April 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Arias debuts for Greenville; Liendo stays hot to lead Portland
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Worcester opened its series in Toledo by extending its losing streak to six games. Robert Stock had surrendered just three runs in 19 2/3 innings in his first five WooSox appearances, but the Mud Hens reached him for four runs in four frames. A trio of relievers held things close with five scoreless innings. Brendan Cellucci struck out two and walked two as his allowed one hit in 1 1/3, followed by Wyatt Mills with 1 2/3 perfect frames, striking out one. Isaiah Campbell went the final two to close things out. Nate Eaton had a solo homer in the fifth inning, while Connor Wong had a single and walk in a rehab assignment, driving in the other Worcester run. Roman Anthony extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a first-inning single.
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The Sea Dogs racked up 12 hits to overpower the Fisher Cats in Manchester. Having abandoned switch-hitting, Ahbram Liendo continues to shine. He reached base four times, going 3 for 4 with a double, two runs and a walk. Blaze Jordan matched Liendo with three hits, a double, and a walk, snapping out of a 4-for-28 skid. Mikey Romero was 2 for 5 with one of Portland's three round-trippers. Caden Rose and Tyler Miller also went deep for the Sea Dogs.
The offensive outburst lifted up Connelly Early, who had an uncharacteristically shaky performance. Early, one of the most impressive prospects in the season's early going, battled control issues, walking four batters and striking out one as he needed 66 pitches to complete three innings. He finished with three runs allowed on four hits. Christopher Troye got credit for the win, allowing two runs in two innings. Wyatt Olds and Yovanny Cruz went two scoreless frames apiece to finish things off.
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Franklin Arias made his Drive debut, leading off and playing shortstop. The 19-year-old Arias was 0 for 4, drawing a walk. One of the questions surrounding Arias' promotion was what Nazzan Zanetello and Marvin Alcantara would do with Arias now likely to get the bulk of the shortstop playing time. The early answer, surprisingly, was that they would hit home runs. Zanetello got the start at second base, Alcantara at third, and both went deep for the first time in 2025. Alcantara had a two-run homer in the second as he raised his line to .349/.423/.429. Zanetello's was a fifth inning solo shot; he also drew a walk on the evening. Eduardo Rivera was dominant on the mound for the Drive, striking out eight of the 12 batters he faced in 3 1/2 innings. He surrendered just two hits and did not issue walk. Dylan Carlson added six more strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, He allowed one unearned run on two hits, getting credit for the win. Jeremy Wu-Yelland got the save with two scoreless frames, striking out four against two walks.
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Salem rallied from a 9-0 deficit with a five-run sixth inning but ultimately fell short. Shea Sprague took the loss despite a solid start. The Norwell, Mass. native allowed two runs in five innings, striking out nine without walking a batter. Nicholas Judice could not find his control, walking five of the eight batters he faced, surrendering seven runs while retiring just one batter. Eybersson Polanco and Nicolas de la Cruz combined for 3 2/3 innings to close things out. Natanael Yuten, Yoeilin Cespedes, and Freili Encarnacion each doubled for Salem. Encarnacion is tied with Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Vaughn Grissom for the organizational lead with 11 extra-base hits.
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Player of the Day: Prior to this season, Ahbram Liendo had been a switch hitter, providing strong defense across the infield to make up for his light bat. He's gone back to hitting right-handed in 2025, a move that has seemed to awaken the offensive side of his game. After hitting .201/.344/.291 in 2023 and .180/.279/.240 in 2024 as a left-handed batter, he is mashing right-handed pitching to the tune of .389/.450/.583 in the first month.
Photo Credit: Ahbram Liendo by Kelly O'Connor