August 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Brutal losses all around despite four-hit day for Romy Gonzalez
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The Red Sox tied the proceedings in the eighth and could have walked off with the win, but stranded Franklin Arias at second base in the ninth. Buffalo scored two in the 10th and then held off a comeback attempt. Romy Gonzalez led the way offensively with a 4-for-6 afternoon, including three RBI, while Nate Eaton and Mikey Romero each had a pair of knocks. Blake Wehunt was on the mound and surrendered four htis and two walks, resulting in three runs. He only struck out one Bison. Shining in relief were Tyler Samaniego and Sam McWilliams, each of whom worked around a hit to pitch a clean inning.
Worcester is tied with Durham for the International League East lead, one game behind Indianapolis for the second-half league lead. Memphis has already secured a place in the International League Championship Series.
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It was a laugher in Portland, as the Rumble Ponies scored five in the third and kept on going, adding four in the sixth and two each in the eighth and ninth, while the Sea Dogs did all their damage in the bottom of the fourth, recording just four knocks on the evening. All of their four hits were singles, including an RBI by Ahbram Liendo. The other Portland tally came in on a productive out. Most of the Binghamton damage was on the tabs of Michael Sansone (four innings) and Jeremy Wu-Yelland (1 2/3 innings), as they each surrendered five runs, all of which were earned. Sansone did record six strikeouts, but allowed a pair of home runs. Nelly Taylor, who came in to record the final out, was the only Portland pitcher to not allow a run.
The Sea Dogs are tied with Somerset in the Eastern League Northeast, two games behind Reading. Hartford won the first half title and are assured of a playoff spot.
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The squads battled a nearly two-hour rain delay after the end of the third inning, but Greenville left the tying run on first base and were unable to complete a comeback bid. Justin Gonzalez put in a solid performance out of the leadoff spot, going 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI. Carlos Gutierrez also put in a multi-hit outing, but each of Greenville's seven hits were singles. Dylan Brown was effective on the mound prior to the rain delay, with one hit and two walks as part of three shutout innings, but the weather ended his night early. Shea Sprague was less fortunate, as all four runs came in on his watch, as he allowed seven hits and walked two more.
Bowling Green is starting to run away with the South Atlantic League's South Division, with a four-and-a-half game cushion. However, the Hor Rods won the first half, meaning Greenville is just a half-game back of Winston-Salem for a playoff spot.
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The Shorebirds scored the game's first seven runs, heading into the eighth inning with a 7-0 advantage. Salem got very close to closing the gap, as the tying run got to the plate with two down in the ninth, but the Red Sox would get no closer than four runs down. D'Angelo Ortiz and Anderson Fermin were catalysts at the bottom of the lineup, with two hits each, while Wills Maginnis and Franklin Primera had back-to-back home runs in the eighth. The first man out of the bullpen was Barrett Morgan and surrendered only an unearned run in his two innings of work, with just a hit and a walk on his ledger.
Salem is third in the Carolina League's North Division, two-and-a-half games behind the leader, Fayetteville. The Red Sox are also competing with Wilson, which is ahead on points percentage, for the second half crown.
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The sixth was the big frame for Blue, as they tallied all of their runs in the inning to take a three-run lead. However, the Pirates tied the game up in the bottom half and walked off with the win in the seventh. Maikol Tovar tripled as part of a three-hit day, but that was the team's only extra-base hit. Harry Canedo was the only arm to record multiple outs that didn't allow a run, doing so over 1 2/3 innings. He got the second-most outs on the day, trailing only starter Juan Verdus, who surrendered four runs on four hits over 2 1/3 frames.
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DSL Red Sox Red 8, DSL Dodgers Mega 7
While eight runs wasn't enough for Blue, it was enough for Red as the other DSL squad staved off the winless day with a one-run victory, overcoming three errors to walk off with a win. Jhonny Osta was a home run short of the cycle, going 3 for 4 with four RBI in the process, while also working a walk. Seven of the nine hitters found at least one in the hit column, including two for Geomaikel Martinez. The bulk of the pitching was done by Angel Roa, who contributed four frames out of the bullpen, though he did allow three runs. Leonel Figuera contributed 2 1/3 no-hit innings, as well.
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Player of the Day: It's been a tough season for Romy Gonzalez, who had shoulder surgery in March and missed a majority of the season, getting activated from the injured list in late June. He was sent down earlier in August after hitting to a sub-.600 OPS in the big leagues, but has fared well in getting his swing back in the minors, with a .261 batting average, though he hadn't found much pop as of yet. However, the infielder pounded out four singles and three RBI on Saturday in a losing effort for Worcester. Getting Gonzalez right could potentially prove to be a key to contending for the big club, as there are just over two weeks until rosters expand.
Photo Credit: Romy Gonzalez by Kelly O'Connor