June 29, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Wehunt strikes out eight; Bleis homers in third straight
6/29 Cup of Coffee: It was another successful rehab start for Patrick Sandoval, while Blake Wehunt (pictured) shut down the Yard Goats. Miguel Bleis's hot streak continued, and Starlyn Nunez delivered a walk-off single for Salem.
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Patrick Sandoval led a dominant pitching performance as Worcester snapped a five-game losing streak. Sandoval allowed one run and struck out three over four innings. His ERA is now 2.70 in 13 1/3 innings since restarting his rehab assignment on June 5. The win went to Jovani Morán who fired two perfect frames, and Joe La Sorsa got the save with a scoreless ninth. A first-inning home run from Vinny Capra opened the scoring, and Jason Delay laced a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth. Kristian Campbell went 1 for 2 with a walk as the right fielder.
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The fantastic pitching traveled down to Double-A as Portland blanked the Yard Goats. Blake Wehunt tossed six near-perfect innings, with a third-inning double being the only blemish. He struck out eight without issuing a walk. Three relievers combined to finish off the shutout, highlighted by Jeremy Wu-Yelland who struck out the side in the seventh. Miguel Bleis is going to be sad to leave Hartford as he homered for the fourth time in three games. Jack Winnay launched his first home run since he got promoted to Portland, and Matt Fraizer added a solo shot in the ninth. It was another multi-hit game for Franklin Arias who went 2 for 4 with a walk.
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After winning the first two games of the series, Greenville dropped four straight. It was another rough start for Marcus Phillips who was chased after recording five outs. He allowed three runs while walking three and striking out one. The best pitching performance of the day came from Matt McShane who struck out four over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Greenville's four hits came off the bat of two players, with Gerardo Rodriguez and Isaiah Jackson both going 2 for 4. Rodriguez had a triple and a two-run single, and Jackson had a double and a two-run single.
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Despite giving up nine walks and committing three errors, Salem was able to pull off a walk-off win. Starlyn Nunez played the hero, driving in Givian Sirvania with an RBI single to win it. Andrews Opata was the only batter with multiple hits, going 2 for 4 with two runs scored and his 33rd stolen base. Starter Jason Gilman stuck out six but also walked four while allowing one run over 4 2/3. Nicolas De La Cruz picked up the win, but that was after blowing the save while allowing two runs to tie the game in the top of the ninth.
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Player of the Day: Eight strikeouts over six shutout innings from Blake Wehunt was more than enough for the Sea Dogs on Sunday. Wehunt was in a but of a June swoon entering the start, allowing 11 runs (seven earned) over his last 8 1/3 innings. His ERA had grew from 3.57 at the end of May to 4.38. It is back down to 3.77 after this commanding performance. The 6-foot-7 right-hander's strikeout rate is at a career-high and his walk-rate is at a career-low.
Photo Credit: Blake Wehunt by Kelly O'Connor