Cup of Coffee: Rosario, Rogers lead Greenville; Anthony goes deep again
8/25 Cup of Coffee: After two straight days of sweeps, only one affiliate emerged victorious on Saturday. Greenville won its third straight and seventh in nine games, led by the bat of Ronald Rosario (pictured) and arm of Dalton Rogers. Roman Anthony led off Worcester's loss with another homer, while Juan Valera returned to his scoreless ways in a Salem pitchers' duel. Portland also fell despite solid efforts from Max Ferguson and Phillip Sikes.
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Things got off to an auspicious start on Saturday as Roman Anthony led off the contest with a home run over the right field wall. However, a three-run Norfolk rally in the eighth snapped Worcester's seven-game winning streak. It was the second straight day going deep for Anthony, who is 10 for 22 with 7 RBI in the Norfolk series. Kristian Campbell had a single to extend his hitting streak across two levels to 10 games. He is 8 for 19 since his promotion from Portland. Jason Alexander allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, while Wyatt Olds surrendered three in three innings of relief to take the loss.
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Portland fell as David Sandlin again struggled with the long ball. The 23-year-old righty allowed six runs on six hits in four innings, with four of those runs coming on a pair of round-trippers in the fourth. On a more positive note, he continues to show the ability to miss bats, striking out six to bring him to 26 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings since his promotion. Bryce Bonnin made his Sea Dogs debut with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed two hits and walked there against three strikeouts. Reidis Sena went the final two innings, allowing two runs on two hits. He struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced and walked two.
Phillip Sikes and Max Ferguson led the way at the plate, with both players delivering two-run homers as part of 2-for-4 efforts. The home run for Ferguson was his first hit since April 14, having missed over four months with an ankle injury.
The loss drops Portland's division lead over Somerset back down to 4 1/2 games with three weeks remaining.
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The Drive turned in a strong all-around effort to pick up the organization's only win on Saturday. Dalton Rogers got the start, allowing two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out nine against just one walk. The nine punchouts are a season high for the 2022 third-round pick. Zach Fogell got the win in relief, allowing one unearned run on four hits in 2 1/3. Isaac Stebens went the final 2 1/3 scoreless frames to pick up the save, striking out five and walking one. At the plate, Ronald Rosario was 3 for 4 with a double, three RBI, and a run scored. Justin Riemer was a catalyst out of the leadoff spot, scoring two runs as he went 2 for 4 with a steal.
Bowling Green (TB) also won, maintaining a 2 1/2 game lead over the Drive in the South Atlantic League South Division race with 13 games remaining.
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Offense was hard to come by, as the two teams combined for just five hits and the contest was scoreless into the ninth. After surprisingly allowing runs in his last start, Juan Valera returned to his tradition of not doing that. Valera, 18, scattered a pair of hits in three innings, striking out three, and walking two. He is unscored upon in 10 of his last 13 appearances across two levels. Nicholas Judice made his first Salem appearance in relief, striking out one in a perfect inning of work. Judice was part of the return in the deal that sent Alex Verdugo to the Yankees. Calvin Bickerstaff and Griffin Kilander both turned in two hitless inning out of the bullpen before Lynchburg finally reached Nathanael Cruz for three runs (one earned) in the ninth. The Salem lineup managed just two hits against a trio of Hillcats. Brooks Brannon had a double and a walk, while Karim Ayubi singled.
First-place Fredericksburg (WAS) also lost, so Salem remains two games out of first place in the North Division.
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Player of the Day: Ronald Rosario has been a steady performer during his four years in the system, particularly in his last two in full-season ball. Rosario has handled the bulk of the catching load for the Drive this season, donning the tools of ignorance for 74 starts. He has been a model of stability on an always-shifting roster, picking up a team-leading 93 hits including 19 doubles and eight homers. Rosario was originally signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in July 2019 to a $50,000 bonus.
Photo Credit: Ronald Rosario by Kelly O'Connor