Cup of Coffee: Mullins stifles the Yard Goats; Harrison makes progress

7/14 Cup of Coffee: The two left-handed starters in the upper minors did not allow an earned run, but Hayden Mullins (pictured) worked much deeper into the game than Kyle Harrison. Greenville's game got suspended, while Salem did not take advantage of several opportunities to beat the GreenJackets.

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Worcester Red Sox 2, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 0 (6 innings)

Storms rolled through Rochester, which ended this game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. It was not an efficient outing for Kyle Harrison as he needed 92 pitches to get through 3 2/3 innings, but he did keep the Red Wings off the board. He allowed four hits and issued three walks while striking out five. 52 of his 92 pitches were outside of the strike zone, but only one ball was hard hit. The win went to Wyatt Mills, and Hobie Harris earned the save despite the game ending with the tying run in the batter's box. 

No Worcester batter recorded an RBI as the WooSox scored once on a Trayce Thompson double play, and Nate Eaton scored on a throwing error by the catcher after he stole third. Eaton notched two steals as part of a 1-for-3 day, while Corey Rosier and Nathan Hickey went 1 for 2 with a walk. 

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Portland Sea Dogs 5, Hartford Yard Goats (COL) 1

The Sea Dogs managed to earn a series split after losing the first three games. It was another great outing for Hayden Mullins, who lowered his ERA to 2.48. Mullins allowed just an unearned run over 6 1/3, striking out three while allowing six baserunners. He left with two men on in the seventh, but Zach Bryant got a strikeout and a flyout to end the threat. Bryant also tossed a scoreless eighth, and Jonathan Brand worked around a hit and a walk in the ninth. Marvin Alcantara laced a two-run double in the sixth, and Mikey Romero went 1 for 5 with an RBI double. Juan Chacon went 2 for 2 with two RBI and a walk, but he also left the game mid-inning in the top of the seventh. 

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Winston-Salem Dash (CWS) @ Greenville Drive, Suspended

Sunday's game was suspended in the top of the third after a brief rain delay. The game will resume as part of a doubleheader at a later date that has yet to be scheduled. 

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Augusta GreenJackets (ATL) 5, Salem Red Sox 4

Salem went 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base in a tough loss to Augusta. Yohander Linarez hit his first home run for Salem as he went 2 for 4 with three RBI. He should be 2 for 3, as MiLB is not crediting him with a sacrifice fly and instead giving him an RBI fly out in the second inning. Three of his teammates had two doubles, with Starlyn Nunez, Yoeilin Cespedes, and Frederik Jimenez all having strong days at the plate. Remarkably, these six doubles combined to drive in only one run despite the players occupying three of the top four spots in the order. Starter Joey Gartrell only lasted two innings and was tagged for five runs. Adam Bates tossed three hitless frames, but he did walk four while striking out three. 

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Player of the Day: Hayden Mullins did not allow an earned run while throwing 6 1/3 innings in Portland's win. The 24-year-old left-hander is up to 23 in our recent rankings update as he continues to perform well for the Sea Dogs. Eastern League batters are hitting just .139 off Mullins, but his WHIP is 1.03 as he has walked 22 batters over 40 innings. If he can tighten up his command and control, he can give the Red Sox a tough decision after the season. He is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December. 

Photo Credit: Hayden Mullins by Kelly O'Connor

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