May 23, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Arias goes deep twice to power Portland win
-----
Little went right at Polar Park on Friday evening as the WooSox were outhit 16 to 3. The Red Wings jumped on Jack Anderson early with a pair of first-inning homers and did not need to look back. Anderson went three innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. Wyatt Olds turned in a solid effort out of the bullpen, striking out four of the five batters he faced, allowing just one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Matt Lloyd was 2 for 4, accounting for two-thirds of the Worcester hits.
-----
It was another Franklin Arias show at Hadlock Field, with the system's top position player prospect blasting two solo homers to give John Holobetz and company all of the offense they needed. Phillies 2025 first-round pick Gage Wood was on the mound for his Double-A debut, and he got a very quick education. Arias, the first batter Wood faced, took a 1-2 high fastball over the center field fence for a 1-0 lead. He followed that up with another solo shot on a hanging curveball in the fifth, his 10th of the season, and added a single to finish the evening 3 for 4. Holobetz rebounded from a pair of rocky starts to dominate Reading, scattering five hits across six scoreless frames and striking out six without issuing a walk. Caleb Bolden held the lead, giving up one run on two hits in his two innings of relief, striking out four. Reidis Sena struck out two and walked one in a hitless ninth to earn the save.
----
Game 1: Greenville Drive @ Frederick Keys (BAL), postponed
Game 2: Greenville Drive @ Frederick Keys, canceled
The rain continued in Frederick, as Greenville was rained out for a second straight day. One of the two games of the doubleheader will be rescheduled for a yet-to-be-determined date, while the other has been fully washed off the schedule.
-----
Salem got outstanding pitching throughout Friday's twinbill. Jason Gilman got the start in the opener, allowing one unearned run on two hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five, walked two, induced seven ground-ball outs, and lowered his ERA to 1.84. Jay Allmer went 2 1/3 scoreless innings to get credit for the win. He allowed just one hit and one walk as he struck out three. Givian Sirvania roped a two-run double in the second that gave Salem a lead it would not relinquish. Avinson Pinto added an insurance run with a seventh-inning solo homer.
Jose Bello continued the excellent pitching in the nightcap, giving up one earned run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out three, and walking one. It was the longest outing of the 20-year-old righty's professional career and the first time he had worked into the sixth inning. Nicolas de la Cruz was saddled with the loss despite not allowing an earned run, as the automatic runner scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. Lynchburg hurlers held Salem to just four hits, with Stanley Tucker and Kleyver Salazar picking up two apiece.
-----
It was a tough start for Yermain Ruiz, who allowed four runs on three hits while recording only two outs to take the loss. At the plate, Louis Andujar wasted little time in extending his on-base streak to 11 games, leading off the game with a double, stealing third, and coming on to score on a Dorian Soto base hit. Franklin Primera connected for a solo homer in the fourth inning, his first of the season. Hector Ramos returned to the lineup after having not played since Saturday, going 0 for 2 with a walk and a stolen base.
-----
Player of the Day: Entering the game on a 2-for-22 skid, Franklin Arias wasted no time in turning that around. He blasted his first home run of May after bounding out with eight in April, then needed only wait five more innings to deliver his second. The effort boosted Arias's season line to an impressive .341/.424/.642, and he sits in prime position to take over as the system's top prospect when Payton Tolle graduates from the rankings at the start of June.
Photo Credit: Franklin Arias by Kelly O'Connor