Cup of Coffee: Guzman leads Drive; Arias homers again

4/18 Cup of Coffee: It was a busy Friday night down on the farm, with Worcester playing a de facto double-header on top of a full slate of games. Greenville got the system's only win tonight, matching the major league squad with a 10th-inning walkoff win. Adonys Guzman (pictured) led the Drive as Kyson Witherspoon shook off some early issues to settle in for a solid start. Franklin Arias went deep yet again in Portland's loss while Salem dropped an early lead. The WooSox were swept, dropping the completion to Thursday's suspended game before falling in the nightcap. 

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Thursday's game was suspended in the top of the fourth with the score knotted at zero. Jake Bennett had thrown three scoreless frames before the pause, scattering three hits. Seth Martinez took over when plan resumed, going 2 2/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits. Devin Sweet surrendered a pair of runs and was saddled with the loss. Tayron Guerrero saw his scoreless streak come to an end, giving up a run in the ninth. Nate Eaton was 2 for 4 with a run scored, while Anthony Siegler doubled for the WooSox' only extra-base hit.

The regularly scheduled contest ended with the same result as the earlier completed one. Isaac Coffey got the starting nod and matched Bennett's three shutout frames. He allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out four. Tyler Samaniego and Tommy Kahnle surrendered two runs apiece out of the bullpen, with Kahnle taking the losing decision. Allan Castro was 2 for 3 with an RBI, while Mikey Romero ripped his sixth double of the young season. There were some fireworks after Braiden Ward was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat. Ward, who had also been plunked in the earlier game, tossed his bat onto the field, causing the benches to clear. However, fisticuffs were avoided and Ward and Nashille pitcher Tate Kuehner shook hands to end the brouhaha. 

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The wait is over for Altoona, who picked up its first win of the season after an 0-12 start. Franklin Arias did his best to keep the streak going, blasting another home run, his third in his last three games. The shortstop also reached on a walk and a hit batsman. Ronald Rosario was 2 for 4 with a solo homer. Dalton Rogers surrendered two runs on two hits in 4 1/3 innings. The Curve reached Jay Allmer for three runs, handing the loss to the right-hander. Max Carlson kept things close with a pair of hitless innings, but Altoona held on for the victory.

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The Drive snapped a four-game losing streak with a 10th-inning walk-off. Adonys Guzman delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly to cap an overall strong evening for the backstop. He singled twice, walked, and scored a pair of runs. Natanael Yuten blasted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the second inning. Freili Encarnacion also went deep as part of his two-hit evening. Hudson White, pressed into pitching duty three times in the early season, made the most of his first appearance in the Greenville lineup on the year. Getting the start at DH, White was 2 for 3 with a double, run scored and two RBI.

Bowling Green jumped on Kyson Witherspoon early, scoring three runs before two outs were recorded in the first inning. However, he caught a break when what would have been an obvious single struck a base runner going from first to second, leading to a man on first with two outs rather than first and second with only one out. The 2025 first-round pick settled in thereafter, pitching into the fifth without allowing any additional damage. His final line had him at three runs on five hits in 4 1/3, striking out three and walking two. Both scores surrendered by Ben Hansen came on a sixth-inning two-run homer, as he went 3 2/3 innings, striking out four. PJ Labriola got the credit for the win with a scoreless ninth.

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Salem jumped out to an early 5-0 lead but surrendered seven unanswered runs to fall on Friday evening. Starlyn Nunez led off the game with his first home run of the year, and Avinson Pinto followed with a two-run blast in the second, also his first of 2026. Andrews Opata continued to be Salem's early season surprise, ripping a two-run double as part of a 2 for 4 night. An undrafted free agent last July, Opata is 13 for 34 (.382) with three doubles, two triples, a homer, and five steals through nine games. On the mound, Madinson Frias cruised through the first two innings but surrendered two-run homers in the fourth and fifth innings. He finished with four runs (three earned) allowed in four plus frames, striking out three and walking three. Ethan Walker took the loss, giving up three runs (one earned) in 3 1/3.

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Player of the Day: Known as a defense-first catcher, Adonys Guzman has shown a potent bat as well in the early going. After keying the Greenville win with two hits and a sac fly, the 22-year-old catcher is up to  .296/.394/.444 on the year, hitting safely in four straight. Guman was a fifth-round pick of the Pirates in the 2025 draft, coming to the Red Sox as part of the five-player deal that sent Jhostynxson Garcia to Pittsburgh in exchange for Johan Oviedo.