June 13, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Bleis shines in Portland slugfest; Rodriguez homers twice for Greenville
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Worcester had more than its share of opportunities, but went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. Jason Delay took old friend Zach Penrod deep in the sixth inning for a two-run homer. Vinny Capra had a 3-for-5 effort, while Max Ferguson and Tyler McDonough had two hits apiece. Starter Raymond Burgos took the loss, surrendering four runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Michael Sansone went three frames, allowing one hit, a sixth-inning solo homer.
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The Sea Dogs needed every one of their 18 hits to prevail in Friday night's wild slugfest. To the surprise of nobody, Franklin Arias delivered that final, decisive knock, an RBI single in the 10th that plated automatic runner Nelly Taylor. Arias had entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter and ripped a double. Enabling Arias's heroics was a monster game by Miguel Bleis. The 22-year-old outfielder had four hits, including two doubles and a three-run homer in the eighth that put Portland ahead 11-9. Bleis finished with five RBI, four runs scored, and nine total bases. Johanfran Garcia set the tone for the evening, crushing a two-run homer to center in the first. He finished the evening 3 for 5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Will Turner added a solo shot and walked three times.
Hayden Mullins got the start, allowing six runs on five hits in 3 1/3. Most of the damage came during a five-run third-inning rally in which Reading homered twice. Mullins struck out six and walked one. Cade Feeney followed with three runs (two earned) in 2 2/3, and Cooper Adams got the win despite surrendering three runs in his three innings of work. After Arias gave Portland a one-run lead in the top of the 10th, Patrick Halligan came on for a perfect 10th, striking out one and stranding the automatic runner. The victory gives Portland its first win of the series and snaps a three-game losing streak.
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Kyson Witherspoon got plenty of support in winning his second straight start. The 2025 first-rounder was not as dominant as his last time out, but he worked five innings, allowing four runs on four hits, striking out four while walking three. Calvin Bickerstaff held the lead with three innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits, and Steven Brooks finished it off with a scoreless ninth. Gerardo Rodriguez delivered a pair of two-run homers, one in the second inning and another in the eighth, giving him five round-trippers on the year. Enddy Azocar remains unstoppable, delivering three hits for a second straight game (sandwiching a Thursday day off). Azocar was 3 for 4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. The double was his 19th of the season and fourth in 12 games since his promotion to Greenville. He has multiple hits in seven of those 12 games, good for a .365/.411/.635 slash line. Isaiah Jackson singled and drew a pair of walks, while Mason White added an RBI double.
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Salem RidgeYaks vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers, canceled (rain)
Rain got in the way of Friday fireworks in Salem, and the game will not be rescheduled.
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The Sox led throughout this one, but the Twins stormed back with a six-run rally in the seventh. The game featured a pair of rehabbing hurlers. Trennor O'Donnell made his return to the mound following 2025 Tommy John surgery. Getting the start, he fired two hitless innings, walking and striking out two apiece. Jeremy Wu-Yelland made his third appearance on his way back from a lat injury, striking out one in a hitless inning. Williams Montero was bumped from his usual rotation spot to a bulk relief role and allowed one unearned run on two hits in three innings, striking out five against four walks. Eddison Septimo, called up from the DSL this week to bolster the FCL staff, struggled in his stateside debut as he walked five of the six batters he faced, with all five coming on to score. Yander Bonaci came on to a bases-loaded, one-out jam with the tying run on first and could not cool off the rally, allowing a hit, walk, and hit batsman in 2/3 of an inning. All three inherited runners came on to score, as well as a run charged to Bonaci, saddling him with the loss.
Franklin Primera continued to shine at the plate, blasting another home run, a fourth-inning solo shot, his sixth of the year. He also drew a pair of walks, raising his season line to .449/.594/.768 in 97 plate appearances. Josue Brito doubled, drew two walks, drove in two runs, and had two of nine stolen bases on the day. Jhoan Peguero added a double, a walk, and a pair of steals.
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Team Blue prevailed in extra innings in a game that was scoreless through five innings. Krishan Ulacio led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a game-tying triple in the bottom of the eighth. Ulacio also walked and scored a pair of runs. Freyerso Vazquez was 1 for 2 with a pair of walks, a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored. Starter Jesus Lopez was excellent, allowing just one hit over 3 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six of the 14 batters he faced while walking a pair. Jainer Almanza got his first professional win with Blue's two-run rally in the eighth, after allowing the automatic runner to score in a hitless top half of the inning.
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The Red squad saw their contest suspended by rain in the fifth inning while knotted 3-3. The six runs had come despite the two teams combining for just three hits thus far. The game will be completed on Monday, June 22.
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Player of the Day: Miguel Bleis had a huge evening at the plate on Friday, and his Sea Dogs needed every ounce of it to squeeze out a one-run win. Bleis had nine total bases with a single, two doubles, and a home run. His four runs scored were the most of his career, and the five RBI matched a career high. Bleis, the team's top signing in the 2021 international free agent class, is currently ranked #42 in the system.
Photo Credit: Miguel Bleis by Kelly O'Connor