July 23, 2026 at 7:09 AM
Cup of Coffee: Gasper leads WooSox in sweep of twinbill
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A rainy Tuesday pushed the series opener back to Wednesday as part of a doubleheader. Blake Wehunt got the starting nod for his Triple-A debut. The 6-foot-7 righty allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in 3 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking two. Wehunt did struggle some with efficiency, needing 72 pitches to record those 11 outs. The bullpen was outstanding, holding Jacksonville hitless for the final 3 1/3. Angel Bastardo struck out three of the four batters he faced in 1 1/3. He now has 14 strikeouts without issuing a walk in 10 July innings. Tyler Uberstine also continued his recent excellence, striking out the side sandwiched only by a walk in the sixth. In five July outings, he has allowed just one hit in nine innings, matching Bastardo's 14 strikeouts while walking two. Wyatt Olds pitched a perfect seventh for the save.
The offense needed just three hits to emerge victorious. A fourth-inning rally saw Vinny Capra plate Allan Castro with a game-tying double. Capra then came in with the go-ahead score on a Kristian Campbell single.
The crisply-played opener was followed by a wild nightcap in which the two teams combined for 25 hits, 25 runs, and 16 walks in just seven innings. Worcester did not hold the lead at any point in the game until Mickey Gasper delivered a bases-loaded two-run walk-off double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Gasper also singled twice and drew a walk, bringing his line in 42 Triple-A games to .331/.466/.550. Campbell blasted his third home run of the season and first since May 5, a two-run shot in the fourth. Campbell also drew a pair of walks, scoring three runs on the night. Capra doubled twice in the nightcap as part of a 3-for-4 effort, while Nick Sogard was 2 for 3 with a double and pair of walks out of the leadoff spot.
Osvaldo Berrios drew the opener straw and gave up five runs on four hits in the first. The only pitcher who was not scored upon was Tommy Kahnle, whose scoreless inning in the top of the seventh set up the three-run game-winning rally in the bottom of that frame.
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Portland was on the losing end of a pitchers' duel, squandering an outstanding effort from left-hander Hayden Mullins. Mullins, who has battled some control issues this season, got off an inauspicious start as he walked the first batter he faced. He then did not allow another baserunner until a leadoff single in the fifth inning, retiring 12 straight. That was the only hit the 25-year-old allowed in his five scoreless frames, as he struck out eight. Binghamton reached Patrick Halligan for a pair of runs in the sixth that proved decisive. Troy Davis went the final two shutout innings, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out three. The offense was limited to four hits by a quintet of Rumble Ponies hurlers. Brooks Brannon and Matt Frazier had a double apiece.
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The Drive did not lift their foot from the accelerator, jumping out to a 9-0 lead by the third inning. They compiled 16 hits, with every member of the starting lineup getting at least one knock. Enddy Azocar blew the game open with a third-inning grand slam, his 14th round tripper of the season and eighth since his promotion to Greenville. Yoeilin Cespedes had a sixth-inning solo homer as part of his two-hit evening, adding a double and scoring three times. Justin Gonzales had a big night that ended early. Gonzales blasted a three-run homer in the seventh, and the Hub City battery took some exception to the amount of time it took for him to round the bases. Benches cleared, and Gonzales smacked the mask off of the catcher, resulting in his ejection. The 6-foot-5 right fielder had already doubled, walked, and matched Cespedes's three runs scored before his early shower.
The outburst of offense made for a low-stress night for the Drive staff. Starter Alex Bouchard scattered two hits across three scoreless innings, striking out three and walking one. Calvin Bickerstaff got credit for the winning decision, allowing just one hit across 4 1/3 shutout frames, striking out four without walking a batter.
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Salem drew even in its series at Salem Memorial, with an 11-hit effort led by Kleyver Salazar. The catcher went 3 for 4 with a three-run homer in the third that gave the RidgeYaks a lead they would not relinquish. Louis Andujar also went deep for Salem as part of his 2-for-4 evening. After a tough adjustment to the Carolina League in the weeks following his promotion from the FCL, Andujar has gotten up to speed with a .353/.424/.745 line in July. Ilan Fernandez also homered as part of a 2-for-4 night. Starter Christian Foutch allowed two runs on three hits in 3 2/3, striking out and walking four apiece. Nicolas De La Cruz got the victory with a perfect 1 1/3 of relief. Yermain Ruiz went the final four innings for the save, giving up a run on two hits, striking out three without issuing a walk.
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In the penultimate game of the FCL regular season, the Sox dropped their fourth straight and fell to 2-11 in July. Jhorman Bravo had a double, stolen base, and run scored. It was his 37th swipe of the saeson, placing him third in the system, and one of nine steals the Sox had on the day. Liosward Marin and Christopher Alvarado had a single and two stolen bases apiece. Josue Brito was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Yomar De La Rosa was the highlight on the mound, scattering a pair of hits over two scoreless innings.
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Player of the Day: Mickey Gasper continues to be an on-base machine in Triple-A. reaching seven times in the twinbill. After going 1 for 2 with a walk in the opener, Gasper was the hero in the nightcap, delivering a two-run walk-off double to finish his three-hit effort. Since his return to the WooSox after being optioned from the major league roster, The veteran backstop is 18 for 43 with 12 walks and only four strikeouts, good for a .419/.554/.628 slash line.
Photo Credit: Mickey Gasper by Kelly O'Connor