8/22 Cup of Coffee: Wednesday's slate featured two blowouts and two close games.
Kristian Campbell (pictured) and
Roman Anthony combined for four hits while
Eddy Alvarez and
Enmanuel Valdez homered for Worcester. Not much went right for Portland while
Jedixson Paez was effective out of the bullpen as Greenville was no-hit at home. In Salem,
Nazzan Zanetello and
Nelly Taylor both went deep.
-----
Roman Anthony and
Kristian Campbell enjoyed multi-hit nights at the plate. Anthony went 2 for 4 with one RBI, one run scored, and two walks. Campbell went 2 for 3 his first double at the Triple-A level, three RBIs, one run scored, and one walk.
Eddy Alvarez and
Enmanuel Valdez made their only hits of the night count by homering in the seventh inning.
Bobby Dalbec also recorded one hit, as he roped a two-run double to open the scoring in the top of the second. On the flip side,
Richard Fitts picked up the win after allowing three earned runs on four hits (including two home runs), two walks, and seven strikeouts over five innings.
Justin Hagenman,
Luis Guerrero, and
Wyatt Olds combined for four scoreless frames out of the Worcester bullpen.
With the win, their fifth straight, the WooSox improved to 25-21 in the second half. They still trail the Columbus Clippers (31-15) by six games for first place in the International League.
-----
The Sea Dogs were shut out for a second straight night. They were held to two hits as a team, as Alex Binelas and Tyler Miller each went 1 for 3 with a walk. Allan Castro stole his third base since being promoted from Greenville. Caleb Bolden took the loss on the mound, surrendering five runs (four earned) on four hits, three walks, and five strikeouts over two innings. Jacob Webb and Reidis Sena (making his Double-A debut) combined to allow seven additional runs while Jonathan Brand retired five of the six batters he faced across 1 2/3 scoreless frames of relief.
With Portland falling to Somerset again on Wednesday, the Sea Dogs (31-15 in the second half) now lead the Patriots (27-18) by just 3 1/2 games for first place in the Eastern League Northeast.
-----
The Drive were no-hit on Wednesday, but they were not shut out. After drawing a leadoff walk in the first inning, Justin Riemer scored his side's lone run on a Zach Ehrhard sacrifice fly. In addition to Riemer, Ehrhard, Bryan Gonzalez, Hudson White, Juan Chacon, and Fraymi De Leon all drew walks as well. On the mound, Noah Dean went 3 1/3 innings in his second start for Greenville. The lefty allowed one run on zero hits, five walks, and six strikeouts. Jedixson Paez followed by striking out seven over 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Gabriel Jackson retired the only three batters he faced in the ninth.
With the loss, the Drive fell to 29-21 in the second half. They remain 3 1/2 games back of the Bowling Green Hot Rods (31-16) for first place in the South Atlantic League South.
-----
Nazzan Zanetello led the way on a low-scoring night for Salem by going 2 for 4 with a double and his seventh home run of the season. Nelly Taylor also went deep for the second time in as many nights for his lone hit of the contest. Natanael Yuten went 1 for 3 with a double. Eduardo Rivera was charged with the loss after allowing two unearned runs on zero hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over three innings. Trennor O'Donnell and Nathanael Cruz spun six innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen.
With the loss, the Red Sox dropped to 28-22 in the second half. They still trail the Fredericksburg Nationals (30-20) by two games for first place in the Carolina League North.
-----
Player of the Day: Kristian Campbell gets the nod for putting together his second multi-hit game in as many tries since being promoted to Triple-A. Between Portland and Worcester, the right-handed hitting 22-year-old has gone 21-for-65 (.323) with three doubles, two triples, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 13 runs scored, six stolen bases, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 16 games this month. He is currently ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the organization.
Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell by Kelly O'Connor
