August 14, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Arias finishes triple shy of cycle, Paez strikes out five in Triple-A debut
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Franklin Arias finished a triple shy of the cycle in his latest strong showing for Worcester. He went 3 for 5 with one double, his fourth Triple-A home run, two RBI, and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Batting behind him, Nate Eaton went 1 for 4 with a two-run blast for his ninth Triple-A homer of the year. Mickey Gasper and Kristian Campbell both went 2 for 3 with two doubles, one RBI, one run scored, and one walk. Nathan Hickey tripled, drove in three runs, and scored another as part of a 2-for-4 night at the plate. Romy Gonzalez collected one RBI, while Allan Castro, Brett Harris, and Vinny Capra each scored one run. Castro stole one base and drew one walk as well.
On the mound, Jedixson Paez got the start for Worcester and went 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out five. He threw 60 pitches (40 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. Patrick Halligan was responsible for the next 3 2/3 innings and allowed just one earned run to notch his first career win at the Triple-A level. Devin Sweet worked a scoreless eighth inning, while the aforementioned Hickey gave up a two-run homer in the ninth before closing it out.
With a second straight win, Worcester remains a half-game back of Indianapolis for first place in the International League second-half standings.
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Hayden Mullins took the loss in his start for Portland after allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits, four walks, and eight strikeouts over five innings. He threw 84 pitches (50 strikes) and generated eight whiffs. In relief of Mullins, Caleb Bolden was tagged for three unearned runs in the seventh inning, while Max Carlson struck out three across two scoreless frames.
At the plate, both of Portland's runs came by way of solo shots from Johanfran Garcia and Miguel Bleis. Garcia and Bleis each went 1 for 4 on the night, with the former clubbing his 14th home run of the season and the latter crushing his 12th home run of the season. Brooks Brannon went 3 for 4 with three doubles. Mason White also doubled for his only hit.
With a third straight loss, Portland now trails Reading by three games for first place in the Eastern League Northeast second-half standings.
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Jacob Mayers took the loss in his start for Greenville after allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits, four walks, and three strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings. He threw 64 pitches (37 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. In relief of Mayers, Brady Tygart surrendered four earned runs in the sixth inning, while Griffin Kilander struck out three across 2 1/3 scoreless frames.
Offensively, Ronny Hernandez stood out by going 2 for 5 with his 12th home run of the season, two RBI, and one run scored. Yophery Rodriguez went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles. Stanley Tucker drew one walk and stole one base. Gerardo Rodriguez scored one run and drew one walk after taking over defensively for starting catcher Luke Heyman in the sixth inning. Owen Hull drew two walks and scored one run.
Even with a second straight loss, Greenville remains only a half-game back of Winston-Salem in the second-half standings for a spot in the South Atlantic League playoffs.
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Williams Montero lasted just an inning in his start for Salem, surrendering five earned runs on three hits (including one home run), two walks, and one strikeout. Only 20 of his 40 pitches landed for strikes. Harry Blum gave up two more runs in the second inning, while Berny Ortiz and Caden Vire combined for 4 1/3 scoreless frames of relief.
Andruw Musett led the way offensively by going 2 for 3 with two doubles, three RBI, and one walk. Starlyn Nunez went 1 for 2 with one double, two runs scored, and one walk. Kleyver Salazar tripled for the first time this season with his only hit of the night. A pair of 2026 draftees (11th-rounder Wills Maginnis and 16th-rounder Colton Coates) picked up their first professional hits.
With the loss, Salem now trails Fayetteville by 1 1/2 games for first place in the Carolina League North second-half standings.
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Emanuel Jimenez went three innings in his start for the Blue squad, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. Carlos Falcon struck out three more over two scoreless frames of relief, while Michael Manjarres took the loss after getting tagged for three runs in the sixth. At the plate, Esterlin Casanova went 2 for 3 with one run scored and one walk. Eber Miranda also had two hits and scored one run. Enmanuel Figuereo doubled and scored one run. Anderson Gonzalez and Dilan Mata each drove in one run, with the former drawing two walks and the latter walking once.
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Anthony Herrera took the loss in his start for the Red squad after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits (including one home run), three walks, and one strikeout over 3 2/3 innings. Of the five relievers that followed, Wascar Berroa was the only one to not give up any additional runs. On the flip side, Lester Suarez went 3 for 4 with one double and one run scored. Axell Herrera doubled and drove in one run as part of a 2-for-3 day. Diomar Hidalgo drew one walk and stole one base.
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Player of the Day: Franklin Arias gets the nod for recording his fourth three-hit game since moving up to Worcester last month. In 15 games for the WooSox overall, the 20-year-old infielder is batting .313/.384/.563 with four doubles, four home runs, 17 RBI, 11 runs scored, seven walks, and 14 strikeouts over 73 plate appearances. He is currently ranked as the organization's No. 1 prospect and a top-three prospect in the sport by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
Photo Credit: Franklin Arias by Kelly O'Connor