SoxProspects News: Cup of Coffee: Hull hits first home run for Drive; Arias collects three hits
8/5 Cup of Coffee: It was a memorable night for 2026 second-rounder Owen Hull, as he hit the first home run of his professional career in a slugfest win for the Drive. Franklin Arias and Allan Castro each recorded three-hit games in a loss for the WooSox, while Miguel Bleis had a big game in a loss for the Sea Dogs. Salem put up ten runs in their series opener, with Kleyver Salazar continuing his recent hot streak. Miguel Welch led the DSL Blue team to a win while the DSL Red team was shut out.
—–
Franklin Arias can breathe a sigh of relief as the trade deadline has passed and he remains a part of the Red Sox organization. In Tuesday night’s game, Arias continued his strong start since being promoted to Worcester as he went 3 for 5 to bump his batting average to .286 through eight games. Allan Castro also put together a big game for the WooSox, going 3 for 4 with a walk and an RBI single in the fifth. Kristian Campbell was 1 for 3 with a walk and drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Andrew Knizner went 2 for 5, driving in a run and scoring a run.
Blake Wehunt’s third start with Worcester was his shakiest yet, as he surrendered three runs on seven hits in three innings. Osvaldo Berrios allowed two runs in two innings of relief and Noah Song gave up one run in two innings of his own. Angel Bastardo was lights out, as he struck out two batters in a perfect inning. Bastardo has now pitched to a 2.30 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings since the start of June. Sam McWilliams walked three batters and allowed four runs in an inning.
—–
After falling behind early, the Sea Dogs bats were able to climb back into the game but were unable to complete their comeback despite an impressive game for Miguel Bleis. The 22-year-old center fielder collected an RBI single in the fourth and a solo home run in the ninth in a 3-for-4 night. Johanfran Garcia also homered for the Sea Dogs, blasting a solo shot to left in the fourth inning, his 13th of the season. Playing in his second game at the Double-A level, Yoeilin Cespedes went 0 for 4 and drove in a run on a groundout.
It was a bullpen game for the Sea Dogs, who sent lefty Jeremy Wu-Yelland to the mound for the first two innings of the game. Wu-Yelland struck out a batter and did not allow a baserunner before turning the ball over to Caleb Bolden, who promptly allowed the Fisher Cats to score four runs in his first inning of work. Joe Vogatsky also struggled in relief, walking four batters and allowing two runs to score in 2 2/3 innings. Patrick Halligan struck out each of the four batters that he faced.
—–
The Greenville bats were out on full display on Tuesday night, with Owen Hull powering the Drive to an early lead with a three-run bomb to center field in the third inning. Hull also doubled as part of a 2-for-5 game and is now 7 for 15 through his first three games in professional baseball. Justin Gonzales had a monster game of his own out of the leadoff slot, going 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and 4 RBI. Antonio Anderson reached base in all four of his plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with two walks and a solo home run in the seventh inning. Ronny Hernandez was 0 for 1 but walked three times and scored three runs.
Alex Bouchard had his best stuff working on Tuesday night as he struck out seven hitters, allowing just a run on two hits and a walk, in 3 2/3 innings. Griffin Kilander and Trennor O’Donnell each struggled in relief, as Kilander allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings and O’Donnell allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Steven Brooks closed the game with a scoreless 1 1/3 innings, striking out a batter.
—–
The RidgeYaks got off to a fast start in the first inning and never looked back, scoring three runs on an RBI single by Kleyver Salazar and a two-run blast off the bat of Louis Andujar. Salazar, fresh off being named the SoxProspects.com Player of the Month in July, drove in another run with a double in the fifth and went 2 for 4 on the night. Starlyn Nunez drove in a pair of runs, coming on a single in the fifth and a bases-loaded walk in the eighth, as he went 1 for 3 with two walks. Avinson Pinto was 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the sixth. Andrews Opata went 2 for 3 with a walk, an RBI, and his 42nd stolen base of the season. Playing in the third game of his rehab assignment with the RidgeYaks, Henry Godbout walked three times and went 1 for 2.
Cole Tolbert drew the start for Salem and allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in 3 1/3 frames. Yermain Ruiz tossed three strong innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run and striking out three batters to earn his third win of the season. Harry Blum finished the game with 2 2/3 shutout innings of relief, striking out two Fayetteville hitters.
—–
Second baseman Miguel Welch was star of the show in a rare DSL night game, leading off the game with a home run and going 2 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored. Isaac Velasquez smashed his eighth home run of the season and went 1 for 2. Esterlin Casanova went 1 for 2, walking twice, scoring twice, and driving in a run. The Blue team’s pitching staff struggled mightily with their control, walking 14 batters in the game, but still were able to come away with the win. Christopher Silvestre walked three batters in two scoreless innings and Erickson Ettien walked five batters in 2 2/3 scoreless innings to start the game. Jesus Martinez walked the bases loaded in a scoreless inning of relief.
—–
It was a quiet afternoon for the Red team’s lineup, as they recorded just three singles on the day. Those hits came off the bats of Wilneyker Bruce, Gustavo Antunez, and Stiven De La Cruz. Starting pitcher Oscar Vaamonde threw the first three innings of the game, surrendering two runs on two hits and two walks. Radinsson Lopez followed Vaamonde with 1 2/3 innings of relief, in which he allowed two runs on a hit and two walks. Robert Moreno fanned four hitters in 2 1/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits and two walks.
—–
Player of the Day: Amidst the excitement of Hull’s first professional home run, Antonio Anderson quietly stole the show with a huge performance on Tuesday night. Anderson went 2 for 2 with a home run, two walks, three runs scored, and two RBI. A third-round pick in 2023, Anderson has had a solid year in Greenville, posting a .271/.365/.454 line and his homer on Tuesday night was his seventh of the season.
Photo Credit: Antonio Anderson by Kelly O’Connor
