Cup of Coffee: Alvarez's 3-HR, 6-RBI night paces WooSox; Portland rolls in rain-shortened night

9/8 Cup of Coffee: Hey Eddy Alvarez (pictured), how many home runs did you hit today? Yeah, that's what we thought. And he wasn't the only one. Boston affiliates hit nine homers in all while going 3-1 on the night, with Salem surrendering the only loss. Worcester added 12 walks to their ledger in a rout, while Portland prevailed in a rain-shortened contest.

-----

Eddy Alvarez, have a day. The second baseman smacked a grand slam in the first inning, then added two more long balls for good measure; he finished 3 for 5 with six RBIs as Worcester cruised to victory. The WooSox needed just seven hits as they drew 12 free passes, four of which went to Vaughn Grissom. Jamie Westbrook and Bobby Dalbec also homered in the rout, and Roman Anthony added a double. On the mound, Brad Keller held Rochester at bay, scattering 5 hits and a walk over six innings of one-run ball, striking out nine. Brendan Cellucci gave up one run in two innings, while Yohan Ramirez closed it out with a shutout inning of his own.

Worcester is tied for first place in the International League East Division with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but is five games behind Columbus for the league's second-half playoff berth.

------

Portland used the long ball early and often in a 7-inning rout that was called due to rain. Max Ferguson started the scoring with a second-inning three-run blast, his third of the season. Mikey Romero followed with a solo homer one inning later for his second long ball of the series. And in the fourth, it was Elih Marrero clearing the fence. That was more than enough offense for the pitching trio of David Sandlin, Cam Booser, and Caleb Bolden, who combined to allow six hits and just one run. Jhostynxon Garcia and Blaze Jordan added two-hit nights.

Portland's win kept them a half-game ahead of Somerset for the top spot in the Eastern League Northeast second-half standings.

-----

Greenville was economical in its offensive output, needing just six hits and six walks to push across seven runs in a victory. Nelly Taylor had two hits including a third-inning home run, and Luis Ravelo hit a double and a triple. Yordanny Monegro got the start and had five solid innings, giving up two runs on two hits and three walks against seven strikeouts. Adam Smith also gave up a run on two hits in three innings, while Jeremy Wu-Yelland had a hitless final frame for his first save of the year.

Bowling Green has clinched the South Atlantic League's South Division, which means Greenville won't go to the playoffs. The Drive will play their final game of the season on Sunday at 3pm.

-----

Kannapolis attacked early and never looked back, riding 8 hits and 5 walks to a comfortable victory. Nicholas Judice and Calvin Bickerstaff were hit hard early, giving up six runs (five earned) in Salem's loss. Griffin Kilander also surrendered a run, while Danny Kirwin settled things down with three scoreless innings of one-hit ball and five strikeouts. Franklin Arias and Antonio Anderson provided most of the offense out of the top two spots in the order with two hits and an RBI apiece. Arias had the team's only extra-base hit.

Fredericksburg has secured the North Division title in the Carolina League, eliminating Salem from postseason play. The season's final contest will be on Sunday at 1pm.

-----

Player of the Day: A three-homer, six-RBI night will usually earn you the day's top honors. Eddy Alvarez was that player on Saturday, swatting his 16th, 17th, and 18th round-trippers of the season. The 34-year-old has had a remarkable career and much of it has nothing to do with baseball -- he's also a short-track speed skater who's one of few people in history to medal in both the Summer Olympics (in baseball) and Winter Olympics (in speed skating). Only Alvarez and the legendary Jim Thorpe have ever played in the majors and also won an Olympic medal in a different sport. So maybe his three-homer night wasn't a career highlight. But it still earns him a Player of the Day nod.