Cup of Coffee: Another walk-off hit for Garcia; Sandlin and Early rack up the strikeouts

5/12 Cup of Coffee: The Red Sox pitching depth may have taken another hit, as Josh Winckowski left his start early on Sunday. In Portland, Jhostynxon Garcia (pictured), David Sandlin, and Connelly Early were all big factors in an extra-innings victory. Brandon Clarke had an up-and-down start for the Drive, while Yosander Asencio launched a home run for Salem. 

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Roman Anthony and Vaughn Grissom combined to reach base five times, but the rest of the lineup was quiet in a shutout loss. Anthony finished 2 for 3 with a walk, and Grissom went 2 for 4 with his ninth double. The other seven starters went 1 for 24. Josh Winckowski was excellent over the first 3 1/3 innings, striking out four while allowing just a bloop single. He was removed from the game after a visit from the trainers. The team has not announced an official injury designation, but he appeared to favor his right elbow. The IronPigs did most of their damage off of José De León, but Luis Guerrero kept them off the board with two scoreless frames. 

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Jhostynxon Garcia provided the fireworks in a second straight game, lacing a walk-off two-run single one day after hitting a walk-off home run. Portland's pitching kept it in the game the whole way, with David Sandlin and Connelly Early combining to strike out 17 and walk only two. Each pitcher went five innings, with Sandlin allowing three earned runs to go with nine strikeouts, and Early allowing one earned run with eight punchouts. SoxProspects.com Director of Scouting Ian Cundall was in attendance, noting that Sandlin flashed three plus pitches, while Early's best pitch was his changeup, with his sweeper also showing promise. 

In addition to Garcia, Blaze Jordan and Drew Ehrhard also drove in two runs. Jordan went 1 for 3 with a walk and a two-run single, while Ehrhard went 1 for 3 with a walk and a two-run double. Max Ferguson went 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base while scoring the winning run. 

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Brandon Clarke struggled with his control as he took his first loss of the season. He walked one and hit two in 2 1/3 innings. He did strike out six and only gave up one hit, but the wildness still allowed two runs to come across. Zach Fogell was dominant over the final 3 2/3, holding Rome to one hit while striking out five in a scoreless outing. Singles from Franklin Arias, Nelly Taylor, and Zach Ehrhard were all the offense that Greenville could muster. 

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The Woodpeckers came back to earn a series split with Salem. Shea Sprague left the game with a 3-0 lead after firing 4 2/3 shutout innings. He walked one and struck out six while surrendering one hit. The Woodpeckers tied it in the sixth with three runs off of Trennor O'Donnell, and then they took the lead in the eighth after stealing home as part of a double steal. Salem was in the game despite recording only three hits and striking out 16 times. A solo home run from Yosander Asencio was the team's only extra-base hit, while Frederik Jimenez went 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. 

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Player of the Day: It is back-to-back days with a walk-off hit and a Player of the Day award for Jhostynxon Garcia. The two-run single in the bottom of the 10th was his only hit of the game, but he also reached base earlier in the game via a hit-by-pitch. The 22-year-old outfielder is up to 13th in the system in the most recent rankings with a line of .286/.395/.418 in Double-A. He has shown impressive plate discipline, as his walk rate is the best of his career while maintaining a strikeout rate below 20 percent. The lack of power is mostly against right-handed pitching. He has a .643 slugging percentage and 1.172 OPS against lefties, compared with a .381 slugging percentage and .754 OPS against righties.