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Baseball Today: Monday, June 25 »
June 24, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – David Pauley got the loss last night in Pawtucket 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Louisville Bats, but the righthander's resiliency also earned him his manager's respect.
Manager Ron Johnson didn't dwell on Pauley's rough first inning, in which he allowed five earned runs – more runs than he had allowed in any of his 13 previous starts. Rather he chose to focus on how the 24-year-old responded, by retiring 11 of the last 12 batters he faced.
"I couldn't be more proud of him," Johnson said. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish. After the first inning, he was rolling."
The PawSox came out swinging, taking a 3-0 lead in the first, but the hosts came back immediately on the usually reliable Pauley (4-2), who hadn't lost since May 3.
In the Louisville first, Ryan Freel, who started a rehabilitation assignment for the Cincinnati Reds last night, singled and stole second. One out later, Pauley walked Joey Votto and gave up an RBI double to Aaron Herr. After Jeff Bannon grounded out to make it 3-2, Mike Edwards doubled to left center, scoring Herr and tying the game. Edwards scored on Chris Dickerson's home run off the right field foul pole to give the Bats a two-run lead.
Johnson said Pauley's rough start happened because his breaking balls were breaking back over the plate. Dickerson's home run came on a 1-2 sinker that crossed over the plate.
After issuing a walk, Pauley settled down retiring the next 11 batters, but Johnson pulled the starter after Jeff Keppinger reached on Bobby Scales' fielding error in the fifth. Johnson said he pulled Pauley only because of his pitch count. Pauley threw 93 pitches, 37 of them in the decisive first.
"That was some big time adversity," Johnson said. "This young man was able to minimize the damage."
Just like Pauley, Louisville starter Richie Gardner (1-0) breezed after a difficult first inning. Gardner, making just his second Triple-A start this season, retired the next seven batters after yielding three runs.
Pawtucket scored its runs with two out in the first on three straight singles to left field. Jeff Bailey's base hit scored Joe McEwing. Michael Tucker's brought home Scales, and Brian Pritz gave the PawSox a 3-0 lead when his single scored Bailey.
The PawSox did try to battle back, but they could not cash in on any of their rallies. With runners on first and second and one out in the fourth, Gardner got Chad Spann and Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out to centerfield. In the sixth inning, the Sox loaded the bases for McEwing, but his pop out to second base ended the threat.
The next inning, one-out singles by Brandon Moss and Bailey put runners at the corners for Tucker, but reliever Brian Shackelford induced a hard grounder to the first baseman Votto, who was able to turn an inning-ending double play.
Louisville's Ricky Stone retired the last four PawSox hitters for his eighth save.
STEVE BITTENBENDER (Special to The Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa 
at 10:04 PM to PawSox
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