Cup of Coffee: WooSox fall despite Dalbec heroics; Anthony notches two doubles

9/10 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough, rainy day down on the farm on Saturday. The only two teams that completed contests suffered defeats. Bobby Dalbec (pictured) nearly knocked off Gwinnett single-handedly, but the Stripers walked off with the win. Greenville fell to its fifth straight loss in its final series of the regular season. The rain had more success slowing down Wikelman Gonzalez and Roman Anthony than Reading did, as storms came through in the fourth inning and necessitated a suspension until Sunday. Salem's contest was canceled due to the rain.

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Despite not generating a hit through the first six innings, Worcester actually carried a lead into the bottom of the ninth before suffering their second walk-off in three days. Bobby Dalbec snapped the no-hit bid with a single to lead off the seventh inning, and he later gave the WooSox a 2-1 lead with a solo homer to start the ninth. In between a Niko Kavadas solo shot spoiled the Gwinnett shutout bid. On for the ninth to try to close out the win, Luis Guerrero saw his control abandon him. He walked the first four batters he faced, forcing in a run to tie the game at 2-2. A 6-2 force out erased what would have been the winning run, but the next batter delivered the walk-off base hit. Before Guerrero's struggles, a quintet of veteran hurlers had limited the Stripers to one run on six hits. Corey Kluber made the rehab start, going one inning, striking out one batter and inducing groundouts to the other two. 

The third straight loss puts another dent in Worcester's playoff hopes. It falls 4 1/2 games behind Durham with just seven games remaining, but more importantly, it drops behind Jacksonville into sixth place. 

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The Sea Dogs were rolling before the storms came through in the fourth inning. Wikelman Gonzalez was on his game, giving up just two hits in three scoreless frames, striking out six, and walking two. Roman Anthony ripped his first Double-A double to lead off the contest and added another to drive in a run in the fourth. Kyle Teel continues to not make outs, singling and walking in his two plate appearances. They will attempt to finish the game on Sunday before the regularly scheduled contest. 

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The Drive continue to limp into the playoffs, dropping their fifth straight to Aberdeen. Eddinson Paulino had the only multi-hit effort, going 2 for 5 out of the leadoff spot. Bryan Gonzalez blasted a two-run homer in the fourth and later added a walk and run scored. Luis Perales suffered the loss, surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings, including a pair of solo home runs. Reidis Sena struck out one in a perfect seventh inning, while Brock Bell allowed an unearned run on one hit in his inning of work.

The regular season finishes on Sunday, after which the Drive will play the second-half-winning Hickory Crawdads (TEX) in a best-of-three series beginning on Tuesday, September 12.

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The penultimate game of Salem's 2023 schedule was a washout. With no playoff implications affected, the game will not be made up. Salem, who did not make the playoffs, will host the regular-season finale on Sunday.

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Player of the Day: Despite the WooSox loss, Bobby Dalbec continues to be a highlight in the middle of the lineup. After breaking up a no-hit, bid, he moved into a tie for the International League with his 33rd home run of the season. If he remains with Worcester for the final week, he should have an excellent opportunity to take the crown, as Luken Baker has been called up by the Cardinals. Dalbec needs three more home runs to tie Earl Snyder (2004), Israel Alcantara (2001), and Jack Baker (1976) for the organization's Triple-A record. The other three set their marks while the team was in Pawtucket.