July 31, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Rodriguez has seven hits in doubleheader; Holobetz makes Triple-A debut
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John Holobetz impressed and picked up the win in his Triple-A debut. The righty went 5 2/3 innings in his first start for Worcester, allowing only one earned run on four hits (including one home run), no walks, and six strikeouts. He threw 71 pitches (55 strikes) and generated 12 whiffs. Eduardo Rivera, Hobie Harris, and Tommy Kahnle combined for six additional strikeouts across 3 1/3 scoreless frames of relief. At the plate, Kristian Campbell stayed hot, going 2 for 3 with one RBI, one run scored, and one walk. Nate Eaton and Vinny Capra each drove in a run as well. Andrew Knizner doubled, scored once, and drew one walk. Braiden Ward scored one run and stole his 47th base of the season. Franklin Arias singled and drew two walks.
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Ahbram Liendo played hero for Portland by delivering a walk-off single to score Max Ferguson in the ninth inning. He went 3 for 4 with his sixth home run of the season, two RBI, and two runs scored. Tyler McDonough also homered and drove in two runs as part of a 2-for-4 night. Will Turner drew two walks and scored one run. On the mound, Dalton Rogers went 3 1/3 innings in his start, allowing three earned runs on five hits (including one home run), five walks, and two strikeouts. In relief of Rogers, Caleb Bolden spun 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball, while Tyler Davis tossed two scoreless frames to pick up his first Double-A win.
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Yophery Rodriguez put together the first five-hit game of his professional career to begin Thursday's doubleheader. He went 5 for 5 with one double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Four other members of Greenville's lineup enjoyed multi-hit performances. Justin Gonzales went 3 for 4 with two RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Enddy Azocar and Luke Heyman each went 3 for 5, with the former driving in two runs and scoring three times, and the latter doubling, recording two RBI, and scoring once. Nazzan Zanetello doubled, homered, drove in two runs, scored three times, and drew one walk in a 2-for-4 effort. Ronny Hernandez and Maximus Martin also doubled, combining for four RBI. Isaiah Jackson and Stanley Tucker combined for three RBI and four runs.
Jacob Mayers got the start and went just two-thirds of an inning in his High-A debut, allowing one earned run on no hits, four walks, and two strikeouts. Calvin Bickerstaff, PJ Labriola, and Steven Brooks combined to surrender 11 additional runs over 5 2/3 total innings of relief. Matt McShane recorded the final two outs of the seventh to end it.
Marcus Phillips was effectively wild in his start for Greenville. The righty allowed one earned run on no hits, six walks, one hit by pitch, and five strikeouts over four innings. He threw 66 pitches (35 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. Griffin Kilander earned the win with three scoreless, one-hit frames of relief. Offensively, Yophery Rodriguez picked up where he left off by going 2 for 4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run scored. Gerardo Rodriguez also went 2 for 4 with one double and one run scored. Azocar and Jackson each went 2 for 3, with the former doubling, scoring one run, and drawing one walk, and the latter doubling, driving in three runs, scoring twice, and drawing one walk. Antonio Anderson had one RBI.
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Brady Tygart put together a solid start for Salem, allowing only one earned run on four hits, two walks, one hit by pitch, and four strikeouts over five innings. He threw 66 pitches (42 strikes) and generated seven whiffs. Caden Vire gave up an additional run in his 1 1/3 innings of relief, while Luis Cohen closed things out with 2 2/3 scoreless, no-hit frames to secure the save. At the plate, Skylar King stood out, going 3 for 5 with one RBI, one run scored, and one stolen base. Andrews Opata went 1 for 4 with his eighth home run of the season, one RBI, and two runs scored. Adonys Guzman and Louis Andujar each went 2 for 4, with the former doubling and driving in two runs. Ilan Fernandez doubled, scored twice, and drew two walks.
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Freyerso Vasquez led the way offensively for the Blue squad, going 2 for 4 with a go-ahead RBI double, one run, and one stolen base. Luis Aular and Maikol Tovar each drove in one run, with the former scoring once and the latter walking once. Garielvin Silverio scored one run and drew one walk. Dilan Mata stole one base and drew two walks. On the mound, Emanuel Jimenez went 3 2/3 innings in his start, allowing two earned runs on one hit, five walks, and four strikeouts. Carlos Falcon picked up the win out of the bullpen by striking out five over 3 1/3 scoreless frames.
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Isaac Brujan took the loss in his start for the Red squad after allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits, three walks, and one strikeout over three innings. Isael Fis retired the only three batters he faced in a scoreless top of the ninth. At the plate, Joskairo Ramirez went 2 for 5 with one double and one run scored. Gustavo Antunez drove in one run and drew one walk. Geomaikel Martinez and Axell Herrera also scored runs.
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Player of the Day: Between Games 1 and 2 of Greenville's doubleheader on Thursday, Yophery Rodriguez went 7 for 9 with three doubles, three RBI, and three runs scored. The 20-year-old outfielder is now batting .245/.319/.458 with 20 doubles, 13 home runs, 37 RBI, 47 runs scored, one stolen base, 28 walks, and 76 strikeouts in 75 games (313 plate appearances) for the Drive this season. He is currently ranked as the organization's No. 43 prospect.
Photo Credit: Yophery Rodriguez by Kelly O'Connor