Cup of Coffee: FCL season begins; Gonzalez strikes out eight
5/5 Cup of Coffee: The FCL season opened with a tough loss for the Red Sox. Justin Hagenman and Wikelman Gonzalez (pictured) starred for Worcester and Portland, respectively, while Roman Anthony played well in both doubleheader games. The offense faltered in Greenville and Salem as a strong start from David Sandlin went or naught.
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Four pitchers combined on a shutout, led by starter Justin Hagenman. He struck out eight of four innings of two-hit ball while walking one. Robert Kwiatkowski needed just 41 pitches to get through his three innings, and Sal Romano and Brendan Cellucci each added scoreless innings to close it out. It was an offensively well-balanced attack, with eight starters collecting at least one hit. Bobby Dalbec led the way going 2 for 4, while Enmanuel Valdez went 1 for 4 with a two-run single. Dalton Guthrie went 2 for 3 with a double, and Niko Kavadas went 1 for 3 with a walk.
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After being named the SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week last week, Angel Bastardo had his worst start of the season on Saturday. He allowed nine runs (five earned) over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked two, but also gave up seven hits and hit a batter. Portland jumped out to an early three-run lead after an RBI triple from Alex Binelas was followed by a run-scoring single from Matt Donlan and an RBI double from Roman Anthony. But Reading scored nine times over the next two innings to pull away. Mickey Gasper went 2 for 4 with two doubles, and Matthew Lugo stayed hot going 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI.
The Sea Dogs fought for a split in game two behind dominant pitching. Wikelman Gonzalez improved to 2-1 by firing five innings of one-run ball. He did not issue a walk and struck out eight. Gonzalez had an ERA of 23.63 after his first two starts but has allowed three runs in 13 innings since while striking out 20. Ryan Zeferjahn, the system's most impressive pitcher to date, followed with two scoreless innings for his third save. Zeferjahn has not allowed an earned run in 13 2/3 innings in 2024 while walking three and striking out 22. It was another good game for Anthony who went 1 for 2 with a walk and a stolen base, but Blaze Jordan did leave the game after running through first base on an infield single.
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A 10-run seventh inning propelled the Tourists past the Drive. David Sandlin allowed one run on two hits while striking out seven over five innings as he lowered his ERA to 5.17. Dalton Rogers and Caleb Bolden followed but Asheville had their numbers as they combined to allow 12 runs and record five outs. Singles from Kristian Campbell and Juan Chacon were Greenville's only hits.
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Salem managed just two hits as well as they fell to the Pelicans. Fraymi De Leon and Albert Feliz singled, and Daniel McElveny drew two walks. Noah Dean recorded eight of his 11 outs via strikeout but also walked three and gave up a three-run home run as he surrendered five runs total. Jojo Ingrassia followed with seven strikeouts in three innings.
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Sloppy defense cost the team a win on opening day as the Twins scored six unearned runs. Starlyn Nunez opened the first inning with a three-run home run, but it was downhill for him. He went hitless in his next four at-bats and committed all three of the team's errors. Yohander Linarez also went deep as part of a 1-for-3 performance that included a walk. Andruw Musett went 3 for 4, and Kelvin Diaz went 1 for 3 with two stolen bases and two outfield assists. Starter Luis Jerez opened with two scoreless innings. Yonfi Rodriguez had the longest outing, allowing two runs over 3 2/3 innings.
SoxProspects.com Executive Editor Chris Hatfield reported that the team's top prospect, Yoeilin Cespedes, will debut in the middle of next week. Mikey Romero will join him as he is slated to start a rehab assignment with the team next week.
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Player of the Day: Wikelman Gonzalez showed why he entered the season as the system's top pitching prospect. The 22-year-old struck out eight over five innings and did not issue a walk for the first time since May 27 of last season. The one hit he allowed was a solo home run. After two rocky starts to open the season that saw him walk eight while lasting a combined 2 2/3 innings, Gonzalez has looked more like the pitcher who posted a 2.42 ERA over 48 1/3 innings with the Sea Dogs last season. He has struck out 20 and walked only two while posting an ERA of 2.08 over his most recent 13 innings.
Photo Credit: Wikelman Gonzalez by Kelly O'Connor