Cup of Coffee: Mayer, Bleis each notch three hits; Yorke homers again

4/19 Cup of Coffee: It was a solid night of offense for the affiliates, led by Ahbram Liendo's four-hit performance for Salem. Marcelo Mayer and Miguel Bleis also recorded three hits apiece, while Nick Yorke belted another home run and Chase Meidroth stayed hot.  I got see Bryan Mata's (pictured) start in the Lehigh Valley up close, where he ended up tossing a solid game. Sterling Sharp and Isaac Coffey delivered good starts as well. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 2

Bryan Mata started for the Sox on a cold night and had a bit of an up-and-down outing. His command was rough to start the game, falling behind in counts and allowing some hard contact for outs. But he still featured some good swing-and-miss stuff, racking up six strikeouts and getting a bunch of swinging strikes. His night ended by striking out two of the final three hitters he saw, including the final batter on back-to-back wipeout sliders, his best sliders of the night. In total, he surrendered two runs on four hits with four walks in five innings. Andrew Politi came on and tossed a couple shutout frames before Joe Jacques and Chase Shugart each threw a clean inning to end the game. 

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Reading Fightin Phils (PHI) 3, Portland Sea Dogs 1

Portland's only run of the night came on a solo shot from Nick Yorke, his second home run in as many games. He also drew a walk and has his OPS up to .933. Matthew Lugo also had a good night, going 2 for 4 with a couple of doubles. Sterling Sharp was tremendous on the mound, going the first six innings without allowing a run. He gave up just two hits and did no issue a free pass, while also punching out three. Dylan Spacke and Luis Guerrero each tossed a scoreless inning with a pair of strikeouts. 

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Greenville Drive 7, Greensboro Grasshoppers (PIT) 6 (10 innings)

Chase Meidroth continued his hot start to the season by going 2 for 5 with two runs scored. Marcelo Mayer also had a big night at the plate with three hits in five trips, including an RBI double. Max Ferguson and Eduardo Lopez each reached base three times with a single and two walks, while Eddinson Paulino singled, walked, scored, and drove in a run. Isaac Coffey started and pitched well, surrendering two runs over five innings with six strikeouts and just one walk. He gave up only two hits, but both were solo home runs. Jordan DiValerio was terrific in two innings of work. He gave up one hit, a home run, but struck out four with no walks. 

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Lynchburg Hillcats (CLE) 15, Salem Red Sox 12

Ahbram Liendo led the charge for Salem on offense in what was a wild night. The 19-year old went 4 for 5 with a double and two RBI out of the number nine spot in the batting order. Number three prospect Miguel Bleis also had a big night at the dish with three hits, including a double and two driven in. Ronald Rosario and Lyonell James each picked up a pair of knocks and scored twice as well. It was a tough night on the mound, as Dalton Rogers, Jhonny Felix, Railin Perez, and Brock Bell each gave up at least three earned runs. Bell did punch out four without a walk. Nathan Landry pitched a clean ninth inning with one strikeout and no walks. 

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Player of the Day: Ahbram Liendo gets the nod with a four-hit game, raising his 2023 OPS to .829. The 19-year old switch hitter was an international free agent signing in January of 2021. This is his first full season and has reached base safely in seven of his nine games so far. He has taken an impressive eight walks so far, giving him an OBP of .472. He has seen time at third and second base. 

Photo Credit: Bryan Mata by Kelly O'Connor