Cup of Coffee: Anthony rips three doubles, Yorke steals three bases for Portland
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A five-run fourth inning lifted Worcester to a series-splitting win over Gwinnett on Sunday afternoon. Narciso Crook led the way offensively, going 2 for 3 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI double out of the nine-hole. Niko Kavadas and Bradley Zimmer each recorded run-scoring doubles as well while Ronaldo Hernandez plated a pair with his 15th two-bagger of the year. David Hamilton and the rehabbing Pablo Reyes each went 1 for 4 with a stolen base. Hamilton -- who also drew a walk -- brought his season total up to 55 while Reyes -- who scored a run -- played six innings of second base before making way for Nick Sogard.
Rio Gomez went 4 2/3 innings in his 11th start of the season for Worcester. The 28-year-old lefty allowed two earned runs on five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. Both of those runs came on a two-run homer off the bat of Braden Shewmake with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. All told, Gomez threw 97 pitches (61 strikes) before leaving the field with a trainer due to an apparent injury. Out of the WooSox bullpen, fellow southpaw Cam Booser gave up a two-run home run of his own in the sixth bullpen. Ryan Fernandez then punched out five over two scoreless frames before Andrew Politi closed it out to notch his 14th save of the year.
With the win, Worcester put an end to a three-game losing streak. It remains 4 1/2 games behind Durham for first place in the second-half International League East standings with 12 regular season games remaining.
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This was the completion of Saturday's game, which was suspended in the fourth inning due to rain. Roman Anthony and Blaze Jordan paced Portland's lineup, combining for half of its 12 hits. The former went 3 for 6 with three doubles (his first three at the Double-A level) with two RBIs, two runs scored, and one stolen base out of the leadoff spot. The latter, batting out of the five-hole, went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs. Nick Yorke and Chase Meidroth each had two hits to go along with three walks and five runs scored between them. Yorke also stole three bases to set a new single-game career high in that category. Nathan Hickey and Kyle Teel each went 1 for 3 with three walks, though Teel added two RBIs as well. Despite going hitless, Tyler McDonough drew two walks, scored two runs, and stole one base to bring his season total up to 23.
After getting three scoreless frames from Wikelman Gonzalez on Saturday, Chih-Jung Liu took the reigns on Sunday. The 24-year-old righty was effective, allowing only two earned runs on two hits, two walks, and one hit batsman with nine strikeouts over four innings of work in what was technically his first relief appearance of the season. Of the 79 pitches he threw, 45 went for strikes and 20 elicited a swing-and-miss. Out of the Sea Dogs bullpen, Wyatt Olds closed it out by tossing two innings of one-run ball.
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Portland Sea Dogs, Reading Fightin Phils (PHI) (Cancelled)
Sunday's regularly-scheduled series finale between Portland and Reading was cancelled due to rain and will not be made up. As such, the Sea Dogs will return to Hadlock Field on Tuesday for their final homestand of the regular season.
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Greenville was unable to avoid a six-game sweep at the hands of Aberdeen on Sunday. Noah Song lasted just two-thirds of an inning in his sixth start of the season for the Drive. The 26-year-old righty allowed one run on one hit while issuing three walks and striking out one batter. Only 18 of the 36 pitches he threw went for strikes. In relief of Song, Robert Kwiatkowski and Jordan DiValerio each yielded one run before making way for Nathan Landry, who scattered two hits and one walk over two scoreless frames. Felix Cepeda then took the loss after issuing a leadoff walk and allowing that runner to score on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth.
As a team, the Drive were held to just four hits and did not record an RBI. Kristian Campbell, Bryan Gonzalez, Tyler Miller, and Gilberto Jimenez each singled as part of 1-for-4 afternoons at the plate. Miller stole a base and scored a run. Allan Castro drew two walks and stole one base to bring his season-ending total between Salem and Greenville up to 19. Eddinson Paulino swiped his 26th bag of the year as well.
With the loss, the Drive will head into the South Atlantic League playoffs with a second-half record of 27-39. They will next take on the second-half winning Hickory Crawdads (TEX) in a best-of-three series beginning on Tuesday.
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Salem Red Sox, Carolina Mudcats (MIL) (Cancelled)
Salem's regular season finale at Carilion Clinic Field was cancelled due to inclement weather. It will not be made up, meaning the Red Sox finish the second half with a 25-39 record and the 2023 campaign as a whole with a record of 55-72.
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Player of the Day: Roman Anthony ended his first week at the Double-A level on a high note by registering his sixth-three hit game of the season. Promoted from Greenville to Portland last Tuesday, the left-handed hitting outfielder went 5 for 19 (.263) with three doubles, one home run, three RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and two strikeouts in his first five games with the Sea Dogs. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the organization behind only Marcelo Mayer.
Photo Credit: Roman Anthony by Kelly O'Connor