Cup of Coffee: Portland and Greenville record shutouts; 2 extra-base hits for McDonough, Bleis

7/27 Cup of Coffee: It was an uneven day on the farm, as the highs of shutouts by Greenville and Portland were countered by big innings leading to defeats in Salem and Worcester. It was a lighter Friday than usual, as the FCL squad's season ended on Thursday and DSL Blue had the day off from games, but there was still plenty of action. Tyler McDonough (pictured) was 3 for 4, including a double and a home run, while Kristian Campbell continued his torrid pace with two more knocks. In Portland, Connelly Early scattered one hit over five innings, but the best pitching performance went to the DSL's Yermain Ruiz, who struck out nine, didn't walk a batter, and allowed just two hits over six shutout innings. Miguel Bleis also had a pair of extra-base hits in Greenville as the Drive worked 11 walks. 

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The two teams were tied going into the seventh-inning stretch, but the RailRiders sent three across the plate in the bottom of the frame to take another win. Worcester had just seven hits, two of which were by Nick Sogard and all of which were singles. Sogard also drove in a pair of runs. Despite coming into the game after Zach Penrod, Jason Alexander had the bulk of the innings, throwing 3 1/3, but he also got tagged for six runs on 11 hits. He walked one and registered six punchouts. Ryan Zeferjahn finished the evening with two no-hit innings, striking out three. 

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Each arm Portland sent to the mound allowed just one hit as part of a shutout performance. Connelly Early handled the first five innings, with two walks and five punchouts on his ledger. He was followed by Theo Denlinger and Robert Kwiatkowski, each of whom got six outs. Denliger issued two free passes with a trio of strikeouts, while Kwiatkowski didn't walk anyone and had two strikeouts. Offensively, Tyler McDonough carried the day, as he was 3 for 4, including a solo home run in the fifth and a run-scoring double in the second. Kristian Campbell also had a multi-hit outing, including a two-bagger of his own. 

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After a 32-minute delay, this one was called in the middle of the seventh on the back of a five-run frame for Greenville, which made it a commanding win. They did it without swinging the bat, as the Drive had just five hits, including two each from Miguel Bleis, who doubled and homered, and Cutter Coffey, but the team worked 11 walks and were hit by two more pitches, moving baserunners without putting the ball in play. Five of those free passes came in the seventh alone. Yordanny Monegro went five strong innings, allowing just four hits and a walk. He also struck out five. 

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A five-run sixth inning sunk Salem against Carolina, as the Red Sox had a lead going into the frame. The top of the lineup had a highly productive game, as seven of the Red Sox's 10 hits came from the top four hitters, including two each from Franklin Arias, Brooks Brannon and Freili Encarnacion. Arias added a solo home run, as well. However, the bottom five hitters went 3 for 19 with seven strikeouts. Yeferson Vargas allowed just one earned run over his four innings of work to begin the game, surrendering a pair of this and walks each to go along with five strikeouts. Luis Talavera was the only arm to have a scoreless outing, doing so in the ninth.

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The Red squad got out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the second on a single by Carlos Carrasquel and that was all they needed, adding an insurance run in the seventh. The teams combined for just 11 hits, seven of which were by the Red Sox, of which Christopher Alvarado had a pair. The Red Sox didn't have an extra-base hit, though their pitching staff just allowed one of their own. Yermain Ruiz was the star, scattering a pair of hits over six innings of work. He struck out nine, didn't walk a hitter and faced just two over the minimum. Greider Colina added 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to complete the contest.

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Player of the Day: It was a big day for Tyler McDonough, as he was 3 for 4 with a pair of extra-base hits, including his third home run of the season for the first of his two RBI. McDonough doesn't hit for much power, as his career slugging percentage is well below .400, but he brings a high level of defensive versatility and a sum-of-all-parts profile that has made him a valuable organizational piece since being drafted in 2021 out of NC State.