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FINAL: Boston 12, Tampa Bay 6 (12 innings) »
July 28, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The PawSox continued a disturbing trend that has wreaked havoc on them the entire season -- lack of offensive punch.
Pawtucket, which entered the game 12th in the International League in runs scored, managed just five hits in a 6-2 loss to the Columbus Clippers Saturday night at Cooper Stadium.
PawSox manager Ron Johnson was prophetic prior to the game when assessing where his club was at through 103 games.
"When we score some runs, we have the potential," said the third-year kipper. "We've had some stretches where we've had tough times scoring. You don't want to put it on anybody (in particular), it's just reality.
"Our pitching is respectable, but we've battled to keep our heads above water offensively. That's what it is. If we go out and put some runs on the board, we've got a good chance to win."
They had chances against Clipper starter Josh Hall (1-0), making his season debut. Hall allowed the PawSox to get the leadoff batter aboard in four of the first five innings, but only had a single tally to show for it.
Meanwhile, right-handed starter David Pauley (6-4) put up his second consecutive quality start and continued to put up impressive numbers against Columbus in 2007. He allowed a seventh-inning earned run, his first in 12 1/3 innings against the Clippers, but was victimized by three errors. Pauley allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out four in six-plus innings.
Hall, who was recalled from double-A Harrisburg on Thursday, gave up just three hits and three walks in his five innings of work, fanning four in just his second start of the campaign.
It was the seventh consecutive game that Pawtucket has scored less than four runs after a stretch that saw the PawSox score five or more times in eight straight games.
Veteran infielder Joe McEwing had two of the hits for Pawtucket, which got the leadoff man aboard in six innings.
Four Columbus hitters -- Bernie Castro, Kory Casto, Larry Broadway and Abraham Nunez -- each had two hits to pace the 11-hit Clipper attack.
Down by three in the eighth, the PawSox tried to rally off Clipper reliever Winston Abreu. David Murphy led off with a single and Michael Tucker forced a 10-pitch walk, but Pawtucket, who was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, failed to produce a timely hit.
Pauley should have been out of the second inning without any damage, but second baseman Bobby Scales booted an easy grounder off the bat of Melvin Dorta with two out, allowing Lombard, who doubled with one down, to score from third. The right-hander escaped further damage when Dorta was gunned down trying to steal second.
PawSox catcher George Kottaras led off the third with a walk and McEwing slapped a full-count fastball over the head of center fielder Brandon Watson for an RBI double that tied the game. Hall wiggled out of the predicament when he induced three straight grounders to Broadway at first.
Pauley shot himself in the foot in the third. With one out, he threw a bunted ball by Castro down the right-field line, with Castro scooting all the way to third base. After a strikeout, Pauley's full-count pitch to Michael Restovich went between the wickets of Kottaras, allowing Castro to score. Two batters later, Nunez slapped a ball past Brandon Moss at first, scoring Restovich to put the Clippers up 3-1.
Pawtucket cut the gap to one in the seventh as Brady Clark, signed by parent club Boston on Thursday, lifted a sacrifice fly that enabled Jeff Bailey to score. However, Columbus reliever Hector Carrasco induced another fly ball to end the threat.
The Clippers put two more on the board in their half of the frame as Broadway, who had two hits, had a one-out, RBI single off the glove of Lincoln Holdzkom, who was called up from double-A Portland on Friday.
Lombard's ground out then scored Casto, who had greeted the rookie right-hander with a swinging bunt single. Casto then slapped a two-out, RBI hit in the eighth to end the scoring.
Pineiro watch
Right-hander Joel Pineiro, who was designated for assignment by Boston on July 22, will get his second start for the PawSox tonight.
In his first outing, he allowed just a walk in three innings of work.
Johnson expects him to up his pitch count to around 80 to 85, which will hopefully get Pineiro around four to five innings of work.
"With a guy like that, we just see how he goes as he goes along. The veteran guys like that will pretty much let you know." In 31 relief appearances with the big club this season, he is 1-1 with a 5.03 earned-run average.
-- DONN WALDEN
Special to the Journal
Posted by Chris Venditto 
at 10:30 PM to PawSox
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