August 9, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Garcia, Sogard bolster Early in Worcester
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The WooSox continue to get strong starting pitching, with Connelly Early taking the hill on Friday. Early allowed two runs on three hits in five innings, striking out seven against only one walk. He earned the victory, his eighth of the season and first with the WooSox. A trio of relievers then went four scoreless frames to close out the win. Zack Burdi threw a hitless sixth, striking out two and walking one. Zack Kelly followed with two hitless innings of his own, also striking out a pair against one walk. Alex Hoppe got the save, giving up one run and striking out a pair in the ninth.
Nick Sogard was a catalyst out of the leadoff slot, going 3 for 5 with a double and a run scored. Jhostynxon Garcia blasted a two-run homer to highlight a 2-for-5 evening. Garcia has been a production machine for the WooSox, driving in 18 runs over his last 10 games. He also stole his first base since joining Worcester. Kristian Campbell walked three times, scoring a run and driving in another.
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A quintet of Senator hurlers held Portland to just four hits in a romp. Two of those knocks came off the bat of Karson Simas, who got the start at second base. Marvin Alcantara homered for the second time this season and first since his promotion to Portland in May. Dalton Rogers cruised through his first four innings, allowing just one run, but ran into trouble in the fifth inning as he surrendered three runs while recording just one out. Noah Song pitched two innings out of the bullpen, giving up three runs on three hits.
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Like their Double-A counterparts, the Drive were held to just four hits on Friday night. Johanfran Garcia was the notable performer, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a steal. Brandon Clarke got the start, allowing two runs on two hits in 2 1/3, striking out and walking three apiece. Blake Aita went 5 1/3 innings in a piggyback role, giving up three runs on two hits. Joe Vogatsky surrendered one run in his 1 1/3 innings in his first appearance since being promoted from Salem.
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Yhoiker Fajardo had an uneven start for Salem. The right-hander proved typically difficult to hit, with just one knock allowed in three innings. Control proved to be an issue, however, with three walks and a hit batsman leading to a pair of Kannapolis runs. Eybersson Polanco was saddled with the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings, striking out four without walking a batter. Catcher Caleb Berry, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State, had a pair of hits and drove in two of the three Salem runs. The other was knocked in by Frederik Jimenez as part of his two-hit effort.
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Team Blue won a thriller in extra innings in a matchup for first place in the DSL North Division. Knotted at 4-4 headed into the 10th, the Rays picked up a run in the top of the inning. However, Christopher Alvarado raced home on a wild pitch to tie the game, followed by a Luis Andujar single to score Eliezer Alfonso. Starter Juanyerlin Duran allowed one run on three hits in 3 1/3, striking out three while walking two. Ranci Castillo had a strong effort out of the bullpen to get credit for the win. In 2 1/3 innings, Castillo surrendered only one score, the automatic runner in the 10th inning, for an unearned run. He struck out a pair without issuing a walk.
With eight games remaining, the Blue squad now has a 1 1/2 game lead over the Rays in the Division race.
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Christopher Cordero was again outstanding, but Team Red were officially eliminated from their division race. Cordero gave up just one hit over four frames, lowering his ERA on the year to 1.70. He walked three and struck out three. Felix Belisario surrendered three runs in two innings to take the loss. Givian Sirvania led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a triple, RBI, and a run scored. Miguel Welch also contributed a 2-for-3 afternoon.
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Player of the Day: Jhostynxon Garcia has been recognized in this space several times over the past two seasons as he has elevated himself from an interesting project to one of the system's top five prospects. Garcia is on the cusp of his second straight 20-homer campaign, blasting his 19th of the year on Friday as an encore to his organization-leading 23 in 2024. He also singled and stole his first base since his promotion from Portland. Garcia has hammered International League pitching to the tune of .307/.372/.589 in 58 games, and he has been scorching in August: 13 for 32 (.406) with four homers, three doubles, and 13 RBI.
Photo Credit: Jhostynxon Garcia by Kelly O'Connor