May 29, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Rodriguez drives in five; Murphy pitches for first time since 2023
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Roman Anthony got the Sox going in the fourth inning with a leadoff double off the wall in left center field. The two-bagger went 106.8 mph off Anthony's bat and came off of a left-handed pitcher. He would come around to score on an RBI triple from Nate Eaton. Eaton added a double as well and scored two runs. Seby Zavala belted a solo home run in the ninth inning, his first long ball of the year. Trayce Thompson reached base three times with two singles and a walk, and Ryan Noda singled and drove in two runs. Zach Penrod made his second appearance of the year, tossing a perfect first inning on 13 pitches. Robert Stock followed him by throwing four solid innings, allowing just one unearned run. He struck out three and walked three. Austin Adams struggled, surrendering three runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Isaiah Campbell threw 1 1/3 scoreless frames that included three strikeouts. Luis Guerrero and Alex Hoppe closed it out with shutout innings in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
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Portland Sea Dogs @ Altoona Curve (PIT) (postponed)
More rain fell for the Sea Dogs, this time in Altoona. The two teams will attempt to play a doubleheader on Thursday.
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Chris Murphy began a rehab assignment with Greenville, making his first appearance in a game since the 2023 season when he threw 47 2/3 innings at the big league level for Boston. He threw a clean inning to begin the game, allowing no runs on one hit with two strikeouts and no walks. He threw 10 strikes out of 13 total pitches and induced three whiffs. Eduardo Rivera followed Murphy and had a mixed bag of results in his 4 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs on four hits and four walks, but also flashed impressive stuff with eight strikeouts and 19 whiffs. Isaac Stebens pitched great as well with no runs allowed and five strikeouts in 1 2/3 frames. Yophery Rodriguez knocked in half of the Drive's 10 runs, ripping a trio of doubles. Antonio Anderson also went 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Brooks Brannon had three hits, and Miguel Bleis singled, walked, and stole two bags.
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Noah Song made his third appearance of the season, throwing a perfect inning to begin the game. He threw 15 pitches, eight for strikes, and had one strikeout. Ben Hansen pitched the next 4 1/3 innings and earned the victory with no runs allowed on just two hits. He struck out four with one walk. Joe Vogatsky picked up a five-out save that included three strikeouts and no walks or hits allowed. Freili Encarnacion led the way on offense, going 2 for 4 with his ninth home run of the season and a stolen base. Natanaeil Yuten went 2 for 3 with a triple, while Enddy Azocar had two hits in four trips with a double. Justin Gonzales has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games, as he went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles.
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Austin Ehrlicher made his fifth start of the season and pitched well for 2 2/3 frames, surrendering zero runs on only one hit. The 21-year old right-hander walked three and punched out three. Griffin Kilander came on in relief and tossed 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball. The 2024 16th round pick also struck out three and walked three. Salem only had three hits, all of which were singles. Andruw Mussett went 2 for 3, while Yoeilin Cespedes went 1 for 3 with a pair of stolen bases. Justin Gonzales drew a walk and was caught trying to swipe home.
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Player of the Day: Yophery Rodriguez collected six total bases, the second time he has reached that mark in a game this season. He is hitting just .191 in 35 games with the Drive this year, but has a .342 OBP and nine extra-base hits. He was acquired last month in the trade with Milwaukee for Quinn Priester.
Photo Credit: Chris Murphy by Kelly O'Connor