Cup of Coffee: Houck struggles in rehab start, Hickey homers for WooSox

6/25 Cup of Coffee: Tanner Houck made the second start of his rehab appearance in Worcester and was roughed up as the WooSox took the loss despite a big game for Nathan Hickey (pictured). Hayden Mullins and Noah Song pitched well and James Tibbs III reached base three times in a win for Portland. The Greenville and Salem bats turned in quiet performances in a pair of losses. Jorge Rodriguez's huge game led the Red Sox to victory in the FCL, while strong starting pitching performances propelled both DSL teams to wins. 

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After struggling in a one-inning appearance last week, Tanner Houck was hit hard again in the second start of his rehab assigmment. Houck allowed four runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings, throwing 49 pitches. Isaac Coffey's control was shaky in a 3 1/3-inning bulk relief appearance, walking six batters and allowing two runs but he did strike out six batters. Brendan Cellucci struck out two batters in a scoreless inning and Bryan Mata struck out a pair and walked a batter in two shutout frames. 

After falling behind early, the WooSox nearly climbed back into this game but they were unable to complete the comeback. First baseman Nathan Hickey was Worcester's star on offense, going 3 for 3 with a solo home run in the second inning. Jhostynxon Garcia drove in a pair of runners with a triple in the fifth inning as part of a 1-for-4 game. Corey Rosier also contributed an RBI single in the fifth and went 1 for 4.  

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The Sea Dogs got the scoring started on a two-run double off the bat of Marvin Alcantara in the second inning. They added runs on an RBI single by Ronald Rosario in the fourth and a sacrifice fly by James Tibbs III in the fifth. Tibbs was 2 for 3 with a walk in the game. In his first game at the Double-A level, Brooks Brannon started at first base and went 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.  

Hayden Mullins started on the mound and turned in a quality start for the Sea Dogs. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk in six innings, fanning six Binghampton batters. Mullins has now pitched to a 2.51 ERA through his first seven starts in Portland. Noah Song pitched two shutout innings in relief, striking out two and allowing a hit and two walks. Yovanny Cruz threw a scoreless inning to close out the win and pick up the save. 

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The Emperors walked off the Drive on an RBI single by Rome left fielder Titus Dumitru in the bottom of the ninth. Up until that point, the Greenville pitching staff had done an excellent job of keeping the team in the game despite a quiet performance by the lineup. John Holobetz started the game with five solid innings, allowing just a run on three hits while striking out five. Jacob Webb followed him with a scoreless inning of relief. Danny Kirwin threw a scoreless seventh and eighth inning but he ran into trouble in the ninth and took the loss for the Drive. Greenville scored their only run of the game when Justin Riemer crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the eighth. Nelly Taylor, Antonio Anderson, and Freili Encarnacion collected one single apiece, Greenville's only three hits of the night. 

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Salem was blown out in their series opener against Hickory on Tuesday. Starting pitcher Joey Gartrell lasted three innings, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks. Nicolas De La Cruz was the first pitcher out of the bullpen and he allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings. Nathanael Cruz was the only Salem pitcher with a scoreless outing, tossing 1 2/3 innings and striking out three. Eybersson Polanco gave up four runs in 1 2/3 innings. The Salem bats struggled, recording only five hits on the night. Justin Gonzales and Yoeilin Cespedes each went 1 for 4. 

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In the FCL, the Red Sox bats exploded late with a five-run seventh inning to seize the win. Avinson Pinto scored on a wild pitch to tie the game and Yan Cruz put the team ahead with an RBI single before Jorge Rodriguez put the game out of reach with a three-run homer. Rodriguez was 3 for 4 with four RBI overall. Cruz also delivered a strong performance, going 3 for 4 with a double, two runs, and two RBI. Anderson Fermin was 3 for 5 with two doubles and two runs scored. 

Yermain Ruiz started on the mound and threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks. Ruiz struck out six batters and today's outing raised his ERA to 2.03 through 26 2/3 innings this year. Merlin Bido pitched the rest of the game and looked great, allowing just one run and striking out six in 4 1/3 innings. 

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The Red Sox Blue dominated on both sides of the ball on Tuesday, allowing just one hit the entire game. Juan Medina threw four shutout innings to start the game, allowing one hit and one walk while punching out seven. Ranci Castillo allowed one run on one walk and no hits in three innings, striking out three. Second baseman Hector Ramos was the standout in the lineup, as he went 2 for 4 with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Edwin Darville was 2 for 3 with a walk, a run, and two RBI. Catcher Andruw Zambrano went 2 for 3 with a triple and a run scored. 

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After a scoreless pitching duel for the first three innings, Givian Sirvania pulled a three-run homer to left field to put the Red Sox Red ahead in the fourth. Sirvania was 1 for 4 with four RBI on the day. First baseman Alexander Alzi went 1 for 2 with a walk and a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning. Dorian Soto was 0 for 2 with a walk. Jakson Gamboa drew the start and threw three scoreless innings, striking out a batter and allowing one hit. Eddison Septimo pitched a shutout fourth inning before turning the ball over to Yohandry Gonzalez for the rest of the game. Gonzalez allowed three runs on four hits and two walks in three innings. 

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Player of the Day: Nathan Hickey had a fantastic performance in a loss for the WooSox, as he reached base in all four plate appearances. Overall, Hickey was 3 for 3 with a double, a home run, and a walk. He also scored a pair of runs. Hickey, who was originally drafted in the fifth round out of Florida in 2021, is now hitting .249/.335/.446 with 10 home runs in 61 games in Worcester. A catcher for most of his professional career, Hickey has primarily played first base this season.