August 24, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Godbout and Bleis go back-to-back; Burgos stifles the Mets
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The WooSox were shut out for the third time this series as they dropped five of six to the Mets. The rehabbing Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Trevor Story combined to go 0 for 8 at the top of the order, while Franklin Arias and Mikey Romero both went 1 for 3 with a walk. Making his first start since being optioned, Raymond Burgos kept the game scoreless as he fired five shutout frames with three walks and four strikeouts. The loss went to Seth Martinez who gave up two runs (one earned) in his two innings. The WooSox are now 3.5 games out of playoff spot after dropping their fourth straight.
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The rain moved in during the seventh inning, and the game was called after a short delay. Things started off promising for the Sea Dogs as Henry Godbout and Miguel Bleis went back-to-back in the second inning to open the scoring. Max Ferguson went 1 for 1 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt, and Roman Anthony went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. The Fightin Phils took the lead with three runs in the fourth inning off of Morgan McSweeney, and they plated two more runs after Steven Brooks issued five walks in the fifth. The game was put out of reach in the seventh when they got to Caleb Bolden for five more runs. The fourth straight loss has Portland sitting in fourth place and 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.
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The Dash put up 10 runs in the seventh to win the series. A solo home run was the only blemish for starter Alex Bouchard who struck out six over 3 2/3. Most of the damage came off of Aaron Nixon who allowed seven runs while recording one out. A three-run home run from Nazzan Zanetello staked Greenville to a three-run lead in the fifth. Carlos Gutierrez went 2 for 4 with a stolen base, and Antonio Anderson went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI single. Winston-Salem moved to 2.5 games ahead of the Drive in the standings with two weeks left to play.
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Between the 18 hits and 13 walks it was a day to forget for Salem's pitching staff. Jose Bello surrendered five runs on nine hits over the first 4 1/3 frames, while Caden Vire and Nicholas Judice combined to allow nine runs in the sixth. Shortstop Anderson Fermin was tasked with mop-up duty in the ninth, and the Warbirds got to him for three runs on four hits. Kleyver Salazar extended his hitting streak to eight games as he went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk. Josue Brito drew three walks, and Colton Coates went 2 for 5 and scored two runs. Salem's playoff chances are getting slimmer by the day, as first-place Fayetteville has won nine of 10.
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Player of the Day: While it was not a dominant outing, Raymond Burgos did toss five shutout innings in Worcester's loss to Syracuse. The 27-year-old allowed four hits and walked three while striking out four. This was his first appearance since twirling four innings of one-run ball on August 16 for the big league club. The tall left-hander has saved Boston's bullpen a couple of times in August, and Sunday was another strong outing for one of the unsung heroes of the last few weeks.
Photo Credit: Henry Godbout by Kelly O'Connor