June 4, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Gilman shines for Salem; Liendo, Garcia power Portland
-----
An early pitcher's duel turned into a late blowout at Polar Park. Worcester pitchers brought a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning. Jack Anderson went the first four frames, surrendering one single as he struck out four and walked three. Eduardo Rivera then breezed through two hitless, walking just one. He ran into trouble in the seventh with two more walks and a hit batsman, setting off a rally in which the Bisons scored 12 runs in three innings. Veteran hurler Josh Fleming and a pair of relievers silenced the WooSox lineup, which connected for only three hits. A Jason Delay double was the only extra-base knock.
-----
Portland had a power surge, with three home runs and five doubles to outgun the Yard Goats. Johanfran Garcia blasted a solo home run in the sixth inning as part of a 3-for-5 evening. He also had a double, scoring a pair of runs. Ahbram Liendo was 3 for 4 with a home run, double, two runs scored, and three RBI. Will Turner also went deep, adding a pair of walks and scoring three runs. Portland starter John Holobetz went 4 2/3, allowing five runs on three hits. The right-hander struck out five while walking four. Cade Feeney got credit for the win, allowing a pair of runs in 2 1/3 innings, and Reidis Sena struck out three in two hitless frames to earn the save.
-----
Every member of the Drive lineup reached base at least once and seven reached multiple times in Greenville's afternoon sack of Rome. Jack Winnay ripped his ninth home run of the season and eighth in his last 17 games, a two-run shot in the fifth. Yophery Rodriguez reached base three times, going 2 for 4 with a walk, two runs scored, and his 11th double of the year. Enddy Azocar has continued rolling since his late-May promotion. He doubled for the first time with Greenville as part of a two-hit day, raising his South Atlantic League line to .333/.394/.600 in seven games. Justin Gonzales and Gerardo Rodriguez also had two hits for the Drive.
On the mound, Devin Futrell turned in 4 1/3 solid frames, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out six while walking two. Ben Hansen followed with one unearned run in 3 2/3 to pick up the win.
-----
A late Wilson rally didn't take any of the shine away from a dominant effort by Jason Gilman. Boston's 16th-round pick last July allowed just two hits across six scoreless innings. Not only did he not issue a walk during his 10-strikeout evening, he threw 53 of his 64 pitches for strikes, meaning he struck out only one fewer batter than he had balls called. Gilman faced just one batter over the minimum, as he picked off one of the two batters who got a hit. He retired the final 11 batters he faced, lowering his ERA across seven outings to 2.59.
Jay Allmer and Wuilliams Rodriguez allowed just one hit in their combined two innings of relief, but two walks and an error in the eighth combined with that single hit resulted in a decisive two-run rally. The offense squandered its share of opportunities with a 2-for-13 effort with runners in scoring position. Adonys Guzman led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a double and a walk.
-----
Player of the Day: While several bats turned in worthy efforts, notably Johanfran Garcia and Ahbram Liendo, the nod goes to Salem hurler Jason Gilman. Gilman struck out 10 of the 19 batters he faced, giving him 36 punchouts in 24 1/3 innings on the year. A product of Kean (NJ) University, the 6-foot-2 lefty was the Division III Pitcher of the Year in 2025 as he went 14-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 112 1/3 innings. Not content to only draft SEC pitchers, the Red Sox nabbed him before he could get there, as he had committed to Mississippi in the transfer portal before signing a $150,000 bonus as a 16th-rounder.
Photo Credit: Ahbram Liendo by Kelly O'Connor