August 4, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Romero and Garcia power Worcester; Travieso dazzles in Salem
8/4 Cup of Coffee: Jhostynxon Garcia homering for the third straight game was overshadowed by Mikey Romero (pictured) launching two home runs and driving in six runs for the WooSox. Richard Fitts turned in a quality start to pick up the win. In Portland, Max Ferguson had a standout performance in an otherwise tough day for the Sea Dogs, and Yophery Rodriguez had the key hit in a Greenville victory. Jesus Travieso dominated in Salem, while Jack Winnay has had a near-perfect start to his professional career.
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The top five batters in the order reached base 18 times as Worcester walloped the IronPigs. After going 0 for 10 over his first three games with the WooSox, Mikey Romero broke out in a big way on Sunday. He went 3 for 5 with two home runs and six RBI, with the second home run coming off of David Robertson. Jhostynxon Garcia homered once again as part of a 2-for-3 day that included a double, a walk, and a hit by pitch. Garcia already has three home runs in August after tallying three in July. Nick Sogard and Vaughn Grissom both went 1 for 2 with three walks while scoring twice.
The run support allowed Richard Fitts to operate in cruise control for most of his outing. He fired six innings of one-run ball while striking out five. Wyatt Olds, Bryan Mata, and Alex Hoppe each tossed a scoreless frame to seal the victory.
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Portland was on the wrong side of an 11-run outburst as the Sea Dogs fell to Altoona. Leadoff hitter Max Ferguson did his best to set the table as he went 2 for 4 with two doubles and a walk. Miguel Bleis was off to a hot start as well, but he was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning. He had gone 1 for 2 with a double and a walk in his first three plate appearances. There is no report yet as to why he left the game. Most of Altoona's damage came off of Jack Anderson, who allowed seven runs over four frames.
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Shea Sprague and Erik Rivera combined to allow just four hits to clinch the series win. Sprague improved to 2-3 as he allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. Rivera was dominant, firing three hitless frames with a walk and three strikeouts. Greenville's eight hits came from eight different starters. Franklin Arias and Nelly Taylor both went 1 for 3 with two walks, and Yophery Rodriguez went 1 for 5 with a triple that scored Arias and Taylor.
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Salem stretched its winning streak to four games thanks to an impressive outing from Jesus Travieso. The 18-year-old bounced back from a rough debut by striking out eight without walking a batter over five innings. He allowed one run and needed only 60 pitches to get the 15 outs. He was followed by Jose Bello again, with Bello allowing an unearned run while striking out three over 2 1/3. The offense was carried by the long ball, with three players launching homers. Jack Winnay hit his first professional home run as he went 3 for 5. Andruw Musett went 2 for 5 with a solo shot, and Starlyn Nunez went 1 for 4 with a two-run home run and a walk. The home run is Nunez's third in his last eight games, and he is up to fourth in the Carolina League in slugging percentage.
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Player of the Day: Despite his promotion, Mikey Romero was mired in a slump over his last 10 games. His slash line in that stretch of .098/.178/.122 between Portland and Worcester had his OPS at the lowest point since the first week of the season. His two home runs and six RBI on Sunday went a long way towards getting his OPS back on track. The 21-year-old played second base in this game after starting at third base in his first two appearances with Worcester. Now just one step away from the majors, Romero will hope to hit his way into the big league picture sometime next season.
Photo Credit: Mikey Romero by Kelly O'Connor