Cup of Coffee: Alexander strikes out 11, Grissom homers twice as Worcester stays hot

9/12 Cup of Coffee: Behind a strong performance on the mound from Jason Alexander (pictured) and a strong performance at the plate from Vaughn Grissom, Worcester stayed hot with another win over Syracuse on Wednesday. Portland, meanwhile, dropped its second straight to Binghamton as Blake Wehunt had a rough time in his first start at Hadlock Field.

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Jason Alexander put together one of the best starts of his professional career for Worcester on Wednesday night. The veteran righty allowed two hits and zero walks while striking out 11 of the 22 batters he faced over seven scoreless innings. He threw 82 pitches (59 strikes), eliciting 16 swings-and-misses en route to notching the winning decision. Zach Penrod and Alex Speas combined for three more strikeouts across two scoreless frames of relief to end it.

Vaughn Grissom led the way offensively by going 2 for 3 with two home runs, three RBIs, and one walk. Chase Meidroth went 3 for 5 with a two-run single while Tyler McDonough went 2 for 3 with one run scored and one walk. Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel both drew a walk and scored three runs. Kristian Campbell went 1 for 2 before coming out of the game in the fifth inning with what WooSox manager Chad Tracy described as "a little tweak or muscle spasm" in his shoulder blade. He is considered day-to-day.

With Wednesday's victory, the WooSox improved to 39-26 in the second half. They currently trail the Colombus Clippers (41-23) by 2 1/2 games for first place in the International League.

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Blake Wehunt took the loss in his Double-A debut. The righty surrendered five earned runs on eight hits (including a two-run home run), zero walks, and one strikeout over five innings. Reidis Sena and Alex Hoppe allowed three additional runs out of the bullpen before Jonathan Brand tossed a scoreless top of the ninth. At the plate, Portland's Nos. 8 and 9 hitters accounted for most of the damage done offensively. Elih Marrero went 2 for 4 with a two-run home run while Ahbram Liendo went 3 for 3 with one double, one RBI, one walk, and two stolen bases. Blaze Jordan also doubled and drove in a run as part of a 2 for 5 performance.

With Portland losing and Somerset winning on Wednesday, the Sea Dogs (40-25) now trail the Patriots (40-24) by a half-game for first place in the Eastern League Northeast second-half standings.

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Player of the Day: Jason Alexander had never recorded a double-digit strikeout game over the course of his eight-year professional career. That changed on Wednesday, as the 31-year-old journeyman was dialed in. Signed to a minor-league deal in February, Alexander has posted a 4.44 ERA (1.32 WHIP) with 123 strikeouts to 37 walks in 27 appearances (25 starts) spanning a staff-leading 127 2/3 innings for Worcester this season.