April 10, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Valera headlines strong night of starting pitching
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Jack Anderson was superb in his second start of the season for Worcester, scattering three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over a career-high six scoreless innings. He threw 76 pitches (54 strikes) and generated eight whiffs. Fellow righty Tyler Uberstine, in his first appearance since making his major league debut this past Sunday, followed with three strikeouts across three scoreless frames of relief to preserve the shutout.
Offensively, Braiden Ward stood out by going 1 for 2 with one RBI, one run scored, and two stolen bases. Vinny Capra and Jason Delay both recorded RBI doubles, while Nick Sogard doubled and scored one run. Mickey Gasper and Kristian Campbell each drove in runs as well. Anthony Seigler, who was acquired from the Brewers as part of February's Caleb Durbin trade, drew one walk, stole one base, and scored one run in the first game of a rehab assignment to mark his 2026 debut.
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Eduardo Rivera went 4 1/3 innings in his season debut for Portland, allowing one earned run on three hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches (45 strikes) and generated eight whiffs. Isaac Coffey followed out of the bullpen and surrendered two earned runs in two innings. Cooper Adams picked up the win after striking out five over 2 2/3 scoreless frames of relief. On the flip side, Nate Baez went 1 for 3 with one RBI, one walk, and one stolen base. Drew Ehrhard crushed a two-run homer for his lone hit of the night. Ahbram Liendo drew one walk and stole one base before coming through with a walk-off single that scored Nelly Taylor in the bottom of the ninth.
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Juan Valera was dominant in his second start of the season for Greenville. The 19-year-old righty yielded just two hits and one walk with a career-high nine strikeouts over five scoreless innings. He threw 56 pitches (39 strikes) and generated 15 whiffs. Joey Gartrell and Steven Brooks combined for eight additional punchouts across four scoreless frames out of the bullpen. At the plate, Isaiah Jackson provided the only scoring with a two-run triple that drove in Henry Godbout and Yoeilin Cespedes. Justin Gonzales doubled for his side's only other extra-base hit.
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Dylan Brown tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his second start for Salem, scattering one hit and three walks while striking out eight. He threw 73 pitches (45 strikes) and generated 13 whiffs. Griffin Kilander allowed one unearned run over the next 2 1/3 innings, while Nicolas De La Cruz and Wuilliams Rodriguez combined for three additional shutout frames to end it. Offensively, Andrews Opata and D'Angelo Ortiz accounted for four of their side's six hits. Opata went 2 for 3 with one run scored, one walk, and two stolen bases. Ortiz went 2 for 4 with one RBI. Luke Heyman doubled and drew one walk, while Avinson Pinto tripled and scored one run. Anderson Fermin drew two walks and stole one base.
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Player of the Day: Juan Valera gets the nod for his first standout start of 2026. Not only was the Dominican-born hurler efficient on Thursday night, but he was also lighting up the radar gun by reaching triple digits with his fastball. Through his first two outings of the season, Valera has struck out 16 of the 31 batters he has faced. He is currently ranked as the organization's No. 4 pitching prospect behind only Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, and Kyson Witherspoon.
Photo Credit: Juan Valera by Kelly O'Connor