hobie Harris each gave up a run in their respective innings of work. 

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August Players of the Month: Franklin Primera and Dylan Brown

The fifth full month of the minor league season is complete. With that, it is time to present the SoxProspects.com Players of the Month awards for August to catcher Franklin Primera (pictured, left) and left-hander Dylan Brown (pictured, bottom right). Both prospects are currently ranked within the organization's top 25, having each climbed more than 30 spots since Opening Day.

Primera, the No. 3 prospect in the system behind only Franklin Arias and Justin Gonzales, is a SoxProspects.com Player of the Month honoree for the second time this season. The right-handed hitting 19-year-old batted a stout .382/.535/.592 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 15 RBI, 19 runs scored, two stolen bases, 16 walks, and eight strikeouts in 22 August games (101 plate appearances) for Salem. He was recognized as the Carolina League Player of the Week for August 10-16, then drove in a career-high seven runs on August 18.

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Cup of Coffee: Hull, Schaffner lead Greenville; Mullins dominates for Sea Dogs

9/3 Cup of Coffee: Affiliates won two out of three games on Wednesday evening as both Class A affiliates look to close out the season strong. Greenville kept its playoff hopes alive on the continued hot bats of Owen Hull and Jake Schaffner. A late rally made winners of the RidgeYaks, who have won two in a row after suffering a sweep in last week's series. Hayden Mullins (pictured), fanned 10 in six shutout innings for Portland, but a late comeback in Bowie dropped the Sea Dogs in extra innings. Wild weather in Western New York postponed Worcester's contest. 

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Worcester Red Sox @ Buffalo Bisons (TOR), postponed   

With heavy rains and a tornado warning rolling through Buffalo, Wednesday's contest was postponed. They'll try for a doubleheader on Friday. 

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Chesapeake Baysox (BAL) 5, Portland Sea Dogs 4

A late rally culminating in a 10th-inning walkoff spoiled an outstanding effort by Hayden Mullins. The left-hander dominated for six innings, allowing just one hit, walking one, and fanning 10 of the 20 batters he faced. Chesapeake shortstop and 2025 first-round pick Wehiwa Aloy blasted a pair of two-run homers in back-to-back innings off of Tyler Davis to knot the contest at 4-4. Erik Rivera suffered a tough-luck loss, as the only baserunner he allowed in 1 2/3 innings was a two-out ground ball single in the 10th that plated the automatic runner. Max Ferguson led the way at the plate with a 2-for-4 evening with three RBI that included a two-run homer in the sixth. Reigning Eastern League Player of the Week Johanfran Garcia also went deep for the Sea Dogs. Brooks Brannon and Ronald Rosario had two hits apiece, with Rosario ripping a double.

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Cup of Coffee: Schaffner hits first professional homer, Romero records four hits

Cup of Coffee: On the night that Jedixson Paez made his major league debut at Fenway Park, there was plenty of action for prospect watchers down on the farm as well. Mikey Romero and Romy Gonzalez had big games in a blowout win for the WooSox, while Henry Godbout homered in a Sea Dogs loss. The Drive and RidgeYaks both had exciting wins, as Yophery Rodriguez (pictured) blasted a go-ahead home run in the ninth for Greenville and Adonys Guzman sent the Salem fans home happy with a walkoff single in the tenth. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1 

Mikey Romero led the charge in a huge night for the WooSox lineup, as he drove in a pair of runs with a double in the third inning as part of a 4-for-4 game. Romy Gonzalez homered in his second consecutive game, ripping a two-run homer to center field in the seventh inning. Franklin Arias went 2 for 4 with a walk and scored three runs. In his first game since being optioned to Worcester, Anthony Seigler drove in two runs with a double in the ninth and went 1 for 5 on the night. 

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Minor Notes: Monegro returns from Tommy John; Anthony and Story rejoin Red Sox

With less than a month remaining in the regular season, the Red Sox postseason roster is beginning to take shape. Three major league mainstays returned to the Red Sox after stints on the injured list, causing a ripple effect for Boston's depth in the upper minors. Down on the farm, the Red Sox affiliates remain on the outside looking in as they battle for postseason berths. 

 

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Rehabbing major leaguers rejoin Red Sox 

After missing more than three months of action, Roman Anthony and Trevor Story made their triumphant return to the Red Sox lineup in Sunday's loss to the Yankees. Both players had spent most of the last two weeks on rehab assignments following their lengthy absences, with Anthony hitting .280/.367/.600 with two home runs in eight games between Portland and Worcester while Story hit .171/.189/.200 with 11 strikeouts in 10 games with the WooSox. While he did not pitch on a rehab assignment, Garrett Whitlock also returned to the Red Sox bullpen on Saturday after missing a couple of weeks with elbow inflammation. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has also played eight games on a rehab assignment with Worcester, is likely to follow once rosters expand in September.

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Cup of Coffee: Campbell homers twice; Heyman plays the hero for Greenville

8/31 Cup of Coffee: Two home runs from Kristian Campbell helped the WooSox cling to their playoff chances. Luke Heyman (pictured) was the hero in a thriller for Greenville, while Martin Shelar was on base five times in a doubleheader for Salem. 

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Worcester Red Sox 13, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 10

The WooSox were able to salvage a series split, but they still sit 4.5 games out of a playoff spot entering September. Kristian Campbell capped the month with one of his best games, going 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBI. Romy Gonzalez also added a home run as he went 3 for 4 with a double, stolen base, three RBI, and four runs scored. Appearing in his last rehab game, Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 1 for 3 with a two-run single. The offense bailed out the pitching staff as the seven Worcester pitchers struggled to set down the RailRiders. John Brebbia threw a scoreless frame as the opener; Max Carlson got the win despite allowing two runs over three innings, while he notched a save with a scoreless ninth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzales goes for 4 hits

8/30 Cup of Coffee: The big club split a doubleheader on Saturday, but the minor league affiliates weren't as fortunate, as just one of the four grabbed a win, and they began to fall further from playoff contention. This wasn't without some solid performances, however, as No. 2 prospect Justin Gonzales (pictured) exploded with a four-hit performance in a big Portland victory, contributing two RBI along the way. Barrett Morgan also had a nice start for Greenville, pitching 3 1/3 no-hit innings, while Andruw Mussett was a bright spot in an otherwise tough close loss for Salem, hitting a two-run homer as part of a three-hit evening.

 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (NYY) 9, Worcester Red Sox 1

A four-run fifth was the separator for Worcester, as the WooSox just got five hits. However, there was some encouraging news for the big-league club, as Isiah Kiner-Falefa knocked two hits, while Trevor Story knocked a double and Roman Anthony worked a walk, meaning all three rehabbers reached base. Michael Sansone handled the bulk of the work, pitching the first five innings. He allowed six runs, five of which were earned, on two home runs. He walked one and struck out five. Patrick Halligan also contributed three innings, while Nathan Hickey had another pitching appearance in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Monegro returns to Greenville mound as Hull stays hot

8/29 Cup of Coffee: The Red Sox got some strong pitching performances as its affiliates drew a Friday-night split. Yordanny Monegro had his first in-game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, getting the start for the Drive. He was supported by a solid piggyback effort by Shea Sprague and the continued excellent play of Owen Hull (pictured). Devin Futrell got more than enough support for his quality start in Portland's win as the Sea Dogs ripped 14 hits, seven for extra bases. Leighton Finley was excellent for Salem, but the RidgeYaks suffered a come-from-behind loss, while John Holobetz was on the wrong side of a Polar Park pitchers' duel. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (NYY) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

It was a strange evening at Polar Park, with most of the attention paid to who wasn't in the lineup. A trio of rehabbing major leaguers, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, were not activated on Friday for the Yankees series but were also not in the Worcester starting lineup. Afield was a pitchers' duel, with John Holobetz and a trio of relievers falling to a pair of Railriders who threw a three-hit shutout. Holobetz went the first five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out two and walking one. John Brebbia followed with a scoreless sixth inning, striking out one and surrendering one hit. Angel Bastardo fanned two and walked one in two hitless frames, and Hobie Harris struck out three batters, sandwiching one walk in the ninth. For Harris, it was his sixth straight game and 10th in his last 11 that he was not scored upon. At the plate, Franklin Arias had the only extra-base hit, a ninth-inning double. The knock extended his hitting streak to seven games. Nate Eaton and Romy Gonzalez had a hit apiece. 

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Cup of Coffee: Brown, Jackson lead Greenville past Rome; Anthony picks up two more hits

8/28 Cup of Coffee: Aside from Salem's game in Fayetteville getting rained out, Boston's affiliates went 3-0 on Thursday. Blake Wehunt went five innings while the rehabbing trio of Roman Anthony, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Trevor Story combined for five hits in Worcester's win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Ahbram Liendo and Henry Godbout homered in Portland's blowout win over Richmond. And in Greenville, Isaiah Jackson (pictured) and Dylan Brown stood out as the Drive toppled Rome.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 1

Blake Wehunt picked up the win in his start for Worcester after allowing only one earned run on four hits, two walks, and four strikeouts over five solid innings. He threw 75 pitches (47 strikes) and generated five whiffs. Osvaldo Berrios and Seth Martinez combined for nine additional strikeouts over four scoreless, one-hit frames of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: Andujar reaches six times in twinbill; Shelar blasts first homer

8/27 Cup of Coffee: A Portland victory in extra innings saved the system from being swept on Wednesday. The Sea Dogs were locked in a scoreless tie into the 10th and the two exchanged rallies until Yoeilin Cespedes hit a decisive two-run homer in the 13th. Salem was swept in a doubleheader despite a huge day from Louis Andujar (pictured), who reached base six times in seven plate appearances. Greenville fell despite a strong Jason Gilman start while Worcester could not dig out of an early deficit.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 7, Worcester Red Sox 1

It was a tough evening at Polar Park for the WooSox, who were outhit 13 to five and failed to register an extra-base hit. Rehabbers Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Roman Anthony, and Trevor Story occupied the top three spots in the lineup and went a combined 0 for 10, though Kiner-Falefa did draw a pair of walks and stole a base. Allan Castro had the only multi-hit effort, going 2 for 4. Franklin Arias singled to bring his hitting streak to six games. Starter Gage Ziehl took the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits in three innings. He struck out one, walked one, and allowed two homers. Noah Song had a strong effort out of the bullpen, fanning four as he allowed two hits in three shutout innings. Tyler Samaniego and Devin Sweet went a scoreless inning apiece before Scranton picked up an insurance run in the ninth against Sam McWilliams.

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Cup of Coffee: Paez strikes out eight, Anthony homers in WooSox win

8/26 Cup of Coffee: With the help of three rehabbing major leaguers and a great start from Jedixson Paez (pictured), the WooSox rode a late rally to the win on Tuesday night. The Sea Dogs clawed their way back after falling behind early but were unable to emerge victorious despite strong games from Justin Gonzales and Henry Godbout. Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull led the Drive to a walkoff win while the Salem bats were held quiet in a pitching duel. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 5 

After spending a week in Portland, Roman Anthony took the next step in his rehab assignment as he jumped up Worcester on Tuesday night. Anthony was right in the middle of the action, crushing a two-run homer to give the WooSox the lead in a pivotal seventh-inning rally, and going 2 for 4 with a walk on the night. Franklin Arias also ripped an RBI double and Kristian Campbell delivered an RBI single in that five-run rally. Arias was 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in the game. Also in the WooSox lineup on rehab assignments, Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 1 for 3 with a double and two walks and Trevor Story went 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts. 

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Minor Notes: Anthony takes rehab to Worcester; Phillips heads to IL

In the thick of the American League Wild Card race, the Red Sox are looking to end August on a strong note. At the same time, their four full-season affiliates are fighting for playoff spots down the stretch. Salem and Greenville have two weeks of games remaining, while Portland has three and Worcester has four. This week's notes will cover those playoff chases, as well as injury and rehab assignment updates.

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Anthony's rehab shifts to Worcester

Working his way back from a partially torn tendon in his right hand/wrist sustained in early May, Roman Anthony (pictured, left) is joining Worcester from Portland this week to continue his rehab assignment. The 22-year-old outfielder appeared in four games for the Sea Dogs last week, going 3 for 11 (.273) with one double, one home run, three RBI, one run scored, two walks, and four strikeouts. He made two starts in left field and two starts at DH.

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Cup of Coffee: Godbout and Bleis go back-to-back; Burgos stifles the Mets

8/24 Cup of Coffee: The big league squad's magic did not carry down to the affiliates as they went 0 for 4 on Sunday. Raymond Burgos was solid for Worcester, and Henry Godbout (pictured) and Miguel Bleis had back-to-back home runs for Portland. It was a hitless rehab appearance for all of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Trevor Story, and Roman Anthony, while Kleyver Salazar kept his hitting streak alive. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

The WooSox were shut out for the third time this series as they dropped five of six to the Mets. The rehabbing Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Trevor Story combined to go 0 for 8 at the top of the order, while Franklin Arias and Mikey Romero both went 1 for 3 with a walk. Making his first start since being optioned, Raymond Burgos kept the game scoreless as he fired five shutout frames with three walks and four strikeouts. The loss went to Seth Martinez who gave up two runs (one earned) in his two innings. The WooSox are now 3.5 games out of playoff spot after dropping their fourth straight. 

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Cup of Coffee: Sansone goes 6 strong; White, Rodriguez have 3 hits

8/23 Cup of Coffee: It was another tough day on the farm, as there were tough results up and down the minor league ladder, as many games went down to the wire and Salem was the only affiliate able to pull out a victory. In Greenville's completion of a suspended game, the Drive lost by one, while Portland gave up three runs in the ninth and got the tying run aboard, but was unable to complete the comeback, wasting six effective innings by Michael Sansone (pictured). Mason White did his part, knocking three hits, including a double. Worcester was also shut out. All nine batters got in on the action for Salem and seven of them had at least one RBI, including three for Colton Coates.

 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 3, Worcester Red Sox 0

Syracuse scored three runs in the bottom of the second and that was able to hold up, as neither team was able to push an additional run across the plate. The WooSox were shutout and unable to take advantage of two Syracuse errors. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in his rehab appearance, while Trevor Story was 1 for 4. Brett Harris was the only member of the multi-hit club, adding a double. John Holobetz was on the mound and gave four innings, with all three runs on his tab, as he gave up seven hits and walked another Met. He struck out four. John Brebbia was the only reliever to not allow a baserunner, doing so with a clean ninth, but Osvaldo Berrios (two innings) and Tyler Samaniego (one inning) scattered a hit each.

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Cup of Coffee: Guzman, Primera roll, but RidgeYaks fall short

8/22 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough day down on the farm, with all three affiliates who completed their games coming up short. Salem could not come all the way back from an early deficit despite the efforts of Adonys Guzman and Franklin Primera. Franklin Arias spoiled the no-hit and shutout bids against Worcester, but the WooSox suffered a walk-off defeat. Devin Futrell turned in a quality start, but Portland never led against the Fightin Phils. Greenville was holding a 2-0 lead in the third inning when its contest was suspended by weather.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3

Worcester was held hitless into the eighth inning, but came back to knot the score at 3-3 before Syracuse walked it off in the ninth. The WooSox' first hit scored their first two runs, as Franklin Arias ripped a one-out double that scored Nate Baez and Nate Eaton, who both had walked. In the ninth, Romy Gonzalez doubled and then came on to score on an Allan Castro base hit. Trevor Story continued his rehab assignment, going 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts. Starter Blake Wehunt went 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits. He walked four, struck out four, and hit a batter. Hobie Harris continued his run of solid relief work, striking out a pair and allowing one hit in 1 1/3 innings. It was the fourth straight scoreless outing for the veteran righty, and he has allowed just one run in his last nine appearances. Sam McWilliams allowed a run in the ninth to take the loss. 

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Cup of Coffee: Heyman, Martin power Greenville; Song has career night

8/21 Cup of Coffee: Boston's affiliates went 1-3 on Thursday. Noah Song tallied a career-high seven strikeouts out of the bullpen in Worcester's shutout loss to Syracuse. Will Turner doubled and homered, while Roman Anthony continued his rehab assignment in Portland's blowout loss to Reading. Luke Heyman (pictured) and Maximus Martin both went deep in Greenville's come-from-behind win over Winston-Salem. Louis Andujar also left the yard in Salem's high-scoring loss to Wilson. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 5, Worcester Red Sox 0

Gage Ziehl went four innings and took the loss in his start for Worcester, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits (including one home run), three walks, and two strikeouts. He threw 82 pitches (49 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. In relief of Ziehl, Noah Song struck out a career-high seven over three frames of one-run ball, while Devin Sweet worked a scoreless eighth inning. Offensively, the WooSox were held to just four hits (all singles) as a team. Brett Harris accounted for two of those knocks. Franklin Arias and Nate Eaton, who each drew a walk, were responsible for the others.

With the loss, Worcester remains 1 1/2 games back of Indianapolis for first place in the International League second-half standings.

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