Cup of Coffee: DSL Red win the championship; Rodriguez strikes out seven
9/1 Cup of Coffee: The DSL Red Sox Red convincingly won the DSL Championship as they shut out the Angels. Kristian Campbell finished a tremendous August by reaching base twice for Worcester, while Phillip Sikes went deep for Portland. Elmer Rodriguez (pictured) was excellent in a tough loss for Greenville, and Salem's bullpen impressed in a loss to Delmarva.
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The WooSox bats have gone cold as they have scored just three runs over their last three games. Kristian Campbell was one of the few bright spots as he went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. Jamie Westbrook went 2 for 3 with a double, and Tyler Heineman went 1 for 2 with a walk. The Mud Hens chased Justin Hagenman after five innings as he allowed four runs including two home runs in the first inning. Bailey Horn was dominant out of the bullpen as he struck out the side in the ninth. The Red Sox are currently third in the International League East, just one-and-a-half games behind first-place Rochester.
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The Sea Dogs fell on Saturday but remained two-and-a-half games up on Somerset for first place. Connelly Early's rough August concluded with him allowing six runs on six hits over three innings to the Senators. The bullpen kept the game close with Brendan Cellucci firing three shutout innings while striking out two. Portland had 10 hits, with a two-run home run from Phillip Sikes being the biggest. Max Ferguson, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Tyler McDonough went 2 for 4 with a double, with Ferguson and Garcia driving in a run.
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The Drive fell to five-and-a-half games behind Bowling Green with their fourth straight loss. A solo home run in the fifth was the only blemish for Elmer Rodriguez as he posted his best start of the month. The home run was the only hit and run he allowed over five innings while walking two and striking out seven. The Hot Rods got to Gabriel Jackson for five runs in 2 1/3 innings, including four in the eighth to put the game away. Nelly Taylor led the way offensively, going 1 for 4 with his first home run with the Drive, and Ahbram Liendo went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.
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Salem fell to three games back of Carolina with its second loss in a row. Danny Kirwin was pulled after allowing six runs (four earned) over 2 2/3 innings. The bullpen flipped the script, with Griffin Kilander and Nicholas Judice dominating from there. They combined to allow one baserunner and strike out six over 4 1/3 innings. Nazzan Zanetello went 1 for 3 with a double, walk, and a stolen base, while Kelvin Diaz went 1 for 3 with a double.
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The Red squad earned the first DSL title for a Boston affiliate since 2016 as they shut out the Angels in the deciding game. Justin Gonzales finished a massive postseason by going 4 for 5 with a double and an RBI. He hit .444 in the playoffs after posting a .908 OPS in the regular season. Anderson Fermin went 3 for 5 with a stolen base, and Jorge Rodriguez drove in two runs. Four pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout, with Jeison Payano setting the tone. He struck out four and walked three over three hitless innings. Juan Henriquez allowed the two hits but kept the Angels off the board to pick up the win. Gilbel Galvan closed things out with 1 2/3 innings of spotless ball.
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Player of the Day: Elmer Rodriguez struck out seven over five innings of one-run ball to lower his High-A ERA to 2.92. Rodriguez has risen to 16th in the rankings as the 21-year-old has the lowest ERA in the system for pitchers with at least 80 innings. A fourth-round pick in 2021, Rodriguez has a four-pitch arsenal highlighted by a potential above-average curveball.
Photo Credit: Elmer Rodriguez by Kelly O'Connor