August 29, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Monegro returns to Greenville mound as Hull stays hot
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It was a strange evening at Polar Park, with most of the attention paid to who wasn't in the lineup. A trio of rehabbing major leaguers, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, were not activated on Friday for the Yankees series but were also not in the Worcester starting lineup. Afield was a pitchers' duel, with John Holobetz and a trio of relievers falling to a pair of Railriders who threw a three-hit shutout. Holobetz went the first five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out two and walking one. John Brebbia followed with a scoreless sixth inning, striking out one and surrendering one hit. Angel Bastardo fanned two and walked one in two hitless frames, and Hobie Harris struck out three batters, sandwiching one walk in the ninth. For Harris, it was his sixth straight game and 10th in his last 11 that he was not scored upon. At the plate, Franklin Arias had the only extra-base hit, a ninth-inning double. The knock extended his hitting streak to seven games. Nate Eaton and Romy Gonzalez had a hit apiece.
Worcester remains in sixth place in the crowded International League playoff race, 4 1/2 games behind Indianapolis.
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Every member of the Sea Dogs lineup got a hit on Friday as Portland routed the Flying Squirrels. Tyler McDonough was the catalyst out of the leadoff spot, going 2 for 4 with a homer, double, and three runs scored. Brooks Brannon had a two-run shot, number 20 on the season, as part of his two-hit evening, and Ronald Rosario also homered for Portland. Justin Gonzales started off the scoring with an RBI double in the first, later adding a double and a walk. It was his fifth multi-hit game in seven contests since his promotion to Double-A. Will Turner added a pair of doubles, driving in a pair.
The offensive explosion made for an easy night for Portland starter Devin Futrell. The left-hander had a 3-0 lead before even throwing a pitch and cruised through six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He fanned seven against one walk and threw 62 of 87 pitches for strikes. Cooper Adams allowed a run on three hits in two innings of relief, striking out four without issuing a walk. Erik Rivera struck out a pair in a perfect ninth.
First-place Reading lost on Friday, so the Northeast Division race tightened a bit. Somerset and Binghamton both won along with the Sea Dogs, who remain in fourth place and now sit just four games back.
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Yordanny Monegro made his long-awaited return to the mound, where he was supported by a scorching-hot Owen Hull in Greenville's win. Monegro, sidelined since June 2025 with an elbow injury that required Tommy John Surgery that August, got the de facto rehab start. He went 1 2/3 hitless innings, striking out three and walking three. Shea Sprague piggybacked Monegro, allowing two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings to get the win. Sprague fanned six and walked two. Aaron Nixon struck out three and allowed three hits in two scoreless innings as he earned the save.
Hull led the way at the plate with a double and a two-run homer. The 67th overall pick in June's draft, Hull now has eight doubles and a pair of round-trippers in just 17 games as a pro. Fellow top pick and Tar Heel Jake Schaffner had a single and a walk out of the leadoff spot. Luke Heyman started the scoring with a two-run homer in the first, his 18th of the season and 12th since his promotion to the Drive.
Greenville moves to 1 1/2 games behind Winston-Salem in the South Atlantic League playoff race with eight games remaining.
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A six-run rally in the eighth spoiled a sterling start for Leighton Finley and ended Salem's playoff hopes. Finley spun six scoreless innings, scattering four hits as he struck out nine and walked two. It is the first time as a pro that Finley has worked six full frames. Carson Revay followed with a scoreless seventh but was reached for four runs (one earned) when he returned for the eighth. The final two runs of the inning were charged to Harry Blum as Fayetteville completed the rally to win their 10th straight. At the plate, Kleyver Salazar broke a scoreless tie with a sixth-inning two-run homer, his 12th of the year.
Salem dropped its fifth straight game and was officially eliminated from playoff contention, falling 9 1/2 games behind Fayetteville with nine games remaining.
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Player of the Day: It has been an outstanding professional debut for outfielder Owen Hull, who led Greenville in Friday's victory. With a double and a homer, Hull now has 10 extra-base hits, 14 runs scored, 15 RBI, and 13 walks in his first 17 professional contests, giving him a very symmetric .329/.429/.529 batting line. Boston snagged Hull in the competitive balance-B portion of the draft, a pick they acquired in the deal that brought Caleb Durbin to Boston and sent Kyle Harrison to Milwaukee. The 22-year-old is currently ranked eighth in the system.
Photo Credit: Owen Hull by Kelly O'Connor