May 8, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Taylor, Valera lead Greenville to win; Mayer doubles and triples
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Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony started a four-run rally in the eighth inning that led to a comeback win for the WooSox. After Anthony walked to lead off the frame, Mayer belted a double off the wall in right center field. Nick Sogard had an RBI single before Vaughn Grissom tied it with a sacrifice fly. Yasmani Grandal had the game-winning knock, a two-run double to right center. In the first inning, Mayer ripped an RBI triple down the right field line to score Anthony, who singled to center to lead off the game. Mayer ended up going 2 for 5 and Anthony was 2 for 4 with a pair of singles and a walk.
Shane Drohan started for Worcester and went three innings, allowing one earned run with three strikeouts and one walk. He threw 46 pitches, 32 of them for strikes, and induced nine swings and misses. I was able to get a first-hand look at Drohan tonight, and his changeup looked very good, getting two whiffs on three total swings on the pitch, while Lehigh Valley was able to lay off a couple other good ones. His curveball was sharp as well, getting three whiffs on four swings. Luis Guerrero tossed two shutout innings with three strikeouts out of the bullpen. Austin Adams and Isaiah Campbell had identical stat lines, as each threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and no walks or hits allowed.
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Yordanny Monegro started and pitched very well, but left the game after just three innings due to more rainfall in Portland. He allowed two hits and no runs to go along with three strikeouts and one walk. His fastball touched 96 mph and he induced eight swings and misses. The 22-year old now owns a 2.20 ERA in 16 1/3 frames this year with 30 strikeouts and only five walks. Yovanny Cruz struggled with three earned runs allowed on three walks in 2 1/3 frames. Wyatt Olds allowed one unearned run over 1 2/3 innings. Christopher Troye did not allow an earned run in one inning of work, although he surrendered the go-ahead hit in extra innings. The Portland offense drew 10 walks in this one, with Blaze Jordan and Ahbram Liendo each taking their base three times. Liendo swiped two bases and came around to score twice. Allan Castro went 1 for 3 with a two-run double and a walk.
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Blaze Jordan gave Portland an early lead with an RBI double in the first inning, but that would end up as the Sea Dogs' only run of the contest. Jhostynxon Garcia and Drew Ehrhard each had a single and a double, while Max Ferguson drew a pair of walks and stole his eighth bag of the year. Jack Anderson started and lasted four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with five strikeouts and no walks. The 25-year old right-hander has a 1.23 ERA across 14 2/3 frames with Portland this year, with a ridiculous 22 strikeouts and just one walk. Jonathan Brand was very good in relief as well, as he did not allow a run or a hit in three innings, striking out three and walking two.
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Juan Valera dominated on the mound, sealing his first career win with a full-season affiliate. The 18-year old right-hander fired 5 2/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts and just one walk. The seventh ranked prospect in the system now has an impressive 30 strikeouts to just eight walks in 26 1/3 frames with Greenville this year. Zach Fogell followed with 2 1/3 strong innings of his own, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Isaac Stebens closed it out with a scoreless ninth that included a pair of strikeouts. Nelly Taylor led the way on offense, going 3 for 5 with two doubles, a triple, a stolen base, two RBI, and two runs scored. The outfielder is now hitting .293/.402/.476 with 10 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases in 22 games this year for the Drive. Franklin Arias had another good game as well with three hits, raising his OPS to .984 in eight High-A contests. Miguel Bleis reached three times with a single, a double, and a walk to go along with a stolen base. Zach Ehrhard added two hits and an RBI.
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Yoeilin Cespedes came through in the clutch, breaking a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning with a solo shot, his first home run of the season. Starlyn Nunez went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs driven in. Justin Gonzales had a productive afternoon too, drawing two walks and coming around to score twice. Natanael Yuten belted a solo home run, also his first long ball of the season. Blake Aita started on the bump and went the first five innings, allowing two unearned runs with four strikeouts and no walks. His ERA now sits at 2.73 across six starts this season. Nathanael Cruz tossed a scoreless frame with two strikeouts before Jay Allmer came in and threw two shutout innings to nab the win. Nicolas De La Cruz earned the save despite giving up one run in the ninth. He punched out two and did not walk anybody.
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Player of the Day: Nelly Taylor had his first game of the season with multiple extra-base hits, and he had three of them. The outfielder is off to a hot start in the month of May, as he already has three games with multiple knocks and is hitting .391/.517/.609. Taylor is 22 years old and was drafted by the Sox in the 11th round back in 2023.
Photo Credit: Nelly Taylor by Kelly O'Connor