Cup of Coffee: Dalbec homers, reaches base five times in Worcester blowout

6/4 Cup of Coffee: Bobby Dalbec (pictured) continued his rampage through the International League, homering for the third straight game to lead a rout in Louisville. Portland emerged victorious as well on the strength of a Niko Kavadas long ball. Greenville fell despite the continued Blaze Jordan dominance, while Salem was swept away in a de facto doubleheader.

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The WooSox snapped a five-game skid with a 14-run, 18-hit attack. Bobby Dalbec continued his scorching-hot play with a sixth-inning solo shot, his 10th home run in 17 games since being optioned back to Worcester, and his third straight game with a homer. Overall, he went 3 for 4 with two walks and three runs scored. Ryan Fitzgerald and Daniel Palka joined Dalbec with big efforts in the middle of the order. Fitzgerald doubled thrice, scoring three runs and driving in three, while Palka was 2 for 4 with two walks and three RBI. Adam Duvall continued his rehab assignment, going 1 for 5 with a double. 

In his 137th minor league appearance, Rio Gomez made his Triple-A debut, getting the spot start when he was added from Portland. The veteran right-hander allowed one run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out three against three strikeouts. Joe Jacques got the win in relief with 2 2/3 scoreless frames, and Oddanier Mosqueda followed with a pair of shutout innings.

Of note for long-term followers of the system was that Louisville's starter was old friend Teddy Stankiewicz. A second-round pick of Boston back in 2013, Stankiewicz appeared in 159 games over parts of seven seasons. Following the lost 2020 campaign, he bounced between the Chinese Professional Baseball League and the Mexican League. Stankiewicz signed with the Reds in May, making his return to affiliated ball for the first time since 2019. He turned in a solid effort against his old organization, allowing one run in five innings before the floodgates opened against the Bats' bullpen.

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After falling into an early 2-0 hole, Portland clawed its way back to halt a three-game losing streak. Niko Kavadas blasted his ninth home run of the season, a sixth-inning solo blast. He also drew a pair of walks. Chase Meidroth and Phillip Sikes chipped in with a double apiece. CJ Liu surrendered back-to-back solo homers in a rocky first inning but settled in nicely, finishing four frames with just the two runs allowed. Jacob Webb got the win with two innings of scoreless relief, and Luis Guerrero struck out one and walked two in a hitless ninth for the save.

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Blaze Jordan had a pair of hits for the Drive, ripping a single and double to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. He is 21 for 50 with six doubles and just six strikeouts during the surge. Tyler Miller and Bryan Gonzalez both had two hits, with Gonzalez also notching a double. Wikelman Gonzalez got the start for the Drive, allowing four runs on three hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking four. 

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Salem had the 2-0 lead when play resumed in the top of the fourth inning. Jose Ramirez had thrown three scoreless, allowing just one hit while striking out four and walking one on Friday evening, but the bullpen gave up seven runs in five frames after the restart. Jhostynxon Garcia led the offense, going 1 for 2 with a walk and two RBI. 

Things didn't go much better for Salem in the regularly scheduled contest. Luis Perales took the loss, surrendering three runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three. Enderso Lira was the highlight, going 2 for 3 to raise his average to .341 and plating both Salem runs with a fourth-inning base hit. Ahbram Liendo drew a pair of walks and stole a base.

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Player of the Day: Another day, another homer for Bobby Dalbec. He's gone deep in three straight, six of his last eight, and 10 of 17 since being optioned on May 13. He is hitting .310/.426/.662 in total during his time with Worcester this season and now has 26 home runs in just 83 Triple-A appearances. Despite spending nearly one-quarter of the season in the majors, he ranks third in the International League in homers.