Cup of Coffee: Coffey fans 11 in Portland win as affiliates sweep

8/23 Cup of Coffee: It was a successful night down on the farm, as all five affiliates still in action completed the organization-wide sweep. Isaac Coffey (pictured) was dominant as Portland pitching struck out 16 on its way to victory. The DSL Red Sox Red squad opened up their playoff run with a big win, Salem emerged with a walk-off victory in a sloppy contest. Andy Lugo led the way for Greenville, and Worcester powered its way over Norfolk. 

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A pair of solo home runs helped power the WooSox in a come-from-behind win. Bobby Dalbec went deep in the fourth as part of his three-hit afternoon, while Eddy Alvarez snapped a 3-3 tie in the sixth with his blast. Jamie Westbrook was 2 for 3 with a walk an a run scored and Chase Meidroth picked up his first triple of the season. Quinn Priester was taken deep on his first pitch of the day by unsigned 2021 second-round pick Jud Fabian. He settled in, going 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five against two walks. Brian Van Belle scattered four hits over 3 1/3 shutout innings of relief to earn the win before giving way to Yohan Ramirez, who fired a scoreless ninth for the save. 

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Excellent pitching and timely hitting ruled the day as the Sea Dogs continued their playoff push. Isaac Coffey fanned 11 batters without issuing a walk over five scoreless innings, giving up one unearned run on three hits. Brendan Cellucci went the final 3 2/3 scoreless for the win, giving up just one hit while striking out five against two walks. In between, Liam Hendriks continued his rehab assignment, facing three batters. He surrendered an infield hit, induced a line drive out to left field, and issued a walk. Jhostynxon Garcia keyed the victory with a two-run seventh-inning homer. The blast followed a double off the bat of Allan Castro, his first extra-base hit in nine games since his promotion to Double-A. Castro also walked and hit a sacrifice fly on the night. 

The win opens Portland's lead over Somerset in the second-half standings to 4 1/2 games with 22 remaining on the schedule.

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After falling into a 4-0 hole, Greenville responded with six unanswered runs. Andy Lugo had a pair of doubles, a walk, RBI, and run scored to lead the way. Bryan Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a walk, scoring a pair of runs, while Miguel Bleis added a single and worked a free pass. Starter Blake Wehunt went the first four innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits across four innings, striking out four and walking two. Cooper Adams was sharp out of the bullpen, giving up two hits in 3 2/3 scoreless innings to get credit for the win.

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Salem got the walk-off win despite some very shaky defense, committing five errors that led to all four runs being unearned. Natanael Yuten committed two of those miscues but made up for it at the plate, going 1 for 3 with a triple, walk, RBI, and two runs scored. Brooks Brannon doubled and drove in a pair as part of his two-hit evening. It was a Karim Ayubi single in the bottom of the ninth scoring Yuten that sent the Sox home victorious. Starter Luis Cohen allowed three runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings as he needed 81 pitches to pitch around a pair of those miscues. Denis Reguillo went 2 1/3 scoreless, striking out two and walking two, and Francis Hernandez managed to pitch around four walks and three errors in two innings, allowing just the one unearned score on one hit to get the win.

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A six-run seventh-inning rally blew open the playoff opener down in the Dominican. Jhoan Peguero led the way at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a walk, run scored, and two RBI. Justin Gonzales drove in three, including two on a bases-loaded single in the seventh. Avinson Pinto had a triple, RBI, and run scored, and Edwin Brito doubled as part of his two-hit effort. Dalvinson Reyes got the start, surrendering two runs on two hits in 2 2/3 innings. Those are the first runs Reyes has allowed as a professional after going 17 scoreless in five outings this season. Yermain Ruiz gave up three runs in 2 1/3 to get the win, and Juan Henriquez and Greider Colina combined for four scoreless to secure the first game of the series. 

Game two of the best-of-three series will take place today (Friday) at 11:00. 

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Player of the Day: After an uneven start to the season, Isaac Coffey has been outstanding since mid-June. He matched his season high with 11 strikeouts on Thursday during his five shutout innings, giving him 31 punch-outs in 15 innings over his last three starts. Since June 16, Coffey has posted a 1.98 ERA, limiting opponents to a .216 batting average while striking out 71 in 50 innings. His 123 strikeouts on the year are most in the Red Sox system and tied for second in the Eastern League.