Cup of Coffee: Affiliates struggle in winless Saturday
4/27 Cup of Coffee: With stormy weather impacting much of New England on Saturday, only a pair of games across the Boston affiliates were played. The organization went 0-2 as Greenville's pitching struggled with command and Salem surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to fall in walk-off fashion.
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Syracuse Mets (NYM) @ Worcester Red Sox (PPD)
Saturday's game between the Mets and WooSox was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader beginning at 12:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
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Reading Fightin' Phils (PHI) @ Portland Sea Dogs (PPD)
Along with Worcester, The Sea Dogs' matchup with Reading was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up when the Fightin' Phils return to Portland at the end of May. The teams conclude their current series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
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It was a tough game on the mound for the entire Greenville pitching staff, surrendering more walks (12) than hits (11) in the contest. Although Jedixson Paez started the game for the Drive, the 21-year-old managed only 1 2/3 innings on the rubber while allowing a pair of runs on two hits and three walks before departing the game with an injury. Darvin Garcia came in to relieve Paez and picked up the loss in relief as he struggled to find the strike zone. Garcia managed to throw just 20 of his 43 pitches for strikes on the way to being tagged for seven earned runs.
At the plate there were contributions throughout the Greenville lineup, led by Zach Ehrhard's 2-for-3 evening which included three RBIs and two walks. Nelly Taylor and Miguel Bleis also recorded multi-hit outings in the loss with Taylor driving in two along with scoring twice.
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Leading 5-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Salem could not close down the victory as it allowed two runs to cross the plate, including the game-winner off of a balk, to drop its third game in a row. After Griffin Kilander managed to toss just 2 2/2 innings, Adam Bates stepped in out of the bullpen and fired the following 4 2/3 frames. The 19-year-old hurler allow an unearned run on a single hit while walking and striking out three apiece. Bates' strong outing allowed Salem to take the lead into the late innings before falling.
Offensively, Freili Encarnacion slugged his third home run of the season in the top of the second inning to put Salem in the scoring column as part of a two-RBI evening. Kleyver Salazar also drove in a pair and walked twice to pace the Red Sox offense.
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Player of the Day: Despite the defeat, Nelly Taylor continues to start the season on a strong note. Boston's 11th-round pick in 2023 went 2 for 4 on a pair of RBI singles to bring his slash line to .298/.400/.447 through 55 plate appearances. He is currently ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the organization.
Photo Credit: Nelly Taylor by Kelly O'Connor