Cup of Coffee: 5 hitless innings for Wehunt, Bleis homers
7/6 Cup of Coffee: There was a bit of an Independence Day hangover, as the system struggled to score. One DSL team was the only one able to exceed five runs, though Portland and an FCL game were both suspended in the bottom of the first. There were just two home runs, one by Miguel Bleis to score his team's only run, while Salem's Albert Feliz had the other. There were some good pitching performances, however, highlighted by Blake Wehunt's (pictured) five no-hit frames before giving way to the bullpen. He also registered nine punchouts.
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The Red Sox were ahead 2-1 after five, but a three-run sixth was enough for Syracuse to take the win. Each squad had just five hits, with doubles from Chase Meidroth and Matthew Lugo. Grant Gambrell was on the mound and had a lot of baserunners, with four hits and three walks, but only allowed one run over four innings. Ryan Zeferjahn and Lucas Luetge each pitched hitless frames, as well.
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This one never really got started, as they didn't even get out of the first inning. The teams will resume this one on Saturday with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the first.
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Greenville struck first, getting its run in the fourth via a Miguel Bleis homer, but the Tourists snagged a trio of runs in the seventh to claim the win. Allan Castro was 2 for 4, including a double. Blake Wehunt got the start and was tremendous, facing two above the minimum over five no-hit innings. He struck out nine. All three runs went on Adam Smith's tab, while Isaac Stebens allowed four hits but did not permit a run over the eighth and ninth.
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The Red Sox had a two-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth but surrendered that lead and the game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, catcher Daniel McElveney's throw to cut down the automatic runner stealing third was offline and Lynchburg came around to score the winning run. Albert Feliz was 3 for 4 and a triple short of the cycle, while Stanley Tucker also had two hits. The start went to Matt Duffy, who contributed five shutout frames. He scattered four hits and a walk with three punchouts.
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In a game that featured just eight hits, the Red Sox scored the game-winning run in the top of the first and added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth to secure the win. Raimundo De Los Santos had a pair of hits, including a two-RBI double in the fifth, while the deciding run came on an Andruw Musett sacrifice fly. Adam Bates pitched the first four innings, with seven strikeouts and merely two hits allowed. The win went to Denis Reguillo, who finished the contest. He had plenty of traffic, as he surrendered the same number of hits but added a trio of free passes. He struck out four.
The second game was suspended in the bottom of the first. The Twins have a runner on second and there are two outs.
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The Red Sox got their scoring done early, leading 6-0 after three-and-a-half innings, which was enough to withstand a late comeback as the Brewers added three in the sixth and two more in the eighth. Each of the nine starters recorded at least one hit as the team combined for 16 knocks, including Edwin Brito, who had three and was a triple short of the cycle. Five more Red Sox had two hits. Yermain Ruiz was on the mound and lowered his ERA to 1.86 with one tally allowed over five innings of work. He allowed just one hit, which was a solo home run in the fourth, and struck out four hitters.
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There were five combined errors, but the Red Sox had just four hits and weren't able to keep it close. Jesus Lugo had the only extra-base hit, which was a solo home run. Four arms entered the game and each of them allowed multiple runs. Luis Cabrera had arguably the best outing, handling the final four frames. He allowed two runs on three hits and a walk, while he struck out two.
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Player of the Day: There's nothing like a no-hitter. While Blake Wehunt wasn't able to finish it, he still left with it intact. He struck out nine and faced just two more than the minimum without walking a hitter. The tall, 6-foot-7 right-hander is in his first professional season after signing for $100,000 as a ninth-round pick out of Kennesaw State and has three potential average pitches, putting them all to good use on Friday night.
Photo Credit: Blake Wehunt by Kelly O'Connor