Cup of Coffee: Azocar delivers with clutch HR; Brannon records four hits

8/29 Cup of Coffee: While news of Payton Tolle's impending call-up dominated headlines, Boston's affiliates went 2-2 on Thursday. Max Ferguson drove in two runs in Worcester's loss to Durham. Brooks Brannon recorded four hits, while Ronald Rosario and Drew Ehrhard went deep in Portland's rout of Hartford. Johanfran Garcia homered, and Henry Godbout returned to action in Greenville's loss to Bowling Green. Enddy Azocar (pictured) delivered in the clutch for Salem in a comeback win over Kannapolis. 

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Jose De Leon went five innings and took the loss in his start for Worcester, allowing four earned runs on five hits (including three home runs), four walks, and three strikeouts. He threw 87 pitches (55 strikes) and generated 12 whiffs. Bryan Mata and Nick Burdi combined for three scoreless frames of relief. Offensively, Max Ferguson led the way by going 2 for 4 with an RBI double that scored Abraham Toro. Mikey Romero and Corey Rosier (who drew one walk) both doubled for their only hits of the night. 

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Five members of Portland's lineup recorded multiple hits on Thursday night. Brooks Brannon led the way by going 4 for 5 with one double and three runs scored. Juan Chacon went 2 for 4 with one RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Karson Simas went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Ahbram Liendo and Marvin Alcantara each went 2 for 6, with the former driving in one run and scoring another, and the latter collecting three RBIs. Ronald Rosario clubbed a two-run shot and Drew Ehrhard clubbed a three-run shot for their eighth and third home runs of the season, respectively. Ehrhard finished with four RBIs and two runs scored.

Eduardo Rivera was impressive in his start for Portland, yielding just one hit and three walks while striking out six over five scoreless innings en route to notching his first Double-A win. The 22-year-old lefty threw 81 pitches (49 strikes) and generated 12 whiffs. Out of the bullpen, Noah Song allowed two runs in the bottom of the sixth, while Jorge Juan gave up one run in the bottom of the ninth before ending things.

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Jedixson Paez went three innings in his start for Greenville, allowing one earned run on four hits (including a solo homer), no walks, and four strikeouts. He warmed up for the fourth but was removed with an apparent injury. Blake Aita took his place and pitched into the eighth, surrendering seven runs (five earned) on seven hits (including two home runs), three walks, and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. Jonathan Brand retired all five batters he faced in 1 2/3 scoreless frames of relief. Offensively, Johanfran Garcia made his impact felt by going 2 for 4 with a solo home run. Henry Godbout doubled as part of a two-hit effort in his return to the lineup after missing the last two weeks with a hamstring injury. Nazzan Zanetello went 2 for 4 while making his first professional start in left field. Mason White doubled, scored one run, and drew one walk.

With the loss, Greenville drops to 28-29 in the second half and now trails Hub City (30-27) by two games for first place in the South Atlantic League South division standings. 

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Enddy Azocar played hero for Salem by going 3 for 5 with a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning. Yoeilin Cespedes also homered for the ninth time this season as part of a 2-for-4 effort in which he stole one base and drew one walk. Jack Winnay and Kleyver Salazar each went 2 for 4 as well, with the former scoring two runs and drawing one walk and the latter driving in two runs and drawing one walk. Natanael Yuten went 1 for 3 with one run scored and two walks. 

Jesus Travieso went three innings in his start for Salem, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits (including one home run), four walks, and five strikeouts. Alex Bouchard was responsible for the next 2 1/3 innings, and he gave up one earned run on two hits, five walks, and three strikeouts. Wuilliams Rodriguez and Jay Allmer (who notched the winning decision) then combined for 3 2/3 scoreless frames of relief to end it. 

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Player of the Day: Enddy Azocar broke out of an 0-for-20 slump in a big way on Thursday, as he recorded his first three-hit game since joining Salem in late May. For the most part, the 18-year-old outfielder has struggled at the plate in his first taste of full-season ball, but there are still plenty of intriguing qualities there. As such, he is currently ranked as the organization's No. 21 prospect.