Cup of Coffee: Oviedo makes rehab start, Holobetz shines in relief as Worcester is shut out

9/18 Cup of Coffee: Worcester's three-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of Durham on Thursday. Johan Oviedo struck out four in his rehab start, while John Holobetz (pictured) fanned eight in his first relief appearance at the Triple-A level, but the bats went cold in a losing effort.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

Johan Oviedo got the start for Worcester. Making his first appearance of any kind since late March, the rehabbing right-hander went 2 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 30 pitches (20 strikes) and generated three whiffs. Fellow righty John Holobetz followed out of the bullpen and fared well in his first relief outing at the Triple-A level, scattering two hits and two walks while striking out eight over 4 1/3 scoreless frames. He threw 66 pitches (43 strikes) and generated 20 whiffs. Tyler Samaniego surrendered an additional run in the eighth, while Noah Song put up a zero in the ninth.

Offensively, Worcester was held to just two hits by three different Durham pitchers. Allan Castro went 1 for 3 with a double to extend his on-base streak to nine games. Tomas Nido singled for his side's only other hit.

Following Thursday's loss, Worcester (39-31) now trails Indianapolis and Rochester (both 43-29) by three games for first place in the International League second-half standings with three regular-season games remaining.

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Player of the Day: John Holobetz gets the nod for his dominant showing out of the bullpen on Thursday night. Assuming he is done for the season, the 24-year-old hurler finishes 2026 with a 3.57 ERA and 39:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in nine outings (eight starts) spanning 40 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He is currently ranked as the organization's No. 9 prospect. 

Photo Credit: John Holobetz by Kelly O'Connor

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