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July 24, 2007
TOLEDO, Ohio — Brandon Moss was challenged twice in Pawtucket’s game against the Toledo Mud Hens last night.
He rose to the challenge each time, delivering two hits that produced a pair of RBI in a 3-2 victory at Fifth Third Field.
Moss blooped a single over a drawn-in infield to score a run in the fourth, then delivered a clutch run-scoring triple in the ninth to give the PawSox their eighth win in the last 11 games.
“Mossie came up big for us twice,” PawSox manager Ron Johnson said. “But he’s been doing that for us all season, and that’s why he has the numbers he has.”
Pawtucket’s ninth-inning rally began with Michael Tucker’s leadoff single off Toledo closer Aquilino Lopez. Moss fell behind in the count, 0-2, then worked the count full and fouled off another pitch before slamming a triple to straight-away center that scored Tucker.
“I fell behind when I (fouled off) a couple of fastballs,” Moss said. “But he got me back in the count when he missed his spot a couple of times. Then, at 3-2, he threw a good slider, and I was fortunate to foul it off.
“Then he threw me another fastball, and fortunately I didn’t miss that one.”
Even though the PawSox eventually stranded Moss at third, Johnson liked the way his team found a way to score the game-winning run in the ninth.
“Mike had a really good at-bat there because we needed a hit (to start a rally),” Johnson said. “Then with a 3-2 (count to Moss), you kind of roll the dice (and send the runner).
“You have your best hitter at the plate, so why not? If he does something like he did, and gets the ball in the gap, we have a chance to create something.”
If he misses (the pitch), it’s none on and two out. Hang with them.”
The rally came too late to make a winner of starter Mike Burns, who deserved better after a rough start. After retiring the leadoff batter, Burns allowed Henry Mateo to slam his first home run of the season over the fence in right.
Burns then retired the next 10 Mud Hens in a row, setting down 17 of 19 before Toledo tied the game off him in the bottom of the seventh. Jack Hannahan opened the frame with a long fly to deep left-center that went off the glove of Bobby Scales and bounced against the wall before falling to the ground for a double. Hannahan took third on a flyout by Chris Shelton, then came home on a long sacrifice fly to right by Brent Clevlen.
“Mike has done an outstanding job [in the rotation], just getting better and better,” Johnson said. “The last game he went into the sixth with a two-hitter.
“And I thought he did a great job of damage control [in the seventh]. Bobby Scales probably would be the first one to tell you he should have caught the ball, but Michael didn’t let the game speed up (and gave up just one run).”
The PawSox scored their first run in the fourth inning off Toledo starter Jordan Tata. David Murphy opened the frame with a single, then took second on Tucker’s groundout.
Murphy moved to third on a wild pitch, then trotted home when Moss blooped a single over the drawn-in infield.
Pawtucket got an unearned run in the fifth when George Kottaras led off with a double, then came around to score when Tata fielded a Ed Rogers sacrifice bunt by Ed Rogers but threw wildly to first.
Craig Hansen relieved Burns after the Hens tied the game in the seventh and picked up the win with 11/3 scoreless innings, while Bryan Corey retired the Mud Hens in order in the ninth to claim his first save of the season.
And Moss said that combination of good pitching and timely hitting has been the key to the recent success of the PawSox.
“Our bats are finally starting to heat up,” Moss said. “We’ve had good pitching all year, but in the early part of the year we’d get three or four hits and not score any runs. It was a tough time. Now our bats have heated up and we’ve been able to pick up our pitchers a little bit.”
-----JOHN WAGNER
Special to the Journal
Posted by Thom Cahir 
at 11:04 PM to PawSox
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