Cup of Coffee: Monegro leads Greenville to combined no-hitter; Valdez goes 5-for-5

8/2 Cup of Coffee: Another no-hitter for the Greenville Drive highlighted an exciting Thursday on the farm. Yordanny Monegro (pictured), Cooper Adams, and Isaac Stebens combined to shut down Wilmington, with a highlight catch from Jhostynxon Garcia keeping the no-no alive in the eighth. Worcester and Portland notched walk-off hits, while Triston Casas made a second rehab appearance with the WooSox. 

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A walk-off single from Jamie Westbrook plated Chase Meidroth as the WooSox came out on top in a slugfest. This was Westbrook's first game with Worcester since being sent down from Boston, and he finished 2 for 4 with a walk. The star of the day was Enmanuel Valdez who went 5 for 5 (all singles) and scored two runs. Mickey Gasper had the team's lone extra-base hit as he went 2 for 3 with a double and two walks. Jason Alexander got the start and allowed five runs on seven hits over three innings. The win went to Justin Hagenman, who fired three innings of one-run ball. 

The Red Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second game, but the wheels fell off shortly after. Meidroth, Vaughn Grissom, and Nathan Hickey all homered by the second inning. It was Grissom's first home run of the season, and Meidroth added a walk. Triston Casas made another rehab appearance, going 1 for 3 while getting hit by a pitch. Starter Zach Penrod struck out the side in the first inning but gave up six runs including a grand slam in the third. Wyatt Olds did his best to keep the WooSox in the game, shutting Buffalo out over three innings with six strikeouts. 

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Worcester was not the only team with a walk-off victory, as Blaze Jordan provided the heroics for the Sea Dogs. Jordan's single scored Luis Ravelo as Portland rallied after losing the lead in the ninth. The Sea Dogs were able to chase Jackson Jobe, one of the top pitching prospects in the game, out after four innings. Phillip Sikes finished 3 for 4 with a steal, Drew Ehrhard went 3 for 4 with two doubles off Jobe, and Alex Binelas went 2 for 5 with a steal. With Marcelo Mayer now on the injured list and Kyle Teel and Kristian Campbell having the day off, Roman Anthony was the only one of the fab four to see game action. He went 1 for 4 with two walks and his 14th steal. 

Making his second start for the Sea Dogs, Connelly Early allowed three runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six, but also hit two batters. Jacob Webb and Christopher Troye combined to keep Erie off the board for the next 3 1/3 innings, but Jonathan Brand gave up a game-tying home run in the ninth. Brendan Cellucci pitched a scoreless 10th for his third win. 

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The Drive celebrated their second no-hitter of the season in a win over Wilmington. Yordanny Monegro had a fourth straight scoreless start, with a hit batter being his only blemish through five innings while striking out six. A hit batter was also the only baserunner that Cooper Adams allowed to reach, as he struck out two over three innings. After issuing a walk to start the ninth, Isaac Stebens induced a double play and a fly out to the left fielder to finish off the no-hitter. On a night when very little offense was needed, Allan Castro and Eduardo Lopez hit solo home runs. Justin Riemer and Juan Chacon went 1 for 4 with a walk from the top two spots in the order. 

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The Red Sox had a 3-2 lead after five innings, but Kannapolis kept their foot on the gas against Salem's bullpen. Danny Kirwin had a solid start, allowing two runs over five innings. Luis Talavera followed and gave up nine runs while recording three outs. Nathanael Cruz fared only slightly better as he gave up four runs and recorded four outs. A home run from Brooks Brannon and a two-hit game with a double from Marvin Alcantara were the highlights offensively. 

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The teams could only complete half an inning before the game got suspended due to rain. The Cubs were up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. The game is scheduled to be completed on Friday. 

This game did not start on time and was ultimately postponed. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 6. 

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Player of the Day: A six-hit day over two games from Enmanuel Valdez was ultimately overshadowed by the no-hitter in Greenville. Yordanny Monegro, Cooper Adams, and Isaac Stebens all deserve praise, with Monegro's performance standing out the most. Monegro is up to 21 straight scoreless innings dating back to July 2. Over his last four starts, he has 21 strikeouts and five walks over 19 innings to go with the 0.00 ERA. Monegro had a delayed start to the 2024 season after experiencing weakness in his pitching shoulder, but he has turned the corner after some initial struggles with the Drive in June. His ERA is back under 4.00 for the first time since his Drive season debut.