Cup of Coffee: Early strikes out eight; Garcia says farewell to Portland
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5/19 Cup of Coffee: Roman Anthony's two extra-base hits were not enough in a tough loss for Worcester. Jhostynxon Garcia's promotion overshadowed another strong start from Connelly Early in Portland, while Kelvin Diaz (pictured) launched two home runs for Salem.
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Buffalo earned a series split by doubling up the WooSox on Sunday. It was a bullpen game for Worcester with Wyatt Mills allowing one run over the first two innings. Bryan Mata allowed three runs (two earned) over the next two innings, and Austin Adams took the loss after giving up a two-run home run in the fifth. Roman Anthony reached base three times, going 2 for 4 with two doubles and a walk, and Trayce Thompson went 2 for 4 with his fourth home run. Karson Simas and Corey Rosier offered solid production at the bottom of the order, with Simas going 1 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Rosier going 1 for 4 with a double and two RBI.
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Connelly Early starred again as Portland stifled the Patriots. Early improved to 3-0 with 5 1/3 shutout innings and eight strikeouts. He allowed two hits and walked two as his ERA dropped to 1.88. Zach Bryant followed with 1 2/3 scoreless frames, and Jonathan Brand closed it out with two innings of one-run ball. It was not a memorable performance, but Jhostynxon Garcia went 0 for 4 in his last game with the Sea Dogs. Beyond the Monster’s Andrew Parker was the first to report that Garcia will make his Triple-A debut when Worcester returns home on Tuesday. Garcia's final line with the Sea Dogs this year is .256/.355/.393. Blaze Jordan provided some insurance runs with a two-run home run in the eighth, Mikey Romero went 1 for 3 with a double and a sacrifice fly, and Juan Chacon went 2 for 4 with an RBI double.
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Brandon Clarke struggled with his control as Greenville dropped its third straight. Clarke walked five and hit a batter as he allowed two runs over three innings. He has now hit five batters and walked eight over his last 10 innings. Max Carlson took the loss despite striking out six and walking one over four innings. His only blemish was a two-run home run in the sixth that gave Hib City the lead. The usual suspects led the way offensively, as Franklin Arias went 1 for 4 with a two-run single, and Zach Ehrhard went 1 for 3 with a walk. The only extra-base hit for Greenville was a double from Justin Riemer.
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Kelvin Diaz launched two home runs as Salem won in extra innings. Diaz opened the scoring with a solo home run in the third, and he got Salem within one run with a solo home run in the eighth. Yoeilin Cespedes tied the game with a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth, and Justin Gonzales and Freili Encarnacion drove in runs with singles in the 10th. Gonzales had three hits for the second consecutive game, and Encarnacion extended his hitting streak to five games. Luis Cohen allowed two runs over the first four innings, and Eybersson Polanco got the win with 2 2/3 scoreless frames. The save went to Nathanael Cruz, who pitched a spotless ninth.
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Player of the Day: Salem needed both of Kelvin Diaz's home runs as they escaped with a win in extra innings. The 22-year-old center fielder entered the day hitting .175/.257/.270 with one home run, but he now has a hit in four straight games. Diaz had good numbers in a return to the FCL last year but struggled after a promotion to Salem. 2025 has been more of the same for Diaz, but the Red Sox will hope he can carry the good results of the last week forward.
Photo Credit: Kelvin Diaz by Kelly O'Connor