Cup of Coffee: Romero homers in return; Fajardo debuts for Salem

6/21 Cup of Coffee: It was a busy day down on the farm, with all seven affiliates in action and nary a single rainout in the offing. Mikey Romero (pictured) returned from the injured list to power a Portland victory. Tyler Uberstine and Eduardo Rivera turned in quality starts for Worcester and Greenville in wins. Yhoiker Fajardo made his Salem debut but took the loss as the offense was stymied. The DSL teams completed a sweep, while the FCL Sox were knocked off by their cross-town rival.

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The WooSox fell into an early 1-0 hole but scored seven unanswered runs. Blaze Jordan continued to swing a hot bat, as the first baseman was 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBI. He is 8 for 16 through the first four games of the series. Jhostynxon Garcia made an impact on both sides of the ball, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored at the plate and cutting down the potential tying run at the plate with an outfield assist on a would-be sacrifice fly in the third inning. 

The offensive support was more than enough for Tyler Uberstine, who allowed one run on six hits in six innings. The right-hander walked and struck out three apiece. Somewhat incredibly, it was Uberstine's first winning decision since July 2022. Wyatt Olds, Alex Hoppe, and Jose Adames each went a scoreless inning out of the bullpen to preserve the win. 

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Mikey Romero made a triumphant return to the Portland lineup. Out since June 5 with arm fatigue, Romero was back in the lineup on Friday, leading off and getting the designated hitter assignment. The 2022 first-round pick blasted a two-run homer as part of a two-hit evening in which he drove in four. James Tibbs was 2 for 5 with a triple, while Max Ferguson was 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base, and run scored. Blake Wehunt threw three strong innings, allowing one run on one hit with four strikeouts and a walk. However, he left the mound with the trainer during his warmups for the fourth. Noah Song jumped into duty, allowing just a solo homer as his only hit in three innings, earning the victory. Jorge Juan struck out five in two hitless frames, walking a pair, and Yovanny Cruz struck out one in a perfect ninth. 

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After narrowly missing the first-half title, Greenville kicked off the second half with a victory. After allowing a solo homer in the first, Eduardo Rivera shut down Greensboro into the seventh. The hulking lefty went 6 1/3, allowing the one run on five hits, striking out eight without issuing a walk. The effort lowered his ERA to 1.61. Cooper Adams got credit for the win, giving up an unearned run on three hits in 1 2/3, striking out three without a walk. Isaac Stebens struck out a pair in the scoreless ninth to record his fifth save. Nelly Taylor broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI double, scoring Miguel Bleis. Justin Riemer had a solid evening at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a stolen base and an RBI. Brooks Brannon doubled to highlight his two-hit effort.

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Offense was hard to come by in support of Yhoiker Fajardo, who made his Carolina League debut on Friday. Fajardo allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in four innings, striking out three and walking one. He pounded the strike zone, throwing 43 of his 65 pitches for strikes. Adam Bates turned in five innings of shutout relief, scattering three hits and striking out one. Justin Gonzales accounted for half of the Salem hits, going 2 for 4. Salem's best scoring opportunity was in the seventh, with men on first and second and nobody out, but Fredericksburg turned a Natanael Yuten line drive into a triple play. 

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The FCL Sox clawed back from an 8-1 deficit, but a late rally fell short. Jhoan Peguaro blasted a two-run homer in the seventh, and Alexander Mambel went deep with a solo shot three batters later. Anderson Fermin was 2 for 5 with a double out of the leadoff spot. Despite taking the loss, Madinson Frias turned in a strong start. Moving into the rotation after struggling in six outings out of the bullpen, Frias went a season-high five innings, allowing one run on three hits, striking out six, and issuing one walk. 

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In what was scheduled to be a seven-inning contest, Team Blue needed an extra pair of frames to come away with the victory, outscoring the Batista squad 5-3 in the ninth. Andruw Zambrano led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a triple, walk, run scored, and three RBI. Harold Rivas was again a catalyst at the top of the order with a single, walk, and pair of runs scored. Starter Juanyerlin Duran went three innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits, striking out three. Oscar Vaamonde was the winner, giving up one unearned run in 2 1/3 frames.

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A pair of runs in the first gave the Red squad a lead they would not relinquish. Dorian Soto led off the game with a double and quickly scored on a Jhorman Bravo triple. Soto, the team's top signing from last year’s international signing period, also drew a walk, raising his season line to .383/.380/.596. Christopher Cordero scattered two hits across four scoreless innings. He walked two and did not strike out a batter. Angelo Ladera gave up one run in three innings of relief to get the win.

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Player of the Day: Friday marked a successful return to the lineup for Mikey Romero. The 21-year-old homered and drove in four runs to help Portland snap a three-game skid.  It was the sixth round-tripper of the year for Romero, who is hitting .254/.337/.479. Romero and his three softball-playing sisters were also the subjects of a great profile at MLB.com. The 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Romero is currently ranked ninth in the system.