5/19 Cup of Coffee: Another morning, another monster performance by Sam Travis (pictured). Beating on the Yankees is sure to endear any prospect to Red Sox fans, and Travis has spent the week assaulting Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitching. Not to be outshined, Chris Madera reached base five times to lead Greenville's doubleheader sweep. Michael Chavis and Rafael Devers continue to swing hot bats, and Jalen Beeks finally surrendered a run while turning in another quality start





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Pawtucket made a stunning comeback to tie the contest in the ninth, but fell in extra innings. Down 10-5, Pawtucket rallied for a single run and then loaded the bases, setting the stage for a Matt Dominguez grand slam. The offense continues to revolve around a scorching-hot Sam Travis, who was 5 for 6 with two doubles, making him 11 for 19 in the four-game set. Kyle Kendrick struggled mightily in his return to Triple-A, surrendering seven runs in only three innings. Brandon Workman got back on track after a pair of shaky outings, striking out five in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

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For the first time in over a month, Portland starter Jalen Beeks allowed a run. The lefty entered the Thursday matinee with 24 consecutive shutout innings, and after a scoreless first he surrendered a pair of solo home runs in the second to end the streak. Beeks' overall line remained outstanding, having a allowed just the two runs in 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven against one walk. Ty Buttrey took the loss in relief, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits in two frames. Rafael Devers had another multi-hit game, going 2 for 4 with a walk. He has reached safely in 19 straight. Danny Mars was 3 for 5 with a double, and Joseph Monge added three hits.





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Austin Rei and Jordan Betts led Salem's 13-hit barrage, with both players registering three apiece. Rei broke out of a 1-for-33 skid with a solo home run in the second inning. Frederick will not be sad to see Michael Chavis leave town. The 2014 first-round pick had a first inning home run and went 7 for 19 with four extra-base hits in the four-game series. Daniel McGrath managed to get through his 3 2/3 innings without surrendering a run, despite giving up six hits, three walks, and needing 90 pitches to record those 11 outs. Yankory Pimentel notched the win in relief.





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In the first game of Thursday's doubleheader, Greenville's Mike Shawaryn outpitched 2016 fourth-overall pick Riley Pint (COL) to lead the rout. Both of the runs Shawaryn allowed came on solo homers. Overall he surrendered five hits in six innings, striking out five without walking a batter. Roldani Baldwin led the offense, going 3 for 4 with a triple and home run, driving in four on the day.





Chris Madera keyed the sweep of Asheville, going 2 for 3 in both contests and scoring four runs on the day. Madera has turned into a key contributor for the first place Drive, with a .425 on-base percentage in 19 games. After a spot start in Salem, Daniel Gonzalez returned to the Drive, getting the win with one run on two hit in five innings. Hunter Smith posted two scoreless frames for the save.





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Player of the Day: It's customary to try to shuffle the player of the day, but sometimes a player gives us little choice. After slumping through April, Sam Travis has turned into a dominant force in May. With his 5-for-6 effort on Thursday, the former Indiana Hoosier is slashing a .368/.410/.632 line this month, slugging nearly .300 points higher than he did before the calendar turned. Perhaps most impressively from a development standpoint is that the additional power has not come at the expense of contact. In fact, the opposite has been true of Travis. After striking out 18 times in 67 April plate appearances (26.9%), he has fanned only five times in 61 trips in May.



It's customary to try to shuffle the player of the day, but sometimes a player gives us little choice. After slumping through April,has turned into a dominant force in May. With his 5-for-6 effort on Thursday, the former Indiana Hoosier is slashing a .368/.410/.632 line this month, slugging nearly .300 points higher than he did before the calendar turned. Perhaps most impressively from a development standpoint is that the additional power has not come at the expense of contact. In fact, the opposite has been true of Travis. After striking out 18 times in 67 April plate appearances (26.9%), he has fanned only five times in 61 trips in May.

Photo Credit: Sam Travis by Kelly O'Connor



