Cup of Coffee: Romero stays hot for Portland; Teel swats first Triple-A homer

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Jamie Westbrook enjoyed a monster day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double, a grand slam, and two runs scored. Three other Worcester hitters (Kyle Teel, Vaughn Grissom, and Bobby Dalbec) went deep. Teel went 2 for 4 with his first Triple-A blast, two RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk. Grissom cranked a three-run shot for his lone hit of the afternoon. Dalbec went 2 for 4 with his 17th big fly of the season and one walk. Trevor Story doubled and scored a run as part of a 2 for 4 showing in the first game of his rehab assignment. Roman Anthony drove in one run while Kristian Campbell scored twice.

Brad Keller got the start in his return to Worcester. The veteran righty allowed five earned runs on seven hits (including a two-run homer), one walk, and six strikeouts over five innings. He yielded all five of those runs in the top of the fourth. In relief of Keller, Zach Penrod scattered one hit and two walks while striking out one across two scoreless innings en route to notching the winning decision. Brian Van Belle then yielded one run on two hits over the final two frames and was credited with the save.

With the win, the WooSox improved to 31-25 in the second half. They currently sit six games back of the Columbus Clippers (37-19) for first place in the International League.

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Mikey Romero capped off his first week at Double-A with a bang. The Sea Dogs' leadoff man went 3 for 5 with a two-run home run and two runs scored. Jhostynxon Garcia, Allan Castro, and Tyler McDonough also enjoyed multi-hit performances. Garcia went 2 for 4 with one RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Castro went 2 for 5 with an RBI. McDonough went 2 for 5 with a pair of RBI singles and a stolen base. Max Ferguson, who doubled and drove in a run, and Elih Marrero, who scored twice, each swiped a bag as well.

Caleb Bolden was impressive in his start for Portland, allowing just two walks and striking out three over four scoreless, no-hit innings. Fellow righty Alex Hoppe followed with two additional scoreless frames en route to picking up the winning decision. Jacob Webb surrendered one run on three hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in his two innings of relief. Jonathan Brand then worked his way around back-to-back two-out singles to put up another zero in the ninth.

With the win, the Sea Dogs improved to 36-20 in the second half. They currently lead the Somerset Patriots (33-22) by 2 1/2 games for first place in the Eastern League Northeast.

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Yordanny Monegro picked up the win in another strong start for Greenville. The righty allowed just one unearned run on two hits, two walks, and one hit batsman with five strikeouts over five innings. He has now gone 41 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run. In relief of Monegro, Jeremy Wu-Yelland, Cooper Adams, and Max Carlson combined for four scoreless frames out of the bullpen. At the plate, Bryan Gonzalez led the way by going 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and one run scored. Luis Ravelo went 2 for 4 with an RBI single. Will Turner went 1 for 4 with an RBI, two runs scored, and one stolen base. Justin Riemer also stole one base and scored one run.

With the victory, the Drive snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 34-26 in the second half. They currently trail the Hot Rods (38-19) by 5 1/2 games for first place in the South Atlantic League South.

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Brooks Brannon put together his first three-hit game since June 27, going 3 for 4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored. Fraymi De Leon also cranked a three-run shot for his lone hit of the contest. Franklin Arias doubled and scored a run out of the leadoff spot while Marvin Alcantara stole his 13th base of the season. On the mound, Jojo Ingrassia tossed two scoreless, no-hit innings in his start for Salem. The lefty issued two walks and struck out a pair. Fellow southpaw Michael Sansone notched the win in relief, as he allowed two earned runs on four hits, zero walks, and four strikeouts over five-plus innings. Royman Blanco served up a three-run blast in the ninth but held on for his sixth save of the year.

With the win, the Red Sox improved to 33-27 in the second half. They still trail the Fredericksburg Nationals (35-24) by 2 1/2 games for first place in the Carolina League North.

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Player of the Day: Mikey Romero gets the nod for what he did in his first week with Portland. The 20-year-old infielder recorded at least one hit in all five games he appeared in against Harrisburg, going 9-for-25 (.360) with one double, three home runs, six RBIs, and six runs scored. He is currently ranked as the No. 18 prospect in the organization.