August 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Drohan dominates in WooSox return; Garcia walks off Greenville
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The WooSox fell despite an outstanding return from Shane Drohan. On the shelf with a forearm injury since May 7, the left-handed hurler went 3 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out nine of the 12 batters he faced. The only baserunner he allowed was a one-out walk in the second, which he followed by striking the next seven Durham Bulls. Relieved to see Drohan out, Durham knocked solo homers off of Jovani Moran and Isaiah Campbell before plating three against Zack Kelly. Chadwick Tromp drove in two of the three Worcester runs, one on a sacrifice fly and another on a ninth-inning double. Mikey Romero doubled and walked as part of his 1-for-3 effort, and Max Ferguson also netted a two-bagger.
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The Sea Dogs struck early, scoring all six runs in the first inning and coasting to victory. Miguel Bleis delivered a two-run single as part of his 2-for-4 night. Tyler Miller was 2 for 3 with a walk, run scored, and RBI, while Karson Simas picked up a pair of base hits. Brooks Brannon singled to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Benefitting from a six-run lead before throwing a pitch, Hayden Mullins went 5 1/3 strong innings, allowing one run on three hits to get the win. He struck out six against two walks. Mullins now sports a 2.04 ERA on the season in 20 appearances, with a 2.26 mark in 16 starts since his promotion to Portland. Yovanny Cruz struck out two in 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief, and Jacob Webb allowed one run in two innings to close out the victory.
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The Drive squandered an early 5-1 lead before Johanfran Garcia blasted a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th. Juan Valera took the mound for the first time since May 25. The 19-year-old righty, currently ranked seventh in the system, went two innings in his return, allowing one run on two hits, walking one, striking out three, and throwing 23 of 39 pitches for strikes. Shea Sprague followed in a piggyback role with four shutout frames, striking out five and walking one. Luis Guerrero struck out a pair in a perfect seventh inning in his second rehab appearance. Bowling Green knotted things up at 5-5 against Danny Kirwin with two runs in the eighth and another two in the ninth, but a scoreless 10th inning from Adam Smith set the stage for Garcia's heroics.
It was the second round-tripper in as many days and fifth of the month for Garcia, who sports a .533 slugging percentage since the All-Star Break. He finished the day 2 for 5. Andruw Mussett also delivered a three-run homer for the Drive, while Nelly Taylor was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
The win pushes Greenville and Bowling Green back into a tie for second place in the South Division's second-half standings. Hub City (TEX) also was victorious, giving it a two-game lead with eight to play.
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Ten walks and three errors came back to haunt Salem in Friday night's loss. Starter Ben Hansen went three innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits, striking out one while walking five. Patrick Galle walked four in 1 2/3 in his second professional appearance, and Nicolas De La Cruz was saddled with the loss after four unearned runs in 2 2/3. Jack Winnay, Boston's 13th-round pick in July's draft, had a good night at the plate, going 2 for 2 with a walk and an RBI. Gerardo Rodriguez picked up his first triple as a professional, while Starlyn Nunez and Enddy Azocar had a double apiece.
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Player of the Day: It is rare to face only 12 batters and get Player of the Day recognition, but it is also rare to be as dominant over 12 batters as Shane Drohan was on Friday. The 26-year-old left-hander saw his prospect status rise back in 2023, but has spent most of 2024 and 2025 battling injuries. A forearm strain kept him out for over three months, but he returned to the WooSox mound in style with nine strikeouts, including each of the final seven batters he faced. When he's been able to get onto an International League mound in 2025, Drohan has been extremely effective. Over eight appearances, he has allowed just six runs on 17 hits in 30 1/3 innings, good for a 1.78 ERA. He has struck out 47 of 120 (39.2 percent) of Triple-A hitters he has faced on the season.
Photo Credit: Shane Drohan by Kelly O'Connor