Cup of Coffee: Gasper stays hot, Sogard homers for Worcester

7/24 Cup of Coffee: It was a rough night on the farm, as the Sox affiliates combined to go 0-7. Mickey Gasper stayed red hot for Worcester, while Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell each collected an extra-base hit for Portland. Luis Guerrero and Bryce Bonnin (pictured) had terrific outings out of the bullpen for Worcester and Greenville. 

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Mickey Gasper continued to rake for Worcester, going 3 for 3 with three singles, raising his batting average to .393 in 26 games with the WooSox. Nick Sogard went 2 for 5 with his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot in the first inning. Chase Meidroth went 1 for 4 with an RBI single and a walk, and Eddy Alvarez smoked a two-run double. Brad Keller opened up the game on the mound with a perfect frame and one strikeout. Jorge Benitez and Naoyuki Uwasawa struggled in relief, as each allowed four runs. Luis Guerrero was dominant in two innings scoreless innings, striking out four without a walk. 

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The Sea Dogs scored first when Roman Anthony ripped a two-run double in the second inning. It was the top prospect's 16th two-bagger of the year. Kristian Campbell followed with an RBI double of his own, his 13th as a member of the Sea Dogs. Alex Binelas had a big game as well, going 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI. Caleb Bolden started and allowed two runs over the first three innings with three strikeouts and just one walk. Alex Hoppe took the loss allowing two runs in two innings, but he did punch out three. 

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Hayden Mullins battled through three innings, limiting the damage to just two runs over three innings despite walking five hitters. The 23-year old lefty struck out six for the eighth time this season. Bryce Bonnin was tremendous in three innings of work, retiring all nine batters he faced with five strikeouts. Zach Fogell also pitched well, allowing no runs or hits in 2 2/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Cutter Coffey, Eduardo Lopez, and Juan Chacon all hit solo home runs. For Coffey, it was his 14th blast of the year. He also drove in another run on an RBI walk. 

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This game was called after six full innings due to rain. Antonio Anderson had a nice night, going 1 for 2 with his fifth home run of the year, a walk, and two runs scored. Franklin Arias went 1 for 3 with a run scored, and Brooks Brannon went 1 for 3 with a two-run single. Trennor O'Donnell struggled, surrendering six runs (three earned) on six hits. He did punch out four. Nathanael Cruz tossed 1 2/3 hitless frames in relief. 

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The Sox dropped a tough one after Kelvin Diaz ripped a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth inning. Diaz also stole two bases, upping his season total to 20 to go along with a .300 batting average. Karim Ayubi also went deep, his third long ball of the year. Justin Riemer went 3 for 5 with a triple and an RBI out of the top spot in the batting order. Deybi Salcedo did not have his best stuff in this one, allowing five earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Wuilliams Rodriguez was fantastic in relief, tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings without giving up a hit. Luis Jerez pitched a perfect seventh inning as well. 

The loss dealt a major blow to the team's playoff chances. The FCL Pirates also won, moving the two teams into a tie for both the South Division and Wild Card lead. The FCL Tigers tied in a rain-shortened contest, putting them a 1/2-game ahead of the FCL Sox, who are now in third place in both races. They will need to win against the Rays in Thursday's regular season finale and get help in the former of Pirate and Tiger losses. All the contending teams are off on Wednesday.

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Tavano Baker had the biggest hit of the day for the Sox, a two-run double in the third inning. Josue Brito had a perfect day at the plate, going 1 for 1 with a single and a pair of walks. Yoiber Ruiz added a double, and Givian Sirvania singled and swiped his 12th bag of the season. Abis Prado started and took the loss, lasting just two innings with four runs (three earned) allowed. He struck out two and walked four. Gibel Galvan was great out of the bullpen, tossing three shutout frames with two strikeouts and no free passes. 

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Jhoan Peguero and Chad Delancey each had big offensive days, as Peguero went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and two runs, while Delancey doubled twice with two RBI. Both Peguero and Delancey stole a base as well. Christopher Alvarado added a single and a walk in four trips. Merlin Bido started and surrendered four earned runs over four innings. The righty struck out four and walked only one. The bullpen saw a few good performances, starting with Breilin Arredondo, who fired 2 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout and no walks. Jhon Alcantara and Greider Colina each tossed a shutout inning of their own. 

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Player of the Day: It's not often that a relief pitcher gets the honor, but hitters going 0 for 9 with five strikeouts against Bryce Bonnin earns it for him. The right-handed pitcher was drafted by the Reds back in 2020 in the third round. Boston picked him up this past offseason as a minor league free agent. The 25-year old Texas Tech product has a 4.74 ERA in 24 2/3 innings this season for Greenville. He has 27 strikeouts and hitters are hitting just .179 against him.