May 22, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Rivera punches out nine; Arias collects four hits
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Trayce Thompson hit a huge home run in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie, but the Sox bullpen couldn't hold it. He also walked and swiped his sixth base of the year. In his second game with the WooSox, Jhostynxon Garcia picked up two hits in five trips to the plate, including a double. Tyler McDonough picked up a couple of doubles as well. Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer were each held hitless, but they combined to draw five walks, with Mayer taking three free passes. It was a bullpen game for Worcester, as Wyatt Mills, Alex Hoppe, and Brendan Cellucci each threw two innings to begin the game. Mills and Cellucci did not give up any runs, and Hoppe struck out four while allowing two runs. Bryan Mata tossed a shutout inning with one strikeout as well. Luis Guerrero allowed the game-tying home run in the ninth inning to old friend Jamie Westbrook.
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Blake Wehunt was a tough luck loser in the first game, as he tossed five solid innings. The 24-year old right-hander allowed just two runs on four hits to go along with three strikeouts and two walks. He now has a 3.69 ERA across seven starts this year. Zach Bryant came on in relief and punched out four batters in two frames, but also surrendered three runs. Portland's lone run came in the second inning when Blaze Jordan roped his fourth home run of the season. Mark Kolozsvary doubled and Caden Rose singled for the only other two hits of the game for the Sea Dogs.
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The bats stayed silent in the second game with just five hits, four of them singles. Tyler Miller had an RBI double in the first inning for Portland's only run. Zach Ehrhard scored on the double after leading off with a single and a stolen base. Zach's brother, Drew, followed him in the batting order in the nightcap. Jack Anderson took the loss, but was solid over 4 1/3 innings. He allowed just two runs and struck out six with only one walk. Gabriel Jackson gave up one run on just one hit in 2 2/3 innings in relief.
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Eduardo Rivera was dominant in this one with a season-high nine strikeouts and no hits allowed in 4 2/3 innings. The southpaw walked a pair and gave up just one unearned run. His ERA for the season is down to 0.83 in 21 2/3 frames. Danny Kirwin grabbed the win in relief with one run allowed in 1 1/3 innings and two strikeouts. Matt McShane picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless seventh inning that included a pair of strikeouts. Franklin Arias had a very productive game out of the leadoff spot, going 2 for 4 with a two-run single and an RBI double. Nelly Taylor belted his third long ball of the year, while Andy Lugo added an RBI single.
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Franklin Arias stayed hot in game two, going 2 for 3 with a couple of singles. The Drive only had two other hits, singles off the bats of Miguel Bleis and Andy Lugo. Bleis added his sixth stolen base of the year. John Holobetz started on the bump and gave up three runs over five innings on seven hits. He struck out four and walked a pair. Adam Smith tossed a clean inning out of the bullpen with two strikeouts and no walks.
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Ben Hansen struggled out of the gate, surrendering eight earned runs in the first inning while only getting two outs. Nathanael Cruz calmed things down by tossing three shutout innings on just one hit. He punched out three and did not issue a free pass. Eybersson Polanco struck out five in 3 1/3 innings of work, allowing four runs with just one of them earned. Frederik Jimenez and Andruw Mussett provided the offense for Salem, as each blasted a two-run home run. Jimenez added a single as part of his 2-for-3 evening. Justin Gonzales reached twice with a pair of walks.
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Player of the Day: Eduardo Rivera continued his tremendous season with the Drive. He is up to 37 strikeouts with just nine walks n 21 2/3 frames this year to go along with a 0.65 WHIP. Rivera was signed as a minor league free agent last June. He is just 21 years old and jumped up from 41st to 32nd in the latest SoxProspects.com rankings update.
Photo Credit: Eduardo Rivera by Kelly O'Connor