April 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Anthony and Mayer steal the show once again
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Game one of this doubleheader saw top prospect Roman Anthony back in the outfield for the first time since April 10, as his shoulder was giving him some issues. He immediately made an impact with a terrific diving grab in the left-center field gap. He was also perfect at the plate, going 1 for 1 with a 110.2 mph double to left and three walks. Marcelo Mayer went 2 for 3 with a 110.5 mph single and a walk. Mark Kolozsvary had a big game as well, going 3 for 3 with a double and four runs driven in. Nate Eaton added a single, two walks, and two runs. Robert Stock got the start on the bump and allowed two runs over 3 1/3 innings of work. The veteran righty struck out five and walked a pair. Bryan Mata struggled, surrendering two runs on three walks in just 2/3 of an inning. Brendan Cellucci was tremendous over two scoreless frames, as he did not allow a hit with just one walk and three strikeouts. Isaiah Campbell picked up his first save with a scoreless seventh.
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The Sox took game two by the same score as game one, and they were once again led by Anthony and Mayer. The former led off the bottom of the first with a single, which was followed by Mayer's sixth home run of the year, a blast to right-center field. The third-ranked prospect also added a single, and he played second base for the third time this year. Nathan Hickey went 1 for 3 and belted his third long ball of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Nate Eaton followed up a great first game by reaching base in all three of his plate appearances in game two, drawing a pair of walks and roping a single. Corey Rosier added a double and a walk. Brian Van Belle got the ball and went the first 3 2/3 frames, surrendering two runs on six hits. The right-hander struck out four and walked just one. Jose Adames picked up the win in relief with 1 1/3 innings of hitless ball, while Austin Adams allowed two unearned runs over an inning of work with two strikeouts. Nick Burdi earned the save with a scoreless seventh inning that included a pair of strikeouts.
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Jhostynxon Garcia came up big in the eighth inning with an RBI single that broke a 1-1 tie. The 22-year old added another single as well as a walk to raise his OPS to .937 this season. Blaze Jordan, who went 1 for 4, belted a two-run double in that eighth inning to give Portland some breathing room. Drew Ehrhard went 2 for 4, while Mikey Romero went 1 for 3 with a triple and a walk. Blake Wehunt was great in this start, tossing five innings of one-run ball. The right-hander punched out three and issued just one free pass. Wyatt Olds earned the win in relief with three shutout frames while giving up just one hit. He struck out a pair. Yovanny Cruz closed it out with a clean ninth inning with one strikeout.
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Noah Dean started for Greenville and was charged with three runs over four innings, although none of those runs were earned. He only allowed two hits, struck out six, and walked a pair to lower his ERA to 2.35 for the season. Max Carlson was very good in relief with 3 1/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Jeremy Wu-Yelland was tagged with the loss, allowing the winning run in the ninth inning. Nazzan Zanetello had a nice game at the plate, going 2 for 5 with a double and two runs knocked in. Bat flip extraordinaire Andy Lugo raised his average to .294 with a 2-for-4 evening, while Juan Montero reached three times with a single and two walks.
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After each side scored zero runs through the first nine innings, Franklin Arias and Yoeilin Cespedes delivered in extras. Arias broke the tie with a run-scoring single as part of his 2-for-4 night that included a two-bagger. Cespedes followed him with a huge two-run double to extend Salem's lead. Freili Encarnacion added even more insurance with an RBI single to make it 4-0 Salem. Kelvin Diaz also went 1 for 3 with a double. Brandon Clarke continued his dominance on the mound, firing 3 1/3 hitless innings. The big left-hander struck out six and only walked one while lowering his ERA to 0.93 this year. Shea Sprague was just as impressive, tossing 5 1/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen with five strikeouts and no walks. Matt McShane got the final four outs without allowing a run.
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Player of the Day: Marcelo Mayer had a huge day for Worcester's double dip, going a combined 4 for 6 with a walk and a home run. Mayer has been so hot of late that the walk was actually an intentional walk. He is now riding a six-game hitting streak, and he has exactly two hits in each of those six games. The left-hand hitting infielder is hitting .284/.329/.554 with six home runs and 24 RBI in 18 games since the calendar flipped to April.
Photo Credit: Marcelo Mayer by Kelly O'Connor