May 1, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Nunez homers twice to lead Salem comeback; Arias goes deep again
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Alec Gamboa picked up his first win of the season, as he allowed two earned runs on four hits (including one home run), one walk, and six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. He threw 73 pitches (51 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. Jack Anderson followed out of the bullpen and gave up an additional run (on another homer) in 1 1/3 innings but held on to notch the save.
At the plate, Matt Thaiss provided the biggest hit for Worcester in Game 1 by going 1 for 3 with a solo home run (his second of the year) off old friend Luis Perales. Kristian Campbell drove in one run, scored another, and drew one walk. Allan Castro and Vinny Capra each had RBIs as well. Nick Sogard went 1 for 2 with one run scored and two walks. Tsung-Che Cheng went 1 for 3 with a stolen base.
Devin Sweet got the start in Game 2 and went three innings, allowing one earned run on three hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 52 pitches (33 strikes) and generated seven whiffs. Angel Bastardo struck out three over two scoreless frames of relief, while Wyatt Olds was tagged for two runs in the sixth before putting up a zero in the seventh to end it and secure the doubleheader sweep.
Offensively, Capra led the way by going 3 for 5 with two doubles, his third home run of the season, one RBI, and two runs scored. Braiden Ward also homered for the first time this year for his lone hit of the contest. Anthony Seigler went 2 for 2 with one double, one triple, two RBIs, one run scored, and two walks. Mikey Romero went 1 for 3 with one RBI and one walk. Castro and Jason Delay drove in runs as well, with the former adding one run and one stolen base and the latter adding one run and two walks. Campbell drew one walk and scored one run.
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Patrick Halligan went 2 2/3 innings in his first start for Portland, allowing two earned runs on three hits (including one home run), one walk, and six strikeouts. He threw 53 pitches (37 strikes) and generated 13 whiffs. Erik Rivera and Cooper Adams combined to surrender seven runs on eight hits (including two homers) over 5 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Adams was charged with the loss after giving up a walk-off three-run shot with one out in the ninth.
At the plate, three different Sea Dogs hitters left the yard. Franklin Arias went 2 for 5 with a game-tying two-run home run (his eighth of the season) in the ninth. Brooks Brannon and Miguel Bleis each went 1 for 3, with the former clubbing a three-run blast in the eighth and the latter taking the rehabbing Carlos Rodon deep with a solo shot in the fifth. In addition to hitting their second home runs of the year, Brannon and Bleis both drew walks as well. Nate Baez went 2 for 5 with one run scored. Nelly Taylor stole one base to bring his 2026 total up to four.
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Kyson Witherspoon went 2 2/3 innings and took the loss in his start for Greenville, surrendering four earned runs on two hits (including one home run), five walks, one hit by pitch, and six strikeouts. Only 32 of his 66 pitches landed for strikes, though he did generate 11 whiffs. Steven Brooks and Jay Allmer combined for four strikeouts across 6 1/3 frames of two-run ball out of the bullpen.
Offensively, Justin Gonzales went 2 for 2 with one double, two runs scored, and one walk out of the leadoff spot. Yoeilin Cespedes also doubled as part of a 2-for-5 night. Gerardo Rodriguez drove in one run and drew one walk, while Jack Winnay drove in one run and drew two walks. Henry Godbout was responsible for his side's only other hit.
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Madinson Frias went 3 2/3 innings in his start for Salem, yielding three unearned runs on five hits, two walks, one hit by pitch, and five strikeouts. He threw 83 pitches (50 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. Ethan Walker took over out of the bullpen and gave up two earned runs on four hits (including two home runs), one walk, and nine strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings to notch the winning decision. He threw 74 pitches (48 strikes) and generated 14 whiffs.
At the plate, the top-third of the RidgeYaks lineup did most of the damage in this one. Leadoff man Staryln Nunez went 4 for 5 with two home runs, three RBI, and three runs scored. Enddy Azocar went 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Luke Heyman went 2 for 5 with a three-run home run for his third big fly of the season. Ty Hodge also went deep and drove in two additional runs as part of a 2-for-4 showing. Andrews Opata and Kleyver Salazar scored one run and stole one base apiece.
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Player of the Day: Starlyn Nunez gets the nod for putting together his first professional two-homer game. The switch-hitting 20-year-old had been mired in a slump as of late, but he broke out of it by racking up four hits and 10 total bases on Thursday. He is now batting .235/.313/.424 with three doubles, two triples, three home runs, 12 RBI, 15 runs scored, seven stolen bases, nine walks, and 32 strikeouts through 21 games (96 plate appearances) for Salem this season. Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic for $52,500 in January 2023, Nunez is currently ranked as the No. 50 prospect in the organization.
Photo Credit: Starlyn Nunez by Kelly O'Connor