8/26 Cup of Coffee: With the rookie leagues done for the year and Portland rained out, it was a lighter slate on Friday.
Shane Drohan struggled again for Worcester, though
Yu Chang did his best to help with four hits.
Zach Penrod turned in another dominant start for Greenville, and
Kristian Campbell did not slow down after his promotion. Salem lost in extra innings despite a strong performance from
Johnfrank Salazar.
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The Red Sox had the tying run at third in the ninth but fell just short. Shane Drohan allowed six runs for the second straight start, surrendering nine hits and two home runs in 3 2/3 innings. The bullpen dominated from there, keeping Rochester off the board while allowing just two hits. Chase Shugart, Justin Garza, and Cam Booser combined for the final 4 1/3 innings.
Ronaldo Hernández's 16th home run of the year was a two-run shot, and an Enmanuel Valdez single brought the WooSox within one run in the ninth. Yu Chang drove in two runs while going 4 for 4, while David Hamilton and Ceddanne Rafaela each had two hits and stole a base. Bobby Dalbec grounded out with two runners on to end the game, and he is now hitting .169 in August.
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Richmond Flying Squirrels @ Portland Sea Dogs, PPD (rain)
Friday night's game got rained out, and it will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday.
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Zach Penrod had another scoreless outing in his second start of the year as the Drive stifled the Crawdads. After tossing five shutout innings in his first start, Penrod blanked Hickory over six innings on Friday. He allowed only two hits and a walk while striking out seven. Casey Cobb finished off the shutout with four strikeouts over three innings. Solo home runs from Eddinson Paulino and Karson Simas were the big hits offensively, while Kristian Campbell went 1 for 2 with a triple and two walks in his debut for the Drive.
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The Red Sox outhit the Nationals nine to five but allowed three unearned runs and nine walks in the loss. Cristian Nunez started and allowed one run over three innings. The only other pitcher to go more than two innings was Luis Talavera, who allowed one run over 3 2/3. Johnfrank Salazar went 2 for 4 with a home run and a double, and Antonio Anderson picked up his first RBI in Low-A, going 1 for 5 with a double.
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Player of the Day: Yu Chang went 4 for 4 with two RBIs for Worcester. The 28-year-old struggled to a line of .162/.200/.352 with the Red Sox this year, but he is now hitting .333 in six games with Worcester since being optioned. Chang solidified Boston's defense at shortstop while he was with the team, but he will need to show more offense like he did on Friday to get another extended look in the majors.
Photo Credit: Yu Chang by Kelly O'Connor
