Photos of Dice-K at Lehigh Valley

AP photos / Steve Klaver

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:45 AM | Permalink

PawSox beat Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Charlie Zink gave up two unearned runs and one hit in six innings of work, while Jonathan Van Every and Chris Carter hit home runs today as the Pawtucket Red Sox beat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, 3-2, to complete their four-game series in Pennsylvania. Former New York Yankee Jeff Karstens took the loss.

Click here to see the box score.

Pawtucket took three of the four games and is now two games behind the first-place Yankees in the International League's North Division.

The PawSox have tomorrow off before beginning an eight-game homestand on Thursday night against Rochester.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:24 PM | Permalink

Update: Colon pitches a gem in Buffalo

Bartolo Colon, in his second Triple-A start since a stint on the disabled list, threw six innings of one-hit, shutout ball as the Pawtucket Red Sox beat the Buffalo Bisons, 2-0, today in Buffalo. The game was only seven innings under Triple-A rules, because it is part of a double header. Colon struck out four batters, all of them looking, did not walk anyone and needed only 64 pitches to get through the six innings.

The PawSox scored both of their runs in the first, on an RBI single by George Kottaras and a sacrifice fly by Sandy Madera.

As Steve Krasner reported today, Colon could be a candidate to start for the Red Sox against Kansas City on Tuesday, now that Clay Buchholz has been placed on the disabled list.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:42 PM | Permalink

PawSox rained out tonight

The Pawtucket Red Sox game against the Norfolk Tides scheduled for tonight at McCoy Stadium has been rained out, and will be played as part of a double header tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:40 PM | Permalink

PawSox beat Bulls at McCoy

The Pawtucket Red Sox earned an even split of their four-game home series with the Durham Bulls by winning 3-2, today at McCoy Stadium.

Rehabbing Sean Casey was 2 for 4 with a pair of singles and a run scored, while Alex Cora, also on a rehab assignment, was 1 for 4 with a single and a run scored.

David Pauley (3-2) pitched six innings for the win, striking out five and walking one while surrendering both Durham runs in the sixth. Bryan Corey picked up the save by striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:01 PM | Permalink

PawSox rough up Francisco Liriano, beat Rochester

The Pawtucket Red Sox touched up Francisco Liriano, the onetime Minnesota Twins phenom who was recently demoted to Rochester, for four runs in 4.1 innings en route to a 4-2 victory today at Rochester. Liriano walked five and surrendered a home run to Jeff Bailey.

Knuckleballer Charlie Zink pitched six strong innings to get the win.

Click here to see the box score.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:08 PM | Permalink

Kielty disabled, Pritz activated

Pawtucket officials have just announced that outfielder Bobby Kielty has been placed in the disabled list.

Kielty had been playing through pain in his left hand. When the PawSox returned from their road trip Saturday, Kielty went to a doctor. He was sent to another doctor today and the team announced as this afternoon's game against Buffalo was beginning that Kielty was being placed on the seven-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday.

Outfielder Bryan Pritz, who spent most of last season with Portland, was activated to take Kielty’s spot. Pritz had been on the PawSox DL since the start of the season.

The Pawtucket game has begun with another surprise. David Pauley, the scheduled starting pitcher, did not take the mound. No reason was given. Pauley was in the clubhouse before the game. Edgar Martinez, normally a reliever, made the start for him. PawSox officials said an explanation will be provided when the game is finished.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 1:10 PM | Permalink

PawSox complete sweep of IronPigs

The PawSox finished off a four-game sweep of Lehigh Valley with a 5-2 win this afternoon. Starter David Pauley worked 4.1 solid innings, while relief pitcher Lincoln Holdzkom picked up the win.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:00 PM | Permalink

Meanwhile, down at McCoy...

The Pawtucket Red Sox are playing a matinee game today against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and the PawSox are ahead, 3-1, in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Starting pitcher Chris Smith, filling in for the injured Bartolo Colon, struck out seven batters over four shutout innings, while designated hitter Chris Carter continues to be red hot at the plate. Carter's 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored, and he is now 10-for-20 on the season.

Meanwhile, Bobby Kielty, a key member of the 2007 world champion Red Sox, is starting in right field rather than collecting his ring at Fenway. Kielty is 1-for-1 with a single and a pair of walks.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Scranton-WB 9, Pawtucket 3

PAWTUCKET – Already out of the playoff picture, Pawtucket was playing for pride yesterday, and the opportunity to finish out the season with a .500 record.

In order to finish the season 71-71, the PawSox needed to win their remaining five games.

But the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Yankees didn’t take it easy on the PawSox last night, even though they had already locked up the International League North regular-season title.

Scranton Wilkes/Barre defeated the PawSox, 9-3.

“We made a couple of mistakes, had a few physical breakdowns, and they capitalized on every one,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “That’s probably why the won the division and are a playoff bound club. You got to tip your hat to them.”

Pawtucket starter Mike Burns pitched well in four of his 5 1/3 innings outing, striking out six batters, but he gave up four runs on five hits in the momentum-shifting fourth inning and fell to 4-9 on the season with the loss.

“I thought Burns did a pretty good job,” Johnson said. “When you look at it, it wasn’t like there was a lot of bullets hit all over the ballpark, but hey, that’s why that club is where they are. You can’t take anything away from them.”

Facing Kei Igawa, who was a bust (2-3, 6.79 ERA) for the New York Yankees after they bid over $26 million dollars just to talk to him and then signed him to a five-year, 20 million dollar contract on Dec. 27, 2006, George Kottaras ripped a two-out RBI double down the left-field line that scored Jeff Bailey and gave Pawtucket a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Kottaras was 2-for-3 last night with two doubles and an RBI. He is hitting .320 (33-for-103) with six home runs, 11 doubles, and 21 RBI in his last 29 games.

“He did a real nice job,” Johnson said of Kottaras. “George has finished up very strong here. He’s done a real nice job. There is a lot of life in his bat and it’s fun to watch him.”
Pawtucket’s lead was short-lived.

Scranton/Wilkes Barre scored four runs with two outs in the top of the fourth inning to take control of the game.

Wil Nieves began the Yankees’ slugfest with an infield RBI single. Mike Kinkade scored from third base on the play and Eric Duncan advanced to second base. Juan Francia drove in Duncan with a single hit to right field and Nieves sprinted to third base on the hit.

Both Francia and Nieves scored when Kevin Thompson blasted a double down the left-field line.

Pawtucket didn’t go away quietly. Bobby Scales, who has at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games, crushed his 11th home run of the season – a two-run bomb sent over the fence in left field – to cut Scranton/Wilkes Barre’s lead to 4-3.

In the top of the fifth, Scales tried to make what would have been an amazing diving catch in shallow right field on a Kinkade blooper, but the ball dropped in and bounced over his head. Instead of a single, Kinkade ended up with a triple.

It appeared that Burns was going to get out of the inning unscathed when he struckout Bronson Sardinha for the second out, and then Alberto Gonzalez hit a routine grounder to second base. But Jed Lowrie misplayed the ball and Kinkade scored on the error to give the Yankees a 5-3 cushion.

Edgar Martinez came on to pitch for Pawtucket in the sixth inning, but he didn’t fare much better. He allowed four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings.

The Yankees padded their lead in the top of the eighth inning when Jose Cruz, Jr. hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Juan Francia. Then after Doug Mientkiewicz hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field, Bronson Sardinha hit a bases loaded RBI single to left field, scoring Thompson.

Pawtucket inserted Craig Hansen to stop the bleeding but he couldn’t. Alberto Gonzalez belted a ground-rule double down the right field line that scored Cruz and Kinkade and extended Scranton Wilkes/Barre’s lead to 9-3.

Igawa pitched seven innings and limited Pawtucket to just three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts. Of his 101 pitches, 71 of them were strikes.

“Igawa threw the ball really well,” Johnson said. “We only got five hits on the night. We got the most of it though. We got three runs on five hits.”

NOTE: The PawSox will play a double-header today with the first game beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the second at 6:05 p.m. Fans will not be allowed to enter McCoy Stadium until 4:45 for the nightcap instead of the normal two hours prior to game time. The gates will open at 10:30 a.m. for the 12:30 p.m. first game.

--ROB LEE

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:51 PM | Permalink

Game story: PawSox split doubleheader

BY DAN HICKLING
Special to the Journal

BUFFALO -- When you’re locked into fourth place in the dying days of the season, you take the positives where you can find them.

For the Pawtucket Red Sox that would be the hitting streak, now up to a franchise record 20 games, compiled by Jacoby Ellsbury.

Ellsbury hit safely in both ends of the PawSox’ double-header with the Buffalo Bisons, staged at Dunn Tire Park in Buffalo.

The PawSox were blasted by Buffalo, 7-0 in the opener, but got even in the nightcap with a 7-4 win, their first over the Bisons in their last 11 tries.

Ellsbury enjoyed a big night, going 4-for-7, and swiping a base (his 32nd) to regain the sole lead in the International League.

After lacing a third inning single in Game 1 to tie the club mark that had been jointly held by Dave Stapleton and Dave Berg, Ellsbury knocked Jeff Harris’ first pitch of the nightcap into center field to establish the new standard.

In the opener, PawSox starter David Pauley (6-6) was tagged for all seven Bison runs, including six in the bottom of the fifth.

A fielding error by Jed Lowrie, who was making the first appearance at third base of his three year professional career, allowed two of those runs.

Pauley then gave up a two-run double to Andy Marte, the last man he faced before departing.

Pawtucket managed just five hits off Bison hurler John Koronka (3-3), who went the distance striking out six while walking one.

In the nightcap, the PawSox scored four runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead, then held on from there.

Starter Devern Hansack (9-7) while Travis Hughes picked up his 22nd save, extending his team record.

Although the PawSox have long since been out of the IL playoff picture, the club has been a key link in what has been a very vibrant Red Sox player development chain.

Having moved the likes of reliever Manny Delcarmen and starter Kason Gabbard (since traded) to the big leagues, skipper Ron Johnson and his staff were handed the likes of Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Dusty Brown, and Clay Buchholz, all of whom earned battlefield promotions from Double-A Portland during the year.

And under Johnson, all of the above continue to develop nicely.

''To have guys move up through the system is the goal,'' said Mike Hazen, Boston‘s Director of Player Development, while making the rounds of the club‘s affiliates. ''To see them make progress and improve, to the point that they’ve earned a promotion, is definitely satisfying. Those guys who have moved up, the Ellsburys, the Lowries, they’ve earned those promotions. So it’s extremely satisfying.''

Another of the midseason arrivals is right-handed reliever Lincoln Holdzkom, who has become a valuable set up man in the PawSox pen since his Ju;y 27 promotion.

Holdzkom, who was picked up by the Sox before the season after being waived by the Chicago Cubs, had allowed just one earned run in his previous eight outings, prior to last night.

''I just feel healthy now,'' said Holdzkom, who had never pitched above Double-A before arriving in Pawtucket.''It’s been a while since I’ve been on the DL. I‘d been out for the last two and half years with various (shoulder) injuries. It finally took until June for me to feel healthy. And health is of major importance. This is my first full season in about three years, and everything is finally paying off. If you’re not healthy, it’s hard to have confidence in your stuff. And if you have a lack of confidence, you’re going to pay the price.''

HERE AND THERE: Infielder Royce Clayton, who was signed Wednesday by Boston to a minor-league contract, made his PawSox’ debut in Game 1. If all goes well for Clayton, the 16-year big league veteran is a strong candidate for a September callup by the Bosox. Clayton takes the roster spot vacated when left-handed reliever Javy Lopez was called up by Boston …Meanwhile, LHP Jon Lester, who was optioned to Portland to make room for Lopez, will start for the Sea Dogs on Monday against Trenton. He would have been sent to Pawtucket, except that his next turn coincides with that of Clay Buchholz, who is scheduled to throw that day at Rochester.

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 11:08 PM | Permalink

PawSox rained out in Buffalo

Today's afternoon game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Buffalo Bisons has been postponed, and will be replayed tomorrow as part of a doubleheader.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:43 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Buchholz ineffective in PawSox 7-6 loss

BUFFALO, N.Y. - It just wasn’t Clay Buchholz night.

Buchholz knows September call-ups are coming and he has every intention of being on the Boston Red Sox shopping list when they pluck players from Pawtucket, so last nights outing couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment.

Ryan Mulhern went 2-for-4 and Joe Inglett (3-for-4) had four RBI to the lead Buffalo Bisons to a 7-6 win over Pawtucket in front of 10,586 fans at Dunn Tire Park Wednesday night.

A sandwich pick (42nd overall) in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft Buchholz is rated by Baseball America as the top pitching and No.2 overall prospect in the Boston chain.

Promoted to Pawtucket on July 12, Buchholz didn’t have to wait long for his first taste Major League action as he made his Fenway Park debut on August 17 in the Red Sox 8-4 win over Los Angles Angels. Buchholz logged six innings, struck out five and yielded three earned runs on eight hits.

But he wasn’t anywhere near as effective Wednesday night against the Bisons.

Relying mostly on his curve and fastball, Buchholz struggled with his command all the night, especially in the first inning when he issued back-to-back walks to Keith Ginter and Andy Marte to load the bases.

Buchholz did manage to work out of the jam when he induced a first-pitch fly out to Bisons catcher Mike Rose.

The Bisons (69-61) did score one run in the first when Mulhern’s RBI double brought Inglett home. Reaching base on a hit-by-pitch Iglett advanced to second base when Buchholz (1-2) picked off attempt sailed beyond the reach of first baseman Jeff Bailey.

A strikeout pitcher Buchholz never found his normal groove of attacking batters and his breaking pitches seemed to hang over the plate more frequently than usual. Something the Bisons took full advantage of.

Buchholz (three strikeouts) lasted just three innings giving up three runs on four hits and a walk. Buchholz threw 63 pitches with 36 of them landing in the strike zone.

Buchholz also had to do an emergency duck-and-tuck in the third when Andy Marte sent a screaming line drive up the middle that almost hit Buchholz.

While lackluster offense early on didn’t help Pawtucket (62-68) the Bisons received timely hitting as they plated each of its first three runs with two-outs.

Bisons starter Jeremy Sowers (4-5), who ironically enough was pitching on his own bobble-head night, took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced, shortstop Jed Lowrie drew a walk in the first, before catcher George Kottaras broke up the no-hit bid with a single to left field.

Junior Spivey drove Kottaras in when he sent a Sowers 2-0 offering over the left field wall for his first home run of the season, trimming the Bisons lead to 3-2.

Inglett extended the Bisons lead to 6-2 in the sixth when he stroked a bases-clearing line-drive triple to right field off Craig Breslow.

The PawSox kept it exciting as they mounted two late inning rallies, The first coming in the seventh when Sowers walked Kottaras to load the bases after back-to-back singles from Jeff Bailey and Bobby Scales, but they were unable to punch a run across the plate.

Lowrie cracked a three-run shot off of Bisons reliever Jason Stanford in the ninth to trim the lead to 7-6, but the rally stalled there.

“We had a really poor night situational (hitting). That’s why you play 27 outs because you never know. We got that big three-run homer…we had enough opportunities we had enough hits but if we put the ball in play (situational) its probably a different ball game,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson.

“Sowers stymied us for five innings Spivey had the homer so we put some pressure on them. But you’ve got to get them across.”

--DAVE RICCI (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:40 PM | Permalink

PawSox 9, Chiefs 7

PAWTUCKET -- There’s been a lot of focus surrounding catchers in the Boston Red Sox organization this week.

After Red Sox backup catcher Doug Mirabelli was placed on the disabled list last Friday with a strained right calf muscle, Boston summoned the services of Kevin Cash from Pawtucket to replace him. Cash started two games behind the plate for the Red Sox, including a solid job working as Tim Wakefield’s batterymate Monday in Tampa.

PawSox catcher George Kottaras, who is considered a prospect by the Red Sox, rebounded from a recent knee injury suffered in a home-plate collision during the team’s last home stand earlier this month, and put on an offensive display with two homers in Monday’s loss.

Now Dusty Brown put is in the mix.

Called up from Double-A Portland on Saturday, the 25-year-old catcher made his Triple-A debut on Sunday and was behind the plate again last night and helped the PawSox to a 9-7 victory over Syracuse Chiefs at McCoy Stadium with a 1-for-4 performance, including two RBI.

The Red Sox will need a solid backup catcher for Jason Varitek, and eventually someone who will replace the Boston legend. The Red Sox had the future catcher with Kelly Shoppach, but traded him to Cleveland as part of the Coco Crisp deal two seasons ago and now the Red Sox are looking elsewhere.

Cash, Kottaras and now Brown all want to make an impact.

“Even when I was in Portland I felt [like I was in the mix] because I was playing real well, especially behind the plate,” said Brown. “I kept hearing good things from rovers, but now that I’m up here I get to play against the other guys I’m in the mix with and see how I compare, and let other people see how I compare. It’s good to be here.”

With the PawSox trailing by a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Brown provided a much-needed spark with a two-run single to tie the game at 7-7.

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s awesome. I couldn’t have picked a better spot to get a hit.”

Pawtucket’s Ed Rogers and Jacoby Ellsbury added a RBI each in the bottom of the eighth for a 9-6 lead before closer Travis Hughes allowed one run in the ninth, but still earned his 21st save of the season to become the club’s all-time leader in that category.

“It wasn’t pretty but I got the job done,” said Hughes, who broke Cory Bailey’s mark of 20 set in 1993. “It’s been a good year. I just need to stay consistent because it doesn’t matter how you start the year, it’s how you finish. I’m glad I got [the record], but it just means I’ve been here all year.”

It was an eclectic game for the PawSox as they close out the home stand and head out on the road. Ellsbury went 1-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Brandon Moss belted a pair of solo home runs, and Bobby Scales 2-for-4 with a home run.

“There were a lot of good things that happened on the field tonight,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson.

Still, it seems like the catching position in the organization is answering some questions this week, and Brown has quickly made an impact.

“This guy is a good receiver,” said Johnson. “He got rave reviews from Double-A.”

Now that he’s that much closer to the big leagues, Brown can taste it.

"You’re one step closer and only a phone call away,” he said. “Now it’s even a shorter phone call.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:53 PM | Permalink

PawSox keep momentum going with 2-1 win over Chiefs

PAWTUCKET -- The Syracuse Chiefs witnessed the explosiveness of Jacoby Ellsbury first-hand yesterday.

With the Chiefs and Pawtucket Red Sox locked in a 1-1 tie and Ellsbury on first base via a walk, Junior Spivey dumped a weak flare into short right field. Ellsbury took off on the hit and easily cruised into third base. As right fielder Michael Vento bobbled the ball, Ellsbury quickly picked up speed again and sailed home without even sliding.

Ellsbury’s race from first to home proved to be the winning run in the PawSox’ 2-1 victory over Syracuse. The Sox have now won eight of their last nine games and six in a row over the Chiefs over the last week. Syracuse has lost 10 straight and face Pawtucket two more times this week.

While Ellsbury’s run in the eighth provided the winning margin, the key to the victory was pitching. Starter Devern Hansack dominated the Chiefs over seven impressive innings, limiting Syracuse to three hits and one unearned run. Hansack didn’t get the win but he’s thrown well for over two months and has just one loss in his last 13 starts (7-1, 5 no decisions).

Craig Breslow and Travis Hughes (6-6) combined to escape a little trouble in the eighth and Hughes survived an eventful ninth to pick up the win.

``When you win a few, there’s a momentum and an atmosphere that’s created,’’ said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. ``When things are going well, you can feel the players expect to win. In the ninth, there was the feeling that (Hughes) is going to get out of that one.’’

Hansack struck out a season-high 11 batters, the most by a Pawtucket pitcher in two years. The 29-year old righty was in complete control through his first six innings. The Chiefs scored a scratch run in the second inning when Chad Mottola singled to center and then raced to third when Dusty Brown’s throw on a steal attempt of second base bounced into center field. Mottola scored the game’s first run when Hector Luna grounded out to third.

Hansack wasn’t threatened much from then on. He threw 103 pitches over seven innings and registered strikeouts with his fastball in the low-90’s, a biting slider and a knee-freezing change-up.

``I had everything working today,’’ he said. ``I was just going out there trying to keep their score down and give us a chance.’’

Johnson was impressed by Hansack’s ability to throw all of his pitches for K’s under pressure.

``The thing I liked is the use and command of his secondary pitches,’’ Johnson said. ``His change was really good. He had some big swing-and-miss pitches.’’

The PawSox tied the game at 1-1 when Jed Lowrie lined a two-out home run to right. The Sox didn’t do much with Syracuse starter Justin James or reliever Matt Roney. But when Jordan DeJong entered in the eighth, they pounced. Ellsbury drew the one-out walk and then Spivey dumped his single into right. That sent the speedy outfielder on his race around the bases.

``I couldn’t see the ball and when RJ held me up, I slowed up and looked at the ball,’’ Ellsbury said. ``I saw the right fielder bobble it and I made the call (to go).’’

--KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 5:09 PM | Permalink

PawSox score in ninth to beat Chiefs, 5-4

PAWTUCKET – Home cooking hasn’t tasted very well for the Pawtucket Red Sox this season. They hope that changes the rest of the way.

The PawSox play 11 of their last 17 games at McCoy Stadium and hope they all end like last night’s 5-4 thriller. The Sox scratched out a ninth inning run on two walks, a hit batsman and a game-winning single by Joe McEwing to knock off the Syracuse Chiefs in the first game of a four-game set.
The Sox are now 27-34 at McCoy, nearly the worst home record in the International League. But Pawtucket is coming off what could be a critical, but tiring, 11-game road trip. The Sox finished 6-5 on the tour that took them to Scranton, Syracuse and Ottawa. Friday’s game with the Lynx was rained out but that was a fortunate break since the Sox were able to begin a grueling nine-hour bus ride home a few hours early.

``It’s a grind this time of year. At the start of the season you see that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s very true,’’ said McEwing, a 34-year old veteran who’s played in the majors for nine years with four different teams. ``It seems like we’ve been on the road forever but we’re hoping to finish the year playing good baseball.’’

Starting pitcher David Pauley didn’t throw like someone who was crumpled in a bus for most of the night. He no-hit the Chiefs for the first 4.2 innings as Pawtucket built a 4-0 lead after five innings. All four runs came in the bottom of the fifth. After a Brandon Moss double and walk to Bobby Scales, a sacrifice bunt and another walk loaded the bases. Then Alex Prieto delivered the big hit, lining a hard single up the middle that scored two runs. Jacoby Ellsbury followed with an opposite-field liner into the left field corner that scored two more runs. Prieto made a great slide over Syracuse catcher Sal Fasano for the fourth run.

Pauley tired a bit and let up two runs in the sixth, the second of which came after a mental mistake when he failed to look Wayne Lydon all the way back to third base on a grounder back to the mound. Ryan Roberts led off the seventh with a solo homer to make it 4-3 and end Pauley’s outing. Edgar Martinez came on and allowed an unearned run after a single, a two-base throwing error by Scales and a fielder’s choice plated the tying run.

Martinez settled down and combined with Javy Lopez to pitch a shutout eighth inning. Bryan Corey did the same in the ninth and ended up picking up the win (he’s now 5-8) as Pawtucket rallied off Jaime Vermilyea. Junior Spivey worked his way to a one-out walk and then Vermilyea hit the ninth batter in the order, Alex Prieto, in the leg. Ellsbury walked to load the bases and that brought up McEwing, who’s hit safely in 13 of his last 16 games at a .340 clip.

Sensing that Vermilyea was struggling with his control, McEwing sat on the first pitch and lined a fastball that sunk into center in front of Lydon for the game-winning hit. ``I tried to be aggressive in that situation,’’ McEwing said. ``

--KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:12 PM | Permalink

Game Story: PawSox win fifth straight

OTTAWA — It may be a modest one, as high-water marks go, but the Pawtucket Red Sox last night hit a standard that had eluded them the whole season.

They won their fifth game in a row, something they failed to do on four previous occasions.

That achievement came their way by taking a 5-3 count from the Ottawa Lynx, before 1,786 at Lynx Stadium.

“We’re just playing good right now,” said Ed Rogers, a former Lynx, who scored what proved to be the winning run in the sixth inning. “Everything is working together, right now. We’re playing as a team.”

The Pawsox fell behind 2-0 in the third, when starter Devern Hansack (8-7) allowed two of his seven hits in his 62/3 inning stint.

Pawtucket was held scoreless for five innings by Lynx starter J.A. Happ. But in the sixth, Happ, who had fanned 10 PawSox, issued a walk to Jed Lowrie.

Then, with two away, Brandon Moss singled to left, which set the stage for Bobby Scales’ three run shot over the left field wall, putting Pawtucket up 3-2.

It was his eighth homer of the season, and second in as many nights.

“I’m really pleased for Bobby Scales,” said PawSox skipper Ron Johnson. “The last time up, he struck out with the bases loaded. Then he comes back and hits a three run homer to give us the lead.”

Ottawa replied with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but next inning, Pawtucket regained the lead for good, when Rogers led off with a single, worked his way to third, then was singled home by Jacoby Ellsbury.

Joe McEwing added some breathing room in the ninth, by clubbing a solo homer on an 0-2 pitch.Closer Travis Hughes nailed down the last two outs to pick up his 19th save.

“It’s great that everybody is picking up their game toward the end of the season,” Hughes said. “It shows that everybody still has energy to play.”

AROUND THE BASES: Although his first day on the job in that Aug. 8 doubleheader in Scranton is one he’d rather forget, outfielder Bobby Kielty is showing that he’s just about ready for a promotion to Boston.

Kielty, of course, was signed as outfield insurance by Boston after Oakland let him go in July, then was assigned to Pawtucket for a tune up.

“I’m starting to feel pretty good,” said the 29-year-old Californian. “I just needed to get my timing down.”

After going a combined 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in his PawSox debut, Kielty hit safely in the next five games, going 7-for-20, with two homers and four RBI.

“Those first couple of games were pretty bad,” he said. “But I should be ready to go.”
Kielty said he received no concrete guarantees from the Sox about being called up, but is of course, hoping to make a strong case for himself.

“Nothing’s really going on right now,” he said. “I’ll wait and see what happens. I think if I’m performing well, I’ll get a shot.”

The baseball trail is a long and sometimes twisted one, and as it happens, Kielty was a teammate of PawSox knuckleballer John Barnes back in 2000, when both were Minnesota Twins farmhands and Barnes was a promising slugger who would go on to compile a .301 lifetime average.

Kielty said he wasn’t taken completely by surprise when he found out that Barnes had made the mound conversion.

“It’s definitely funny,” Kielty said. “because he was a great hitter. But he always wanted to try pitching. I knew he had a good knuckleball back then, because he liked to throw it, and it was hard to catch. It wasn’t a huge surprise. I think it’s pretty cool.”

The teams will continue their series tonight (7 p.m.), when RHP Mike Burns (4-7, 4.25) will start against Lynx RHP John Ennis (4-4, 3.73).

--DAN HICKLING (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:49 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Syracuse hands PawSox 8-6 win

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — When an opponent tries to hand you the game, or even begs you to take it, you might as well go ahead and take them up on their offer.

Last night, the Pawtucket Red Sox, who were the beneficiaries of five Syracuse errors, did just that, in taking a messy extra-inning 8-6 triumph before 7,809 at Alliance Bank Stadium.

Junior Spivey’s two-run double in the top of the 10th inning proved to be the difference in what was a truly bizarre affair.

“It was a good game,” said Spivey, “I was just fortunate to come up with a hit right there. I’d been scuffling at the plate, so that’s a start.”

Spivey’s hit came with one out and the bases loaded off Syracuse reliever Blaine Neal (5-7) and came after the second error of the game by Chiefs first baseman Kevin Barker.

Both errors, including one in the fifth inning, opened the gates for six unearned PawSox runs, helping them to a four-game sweep of their set with the Chiefs.

“It was one of those nights,” said left fielder Bobby Scales. “How many times are you going to see a team make five of them? You’ve got to take advantage of them. When a team gives you that many extra outs, you’ll be disappointed if you didn’t win the game.”

The first frame itself was a matter of get and give back.

Syracuse committed three errors in that inning which the PawSox parlayed into a 2-0 lead.
But the Chiefs replied in their half with a two-out, three-run shot by John-Ford Griffin off Pawtucket starter David Pauley.

In the fourth, Syracuse plated three more runs to expand their lead to 6-2.
But the PawSox got back into the game in the fifth, tallying four times to tie the score, 6-6.

It was Barker’s bobble of a throw from shortstop Sergio Santos that allowed lead off man Jacoby Ellsbury to reach safely.

Two outs later, Ellsbury scored ahead of Bobby Kielty, who slugged a towering home run off Chiefs starter Mike MacDonald, to make it 6-4.

Brandon Moss followed with a single, before Scales deposited a line drive into the left field bullpen.

“There’s no substitute for the two run homer,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson, “to get you back into the ballgame.”

A quartet of relievers held Syracuse scoreless for five innings, which bought the PawSox enough time to put together the winning rally.

“I just didn’t want to get too jumpy, right there,” said Spivey. “I didn’t want to hit the ball on the ground. I wanted to get it in the air, and I was able to do that.”

Reliever Lincoln Holdzkom (1-0) earned his first Triple-A win while Travis Hughes closed out the Chiefs in the 10th to pick up his 18th save.

--DAN HICKLING (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Buchholz proves his worth in PawSox 6-3 victory

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- When he’s at his best, Clay Buchholz is all but unhittable. And even when he’s not, he’s pretty darn good.

Last night against the Syracuse Chiefs, Buchholz displayed a bit of both, which was good enough to help the Pawtucket Red Sox notch a 6-3 win before 6,621 at Alliance Bank Stadium.

Joe McEwing (3-for-5) and Jed Lowrie (2-for-4) paced the Pawtucket attack each knocking in two runs as the PawSox won their third straight.

Buchholz (1-1) issued just two walks in his five-inning stint, one of whom eventually scored.

He also allowed just three hits, but two of those were solo shots over the right field fence.

“I think he’ll (admit),” said PawSox catcher Kevin Cash, “that he wasn’t as sharp as he would have like to have been. Stuff wise, he probably had bits and pieces of it. But that shows how talented he is.”

Indeed.

The young phenom, making just his sixth Triple-A start, was often overpowering. He struck out nine hitters (for the third straight outing), and earned his first win since his July 11 promotion from Double-A Portland.

“It’s really refreshing,” said McEwing, the gray haired veteran of the youthful Buchholz, “to see a guy who can dominate a game. To see the maturity and adjustments that he makes, game to game. Today, he might not have had his best stuff, but they still only had three hits.”

Run scoring singles in the second by Alex Prieto and Ed Rogers off Syracuse starter Josh Banks (10-9) put Pawtucket ahead, 2-1.

Next inning, McEwing cracked a lead off double, then was singled home by Lowrie.
Pawtucket then opened up a 6-2 lead, when McEwing smacked a two-run double, then was singled in for the second time by Lowrie.

“If you have quality at bats,” said McEwing, “and you play to win, everything else takes care of itself.”

It may have taken him a while, but Buchholz slowly hit his stride.

In the third, he gave up a lead off homer to Sal Fasano followed by a single to Ryan Roberts before striking out the side.

Buchholz retired the first two batters in the fourth before allowing a lead off shot by former Red Sox prospect John Hattig. He struck out Fasano, but the ball bounded away allowing Fasano to reach safely.

But closed out the inning by freezing Roberts with a 94 m.p.h. fastball.

“The outcome was great,” said Buchholz. “But in the same sense, I didn’t have everything I had in the last couple of starts. But by the time the fourth inning rolled around, I knew what I had in my pocket, and I went after them with that.”

Buchholz closed out his 80 pitch performance by retiring the Chiefs in order, striking out the last two he faced.

A trio of PawSox relievers, Craig Breslow, Javier Lopez, and Bryan Corey, took it from there, allowing just runner over the final four frames.

AROUND THE BASES: McEwing has pretty much owned Banks this season, going 7-for-8 against him, with four doubles and a homer to go with two singles. “It‘s just one of those things,” said McEwing. “You have success against one guy, while another guy could own you. It‘s a very humbling game.”…Only once before in his young professional career had Buchholz given up two homers in one game. That came last year while he was pitching for Low-A Greenville…Syracuse manager Doug Davis was tossed out in the fourth inning by umpire Kevin Causey after Davis argued a close play at first base…The PawSox will wrap up their stay, here, tonight (7:00 p.m.), when RHP David Pauley (6-5, 3.94) will draw the start against Syracuse RHP Mike MacDonald (4-8, 4.93).

--DAN HICKLING

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:10 PM | Permalink

PawSox 6, Chiefs 5

Syracuse, N.Y.--The Pawtucket Red Sox took advantage of the opportunities that the Syracuse Chiefs gave them in a 6-5 win last night at Alliance Bank Stadium.

A throwing error allowed a potential double-play ball hit by Junior Spivey in the third to plate a pair of runs as the PawSox put together a four-run inning off of Syracuse starter Jeremy Cummings (2-2).

Ed Rogers followed with a double to the right-field corner to score Spivey. George Kottaras, who reached on a walk, scored when Chad Mottola bobbled the ball before trying to cut down Kottaras at the plate.

Kottaras seemed to be pain free, returning to the lineup from a knee injury.

Spivey put the PawSox on the board in the second when he singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Rogers.

Jed Lowrie caught Syracuse reliever Jamie Vermilyea napping as he stole second in the fourth inning after he singled to left. Vermilyea’s throw to second sailed into centerfield. Lowrie advanced to third and scored when Brandon Moss reached on a fielder’s choice after another botched double-play attempt by Syracuse.

While Syracuse was throwing the ball around on defense, the Chiefs managed to squeeze out four runs on the PawSox knuckleballer Charlie Zink (2-1).

Russ Adams doubled and scored in the first while John Hattig homered to left in the second inning. Adams walked and scored on Kevin Barkers double in the third while Barker walked and scored on Chad Mottola’s two-out single in the fifth.

Abe Alvarez saw his first action since coming off the disabled list. Alvarez relieved Zink in the seventh and issued a walk and a strikeout.

Bryan Corey came on in the eighth and after striking out Mottola gave up a single to Hattig and a double to Robinson Diaz. With one out and runners on second and third PawSox manager Ron Johnson gave the ball to Javier Lopez.

Jacob Ellsbury made a great diving catch of a ball off the bat of John-Ford Griffin. Hattig scored on the sacrifice fly that pulled Syracuse to within a run, but Lopez managed to strikeout Wayne Lydon to end the threat.

Travis Hughes pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17th save of the season.

Note--
Pawtucket sends Clay Buchholz (RHP 0-1, 3.20 ERA) to the mound tonight to face Josh Banks (RHP 10-8, 4.62) for Syracuse.

Spivey was hit by a Lee Gronkiewicz fastball on his upper left arm in the eighth after Syracuse catcher Robinson Diaz was hit by Zink in the sixth.

Jacoby Ellsbury singled in the sixth to extend his hitting steak to eight games. Brandon Moss singled and scored in the four-run third inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Bobby Kielty extended his hit streak to four games with a single in the third.

Former major leaguer Fred McGriff was at the game as he was inducted to the Syracuse Baseball Wall of Fame. After talking about how it was an honor to play at Fenway even when the fans got on him, he offered his batting advice against a knuckleball like Zink. "Knuckleballers can be tough," McGriff said. "With kunkleballers like Tim Wakefield and Charlie Zink you have to go after the first pitch. Wakefield always tries to just get the first pitch over and then his pitches improved. With Zink I think I would definitely swing at the first pitch."

--ED GONSER, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:46 PM | Permalink

Burns goes the distance, PawSox rout Chiefs, 11-3

Syracuse, N.Y.--Mike Burns gave an overworked Pawtucket Red Sox bullpen a much needed night off. The PawSox offense did its part too in an 11-3 pasting of the Syracuse Chiefs yesterday at Alliance Bank Stadium.

"It was a phenomenal effort," Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said of his starter’s first complete game since "A" ball. "He knew he’d be out there awhile. We had no one in the bullpen. We had Burns and Burns today."

The effort came on the heels of the doubleheader, where the second game went extra innings and used the entire PawSox bullpen Thursday in Scranton, it magnified the start by Burns knowing there was no one to go to.

"Mike (Burns) was unbelievable tonight," Kevin Cash (1-4 with 2 RBIs) said. "He gave everybody a rest. Wherever I set up he’d hit the spot. His performance was huge. There was no one in that bullpen that could have gone out and been able to pitch at 100 percent."

Cash was behind the plate for his 34th consecutive inning in the last 48 hours as George Kottaras continues to mend from a knee injury. He’s remains day-to-day.

Burns (4-7) had allowed only one earned run in his last 14 innings. That came to an end quickly when Russ Adams and Kevin Barker hit back-to-back solo homers to right in the first inning.

That didn’t rattle Burns as the righty allowed only one run on five hits over the next eight innings.

"It was a battle all night," Burns said. "The bullpen needed the rest. We put up 11 runs and I had to do whatever I could to go as far as I can. It was a matter of getting the outs as quick as you can. The whole goal of going nine innings was to keep the pitch count down."

Burns tossed 99 pitches over the nine innings, 77 for strikes.

It’s been three days since Bobby Kielty was signed by the Red Sox organization and assigned to the Pawtucket.

It appears that decision was a good one for both parties.

Kielty crushed a two-run homer to left in the third inning that helped Pawtucket to an 11-3 win over the Syracuse Chiefs yesterday at Alliance Bank Stadium.

Kielty now owns a modest three-game hitting streak, notching his first homer and RBI in a PawSox uniform.

Kielty has been sitting around for about three weeks and his timing seems to be coming around.

"I finally was able to lean in on a ball," Kielty, (2-5 with two RBIs and scored twice) said of the monster homer. "The bottom line is Burns threw a great game tonight. We needed that big time."

The switch hitting right fielder reached base in each of his first four at-bats. A key throwing error by Adams allowed Kielty to reach in the fifth which opened the flood gates in the six-run inning. Kielty also singled and scored in the sixth.

"I have to hand it to our offense tonight," Johnson said. "We had been struggling and they came out and scored a bunch of runs."

It was veterans like Kielty that helped blow open the game.

"You have to have guys like that at this level if you’re going to win," Johnson said. "McEwing and Kielty came up big for us tonight. You have to have that veteran presence."

McEwing, and Cash, a former Chief, each delivered two-run doubles in the fifth inning.

All the runs came off of former major league veteran Mark Redman (0-1). Redman was recently signed by Syracuse after spending time with the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers earlier this season.

"We had a good day at the plate," Kielty said. "I had faced Redman once or twice but that was the first time I hit a home run off him. It’s funny the way things go in baseball. He’s a good pitcher and he’ll find his way back to the big leagues."

Notes--The PawSox activated lefty Abe Alvarez off the disabled list while first baseman Jeff Bailey has landed on the DL with a strained neck.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak.

First base umpire Brian Kennedy tossed Syracuse manager Doug Davis in the seventh inning. Davis argued close calls at first on outstanding defensive plays by PawSox shortstop Jed Lowrie. Lowrie had to go deep into the hole and fire to first baseman Bobby Scales, who did a pair of splits to nip Robinson Diaz and Ryan Roberts.

Tonight, Pawtucket’s Charlie Zink (RHP, 1-1, 7.41), will face Jeremy Cummings (RHP 2-1, 2.64), for Syracuse.

--ED GONSER, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:30 PM | Permalink

PawSox swept in doubleheader again

MOOSIC, Pa. -- Two long days, four tough losses. Two of those of the walk off variety.
The PawSox found a way to make a two-day stay in Scranton seem twice as long, by losing back-to-back double headers to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

The second of those came last night when Pawtucket dropped dropped counts of 4-2 and 3-2 (in extra innings) before a sellout crowd of 10,310 at PNC Field.

The nightcap was settled by Scranton’s Eric Duncan, whose one-out single off Travis Hughes ended an 11-inning marathon.

Duncan lashed the first pitch he saw from Hughes (5-6) into left field, scoring pinch-runner Andy Canizzaro from third.

Pawtucket has now lost five straight, scoring just seven runs in the process.

The offensively challenged PawSox went down meekly in the opener, after falling behind 4-0 in the second inning.

Starter Devern Hansack (7-7) was charged with all the runs, two of which were doubled in by Bronson Sardinha.

Pawtucket squandered scoring chances in the early innings, but pulled to within two runs in the fourth.

New arrival Bobby Kielty, late of the Oakland A’s, singled to lead off that frame, then legged it in from first when Brandon Moss, just back from a brief stay with Boston, doubled to center.

Moss later scored on Junior Spivey’s ground out.

Game 2, at least, provided some interesting twists and turns, but unfortunately for Pawtucket, produced the same sad result.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the fifth, the PawSox scratched out a pair of runs off reliever Ross Ohlendorf to take the lead.

Light-hitting catcher Kevin Cash, led off the frame with a homer to left, his fourth of the season.

One batter later, Ed Rogers reached on a fielder’s choice, then was doubled in from second by Jacoby Ellsbury.

But Scranton knotted the score in the bottom of the fifth with a run off reliever Lincoln Holdzkom.

The PawSox left the go-ahead run stranded at third in both the eighth and ninth innings.

AROUND THE BASES: Moss was still a little bleary-eyed from his all-night cross country flight on the Bosox charter, which landed in Baltimore, yesterday morning. Nonetheless, he was still buzzing from his first taste of the big leagues, a three day stay while Boston was in Anaheim.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Moss, “because I’d never been there before. I was a little nervous, but everything settled in and I got more comfortable. It was awesome, I loved it.”

Moss went just 1-for-7 (with a walk) in two games with the Bosox, but was pleased to get that first big league hit, a single, under his belt.

“I was wondering if I was going to get that,” he said, “because I’d hit some balls well earlier in the game. I thought, ‘man, I might not ever get that hit’. But it finally came, and it was a big relief.”

To make room for Moss on the PawSox roster, RHP Craig Hansen was placed on the disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 6) with a contusion of his pitching forearm, suffered in an off-field mishap…Although Johnson wasn’t completely certain, he said that RHP Charlie Zink, who had received a “temporary” promotion from Double-A Portland last week, would finish the year with Pawtucket. “He’s earned it,” he said. ..As if things weren’t tough enough for the PawSox, they were without the services of both catcher George Kottaras (sore knee) and first basesman Jeff Bailey (sore neck)…In Game 2, PawSox lefty Craig Breslow, who has been exclusively a reliever, made the first start of his six year professional career…

After the game, the club motored on to Syracuse, the second stop on their three-city, 10-day sojourn, to begin a four-game set with the Chiefs. RHP Mike Burns (3-7, 4.39) will get the start tonight (7 p.m.) against Syracuse RHP Jeremy Cummings (2-1, 2.64).

--DAN HICKLING

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:01 PM | Permalink

PawSox fall in 10 innings

Whoever said baseball is a game of inches wasn’t too far off with their statement.

The Pawtucket Red Sox came very close on a couple of occasions last night, but fell just a bit short and lost to the Rochester Red Wings, 2-1, in 10 innings Saturday night at McCoy Stadium.

Both starting pitchers provided solid performances for their clubs as the PawSox’ Mike Burns and the Red Wings’ Dave Gassner each worked eight scoreless innings and allowed four hits apiece.

It’s been an interesting season for Burns, who replaced Kason Gabbard in the rotation after Gabbard was promoted to Boston on June 26. Burns has made eight starts since and is 3-3, but it’s been his last two outings that have stood out. Despite the no-decision last night, he’s only allowed only one run in his last 14 innings of work.

“He was outstanding,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. “He did an absolutely outstanding job. Mike was really fantastic, but you have to score; that’s what it’s all about.”

After both pitching staffs pitchers put up a pair of zeros through the first eight innings, the Red Wings scored a run in the top of the ninth. for the marginal lead. After PawSox reliever Craig Breslow issued a lead-off walk to Denard Span and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second. With two outs, the Red Wings’ Garrett Jones provided an RBI-single, hitting a 3-0 changeup.

But Pawtucket wouldn’t go quietly.

Jed Lowrie led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and, with two outs, reached third on a Brandon Moss single to the right side. With runners on the corners, Joe McEwing drove a hard liner down the first-base line and into the corner in right field, scoring Lowrie for the game-tying run. Moss was on his horse when Johnson sent him home, attempting to push across the would-be winning run. But, the throw arrived in plenty of time, 9-4-2, to get him and send the game into extra innings.

“I sent Moss because, it was weird because it was twilight, and I saw (the right fielder) laying on the ground out there and then I was hoping the ball was thrown away. But, it was a nice try by Brandon. Like I’ve said before, they play hard. We got after it and our pitching was good, but it’s tough to win a 1-0 ballgame.”

Despite allowing two runners on with two outs in the top of the 10th inning, Breslow was in control. On two different pitches to Span, the PawSox left-hander thought he had strike three. But home-plate umpire Andy Vincent called back-to-back both pitches balls. Span then provided the game-winning hit, a RBI-single to right field.

“I thought they were strikes,” said Breslow. “I don’t think I could have made better pitches. The first one was close; it could have gone either way. The second one was better. They were obviously two very big pitches. If the umpire saw them as balls, then so be it.”

Johnson replaced Breslow with Bryan Corey and when Breslow was walking off the mound he had words with the umpire.

“I though Breslow’s stuff was good,” said Johnson. “There were a couple of close calls there.”

Pawtucket went down in order in the bottom of the inning and Breslow suffered the loss.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Buchholz fans nine, PawSox win 3-2 in 10 innings

PAWTUCKET — Everyone handles pressure differently.

Some people fold under it, while others thrive.

PawSox pitcher Clay Buchholz feels a lot of pressure every time he takes the mound, but he doesn’t let it get to him. He uses that adrenaline to throw the ball harder.

He knows that expectations are high for him and he’s OK with that.

The promising right-hander with a 97-mph fastball, wicked curveball, sensational slider and a changeup, had another strong outing last night.

There were 10,199 fans on hand to see Buchholz strike out nine batters in 6 1/3 innings. He scattered five hits with no walks while allowing two runs but he didn’t factor in the decision. The score was tied 2-2 when he left.

In the end, Buffalo snapped Pawtucket’s two-game winning streak in the 10th inning when Jason Cooper belted a two-out double down the left-field line.

Pawtucket left-fielder Bobby Scales misplayed the ball and Mike Rose scored all the way from first base on the error to lift Buffalo to a 3-2 victory.

Buffalo closer Mike Koplove closed the door on the PawSox in the bottom of the 10th.

The game was a pitchers’ duel between Buchholz and Buffalo starter Jeremy Sowers, the Bisons’ 2006 Most Valuable Pitcher. Sowers only allowed four hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

It was a stellar outing for Buchholz compared to his last start when he walked four batters in four innings against Toledo.

Surprisingly, Buchholz only used his fastball once to get the third strike last night. None of his other strikeouts came on a pitch that was thrown harder than 86-mph.

Buchholz struck out the first two batters he faced, and five of the first seven Bisons.

Asdrubal Cabrera led off the top of the fourth with a single hit up the middle for Buffalo’s second hit of the game. He advanced to second base on a Buchholz balk and that came back to bite Buchholz. After he struck out Ben Francisco, Ryan Mulhern hit a hard ground ball towards the gap between third and shortstop.

Pawtucket third baseman Ed Rogers dived for the ball, but it got by him. Cabrera rounded third base and beat the throw home to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.

On a 3-2 Buchholz pitch with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, Jason Cooper lined a solo home run over the fence in left field to extend Buffalo’s lead to 2-0.

The PawSox evened the score in the bottom of the sixth frame.

After Ed Rogers hit a leadoff single, Scales (2-for-4, 2 doubles, run scored) doubled to put runners on second and third base. Jed Lowrie hit an RBI sacrifice fly to deep center field, scoring Rogers. Scales tagged up and sprinted to third base on the play.

Scales scored on a Brandon Moss grounder to third base with two outs. Buffalo third baseman Andy Marte misplayed the ball, resulting in an error.

--ROB LEE

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:15 PM | Permalink

Schilling sparkles in final rehab start, PawSox win 5-4

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Attention Red Sox Nation: Curt Schilling is back.

The ace of the Red Sox staff ended his rehabilitation stint with the PawSox last night on a strong note at Cooper Stadium, and Pawtucket scratched out a 10th-inning run to sneak away with a 5-4 win, a split of the four-game set and the eight-game road trip.
“I’m healthy, I feel good, I feel strong and I’m ready to go back and help
(Boston) them,” Schilling said.

Over 7,100 fans flocked to see Schilling, many of them clad in the familiar red-and-blue Red Sox gear, clamoring for a up close and personal look at the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder.

The big man didn’t disappoint. He threw seven solid innings, scattering just four hits. Schilling didn’t allow a walk, struck out four and had an early stretch where he retired 10 in a row.

“He’s been very consistent each outing,” PawSox skipper Ron Johnson said.
“(In) all of them, he had above average command. It’s a good time for everybody in The Nation.” At times, it seemed more like a home game for Schilling, kind of a Fenway Park West atmosphere with the throng in attendance cheering loudly when he announced during pre-game introductions, with a smattering of boos mixed in throughout in a place that was the former Triple-A home of the hated New York Yankees.

“This is Red Sox Nation,” Schilling said. “That’s no surprise. They are almost like ants. You always feel like you are at home. They’re going to be fans in every city that are going to be loud enough to make you feel like you are in Boston.” The right-hander threw 21 first-pitch strikes to the 24 batters he faced and had just one three-ball count all night, on Clipper right fielder Abraham Nunez. Even then, he fought all the way back to fan the former Florida Marlin.

“I’ve been watching this guy in the big leagues for a long time and I kind of know what he’s got,” said Nunez, who also managed to get a hit off Schilling. “That splitter is nasty.” In four of the innings, Schilling threw two balls or less and he didn’t throw one in the seventh.

“We threw a lot of strikes and got some quick outs,” Schilling said. “When they made contact, they got some ground ball outs instead of swings and misses. To get up and down seven times, warm up, feel good and strong is a good thing.” Only one of the hits was hard, a two-out single to left by Columbus catcher Juan Brito in the fifth.
Schilling had over a 3-to-1 ratio of strikes to balls on the night, throwing 60 strikes in 77 pitches, a little less than the 90 he anticipated.

Schilling was put on the disabled list June 19 because of tendinitis in his throwing shoulder and made two other rehabilitation starts for Pawtucket, both with glowing results.

He finished the assignment with 18 strikeouts in 15 innings.

George Kottaras has caught Schilling in all three games and was able to give the sure-fire Hall of Famer a bit of input on pitch selection.

“If I had a feeling about something, he told me to put it down there,” said the PawSox catcher. “We were putting much on the same page all night.” Schilling has been able to rebuild his arm strength and work on straightening out his mechanics, which he admitted wasn’t right before hitting the DL.

“I threw a lot of different pitches for strikes, and I worked on my command on a lot of different pitches,” Schilling said.

Schilling headed back to the big club following the game and will make his first appearance back in the starting rotation either for the series finale at Seattle Aug. 5, or open the three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Aug. 6.
Before going on the disabled list June 19, he was 6-4 for Boston with a 4.20 ERA in 15 starts.

Schilling came within one out of a no-hitter in Oakland June 7, but 11 days later gave up 11 hits in a 9-4 loss to Atlanta.

“This was about Schill,” Johnson said. “I know he was very pleased with it and I’m sure next time he’ll get his shot in the big leagues and he’ll be good to go.” Just like Sunday, left-hander Craig Breslow gave up the lead in the eighth as Columbus erased a 4-0 lead on four hits and a error to tie the game.

But the PawSox got the go-ahead run in the 10th on a bases-loaded walk by Columbus closer Chris Booker (1-5) to Alex Prieto, who finished with a pair of hits and two RBI.

Bryan Corey (4-6) got the final two outs of the ninth to get the win, and closer Travis Hughes allowed just a single in the 10th to earn his 15th save.

--By DONN WALDEN, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:48 PM | Permalink

PawSox 3, Clippers 1

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- While hot dogs were selling for a dime a pop at Cooper Stadium last night, runs certainly went at a premium price.

So the story has went for the PawSox of late. Pawtucket had went a week straight without scoring more than four runs and had struggled against Columbus all season.
You could sense the PawSox starting to snap out of their funk Sunday and last night Pawtucket did just enough to snag a 3-1 win from the Clippers.

"The total game ‹ from pitching to defense to the timely hitting to the fundamental stuff -- I was really impressed with this team," said Pawtucket skipper Ron Johnson.
The victory also helped the PawSox end a five-game losing skid to Columbus, which already clinched the season series heading into tonight¹s finale.

Pawtucket hopes to get the split in this four-game set via the back door by sending the rehabbing Curt Schilling to the bump.

Mike Burns (3-7), a late replacement for original starter Devern Hansack (stiff neck), was nearly untouchable in six innings of work. The right-hander gave up just four hits and a run while fanning four in his second straight quality start.

George Kottaras' three-run home run was all that Burns needed, and the PawSox bullpen, which allowed eight runs in four innings Sunday, got the job done despite some hairy moments.

"The season is winding down and we feel like we have a team that can make a push (for the playoffs)," Burns said. "But every time it seems like we get on a roll, we let two, three or even four things get away from us. It was a big win." Pawtucket entered the game hitting a meager .205 against Columbus in the first six games of 2007. The PawSox, which entered the day ranked next-to-last in the International League in batting, were worse with runners in scoring position (2-for-21 in this series) and abandoned 15 runners in Sunday¹s 10-6 loss.

Pawtucket took advantage of Columbus starter Chris Michalak's second-inning yips. The left-hander (3-5) hit two batters in the inning -- Michael Tucker and Bobby Scales -- around a pair of outs.

Kottaras, symbolic of the PawSox's woes with ducks on the pond, put a charge into a 2-1 fastball from the former Cincinnati Red, turning it into the game-winning blast over the right-field fence.

Kottaras was hitting just .147 with runners in scoring position, but extended his hit streak to five games with the bomb.

"The mission is to try to score as many runs as you can and take advantage of your opportunities," said Kottaras, who now has six homers on the year.

Since replacing Kason Gabbard in the rotation, Burns has a 3.55 earned-run average in seven starts and has allowed just three runs in his last 12 2/3 innings.

His only blemish came in the fourth when, after retiring nine in a row, allowed a solo home run from Michael Restovich. It was Restovich¹s second shot in as many nights.
Burns' teammates saved another run in the sixth. With two down, Kory Casto walked and Restovich looked like he was going to play the role of spoiler when he sent a gapper to center. David Murphy tracked the ball down, sent a perfect relay to Alex Prieto, and his strike to Kottaras was in plenty of time to nail Casto.

"They made a heckuva play," Burns said.

Then in the eighth, reliever Craig Hansen allowed a bunt single to Brandon Watson and a slicing double to left by Clipper killer Bernie Castro. In a pickle, Hansen rared back and threw gas by both Casto and Restovich to thwart the rally.

Closer Travis Hughes also gave Johnson some nail-biting moments in the ninth, allowing two straight hits to open the frame, and wild pitched the runners into scoring position with one down. But Hughes mowed down the final two batters to pick up his 14th save.

Pawtucket relievers recorded the final eight outs by strikeout.

"(Sunday) we played five innings and then we caved," Johnson said. "Today, we played nine innings, and that's what you need when you play a team like this." Prieto had two hits, including a double, for the PawSox, who despite having just five hits on the night went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

The win guaranteed Pawtucket its second consecutive winning month (15-12) with just today¹s game left.

And when all was said and done, the PawSox were eating steak and the Clippers were left to their weiners.

--DONN WALDEN, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:37 PM | Permalink

Clippers 6, PawSox 2

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 | Permalink

Buchholz and bullpen combine for 4-2 win

TOLEDO , Ohio – The PawSox used a “bend-but-don’t-break” pitching performance to beat Toledo 4-2 and split this four-game series with the Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field.

Starter Clay Buchholz and relievers Craig Hansen, Edgar Martinez and Bryan Corey combined to limit the Hens to five hits, shutting out Toledo after the first inning.

The Mud Hens jumped in front when Henry Mateo drew a one-out walk against Buchholz, one of four he issued in four innings of work, and Timo Perez slammed a two-run homer to right, his 11th round-tripper of the season.

The Mud Hens had their chances, with the best coming in the third when they loaded the bases with none out off Buchholz. But the 22-year-old right-hander struck out Chris Shelton on three pitches, retired Brent Clevlen on a fly to shallow right, and got David Espinosa on a grounder down the first-base line.

Shelton led off the sixth with a double off Hansen but never left second as Hansen retired the Hens without incident.

In the seventh Mateo reached third when he drew a one-out walk from Martinez, stole second, then took third on a groundout before Martinez got Jack Hannahan to ground out and strand Mateo in third.

Toledo eventually stranded nine baserunners in the game and was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Hansen (3-1) earned the win with his two scoreless innings of relief, and Bryan Corey – a former Mud Hens – got the game’s final four outs to claim his second save in this series.

Pawtucket tied the game in the third by opening the inning with four straight hits. Alex Prieto led off with a single, the first of his three hits on the night, then moved to third on Brady Clark’s double off the wall in left.

Both runners came home when Jed Lowrie, who was promoted from Double-A Portland just before the game, singled down the right-field line.

Toledo starter Anastacio Martinez left the game at that point after suffering a blister on his right, or pitching, thumb, and reliever Jeremy Johnson gave up a single to the first batter he faced, David Murphy.

But the Red Sox didn’t score again as Johnson got Bobby Scales to hit a grounder to first, and Chris Shelton threw Lowrie out at the plate. Brandon Moss then struck out and Joe McEwing was retired on grounder back to the pitcher Johnson.

The PawSox took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the sixth. With one out McEwing singled off Johnson, and George Kottaras greeted Toledo reliever Vic Darensbourg by singling up the middle, moving McEwing to third.

Ed Rogers hit a slow roller down the third-base line and Jack Hannahan only was able to retire Rogers at first as McEwing scored and Kottaras took second. Prieto then added an insurance run by doubling high off the wall in left.

Clark was hit by a pitch from reliever Preston Larrison to put two runners on base, but Lowrie hit into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

NOTES: Lowrie was one of two players the PawSox received from Portland before yesterday’s game. The other was RHP Lincoln Holdzkom, who was 4-1 with a save and a 3.47 ERA in 30 appearances for Portland. Lowrie hit .297 with eight home runs and 49 RBI in 93 games with the Sea Dogs. To make room for the pair of the roster the PawSox sent IF Zack Borowiak and RHP Barry Hertzler to Portland.

----JOHN WAGNER

Special to the Journal

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:48 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Schilling dominant for Pawtucket

TOLEDO, Ohio – The ending was a little hairy, but otherwise Curt Schilling’s second rehab outing for Pawtucket was nothing but smooth sailing.

Schilling allowed just one hit in five scoreless innings, striking out eight Mud Hens and not walking a batter in a game the PawSox eventually lost 3-2 in 10 innings.

“How about Schilling – this was a positive night for Red Sox Nation, because Curt Schilling was really good,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “His pitches were low going through four innings, and he was really impressive.

“He commanded everything he had, and he was excited about his stuff. He’s made two very good rehab starts for us.”

Schilling retired the first 14 Mud Hens he faced in order before giving up a double to deep center by Brent Clevlen.

“He left a split-finger up, and I just tried to square it up,” Clevlen said. “He was throwing strikes. He had the split-finger going for him, and we kept chasing it.”

The next batter, David Espinosa, then hit a high hopper off Schilling’s glove. Second baseman Bobby Scales tried to throw Espinosa out at first but failed; Clevlen tried to score on the play, and first baseman Jeff Bailey threw Clevlen out at the plate.

“That was a nice play – and a big play in a 1-0 game,” Schilling said. “I was happy to not give up runs.”

Schilling’s line for the night included just two hits and no walks in five innings. The 40-year-old struck out eight and threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of the 16 hitters he faced. He finished with 66 pitches thrown, 44 for strikes.

“I felt good, I felt strong,” Schilling said. “I got stronger as the game went on, and I felt really strong in the fifth.

“There were a lot of good things out there.”

In his first rehab outing he allowed just two hits in three innings against Louisville July 21; he said he will make one more rehab start for Pawtucket next Tuesday in Columbus.

“It’s most important that I feel strong,” Schilling said. “My split [split-finger fastball] is as good as it’s ever been, and to have the velocity makes it even better.”

Schilling, who was 6-4 for Boston this season before going on the disabled list June 19 because of tendonitis in his right shoulder.

After last night’s game Schilling declined comment on any subject not related to last night’s start.

In the game Pawtucket scored a run in the top of the ninth, only to see the Mud Hens tie the game with a run in the bottom of the ninth off Travis Hughes.

Then in the 10th Clevlen hit a bases-loaded, two-out single to right to score Henry Mateo with the game-winning run.

NOTES: Yesterday Boston signed outfielder Brady Clark to a free-agent contract and assigned him to Pawtucket. He led off for the PawSox and had a hit in four at-bats. Jacoby Ellsbury was placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 22 to make room for Clark on the PawSox roster.

--JOHN WAGNER (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:57 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Toledo 12, Pawtucket 2

TOLEDO, Ohio – Pawtucket’s 12-2 loss to the Mud Hens last night was as ugly as the final score would indicate.

Oh, it was a close, tight, winnable game for the first five innings or so. But the Red Sox wasted scoring opportunities in the middle innings, then saw Toledo blow the game open with four runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh.

“Not much to talk about on this one,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said afterwards.

David Murphy gave the PawSox an early lead when he slammed his ninth home run of the season, an opposite-field shot just under the scoreboard in left.

And starter Joel Pineiro, making his first appearance for Pawtucket since the parent club in Boston designated him for assignment July 22, was impressive in his three innings of work. The only baserunner he allowed was Chris Shelton, who walked with one out in the second but was thrown trying to steal second by Kevin Cash.

“Joel Pineiro did a really nice job,” Johnson said. “He got three innings, and his pitch efficiency was good.”

But Devern Hansack picked up for Pineiro and gave up a home run to Andres Torres on the third pitch he threw. Hansack got one out before walking Timo Perez, then throwing one pitch to Jack Hannahan and leaving with a stiff neck.

Edgar Martinez came on and walked Hannahan before giving up a run-scoring single to Shelton.

Pawtucket retied the game in the top of the fifth with an unearned run that scored on the second of Joe McEwing’s four singles on the night, but the Hens pulled away with a four run sixth-inning rally that was fueled by three walks, one by Martinez and two more by Barry Hertzler.

“When you’re in a situation like that in the sixth inning, you’re kind of hoping and holding on,” Johnson said. “You’re hoping to get some kind of break to stay in the game, and we didn’t get it.

“I turned the page on this one right there.”

Things got worse when the Mud Hens scored five more times off Hertzler in the seventh. Hertzler’s line included seven hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings, raising his ERA with the PawSox from 13.81 to 16.31.

Perez led the Mud Hens with five RBI, tying Toledo’s season high, while Torres had three. Thanks to 12 hits and eight walks allowed by Pawtucket pitching every Hen hitter reached base at least once.

After that the only excitement came when Jeff Bailey, who was hit by a Ron Chiavacci curve-ball in the sixth, was hit by a pitch from Eulogio De La Cruz to lead off the eighth. Both benches emptied, but no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored.

The PawSox had won eight of their last 11 games before last night, which Johnson said will allow his team to set aside the lopsided loss.

“You’ve got to push aside games like this anyway because there’s no alternative,” Johnson said. “If you’re going to carry this thing into the next day, what are you going to do?

“We’re going to come out and exchange lineup cards today, and we’re going to play regardless of how well feel about it. So let’s move on.”

NOTES: RHP Curt Schilling will start for the PawSox tonight in Toledo. Schilling is expected to throw approximately 65 pitches, which means he will cover roughly four to five innings.

--JOHN WAGNER (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:43 PM | Permalink

Moss comes up big again in 3-2 win for PawSox

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 11/3 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 | Permalink

Game Story: Moss' walkoff hit gives PawSox 3-2 win

When Brandon Moss entered the batters box in the bottom of the 10th inning for Pawtucket, he knew he had the chance to win the game.

And that’s just what he did.

With runners on first and second base and one out, Moss ripped an 0-2 Brian Shackelford pitch between the first and second base gap. The ball continued rolling into right field.

David Murphy (3-for-5, 2 runs scored) rounded third base and sprinted home. Louisville right fielder Dewayne Wise’s throw home went wide right and Murphy slid in safely to score the game-winning run. Pawtucket won 3-2.

Moss was 0-for-4 prior to his game-winning hit.

“I was just trying to have a good at-bat, especially with runners in scoring position,” said Moss, who leads the PawSox in RBI with 62. “I was just trying to barrel the ball up, especially with him being down 0-2. I knew he was going to throw a strike. I didn’t know if it was going to be a fastball or a cutter but I knew it was going to be in the strike zone so I just got geared up and got ready to hit. It worked out well thank goodness.”

Pawtucket starter David Pauley had a perfect game going through four innings but Aaron Herr broke it up in the top of the fifth frame with a leadoff double.

“He pitched outstanding,” Moss said of Pauley. “You don’t see a much better performance than that. He pitched great.”

Herr’s hit didn’t faze Pauley. He retired the next three batters to end the inning. Pauley pitched 7 2/3 innings in all, allowing only two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

“He was outstanding,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said of Pauley. “He had really good stuff. He had really good command of his stuff and we needed that today. We had a tired bullpen and it has been used a lot in the last couple of days so we needed that kind of performance.”

Travis Hughes closed out the game for Pawtucket, going 2.1 innings. He allowed just one hit with four strikeouts.

“He was outstanding,” Johnson said of Hughes.

Pawtucket racked up 13 hits last night, but only two came in a clutch situation which resulted in the close game. Pawtucket was 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-3 with the bases loaded.

Joe McEwing snapped out of his hitting slump in style when he sent a Victor Santos offering into the bullpen in left field for a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give Pawtucket a 1-0 lead.

Jeff Bailey drove in Murphy with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Pawtucket a 2-0 cushion. Louisville manager Rick Sweet decided that he had seen enough and pulled Santos (3.1 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts) after that.
It turned out to be a wise decision. Relief pitcher Jason Kershner got George Kottaras to ground into a 4-6-3 double-play to end the inning.

Louisville caught up to Pauley in the sixth frame and cut Pawtucket’s lead to 2-1 on a Chris Dickerson RBI sacrifice fly.

The PawSox had a chance to do a lot of damage in the bottom of the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with no outs but they came away empty handed.

Louisville put runners on first and third base with no outs in the top of the eighth inning against a tiring Pauley but he got Janish to ground into a 6-4-3 double-play. Ryan Hanigan, however, scored on the play from third base even the score.

--ROB LEE

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:57 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Buchholz fans 10 but PawSox fall

PAWTUCKET – Boston’s highly touted prospect Clay Buchholz displayed an overpowering fastball that was consistently clocked between 93- and 96-miles-per-hour, a paralyzing curveball, a very effective changeup, and a slider that fooled several of Louisville’s batters yesterday in front of a crowd of 9,530.

But even his impressive performance – 10 strikeouts, three hits, two earned runs, five innings pitched – couldn’t stop the PawSox from falling, 11-1, to the Bats.

That’s because Louisville exploded for six runs on six hits in the top of the sixth inning against Pawtucket relief pitcher Barry Hertzler (1 inning, 6 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks), who got booed by the crowd for his sub-par performance.

Pawtucket never recovered.

Yesterday, however, was about Buchholz and developing him into a future Major League pitcher. He certainly lived up to the hype yesterday after allowing three runs (2 earned) on five hits in his first PawSox outing.

“I felt good out there,” Buchholz said. “I felt balanced…I just go out there and pitch to get outs. Being out there I don’t just want to throw fastballs the whole game and let them get hit hard so I try to go out there and mix up my pitches.”

Buchholz, who went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA for Portland (AA) where he led all of minor league baseball for much of the season in strikeouts (116), threw 74 pitches yesterday, 53 for strikes. He threw 26 fastballs, 25 changeups, 13 curveballs, and 10 sliders.

“He threw the ball really well,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “I was really impressed with his stuff. It was fun to watch…It was a good outing. He threw good stuff. His fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup all looked really good.”

Buchholz, the Red Sox minor league pitcher of the year last season (11-4, 2.42 ERA, 140 strikeouts), looked sharp early. He only gave up one hit while striking out three over the first two frames.

He said that the difference between the Double-A hitters and the Triple-A hitters is that the Triple-A hitters adjust more quickly. That was evident yesterday. The Bats were able to score two runs on Buchholz their second time through the batting order.
Buchholz ran into a bit of trouble after walking Paul Janish with one out in the top of the third inning. Janish advanced to third base on a Chris Dickerson double and scored on a Ryan Hanigan single.

Dickerson tagged up and scored from third base on Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly to center field to give the Bats a 2-0 lead. Buchholz did not give up another hit after that. He struckout six of the last eight batters that he faced.

“It’s a game of pitches and if you throw a good pitch and they hit it, then you have to tip your cap to them but I really get frustrated out there whenever I throw a bad pitch and it gets hit but that’s what they are supposed to do,” Buchholz said of the hanging breaking ball that Dickerson launched for a double. “They are getting paid to play too so if you hang them up there then they are going to hit it hard.”

Pawtucket cut Louisville’s lead in half in the bottom of the fifth frame when Zach Borowiak (1-for-2, double, 2 walks, RBI) drove in Kevin Cash (2-for-4, run scored) with a double, but that’s as close as Pawtucket got.

Louisville blew the game open in the top of the sixth inning when Jay Bruce and Jesse Gutierrez each hit RBI singles, Dickerson hit an RBI triple, Hanigan hit an RBI double, and Janish hit an RBI fielder’s choice grounder. Gutierrez scored on a throwing error in the inning.

Louisville starter Elizardo Ramirez (2-2) scattered five hits and allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.

Pawtucket only managed six hits yesterday.

--ROB LEE

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:12 PM | Permalink

Bailey, Hansack star in 6-4 PawSox win

PAWTUCKET – Pawtucket righty Devern Hansack earned his team-leading seventh win of the season last night and his sixth win in a row.

He has teammate Jeff Bailey to thank for that.

Bailey led an explosive PawSox offense that amassed 10 hits by going 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and four RBI to power Pawtucket to a 6-4 victory over Louisville.

“You get a guy like that hot, a production guy like him and [David] Murphy right now, they can kind of carry you,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said.

Bailey and Murphy carried Pawtucket last night. Murphy was 2-for-4 with a solo home run.

Hansack pitched six innings, scattered five hits, allowed four runs, and struckout nine.

“He’s been pretty dirty all year just look at his ERA and strikeout totals,” Johnson said of Hansack, who is 7-6 with a 3.35 ERA. “What I like about Devern is the development of his changeup. His changeup is becoming a big time swing and miss pitch. His arm speed is right along the lines with his fastball…Devern Hansack is as consistent as you can get.”

Hansack only made two mistakes last night. Louisville hit a home run on both of them. One was a three-run shot by Joey Votto. The other was a solo home run by Chris Dickerson.

“Devern gave up a couple of home runs but that was just because he was being aggressive,” Bailey said. “That was fine because we still kept the lead.”

“He only made two mistakes and they did what you are supposed to do with mistakes,” Johnson said. “They smoked them…But they are good hitters though. Votto is a good hitter. He makes me nervous every time he comes to the plate. Dickerson has hit a couple of homers against us. He’s a big strong kid. But we got enough early to hold on.”

Despite Louisville’s two home runs, the Bats never led in the game. The PawSox jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on four two-out hits and never looked back.

After Bobby Scales (1-for-2, 2 runs scored, walk, hit by pitch) and Michael Tucker (2-for-4, double, run scored) both singled, Brandon Moss drove-in Scales with a single hit down the first-base line, putting runners on first and third base.

Bailey then sent a Richie Gardner offering into the bullpen in left field for a three-run home run. It was his second three-run home run in as many nights, and his 12th home run of the season.

“It was the pitcher’s mistake,” Bailey said. “I think he was trying to sink it but it didn’t sink much. I got it. It’s nice to get that kind of lead early in the game.”

David Murphy led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run for Pawtucket to give the PawSox a 5-0 cushion.

After Scales walked, he sprinted to third base on a Tucker double. Bailey drove-in Scales with an RBI single to center field to make it 6-0.

Votto cut Pawtucket’s lead in half with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning.

After Hansack struckout the side in the fifth, Dickerson hit a sixth-inning lead-off home run and Pawtucket’s lead fell to 6-4. But Hansack did not allow another hit after that.

Louisville had a chance to win the game in the top of the ninth inning when former Boston star Mark Bellhorn (2004, 2005) came up to bat with two outs and a runner on first and second base, but Pawtucket closer Travis Hughes struck him out to earn the save.

----ROB LEE

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:34 PM | Permalink

Game Story: PawSox comeback falls short

PAWTUCKET – As the sold out crowd began leaving McCoy Stadium yesterday after Ottawa had taken a 9-1 lead by scoring three runs in the top of the eighth inning, Pawtucket showed the fans that stayed why it should no longer be considered a team that is going to roll over and go away quietly after falling behind in a game.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Jeff Bailey hit a three run home run, Bobby Scales hit a two run home run, and Alex Prieto hit a solo home run to cut Ottawa’s lead to 9-7.
But the PawSox offense stalled there and they suffered a 9-7 loss to the last-place Lynx.

“It got real exciting there towards the end,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “I think that was one of our better innings offensively this year as far as driving the ball. That was something special right there.”

Johnson said that the PawSox showed a lot of courage by nearly pulling off what would have been a remarkable comeback.

“It was just one of those things where we gave up a few too many and came up just a little bit short at the end but I was real proud of the ball club,” Johnson said.
Scales went 2-for-3 with a walk, two home runs, two runs scored and three RBI to lead the PawSox offense.

“You’d like to do it in a win,” Scales said about hitting two home runs against his former team. “We had opportunities to win the game and that is the main thing. I know this is the minor leagues and I know that we are here for development purposes but as long as they keep a scoreboard, the aim is to win the game.”

With the score tied 1-1, Ottawa took control of the game in the top of the sixth inning. After Gary Burnham put Ottawa on top, 2-1, with an RBI single, the Lynx loaded the bases for Jim Rushford who hit a grand slam home run on a Mike Burns (2-7) changeup. It was Rushford’s first home run of the season.

“That was probably the longest drought I’ve been in and I was starting to think that I wasn’t going to hit one all year but I came up in the right situation, got a pitch that I could handle, and put a good swing on it,” Rushford said.

Ottawa added three insurance runs in the top of the eighth on Danny Sandoval’s RBI double and Pedro Swann’s two RBI single.

Burns did everything asked of him in the first five innings, limiting Ottawa to just one run on two hits.

“He actually dominated through the first five innings of the ball game,” Johnson said. “His pitches were very low.”

Ottawa, however, batted through the order and exploded for five runs on five hits against a tiring Burns in the momentum-turning sixth inning which forced Johnson to pull him.

The game was close prior to the sixth inning.

Ottawa jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Joe Thurston hit a one out double to deep right-center field. Jason Jaramillo drove him in with a single hit up the middle. Burns calmed down and got the next two batters to ground out and end the inning.

Burns (5 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 6 runs, 2 strikeouts) did not give up another hit until sixth inning, but the PawSox couldn’t amount much of an offense either. Pawtucket didn’t get a hit until the fifth inning. Scales, who entered yesterday’s game tied for third place in the International League with a .316 batting average, sent the first pitch of the PawSox fifth into the bullpen in left field for a solo home run, tying the score, 1-1.

Pawtucket, however, only got one more hit off of Ottawa starter J.A. Happ (2-4), who pitched six innings and limited Pawtucket to just one run with six strikeouts.

“Happ, he’s pretty good,” Scales said. “He wasn’t doing anything particularly tricky, but he’s got a surprise fastball. You see it, you feel like you’re on it, but then you get beat by it. He’s pretty good.”

--ROB LEE

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 4:43 PM | Permalink

Lester gets the win in 9-4 defeat of Lynx

PAWTUCKET – A strong performance from lefty Jon Lester and some late-inning heroics led to a 9-4 victory for the Pawtucket Red Sox over the Ottawa Lynx last night at McCoy Stadium.

Lester pitched seven strong innings, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs with three strikeouts to earn the win.

“I liked his outing,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “I thought he was throwing real good stuff…I liked the way he stayed composed in this outing…I liked everything about Jon’s outing.”

Lester said that he relied on his fastball and cutter to confuse the Lynx batters.

“I really didn’t have a feel for my curveball early on,” Lester said. “Later in the game it came around better but mainly I was throwing fastball and cutter and I mixed in a couple of changeups, hit some spots and got some outs.”

Pawtucket, which did not get a hit until the fifth inning, produced nine runs on eight hits over the final four innings to secure the win.

With the score tied, 3-3, entering the bottom of the seventh, Pawtucket batted through the order and scored six runs on five hits to take control of the game.

George Kottaras extended his hitting streak to six games with an RBI double he crushed to the wall in right-center field, scoring Brandon Moss (2-for-3, walk, 2 runs scored) to break the tie.

Ed Rogers (2-for-4, 2 RBI) drove in Bobby Scales with an RBI single to put runners on first and third. After Alex Prieto fouled out to third base, Jacoby Ellsbury hit an RBI infield single, scoring Kottaras.

Then David Murphy (1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI), who hit a home run in Tuesday’s game, blasted a three-run home run over the right-field fence to break open the game.

“That was a big three-run bomb,” Johnson said. “That was a beautiful thing to see.”

Lester dominated the Lynx their first time through the order, only allowing one hit with two strikeouts, but their second time through the order, the Lynx got the best of Lester.

Five of the Lynx nine batters reached base against Lester their second time up. Dusty Wathan hit an RBI single to right field that scored Gary Burnham to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead.

Lester, however, got help from his defense to get out of the inning before the Lynx could do any more damage. After Jim Rushford fouled out to third base, Lester got Randy Ruiz to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.

Ottawa starter Landon Jacobsen owned the PawSox through the first four innings, but when Moss produced Pawtucket’s first hit in the bottom of the fifth, it ignited the PawSox bats.

Rogers tied the game for Pawtucket when he hit an RBI bloop single to left field, scoring Moss. Ottawa’s left fielder lost the ball in the sky and Rogers ended up on second base while Scales, who was hit by a pitch, sprinted to third base.

Alex Prieto hit a broken-bat single to the shortstop, scoring Scales. Ottawa shortstop Carlos Leon scooped up the ball with his bare hand and fired it to first base. His throw was off target and Rogers scored on the error, giving Pawtucket a 3-1 advantage.

Ottawa slashed Pawtucket’s lead to 3-2 in the top of the sixth when Rushford blasted a two-out RBI double to right field, scoring Wathan.

Ruiz led off the seventh inning with a solo home run to tie the game, 3-3.

Because Curt Shilling (right shoulder tendonitis) is scheduled for his first rehab start on Saturday when the PawSox host Louisville at 6:05 p.m., Clay Buchholz’ second appearance for the PawSox will be pushed back to Sunday. Schilling, who is 6-4 with a 4.20 ERA in 15 games for Boston this season, has been on Boston’s disabled list since June 19. Schilling is scheduled to throw three innings or 45 pitches and Buchholz is slated for five innings or 75 pitches.

Brad Hertzler (1-1, 1.32 ERA), a former East Providence All-State pitcher; the 2004 R.I. Gatorade Player of the Year; and the brother to Pawtucket pitcher Barry Hertzler, pitched a rain-shortened perfect-game for Class A Vancouver (Oakland A’s affiliate). The Canadians defeated Spokane, 1-0. Brad Hertzler had been a 32nd round choice of the Boston Red Sox in 2004 but he elected to play for CCRI before transferring to Maine. “I got a call down in the bullpen so it’s pretty exciting,” Barry Hertzler said of his brother’s performance. “In the minor leagues, if you throw five and it’s perfect then it goes down as a perfect game so it’s pretty exciting, especially because it’s his first year playing pro ball so I’m happy for him…On the ride home he’ll be getting a phone call and a congratulations, that’s for sure.”

When Jeff Bailey got caught stealing second base in the bottom of the second inning, it snapped a 16-for-16 PawSox successful stolen base streak that they compiled over a span of six games.

-----ROB LEE

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:30 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Lynx snap PawSox winning streak

Pawtucket looked like it was going to match its season high four-game winning streak early on last night in its game against Ottawa.

The PawSox were up 4-0 after three innings and starter David Pauley was cruising right along in those innings. But Ottawa figured Pauley out in the fourth inning and rallied to win, 6-5, to halt Pawtucket's three-game winning streak.

“I thought he pitched pretty good,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said of Pauley. “They got pretty aggressive on first pitch fastballs the second and third time up through the batting order and you know what I'm not going to take anything away from them. They squared some balls up to get back in this thing.”

With the score tied, 5-5, Pawtucket brought in former catcher turned pitcher, Edgar Martinez, to start the sixth inning. Jason Jaramillo, the first batter he faced, hit a solo home run off of him to give Ottawa a 6-5 lead. It turned out to be the game-winning hit.

"The first slider he through Jaramillo hit it in the right-center field bleachers and that was it,” Johnson said.

Pawtucket jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Brandon Moss ignited the PawSox bats with a leadoff single. He sprinted to third base on a Bobby Scales single, and George Kottaras drove him in with a double he hit down the first base line.

Scales scored from third base on an Ed Rogers ground out to the shortstop, and Alex Prieto drove-in Kottaras with a double he crushed to left-center. Jacoby Ellsbury drove him in with a triple he hit to center field but the PawSox left him stranded on third. Joe McEwing looked like he was going to score Ellsbury when he blasted a line drive towards left field, but Ottawa shortstop Danny Sandoval made a terrific diving catch to save the run.

“That turned out to be a really big run,” Johnson said.

Ottawa caught up to Pauley in the fourth inning when it cut Pawtucket's lead to 4-2. Pauley walked Gary Burnham and then Brennan King put runners on second and third base with a double.

Jim Rushford plated both runners with a single to left field. Chris Roberson led-off the fifth inning with a solo home run he sent over the fence in right field to slash Pawtucket's lead to 4-3.

Pauley hit Burnham with a pitch with two outs and that came back to bite him. King singled and Burnham scored from second base on a close play at the plate on Jim Rushford's single to center field. Ellsbury's throw was just a split-second too late and the crowd booed in unison when home plate umpire Dusty Dellinger called Burnham safe when he slid under Kottaras' tag to tie the score, 4-4.

David Murphy quickly put Pawtucket back on top, 5-4, by leading off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run.

“The pitch was up and away and I just tried to put a good swing on it,” Murphy said. “The ball was flying well here tonight. It was one of those nights where it feels good to help out in any way possible…I think offensively it was a great game for both teams. They came out on top but I feel like we played a great game.”

Pedro Swann answered for Ottawa with a solo home run he hit over the fence in right field in the top of the sixth inning to even the score.

“We came out early but they finished up late and they got one more run than we did,” Johnson said. “It was like we won the first three innings and after that they won the middle frames and then both of us just kind of stayed dormant the last couple [of innings]…I still like the way we are playing right now. I like what's going on.”

--ROB LEE

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:28 PM | Permalink

Hansack leads PawSox to 8-2 victory over Chiefs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- It’s often said that numbers don’t lie. But they don’t always tell the truth, either.

That was so earlier in the season, when PawSox righthander Devern Hansack owned a lowly 1-6 record although he had clearly pitched better than that.

And it’s still true, even as Hansack has managed to square his record after having helped hurl Pawtucket to an 8-2 trouncing of the Syracuse Chiefs, before 5,110 at Alliance Bank Stadium, last night.

Hansack, who had a sizable group of friends and family on hand, threw 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing just two runs on four hits, to win his fifth straight decision and even his mark at 6-6.

It also allowed the PawSox to emerge from their nine game road swing that included stops in Scranton and Rochester (and an All-Star break to boot) with six wins.

“I had a big crowd of fans,” said Hansack, “so I just tried to put it together and go hard.”

Pawtucket seized a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, when Jeff Bailey and George Kottaras slugged consecutive pitches from Chiefs starter Jeremy Cummings over the right field fence.

Alex Prieto added a run in the third with a solo shot to left.

Meanwhile, with his changeup proving hard to hit, Hansack sailed through the sixth inning, allowing just two base runners, and at one point setting down 11 Chiefs in a row, even as his mates were building a 5-0 lead.

“He’s got outstanding stuff,” said Kottaras, his catcher. “Tonight, he was on. He could throw anything for strikes, anytime he wanted to. He was mixing up his pitches, and didn’t really get into a pattern.”

Hansack lost steam in the seventh, and allowed two runs before giving way to Craig Hansen, who took it home from there.

Pawtucket put the game away with three more runs in the top of the ninth.

AROUND THE BASES: The rabid PawSox faithful who will flock to McCoy Stadium tonight for the Triple-A debut of righthander Clay Buchholz aren’t the only ones the chomping at the bit to see for themselves what the highly touted Bosox pitching prospect can do.

You can count Pawtucket pitching coach Mike Griffin among that number, too.
It will be Griffin’s job to take Buchholz’s abundant talent and buff it up to big league readiness. It‘s a task he‘s eagerly looking forward to tackling.

“Absolutely,” said Griffin, who has tutored the likes of current Red Sox hurlers Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, and Kason Gabbard in his five years with Pawtucket. “We’ve all heard what he’s been doing. It’s no secret. I’m very excited about seeing him pitch. I can hardly wait.”

Griffin’s plan with Buchholz will be a simple one. Don’t mess with success, but be ready with a guiding hand when one is needed.

“Right now,” said Griffin, , “I’ve just to to watch and let him pitch for a couple of times out. He’s had so much success down in (Double-A) Portland, you just have to let the guy go out and pitch. We know he’s got the stuff. We know he’s got everything to pitch at the major league level. I’m going to tell him ‘go do your thing’. Hopefully, there won‘t be a lot to correct.”

Hansack is not the only PawSox on a tear. Kottaras went 8 for his last 17 with 5 RBI and two homers, while raising his batting average 23 points to .219. And Alex Prieto, who had notched only seven hits all year before the road trip comes home with a seven game hitting streak, in which he’s gone 12-for-24, while seeing his average vault from .119 to a more respectable .229. Jacoby Ellsbury, who had been mired in a 1-for-18 slump, finished with two singles. He also added two steals to bulk his total to 26, one off the IL lead…Brandon Moss, who tweaked his groin in Saturday’s tilt, was held out as a precaution, the first game he had missed all year. He is expected to be fine.

Buchholz (NR), who according to Johnson will be held to a three inning/50 pitch limit, will be opposed tonight (7:05 p.m.) by Ottawa LHP Eude Brito (1-5, 7.71).

--DAN HICKLING

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 9:45 PM | Permalink

Pauley, McEwing, Prieto fuel PawSox victory over Chiefs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The PawSox returned from their three-day All-Star hiatus in a combative mood.

Which is to say that their batters battled, and their starter, David Pauley did, too.
The result was a healthy 9-5 triumph over the Syracuse Chiefs, before 7,172 at Alliance Bank Stadium.

Joe McEwing (4-for-5) and the suddenly resurgent Alex Prieto (3-for-4) knocked in three runs apiece to pace the 16-hit Pawtucket attack.

“The three days off was good for them,” said PawSox skipper Ron Johnson. “These guys really picked it up.”

Pauley (6-3), who gutted out 5 2/3 innings of five hit ball, hit one trouble spot after another in the early going. Yet he managed to keep the PawSox in a 1-1 tie through three innings.

He battled his way out of one bases loaded jam in the first, the promptly fell into another in the second. But he slipped out of that one with just minimal damage.

“He started focusing, again,” said Prieto, “and threw his stuff. It makes you want to win the game for him.”

Pauley’s mates supplied him with a 5-1 lead in the fourth, with a four run outburst that was highlighted by Joe McEwing’s two run homer.

Bobby Scales and George Kottaras whacked back to back doubles off Chiefs starter Josh Banks (7-6) to get Pawtucket started.

One out later, the hot-hitting Prieto (7 for his last 15) singled in Kottaras, setting the table for McEwing.

The PawSox upped the lead to 7-1 in the sixth, thanks to run scoring hits from Prieto and McEwing.

Syracuse made matters interesting in the seventh, when they scored three runs off reliever Craig Hansen to make it 7-4.

But Pawtucket tacked on two runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

AROUND THE BASES: All three PawSox who played in Wednesday’s Triple-A All Star Game made it back from Albuquerque, including OF Brandon Moss. Moss seemed no worse the wear for having had to answer a 3:45 a.m. wake up call. It may have been the adrenalin rush of having hit a first inning to help the International League take a 7-5 victory that kept him going.

“It was fun,” said Moss. “It was a nice place to play. It kind of spoils you.”
As for his big stage round tripper off Tacoma‘s Justin Lehr, Moss said it was more a product of high altitude and thin air, than raw power.

“In any park in this league,” he said, “that would have been a double.”
PawSox relievers Travis Hughes and Craig Breslow also took part.

As anticipated, highly touted RHP Clay Buchholz (No. 23 on your roster) has joined the PawSox from Double-A Portland, although he will not get his first start until Monday, when Ottawa visits McCoy Stadium. He takes the roster spot of 3B Chad Spann, who was sent down to the Sea Dogs…Also, 1B Jeff Bailey, who has been with Boston the past week, has been sent back and is expected to be in the Pawtucket lineup, tonight.

The PawSox will continue their visit here tonight (7:05 p.m.), when LHP Jon Lester (3-4, 3.62) is set to start against Syracuse RHP Mike MacDonald (2-6, 4.77).

-- DAN HICKLING

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:59 PM | Permalink

Red Wings 6, PawSox 4

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Pawtucket Red Sox went their separate ways for the annual three-day All-Star break after suffering a 6-4 loss yesterday to the Rochester Red Wings.
A three-run uprising by Rochester in the eighth, fueled by Brian Buscher’s two-run double off reliever Craig Breslow, was the key inning.
“We’ll get three days to clear the mind,” said veteran infielder Joe McEwing, “clear the thoughts, and make some adjustments. We’ll get out in the second half, and go get ’em.”
Catcher George Kottaras, who helped Pawtucket erase a three-run deficit in the seventh, was in agreement.
“It will be good to take a step back and recoup,” said Kottaras, who will get to spend the break with his family in nearby Toronto. “Recoup mentally and physically. I can’t lose focus too much, but it will be good to do that.”
PawSox starter Devern Hansack made a premature getaway. He was ejected in the fifth inning complaining about a line-hugging double by Rochester’s Chris Heintz, which in his view should have been ruled foul.
Asked whether he had said the “magic word,” Hansack nodded in the affirmative.
Up until then, he had pitched well, allowing just four hits and a walk, while striking out five. He allowed two unearned runs, including one on a wild pitch in the third that put Rochester up, 2-0.
Meanwhile, PawSox hitters did little against Wings starter Nick Blackburn, who has been one of the stingiest hurlers in the International League. Blackburn, who had allowed just one earned run in a span of 52 innings, faced just two hitters over the minimum through six scoreless frames.
But the PawSox finally came alive in the seventh, erupting for three runs, to knot the score, 3-3.
Michael Tucker and Brandon Moss each singled off Blackburn to open the frame, before Tucker was doubled home by Bobby Scales.
Kottaras’ groundout and a sacrifice fly by Chad Spann accounted for the other two runs.
But the respite didn’t last long.
Rochester regained control in the eighth, when Barry Hertzler hit lead-off man Tommy Watkins.
Breslow, who is one of three PawSox headed to the Triple-A All-Star Game in Albuquerque, came in and got the next two outs, then allowed three straight hits, including Buscher’s big blow.
In the ninth, Spann doubled in Moss to cut the margin to two runs. But that was as close as it would get, as Wings’ closer Bobby Korecky picked up his 22nd save.
“We’re right on the verge,” said Ron Johnson, Pawtucket’s ever-optimistic skipper. “We have an opportunity to do some things.”
AROUND THE BASES: Besides Breslow, Moss and RHP Travis Hughes will be headed for Albuquerque. …After the game, RHP Chris Smith was reassigned to Double-A Portland. Smith, who is making the transition from starter to reliever, was 0-0, 1.80 in two appearances with Pawtucket. … The PawSox’ next action will be Thursday, when they’ll begin a four-day visit to Syracuse. It’s entirely possible that Boston’s top pitching prospect, right-handed starter Clay Buchholz, will be with the club. Buchholz is currently with Portland, where he’s gone 7-2 with a 1.76 ERA.

--DAN HICKLING

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 6:40 PM | Permalink

PawSox drop 4-1 decision to Charlotte

The Pawtucket Red Sox took the field tonight looking to rebound from their worst loss in nearly three years, but failed to get the redemption they were looking for, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Charlotte Knights at McCoy.

Facing 6-foot-10 lefty Andrew Sisco with two outs and a 1-and-2 count, catcher Kevin Cash hooked a ball around the right-field foul pole to put the PawSox on the board.

But Casey Rogowski cleared the right-field wall with an Abe Alvarez offering in the fifth to tie the game.

And that’s the way it would stay until the eighth inning, when Danny Richar smacked a two-run triple to right off of Pawtucket reliever Bryan Corey and then scored on Ryan Sweeney’s sacrifice fly to left to give Charlotte a lead it would not relinquish.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 8:58 PM | Permalink

PawSox add utility infielder Zach Borowiak to the roster

Utility infielder Zach Borowiak was transferred from Portland to Pawtucket today.

This marks the Triple-A debut for the 26-year-old, who hit .229 with two home runs and 21 RBI in 51 games for the Sea Dogs. He played 23 of those games at second, 21 games at third, 5 at first and 2 at short, committing just five errors.

Borowiak spent all of last season with Portland, batting .216 in 107 games.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 6:05 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Five errors send PawSox to 14-2 loss

Dropped fly balls, overthrows, a base running blunder and not nearly enough offense to make up for all of the mistakes.

There’s no way to sugarcoat this one, says Pawtucket Red Sox manager Ron Johnson: ``We were just bad today.’’

``The bottom line is today we didn’t catch it and we didn’t hit it, and we got what we probably deserved,’’ Johnson said following his team’s 14-2 loss to the Charlotte Knights before a McCoy Stadium crowd of 8,289. ``The only thing we can do is turn the page on that one. We had a little talk afterward . Everybody in that room knows how poorly we played today, so we’ll see if we can regroup (tonight).’’

Managing just four hits, while committing five errors that resulted in nine unearned runs, the PawSox suffered their worst defeat since dropping a 21-5 decision at Rochester on Aug. 30, 2004.

The errors represent the most the club has committed in a game in more than two years. Pawtucket also had five against Durham on June 23, 2005. The outcome was decidedly different than yesterday’s, however, as the PawSox won that game, 13-2.
No such luck this time.

The Knights got on the board in the first when a throwing error by right fielder Brandon Moss allowed Tomas Perez to score from second.

Wiki Gonzalez then banked the first pitch Mike Burns served up in the third inning off the Amica Insurance sign behind the left-field walkway.

Three errors by third baseman Chad Spann proved costly to the PawSox in the fifth inning. He began by overthrowing first base on an infield hit by Jason Bourgeois. Bourgeois, who went to second on the bad throw, then stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jerry Owens deep in foul territory behind third.

Perez ended up at second base when Spann misplayed the Knights shortstop’s grounder and then committed another overthrow. A two-out bloop single to right by former 2004 PawSox All-Star Earl Snyder drove in Perez to make it 4-0.

Loading the bases courtesy of a walk to Alex Prieto and singles by David Murphy and Bobby Scales, Pawtucket picked up two runs in the fifth when Knights right-hander Gavin Floyd issued run-scoring walks to Michael Tucker and Jeff Bailey. That’s all the PawSox would get out of that inning, though, as Moss struck out and a struggling George Kottaras flew out to left field.

Charlotte got one run back in the sixth when reliever Edgar Martinez gave up a two-out RBI single to Gonzalez that scored Casey Rogowski.

Then the floodgates opened in the seventh, as the Knights batted around the order – and then some - rallying for seven more runs, all but one of them unearned.

They picked up two more runs off of PawSox righty Barry Hertzler in the eighth.
Charlotte already had plenty of insurance by then, though.

Outhit 13-4, Pawtucket left nine men on base. In addition to not capitalizing more in the fifth, the PawSox failed to push anyone across when the club also had the bases loaded in the third.

``It was a lot of physical stuff today,’’ said Johnson, whose club falls to 35-45. ``We just couldn’t catch the ball today and we couldn’t hit it. It’s a different story if we get a bunch of runs and we’re firing the ball all over the place and (throwing) to the wrong base or we’re doing things at the wrong time. When you really break it down, we got four hits, we made five errors, they’re all physical. So turn the page, go enjoy your evening, try to forget it – if you can – and see you (tonight).’’

--CAROLYN THORNTON

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:00 PM | Permalink

PawSox fall to Charlotte; suffer worst defeat in nearly three years

Dropped fly balls, overthrows, baserunning blunders and not nearly enough offense to make up for all of the mental and physical miscues resulted in a 14-2 defeat to the Charlotte Knights for the Pawtucket Red Sox today at McCoy Stadium.

This is the PawSox' worst defeat since dropping a 21-5 decision at Rochester on Aug. 30, 2004.

Pawtucket, which managed just four hits, committed five costly errors. That's the most the club has committed in a game in more than two years. Pawtucket also had five against Durham on June 23, 2005. The outcome was decidedly different than yesterday’s, however, as the PawSox won that game, 13-2.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 4:15 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Tides blank PawSox

The Pawtucket Red Sox witnessed first hand last night why Garrett Olson is rated so highly by the Baltimore Orioles.

Olson, a 23-year old Californian, was a high pick in the 2005 draft who’s zoomed to Triple-A Norfolk in just his second full season of professional baseball. Last night at McCoy Stadium, the lefty starting pitcher struck out the first five PawSox he faced and went on to cruise to a 7-0 victory.

Olson allowed just two hits over seven innings and struck out 10 batters. His fastball cracked the low-90’s on the radar gun and his curveball and changeup kept the PawSox on their heels. Olson is rated by Baseball America as the Orioles’ sixth-best minor league prospect and the top lefty pitcher.

``He’s supposed to be our best pitching prospect and he’s doing a real good job,’’ said Norfolk manager Gary Allenson, a former PawSox catcher. ``He’s third in the league in strikeouts. He’s pitched. He’s getting the difference between a pitcher and a thrower.’’

Olson improved his record to 7-6 on the season with a 3.10 ERA. This was the second time he’s faced the PawSox this season. The first came on June 4 in Norfolk when the Sox managed two runs on five hits and squeaked out a 2-1 victory.

Olson said he was pleased with his control last night and benefited from the quick, five straight strikeout start.

``I just felt like I was able to put the ball where I wanted to,’’ he said. ``I went right after the hitters right away.’’

The win was the third in four games at McCoy for the Tides. The PawSox won on Thursday night but failed in an attempt to win two straight games for the first time since June 14. Pawtucket starter David Pauley (4-3) matched Olson for the first three and two-thirds innings with shutout pitching. J.R. House then rolled a grounder past Pauley that Bobby Scales miss-handled for an error. Pauley then hung a pitch that Mike Cervenak lifted to left field for a 2-run homer.

``A seeing-eye hit and then a home run, which can happen anytime in this ballpark,’’ said Allenson. ``That kind of got us going.’’

Pauley ran into major trouble in the fifth inning after allowing a walk, a single to center and them having a chopper by Luis Hernandez pop off his glove and nose for an error. With the bases loaded, Tike Redman singled in two runs, Elder Torres added an RBI single and House made it three hits in a row for another run and a 7-0 lead.

``You can’t take away the (Cervenak) home run but I was very pleased with Pauley,’’ said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. ``He pitched better than his line showed.’’

The PawSox’ Scales halted the game-opening strikeout streak with a grounder to third base to end the second inning but the home team didn’t manage a hit until David Murphy gapped a shot to left-center for a double in the fourth inning. Scales led off the fifth with a double but was stranded. Olson walked the first two PawSox in the eighth and that sent him to the showers in favor of Victor Moreno. He allowed just one hit in his two innings of work to close the game out.

--KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:38 PM | Permalink

PawSox end four-game skid with 11-5 win over Norfolk

Jacoby Ellsbury, David Murphy and Brandon Moss led a 15-hit attack with three hits apiece, as the Pawtucket Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with an 11-5 win over the Norfolk Tides tonight at McCoy Stadium.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 10:19 PM | Permalink

Three PawSox selected to I.L. All-Star team

Pawtucket Red Sox outfielder Brandon Moss has been elected as a starter on the 2007 International League All-Star Team while lefty reliever Craig Breslow and righty reliever Travis Hughes have been selected to the team as well. The 2007 Triple-A All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 11th at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico at 7:35 pm (EDT).

The International League All-Star team is selected by league managers & coaches (1/3), selected media representatives (1/3), and on-line fan balloting (1/3). The 2007 Triple-A Game marks the tenth straight year that All-Star teams from the International League and the Pacific Coast League will face each other (PCL leads, 5-4). The game will be played the night after the Major League All-Star Game and will be televised live on ESPN2 and broadcast live on the PawSox Radio Network (920 AM WHJJ the flagship) beginning at 7:30 pm.

Moss, 23, has made a large impact in his first season at the Triple-A level. He is currently hitting .297 while playing in all 75 PawSox games this season (most in RF) with team-highs of 13 HR (5th in the league) and 54 RBI (4th in the IL). He is also 2nd in the IL with 26 doubles, 2nd with 40 extra-base hits, and is 4th in the league with a .538 slugging pct. Moss, a Georgia native, was selected by Boston in the 8th round of the 2002 draft out of Loganville (GA) High School. Brandon was the MVP of the Eastern League Championship series last September when he led Portland (AA) to the title by hitting .361 with 5 HR & 10 RBI in 9 post-season games.

Breslow, 26, has been among the top relievers in the league for most of the season and heading into play on June 27 he was 1-1 with 1 SV and a 1.59 ERA in 25 relief appearances for the PawSox. In 39.2 innings he has allowed just 30 hits (opponents hitting .208 against him) with only 9 walks and 48 strikeouts (10.9 SO/9 IP). His ERA in home games is a mere 0.82 (2 ER in 22 IP at McCoy Stadium) and he has given up just 1 run total while working in either the 7th or 8th-innings of a game (1 run in 19.2 IP during those innings). Breslow, a native of Trumbull, CT, was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in February of 2006. He made his major league debut with San Diego in 2005 and had three different stints with the Boston Red Sox last season (going 0-2, 3.75 in 13 RA). A molecular biophysics and biochemistry major at Yale University (2002 graduate) was selected to the 2006 IL All-Star team but did not pitch in the All-Star game at Toledo because he was being promoted to Boston the next day (July 12).

Hughes, 29, has also been brilliant out of the PawSox bullpen this year going 4-3 with a 1.31 ERA along with a team-high 7 saves in 30 relief appearances. His line is 41.1 IP with just 25 hits allowed (opponents batting .179) with only 2 HRA and 35 strikeouts. He took over as PawSox closer at the end of May after posting a scoreless streak of 17 consecutive innings from May 9-28. Hughes, the former Washington National who made 22 relief appearances for the Nationals the last two seasons, was originally drafted by Texas in 1997 and pitched for the Rangers briefly in 2004. Last year he made 51 RA for the New Orleans Zephyrs of the PCL and posted a 2.32 ERA. He was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent last December.

Some other notable PawSox players who have appeared in the Triple-A All-Star Game since the event began in 1988 include: INF Tim Naehring (1990), 3B Scott Cooper & OF Phil Plantier (1991), Brian Rose (1997), Trot Nixon (1998), Tomo Ohka (2000), and RHP Bronson Arroyo (2003).

--PAWTUCKET RED SOX

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 4:31 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Bats outslug PawSox, 12-7

The PawSox bats were blazing Monday night, but it wasn't enough to top another group of Bats, as Louisville won 12-7, taking three of four from Pawtucket.

The PawSox stranded 10 as they dropped their seventh decision in nine games, falling to 33-41. Louisville improved to 40-37.

"Most of the time, with Jon Lester on the mound and seven runs and 15 hits on the board you are going to be in good shape," said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. "There were a lot of bloop hits here and groundballs through the infield there. You can't take away from what they did, but it just wasn't our night."

Louisville lefty Phil Dumatrait breezed through the first three innings, striking out four and holding a 5-1 lead. However, in the fourth he began to labor, falling behind batters and the PawSox touched him for a run.

In the fifth, Jeff Bailey came up with two in scoring position and plated two on a double down the third base line. Moss followed with his team-leading thirteenth homer to straightaway center field to put the PawSox in front, 6-5.

The PawSox lead was short-lived as the Bats followed Pawtucket's four-run inning with a four-spot of their own. Mike Edwards followed Jeff Bannon's third hit of the game with a bloop single to right, putting runners on the corners with one out. Chris Dickerson lined a shot to center, driving home Bannon and ending lefty Jon Lester's night.

Bryan Corey came on for the PawSox and forced a groundball to second, but Ed Rogers couldn't handle it, loading the bases with one out. Ryan Freel, in his second game of a rehab assignment, lined a double to right center to push the Bats back in front, 8-6. Ryan Jorgensen scored on a groundout by Pedro Lopez, giving the Bats a three-run advantage after five.

Lester allowed eight runs, all earned, on nine hits in four and a third innings, falling to 1-4.

In the sixth, Bobby Scales came to the plate already 3-for-3 on the game, with runners on first and third. The switch-hitting slugger lifted a fly ball to center, scoring Prieto from third to cut the Bats lead to 9-7.

The Bats answered right back in the sixth, as Mike Edwards drove home Mark Bellhorn from second with a single to make it 10-7. Bellhorn reached on a walk.

The PawSox put one on in the seventh, but Jared Burton fanned Kevin Cash to end the inning. Bannon drove home two more in the seventh with a bases loaded single, giving him six RBI's on the night. That tied a career-high for the Bats right-fielder, last achieved May 28, 2004, and he also tied a career-high with four hits.

Pawtucket threatened in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs for Moss, but the right fielder grounded out to first to end the inning.

The PawSox put one in the ninth before Bats righty Julio Manon closed out the Louisville win on a pop up to second.

Johnson said despite the loss, he was proud of the way his team battled. "We got down by a few early, but we fought back to pull ahead," he said. "Then they jumped back in front and we battled back, but it just wasn't enough. We knew this was going to be a tough road trip with Indy and Louisville and we will just try and go home and get better."

Jason Kershner earned the win for Louisville, working two-thirds of an inning in the fifth and improving to 5-3 on the year.

Scales led Pawtucket offensively, going 4-for-4 with three doubles, two runs and an RBI. Shortstop Alex Prieto went 2-4 with two runs and Jacoby Ellsbury, Joe McEwing and Rogers all had two hits.

The Bats drew first blood in the bottom half of the first. With one out, Pedro Lopez lined a double into the right-center field gap. Lester sandwiched a strikeout between two walks to load the bases with two outs. Bannon followed with a bases clearing double over the left fielder's head to give the Bats an early 3-0 lead.

Lester continued to battle control problems in the second, walking Bats center fielder Chris Dickerson on four pitches to start the inning and going 3-0 on the next batter before inducing a pop out. A two-out walk put two on base, but Lester retired Jesse Gutierrez on a pop out to escape the inning unscathed.

The PawSox first run came in the third; beginning when PawSox shortstop Alex Prieto hit a high drive to left field that nearly left the yard. The blast ricocheted off the top of the padding and the base of a foot and a half high auxiliary wall, allowing Prieto to come into third base with a stand up triple. The shortstop scored on Ellsbury's groundout. The Bats struck back quickly.

Three straight hits, the last by Jeff Bannon, drove home a run, giving Bannon his fourth RBI of the game. A fielder's choice groundout by Mike Edwards extended the Bats lead to 5-1. PawSox right fielder Brandon Moss made a diving catch in right to help Lester get out of the inning with no further damage.

--Garrett E. Wishall (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:47 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Five-run first lifts Bats past PawSox

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 | Permalink

Game Story: Hansack dominant in PawSox 4-1 victory

LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The Pawtucket Red Sox did not get an offensive
explosion Saturday night, but right-hander Devern Hansack's performance ensured
that they didn't need one.

Hansack (3-6) retired the first 21 batters he faced and took a
perfect game into the eighth inning to help Pawtucket to a 4-1 win over
Louisville in the second of a four-game series at Slugger Field.

Hansack lost the perfect game in the eighth, but threw eight commanding innings,
allowing three hits and one run while striking out seven. He left after the game
was delayed by rain in the top of the ninth.

"I felt good tonight and was able to throw all my pitches for
strikes," Hansack said. "The best part for me was not throwing many pitches.
They kept hitting the ball in the air and on the ground and my teammates played
good defense.

"I really don't care if I get strikeouts when the other team is hitting the
first or second pitch right at one of my teammates."

The PawSox got nine hits, which was enough support for Hansack.

After being shut out 7-0 and limited to four hits in the series
opener Friday, it didn't take the PawSox long to put a run on the board. With
one out in the first, Joe McEwing homered to left off Elizardo Ramirez to give
Pawtucket a 1-0 lead.

The PawSox added another run in the second when the slumping Jeff Bailey singled
to left, stole second and later came home on a groundout by Bryan Pritz, who was
called up from Portland Friday.

Louisville left fielder Joey Votto prevented a Pawtucket run in the third. With
two out and McEwing on first base after reaching on a fielder's choice, Bobby
Scales lined a ball into the gap in left-center. Votto made a diving catch to
prevent the ball from going to the wall.

Hansack breezed through the Bats' lineup over the first seven innings, retiring
the first 21 batters. He got ahead in the count to every batter but three.
Anderson Machado was the only batter able to push Hansack to three-ball count.
Hansack went to 3-2 on Machado with one out in the seventh, but struck him out
with a fastball.

Through the first six innings, Hansack threw only 54 pitches, including six each
in the fourth and sixth. The only hard hit ball off Hansack until the eighth was
a liner by Aaron Herr in the second which McEwing caught at third base.

Leading off the eighth, Aaron Herr broke up both the perfect game and the
no-hitter with one swing. Behind in the count 1-2, Herr lashed a line drive over
the head of right fielder Brandon Moss for a double. A rattled Hansack then
balked Herr to third. Hansack struck out Mark Bellhorn, but Jesse Gutierrez
plated Herr with a groundout to third, ending the shutout and cutting the PawSox
lead to 2-1.

Mike Edwards and Chris Dickerson followed with singles, but Hansack struck out
Ryan Jorgenson to strand the tying and go-ahead runs. Rain arrived after the
final out of the eighth, triggering a 70-minute delay.

When the game resumed Travis Hughes relieved Hansack. Hughes allowed two
baserunners with one out but retired Herr and Bellhorn to notch the save.
Hansack threw 85 pitches, including 64 strikes.

Pawtucket batters didn't exactly tattoo Louisville Ramirez (0-1), reaching the
right-hander for only four hits in his 62/3 innings. Ramirez retired eight of
the final nine batters he faced and exited in the seventh in favor of Gary
Majewski, who was optioned to Louisville by the Reds earlier this month.

The rain apparently stirred Pawtucket's bats. After getting only two hits in
innings 5-8, the PawSox reached reliever Kirk Saarloos for three hits and two
runs in the ninth, both scoring on a single by Moss. Jeff Bailey and Michael
Tucker led Pawtucket with two hits each.

--JEFF ROBINSON (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:06 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Road woes continue for PawSox

LOUISVILLE—The road continues to be an unkind place for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

The PawSox lost for the fourth time in five games on the current road trip, managing just four hits off Bobby Livingston in a 7-0 loss to Louisville in the first of a four-game series Friday night at Slugger Field. Livingston (3-4) pitched a complete game, striking out four and getting 18 ground ball outs for his third straight win.

The PawSox won at Indianapolis Thursday after dropping the first three games of that series, but they were unable to build any momentum against the Bats.

“Livingston did a fantastic job,” PawSox manager Ron Johnson said. “He totally shut down our offense. We didn’t do anything at all except for a couple of hits in the last inning. You have to just tip your hat to a guy when he pitches that well.”

PawSox starter Abe Alvarez presented a stark contrast to Livingston. Though he struck out a season-high eight batters, Alvarez struggled from the beginning, falling behind in the count to six of seven batters in the first inning.

Trouble began immediately for the lefty.

Jeff Keppinger, the International League’s leading hitter with a .372 average, doubled off the left field wall on the game’s first pitch. Pedro Lopez followed with a bunt single and Jesse Gutierrez walked to load the bases with one out. Mark Bellhorn then grounded a 2-0 pitch into left field plating two runs to put Louisville up 2-0.

The Bats scored a third run off Alvarez in the fourth when Jeff Bannon led off with a double and scored on a one-out sacrifice fly by Dan Conway.

Things could have been worse for Alvarez (4-6); while he surrendered nine hits and five earned runs, Alvarez struck out batters in key spots, escaping jams in the third and fifth with inning-ending punch outs.

Alvarez exited in the sixth inning after Mike Edwards singled and Chris Dickerson walked to open the inning. Both runners scored against reliever Mike Burns to make it 5-0. Alvarez labored, throwing 97 pitches, including 62 strikes.

“I didn’t think Abe pitched all that poorly,” Johnson said. “They got a couple of pretty well-placed ground balls, including that one by Bellhorn in the first and they tacked on some runs late.”

Meanwhile, Livingston silenced Pawtucket. The PawSox’s only hit through the first five innings was a second inning double by Brandon Moss with one-out. Livingston then retired 13 straight batters, with Jacob Ellsbury reaching on a bunt single with two out in the sixth. Livingston, who has two Major League starts and one win this season for Cincinnati, did not walk a batter for a third consecutive start. He has walked only 12 batters in 83.1 innings. In contrast to Alvarez, he threw an economical 104 pitches with 72 strikes.

Louisville, which had averaged two runs and eight hits on a just-completed eight-game road trip, got well against Pawtucket pitching, getting 13 hits, including two each from Keppinger, Lopez, Gutierrez and Joey Votto. Edwards led all batters, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI.

In his first at-bat with Pawtucket, Bryan Pritz, who was called up from Portland Friday, singled off Livingston to begin the ninth, but was erased two pitches later when Joe McEwing grounded into a double play. Pritz replaced David Murphy who was recalled this week by the Red Sox. Pritz’s single was Pawtucket’s third hit. Bobby Scales singled with two out in the ninth for the fourth.

Slugger Field has never exactly been the friendly confines for Pawtucket; the PawSox are to 9-20 at the ballpark since it opened in 2000.

--JEFF ROBINSON (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:07 PM | Permalink

Game Story: PawSox snap four-game losing streak

INDIANAPOLIS – An eight-run fifth inning and six solid innings from left-hander Kason Gabbard snapped a four-game Pawtucket losing streak as the visiting PawSox defeated Indianapolis 9-4 Thursday night.

“We were due!” exclaimed manager Ron Johnson, whose PawSox had lost three in a row to Indianapolis following Sunday's loss in Richmond. “I was over there (in the coach's box at third base) taking it all in. It was like a big old hot fudge sundae. The kid (Jacoby Ellsbury) came up with a big line drive to drive in two runs. It was a nicely played game for us.”

The Indians, who lead the International League West Division and had taken six of seven from Pawtucket prior to Thursday's contest. “Any time you can get one from these guys – I was pleased,” Johnson added.

The Indians (43-29) scratched out a pair of runs off PawSox starter Kason Gabbard in the third. Luis Ordaz led of with a walk and moved to third base on Michael Ryan's single. Carlos Maldonado followed with a base hit to center that plated Ordaz. Matt Kata, the next batter, went down swinging. But the third strike bounced in the dirt for a wild pitch and Ryan raced home to give Indianapolis a 2-0 advantage.

The PawSox (32-38) battered Indians starter Shane Youman (3-6) in the fifth. Bobby Scales started things with a walk and and took second on George Kottaras's base hit. One out later, Ed Rogers doubled to score Scales. When Ellsbury followed with a single to center, both runs scored. Joe McEwing followed with a sinking liner to left. Ryan raced in, but couldn't make the catch as Ellsbury scored and McEwing chugged into third with a triple. David Murphy singled through a drawn-in infield, sending McEwing home to make it 5-2.

After Jeff Bailey popped up for the second out, Murphy scored when Brandon Moss rapped a double off the left field wall. Scales, batting for a second time in the inning, followed with a single to left that scored Moss. Scales took second on the throw home, and Juan Perez relieved Youman. Scales moved to third on Youman's wild pitch and Kottaras walked to put runners at the corners. Perez walked Chad Spann and, when ball four was in the dirt for a wild pitch, Scales ran home to make it 8-2.

The PawSox added another run in the sixth. Ellsbury opened with a walk and took third on McEwing's line single to right center. Murphy forced McEwing at second, with Ellsbury coming home on the play as the PawSox went up 9-2.

Gabbard (7-2) recovered after the rocky third inning, striking out six and doling out five hits along with a pair of walks in six innings of work. Craig Hansen relieved Gabbard in the seventh and gave up solo homers to Ryan and Matt Kata as the Indians closed the gap to 9-4.

Bryan Corey took over for Hansen in the eighth and retired the first two men he first. After Ordaz singles, Craig Breslow entered the game. Breslow struck out Ryan to end the inning and blanked the Indians in the ninth to close out the contest.

Notes: During the contest, rumors began swirling that either David Murphy or Brandon Moss would leave the PawSox to join Boston in San Diego. With Curt Schilling going on the 15-day disables lost earlier this week, the parent club has an open roster spot.

Murphy and Moss were in the PawSox starting lineup Thursday and both played the entire contest. And after the game, they were in the dressing room, preparing for the trip to Louisville, where Pawtucket opens a four game series Friday night.

“I haven't gotten confirmation yet and it probably won't come 'til tomorrow,” said Johnson, “so I really can't get into who it is. I'm probably going to get some calls on the way to Louisville tonight. Obviously, we're not going to leave somebody here. I don't know exactly what's gonna happen. I know there's probably gonna be a move. They (the Red Sox) are not going to play a man short.”

--PETE CAVA

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:27 PM | Permalink

PawSox drop fourth in a row, lose to Indians 6-3

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Indians scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday afternoon, breaking open a tie game en route to a 6-3 win over the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox.

The loss to Indianapolis was the third in a row for Pawtucket (31-38). Including Sunday’s loss in Richmond, the PawSox have now dropped four straight. The Indians (43-28), who lead the International League West and boast the best record at the Triple-A level, have won nine of their last ten home games.

“I can’t say it enough, we say it every night,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said, “but 3-3 in the the eighth inning – imagine that! - the same type situation (as the two previous contests). What I’m really impressed by, with this ballclub that we’re playing, is that when they get people at the corners, they find a way to get them in. That’s the difference right now between the three games – they’re all as close as they can be. But they’ve done a tremendous job and I salute them.”

Jon Lester started for the PawSox and fell behind 1-0 in the bottom of the third when Michael Ryan rocked an 89mph fastball over the right field wall. Ryan’s shot, his third of the year, landed just the other side of the foul pole.

Bobby Scales opened the fourth for Pawtucket with a drive to left center that fell for a triple. When Jeff Bailey followed with a grounder to short, Scales raced home to even the score.

Ryan tormented Lester again in fifth with a leadoff triple that sent Jacoby Ellsbury crashing into the center field fence. Lester walked the next batter, Einar Diaz, and Luis Matos singled through short to give the Indians the lead. Brian Bixler followed with a base on balls to fill the sacks. Yurendell de Caster grounded to Alex Prieto, who started a short-to-second-to-first double play, with Diaz coming home from third to make it 3-1.

In the sixth inning Edgar Martinez replaced Lester, who threw 92 pitches, 47 for strikes, and gave up five hits and four walks to go with three strikeouts. While Lester struggled, Indianapolis starter Michael Tejera limited the PawSox to three hits through six and one-third innings. The tricky left-hander, changing arm angles like an overworked housepainter, struck out four and walked two before giving way to Josh Sharpless in the seventh.

Sharpless entered the game with one out and Bailey, who drew one of the walks off Tejera, on first base. After Bailey moved up on a wild pitch, Cash drew a base on balls and Michael Tucker bounced back to Sharpless to put runners at second and third with two out. Chad Spann then slammed an 0-2 delivery into left that scored both runners and tied the game at 3-all.

Bryan Corey started the eighth for Pawtucket and loaded the bases, sandwiching walks to Bixler and Brad Eldred around de Caster’s base hit. Bixler raced home on an infield out by Jose Hernandez, and the Indians took a 5-3 lead when Humberto Cota followed with a single to center. Luis Ordaz then squeezed home Eldred from third to make it 6-3.

Corey slapped a hard tag on Ordaz, and harsh words ensued. Both benches emptied, with Ordaz and Johnson, the PawSox skipper, engaging in a heated exchange. Ryan, who went 3-for-4, followed with a single that sent Cota to third before Corey managed to get the final out.

Brian Rogers started the ninth for Indianapolis, but gave way to Franquelis Osoria after issuing back-to-back walks to Michael Tucker and Spann. The next batter, George Kotteras, slashed a line drive toward the right field line. But Eldred, the 6-foot-5 Indianapolis first baseman, speared the ball and doubled Spann off first. Franquelis Osoria, who got the win Tuesday with two scoreless innings, ended the three-hour contest by getting Ellsbury on a grounder to second.

Bryan Corey (2-4) took the loss while Mark Corey (1-0) got the win. Osoria earned his sixth save.

Lester, the blue-chip left-hander who went 7-2 for Boston last year before undergoing treatment for lymphoma, described his performance as “Not good. It was a battle through the whole thing,” he added. “Mechanically, it just didn’t feel right. When I did make an adjustment, I couldn’t repeat it.”

Johnson’s take on Lester was more philosophical. “I thought Jon did a pretty good job,” said the manager. “His pitch count went a little high. He had a couple of 25-pitch innings. But he was in the mid-90s after five innings. I was really pleased with him. He’s not, because John’s not gonna be pleased unless he goes out and throws eight or nine innings and walks away with a ’W’.”

Notes: Scales, the versatile switch-hitter, went 6-for-15 against Indianapolis last month at McCoy Stadium and is 5-for-13 so far in this series. During the first three games here, he’s seen action in left field and at second base.

Thursday night the PawSox face the Indians for the final time this season. Kason Gabbard (6-2) is Pawtucket’s likely starter versus Shane Youman (3-5).

--PETE CAVA, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 7:56 PM | Permalink

PawSox drop third straight, 4-3 to Indianapolis in 10 innings

INDIANAPOLIS -- Backup catcher Einar Diaz singled home Brad Eldred from second with two out in the bottom of the tenth to give the Indianapolis Indians a 4-3 win over the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox.

Diaz, who entered the game in the sixth inning, slapped reliever Travis Hughes' second pitch into left field to end the three-hour, 20 minute contest.

Once again, the PawSox fizzled with runners on base. Pawtucket batters left 15 runners stranded, at least one in each inning. The PawSox (31-37) have now lost three in a row, including two straight to the I.L. West-leading Indians (42-28).

Pawtucket scored a run in the first inning off Indians starter Marty McLeary. Leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury singled, stole second, moved to third on an infield out and came home on a double by David Murphy. Eldred evened things in the bottom of the second with a 410-foot solo shot to center off PawSox starter David Pauley.

Indianapolis took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Luis Ordaz opened the inning with a single and went to second on Matt Kata's base hit. Yurendell de Caster's single scored Ordaz and one out later, Pauley walked Russ Johnson to load the bases. The threat ended when Humberta Cota hit into a force at second.

The PawSox tied the score in the fourth when Bobby Scales singled to center and scored on a double by George Kottaras. The Indians went up 3-2 in the bottom of the inning. Michael Ryan walked and moved to second on a fielder's choice, then scored on Brian Bixler's single.

Mike Burns took over for Pauley in the fifth inning and blanked the Indians through the eighth. Meanwhile Jesse Chavez, who relieved McLeary, stifled the PawSox until the bottom of the eighth. Jeff Bailey led off the inning with a double and moved to second on a bunt single by Scales. Bailey breezed home to make it 3-all when Kottaras flew to right.

The PawSox squandered a couple of opportunities against Franquelis Osoria, the third Indians pitcher. In the ninth they left runners on first and second and in the tenth, they failed to score after loading the bases with less than two out. Scales led off the tenth with a hit and Kottaras followed with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt by Ed Rogers, Osoria intentionally walked Ellsbury. But the next two batters, Joe McEwing and Murphy, flied out to douse the rally.

Craig Breslow (1-1) entered the game in the eighth and pitched two scoreless innings. With one out in the tenth, Rogers' throwing error from short put Eldred on base. Russ Johnson flied out, and Hughes relieved Breslow. Diaz's single came on a 1-0 inside fastball.

Notes: With no replacement for right-hander Manny Delcarmen, promoted Sunday to Boston, the PawSox remain short a man.

Jon Lester (1-3) starts for Pawtucket Wednesday afternoon against Michael Tejera (3-1). Thursday night it'll be Kason Gabbard (6-2) versus Shane Youman (3-5) for Indianapolis. Youman was named I.L. Pitcher of the Week for June 11-17, when he went 2-0 with an 0.59 earned run average in two starts.

The current road trip continues with four games at Louisville, starting Friday.

--PETE CAVA, Special to the Providence Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:42 PM | Permalink

Walk-off Walk Dooms PawSox

INDIANAPOLIS – Pawtucket opened an eight-game road trip Monday night with a 4-3 loss to the host Indianapolis Indians on a walk-off walk.

Reliever Travis Hughes issued a one-out, bases loaded base on balls to Carlos Maldonado that decided the three-hour contest. The loss negated another excellent start by Nicaraguan right-hander Devern Hansack.

The International West Division-leading Indians (41-28) wasted no time in taking a 1-0 lead. Brian Bixler drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the first and came around to score on a double to the gap in right-center by Yurendell de Caster.

The PawSox (31-36) answered with a pair of runs in the second. With one out, Brandon Moss doubled to center. The next batter, Jeff Bailey, hammered the first pitch he saw from Indianapolis starter Sean Burnett over the left field wall.

Matt Kata tied the game at 2-all with two out in the third, drilling a 92mph Hansack fastball over the wall in right for a solo homer.

Josh Sharpless replaced Burnett in the fourth. The right-hander promptly loaded the bases on a double to Moss and walks to Bailey and Michael Tucker. He got out of the fix by striking out Ed Rogers and Chad Spann and retiring Jacoby Ellsbury on a pop fly to third.

Sharpless dodged another bullet in the sixth. With one out, Bailey reached first on a throwing error and took third when Tucker singled off de Caster's glove at first. Rogers tried to squeeze the run home, but de Caster's scoop-and-throw to Maldonado nailed Bailey at home plate. The threat ended when Spann bounced out to second.

Hansack worked his way out of a jam in the bottom of the frame, getting Brad Eldred on an inning-ending pop fly with a runner on third.

In the seventh, Pawtucket went up 3-2. Ellsbury started the inning with base on balls off Mark Corey, the fourth Indianapolis pitcher of the night. Ellsbury promptly took off for second and, with no one covering, Maldonado's throw from home hit the base. As the ball rolled toward the outfield grass, Ellsbury scooted to third. One out later, David Murphy walked and stole second. After striking out Kevin Cash, Corey gave way to Juan Perez. Moss greeted Perez with a base hit up the middle that plated Ellsbury with the go-ahead run.

Hansack turned in his fourth consecutive quality start. Over six innings he struck out six batters, scattering four hits and a walk. Craig Hansen came on in the relief in the seventh and surrendered a game-tying run. Luis Matos stroked a one-out single and took third on a throwing error. Matos went to third on an infield out and scampered home on Hansen's wild pitch to make it 3-3.

After Bryan Corey pitched a scoreless eighth, Hughes started the ninth inning with a walk to Jose Hernandez. One out later, Michael Ryan's line single to right sent Chris Aguila, running for Hernandez, to third. Hughes intentionally walked Luis Ordaz to load the bases, then threw four straight balls to Maldonado to end the game.

Hughes (4-3) suffered the loss while Perez (1-1) earned the victory with two and one-third scoreless frames.

NOTES: No replacement yet for right-hander Manny Delcarmen, who was recalled Sunday by Boston. “We're a man short right now,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “We'll just have to see how it goes.”

Pitching matchups for the rest of the series are David Pauley (4-1) for the Sox against Marty McLeary (4-2) on Tuesday; Jon Lester (1-3) versus Michael Tejera (3-1) for the Indians on Wednesday, and Kason Gabbard (6-2) for Pawtucket against Shane Youman (3-5) Thursday. Wednesday's game is an afternoon contest. The current road trip continues with four games at Louisville, starting Friday.

--PETE CAVA, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:19 PM | Permalink

PawSox fall to Richmond, 3-1

After hitting two walk-off homers in one week, George Kottaras found himself at the plate with runners on first and second and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but was unable to deliver this time, as the Pawtucket Red Sox fell to the Richmond Braves, 3-1, today at McCoy stadium.

Abe Alvarez took the loss, dropping to 4-5 after giving up three hits and one earned run with four strikeouts and four walks over 6 2/3 innings.

Over the course of a week and a half, the Pawtucket Red Sox took three out of four games from Richmond down in Virginia, and then split a four-game series with the Braves here at McCoy.

That’s five out of eight against the top team in the Southern Division and a pitching staff that boasts the best ERA in the entire International League.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 3:37 PM | Permalink

Game Story: PawSox win on Kottaras's homer in ninth

PAWTUCKET – It was George Kottaras to the rescue once again last night for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Five days after hitting the club’s first walk-off home run of the season – that one a three-run bomb over the Hood sign in right field that gave his team a 6-5 victory over Ottawa – the 24-year-old catcher delivered again yesterday and in the same fashion, blasting a first-pitch fastball over that same sign to give the PawSox a 4-3 decision over the Richmond Braves before a McCoy Stadium crowd of 9,534.

With his late-inning heroics, Kottaras helped Bryan Corey pick up his second victory, after helping the right-hander earn his first win last Monday.

``I’ve been feeling good,’’ said Kottaras, who has now hit safely in six out of his last eight games. ``I’ve been working with the hitting guys, making small adjustments here and there, and things are just coming together. It’s a good feeling.’’

The PawSox got off to a good start, doing more damage in the first inning of last night’s game than they did in nine innings combined against Richmond on Friday, when Pawtucket managed just two hits and suffered a 3-0 loss.

The PawSox kept Braves right fielder Larry Bigbie plenty busy in the opening frame, beginning with back-to-back doubles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Joe McEwing.

Michael Tucker followed a David Murphy single to right with another double to that side of the field, plating McEwing who had driven in Ellsbury with his hit.

Tucker later scored on an Ed Rogers’ infield single to make it 3-0.

But Richmond got one run back in the third, sixth and seventh innings to tie the score.

Martin Prado, who previously went first to third on Brayan Pena’s single to right, put the Braves on the board in the third, scoring on Graham Koonce’s double-play ball.

PawSox starter Kason Gabbard then gave up an RBI single to Bigbie in the sixth before being relieved by Craig Hansen in the seventh.

Hansen – who had posted a 10.39 ERA in his five previous outings after pitching eight scoreless innings in the six outings before that – surrendered a two-out RBI single to Pena in that inning.

``We got some runs early and then we just died,’’ said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. ``I mean, it’s hard to say died when you’re playing a club like this. They’ve got some really good guys and they came in after the first inning and that was it. We even tried some things to try to create some stuff that didn’t work, and they kept scratching back in it. And it makes it very uncomfortable with a ballclub like this because you know how good they are, and if you let them stick around, the next thing you know it’s a tie game.’’

But then Kottaras delivered in the bottom of the ninth. After Corey pitched his second scoreless inning for Pawtucket, Kottaras stepped to the plate and drove the first Jeff Bennett offering out of the park.

``I was just trying to do the same thing’’ as last Monday night, he said. ``Just go up there and have a good at-bat and put the ball in play hard somewhere, and that’s what happened.’’

-- CAROLYN THORNTON

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 9:40 PM | Permalink

FINAL: Walk-off homer by Kottaras gives PawSox 4-3 win over Richmond

George Kottaras belted his second walk-off homer of the week, giving the PawSox a 4-3 win over the Richmond Braves at McCoy.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 8:48 PM | Permalink

Lester allows only two runs, PawSox lose 3-0.

PAWTUCKET – Being the competitor that he is, Jon Lester doesn’t consider anything short of a win to be acceptable.

``We had the loss, so that’s the main thing,’’ the 23-year-old southpaw said following the Pawtucket Red Sox’ 3-0 setback to the Richmond Braves last night at McCoy Stadium which snapped their four-game winning streak. ``I’m not out there to pitch seven innings, give up two runs and not get the ‘W.’ So if we win, then that’s a good start. If we don’t, then it’s not.’’

With that said, Lester says he did come off the mound last night feeling considerably better about his eighth rehab start for the PawSox than he did following his previous outing last Saturday against Ottawa when he lasted just 2-2/3 innings after giving up three runs on five hits.

In comparison, he went seven innings last night against the Southern Division-leading Braves, scattering eight hits and giving up two earned runs.

``Command-wise, it was better and stuff-wise it wasn’t any different,’’ said Lester, who threw 61 of his 93 pitches for strikes, recording three strikeouts and two walks. ``I think I had better stuff the other night, but I’m just I glad threw seven and yeah, it was a better night.’’

PawSox manager Ron Johnson was far less critical of Lester’s performance.

``I thought it was pretty good,’’ he said. ``I mean, seven innings, two runs. We’ll take that every time he takes the ball. That’s a good start. Jon gave us more than ample opportunity to win the ballgame. I’m just really pleased to see the way he rebounded from his last start. I know he probably felt we shut him down in the last one – he went 2-2/3 – and to see him come back seven innings against the team with the best record in the league, or real close to it, I thought was very impressive.’’

With no restrictions placed upon him other than a maximum pitch count of 100, Lester retired three out of four batters in each of the first two innings before giving up two runs in the third.

Braves third baseman Wes Timmons led off with a single up the middle, moved to second on a sac bunt by Gregor Blanco, then scored from second on Martin Prado’s single to left.

Brayan Pena singled to right, advancing Prado to third. Prado then scored on Graham Koonce’s sac fly to right, although he was nearly thrown out at the plate by PawSox rightfielder David Murphy.

Relieving Lester in the eighth, Mike Burns then gave up an RBI single to Koonce for Richmond’s only other run.

But Pawtucket was unable to get anything going at the plate against the Braves’ pitching staff, which boasts a league-best 3.25 ERA. Ryan Basner was credited with the win, improving to 2-2, while Manny Acosta earned his eighth save.

``You’ve got to tip your hat to their guys,’’ Johnson said of Richmond, which leads the International League South with a 38-27 record. ``They stymied us today. They put it to us . . . and we didn’t even really threaten. We went down (to Richmond last week) and got 3 out of 4 and we won the first one here, but you know what, you know you’re playing a very good ball club. There are reasons why they have that record. You could see it today. And there’s reasons why that pitching staff over there from a numbers standpoint is the top-ranked in the league, so you’re going to have days like that against them. We lost the ballgame, 3-0; we got two hits; they shut us down today offensively. We’ll sleep well and go out (tonight) and see what happens. But I was really pleased with Jon.’’

CAROLYN THORNTON

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:38 PM | Permalink

Richmond ends PawSox' four-game streak

Managing just two hits on the night, the PawSox failed to extend their four-game winning streak, falling to the Richmond Braves, 3-0, before a McCoy Stadium crowd of 9,126.

The Braves picked up two runs in the third off starter Jon Lester, who gave up eight hits over his seven-inning stint.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 9:33 PM | Permalink

Mike Burns relieves Lester in the eighth

Mike Burns has relieved Jon Lester in the eighth.

Lester gave up eight hits and two runs, both of them earned, over his seven-inning stint. He recorded three strikeouts and two walks, throwing 61 of his 93 pitches for strikes.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 9:02 PM | Permalink

Still no one up in the bullpen after Lester's scoreless seven

There is still no one warming up in the bullpen after Jon Lester pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Richmond failed to add to its 2-0 lead, thanks in part to a sharp defensive play by Pawtucket shortstop Ed Rogers.

Brent Lillibridge, who had led off the inning with a double and then stole third, broke for home on Wes Timmons’ hard grounder to short. Without hesitation, Rogers fielded the ball and fired it home to catcher George Kottaras. After a brief rundown, Lillibridge was tagged out by Lester.

Then with Gregor Blanco at the plate, Timmons, who made it to second on the previous play, tried to steal third on Lester as Lillibridge had. But this time, Lester picked him off.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 8:51 PM | Permalink

Lester retires 3 out of 4 in sixth

Lester is up to 75 pitches through six innings.

He needed eight pitches to strike out Pena, but only one to get Koonce to fly out to center field.

Mendez took the first pitch Lester offered him down the right-field line for a double.

But Lester got Clark to fly out to center field on a 2-and-2 pitch for the third out.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 8:20 PM | Permalink

Lester after five

Lester wasn’t quite as efficient in the fifth: 15 pitches, 6 for strikes.

He threw four straight balls to leadoff hitter Corky Miller, then worked a full count against Timmons before striking him out swinging.

Prado then hit a shallow fly ball to right that was caught by McEwing.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 8:11 PM | Permalink

7-for-7 in the fourth for Lester

It was a quick fourth-inning stint for Lester, as he threw seven pitches, all of them for strikes.

After Mendez flew out to left for the first out, Clark singled to center field. But Lillibridge hit into a 5-4-3 double play.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 7:53 PM | Permalink

Richmond takes 2-0 lead in the third against Lester

Richmond has taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the third against Lester, who has thrown 29 pitches, 24 of them for strikes.

Wes Timmons led off with a single up the middle, moved to second on a sac bunt by Blanco, then scored from second on Prado’s single to left.

Pena singled to right, advancing Prado to third. Prado then scored on Koonce’s sac fly to right, although he was nearly thrown out at the plate by PawSox rightfielder David Murphy.

Pena got caught in a rundown between first and second and was tagged out to end the inning.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 7:51 PM | Permalink

27 pitches and counting for Lester

Lester just faced four batters in the second inning, throwing 12 pitches.

After Carlos Mendez grounded out to short on the first pitch he saw, Doug Clark beat out a grounder to second.

Brent Lillibridge flew out to right for the second out.

Lester then got Corky Miller to hit a foul popup near the Richmond dugout, which first baseman Jeff Bailey caught for out No. 3.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 7:34 PM | Permalink

Lester making eighth start for Pawtucket tonight

Hello from Pawtucket, where the PawSox are hosting the Richmond Braves tonight.
Jon Lester is on the mound, making his eighth start for Pawtucket.

Manager Ron Johnson said prior to the game that the southpaw has no real restrictions except that Johnson plans to keep him ``right around that 100-pitch range.’’

Lester threw 15 pitches in the first inning. He got leadoff hitter Gregor Blanco to ground out to short and Martin Prado to hit a foul popup behind first that was caught by PawSox second baseman Joe McEwing.

Lester than gave up an infield hit to Brayan Pena, but got Graham Koonce to fly out to right to end the inning.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 7:22 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Pauley sharp in PawSox 4-2 win

PAWTUCKET -- PawSox starting pitcher David Pauley showed more of his burgeoning mound maturity last night, allowing just three hits and one run over six innings as Pawtucket claimed its fourth straight win, by taking the series opener against Richmond, 4-2.

Pauley, who turns 24 on Sunday, had his best off-speed stuff of the season, particularly on his breaking ball, which had been failing him for much of the year. He also showed calm under pressure -- something he said is new this year -- getting out of a jam in the sixth by taking a step back.

"I’ve just been keeping the game at my pace," Pauley said when asked of his recent success. He is now 4-0 with a 3.08 ERA over his last six starts, allowing just 12 earned runs over 35 1/3 innings. "When I have a situation with runners on, I take a step back (off the mound) and slow things down."

After giving up just one hit over the first five innings, Pauley allowed singles to centerfielder Gregor Blanco and second baseman Martin Prado to start the sixth. Though Blanco would score on consecutive groundouts, by Brayan Pena and Graham Koonce, the 6-foot-2 righthander finished off his night by striking out leftfielder Doug Clark.

"His breaking ball had depth and spin; it’s the best he’s had for us this year," manager Ron Johnson said.

"Definitely," Pauley agreed. "It’s something that’s not been there for me at all this season. It was nice for me to use it for strikes, and to use it for strikouts, too."

Pauley went from Portland to Boston last year, making his major league debut on May 31 against Toronto when David Wells left the rotation with a knee injury. He went 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA in three starts with the Red Sox before spending the rest of the season with Pawtucket. Though he’s gotten a taste of the bigs, Pauley is still learning his craft, and the mental aspect has been a big part of his development this season.
"Things are going well right now (but) it’s easy to talk well when things are going well. A few outings I’ve scuffled a bit and this year I’ve been able to get out of those spots when the team needs it," he said. "Last year I would have tried to rush to get an inning over (like last night’s sixth). This game, I stepped off and said, ’O.k., I have to make pitches and slow down the game.’"

Although he had thrown only 95 pitches through six, Johnson had to pull Pauley to get work for relievers Craig Breslow, Craig Hansen and Travis Hughes, none of whom had worked in a few days. But Pauley understood, and said he has "complete respect" for the way things go at this level.

The trio did their job; Breslow pitched a perfect seventh, though Hansen allowed a run in the eighth on a walk, hit batter and fielder’s choice. Hughes was perfect in the ninth.
Offensively, the runs were provided by one expected source and one that was not-so-expected.

Centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury had two RBI, giving him seven since joining the PawSox more than five weeks ago. His groundout in the third scored Bobby Scales, providing the first run of the night. In the next inning, he capped a three-run fourth with a double that painted the third-base line, scoring Jeff Bailey.

Pawtucket loaded the bases with none out to start the home half of the fourth. Catcher Kevin Cash and right fielder Brandon Moss drew walks to lead off, and a hard single to right by Bailey put a man on every bag. Designated hitter Michael Tucker scored Cash and Moss with a single up the middle, giving the Sox a 3-0 lead.
The PawSox’ win gives them a 10-3 record in June. The victory, coupled with Syracuse’s loss to Toledo, pulls them into a fourth-place tie with the SkyChiefs in the North division.

SHALISE MANZA-YOUNG

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:10 PM | Permalink

FINAL: PawSox 8-2

Behind seven solid innings from starter Devern Hansack and powered in part by a Jeff Bailey home run, the Pawtucket Red Sox won the finale of their four-game series with Ottawa, 8-2.

Hansack allowed eight hits, struck out six and walked none for his second win of the season.

Bailey's home run in the third was his seventh of the season; he went 3-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:45 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Kottaras' walk-off homer lifts PawSox

When teammates plaster a shaving-cream pie in your face after a game it can only mean good things.

That’s exactly what happened to Pawtucket Red Sox catcher George Kottaras last night after his three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the PawSox a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Ottawa Lynx at McCoy Stadium.

Kottaras, who entered the game with a lowly .195 average this season, went 2-for-4, including his second homer of the season and a perfectly executed hit-and-run.
Defensively he threw out a would-be base stealer and almost a second.

“That has to feel so good for him right now,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “I am so happy for that kid. The ball jumps off his bat, it explodes. He’s scuffled but he showed signs of coming out of it on the road trip.”

Kottaras made the most of it with his heroics at the plate that proved crucial last night.

He crushed a fastball off Ottawa reliever Brian Sanches that hit the roof of the concession stand behind the visitor’s bullpen for the victory.

“It felt great,” said Kottaras. “It was a confidence booster as well. My plan when I go up to the plate is just to have a good at-bat, see the pitches and put something in play. I just try to hit it hard on the barrel and I was able to do it tonight. I’m stressed about my batting average. I’m just trying to go out there and have fun and help the pitchers because that’s my primary goal.”

Even though Kottaras ended the game in theatrical fashion, teammate Bobby Scales had an outstanding game. He went 3-for-3, including a single, a RBI-triple and a two-run homer.

“He’s a manager’s dream,” admitted Johnson. “You get quality at-bats from both sides of the plate and he can play every position in the field. His presence is great in the clubhouse, and it was good to see.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:48 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Gabbard, PawSox roll to 6-3 victory

PAWTUCKET - When pitchers and catchers reported to spring training last February, Red Sox manager Terry Francona made it a point to tell all the young arms in the organization the big club is looking for reliability.

Kason Gabbard took that message to heart and has become the model of consistency for the Pawtucket Red Sox this season.

The lefthander improved to 6-2 yesterday, while helping the PawSox to a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Lynx in front of 9,731 at McCoy Stadium. Gabbard worked six solid innings, allowing just two runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

“Obviously I have a lot of confidence in all my pitches,” said Gabbard, who threw 99 (63 for strikes). Batterymate Kevin “Cash did a great job calling the game, and I haven’t faced these guys yet this year, so we just went after them.”

The two runs Gabbard allowed yesterday were by way of a two-run homer by the Lynx’ Danny Sandoval, who belted the roundtripper in the top of the fourth inning.

“I tried to go in with a two-seamer,” said Gabbard. “It didn’t do nothing, obviously, except go over the fence.”

Of the 25 earned run Gabbard has allowed this season, 17 of them have come off the long ball. He’s allowed seven two-run homers and three solo shots.

Despite the two-run homer yesterday, Gabbard was efficient, had command of all his pitches, especially his curveball and he worked quickly.

“He’s becoming a very professional pitcher,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson.

“He’s professionalized himself, and I know I use that term a lot maybe because of lack of a better term, but just watching the total package he’s been consistent.”

Gabbard didn’t do it alone yesterday, however, as his offense banged out nine hits, including a three-run homer by Brandon Moss in the five-run third inning before Michael Tucker added a solo shot in the sixth inning.

“If we can get Michael Tucker swinging the bat the way he can there’s no doubt in my mind that will upgrade everyone else’s performance,” said Johnson. “He’s that guy in the lineup, a veteran guy, who can make other people better. It was really nice to see him [hit that home run] today.”

Gabbard agreed.

“When we’re scoring runs it’s a lot easier to pitch,” he said. “You just try to throw strikes and get guys out.”

After Gabbard was done for the day, reliever Craig Breslow, after a three-day rest, got himself into a jam to begin the seventh inning. The crafty lefty surrendered back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. After a wild pitch scored Ottawa’s third run of the game, Breslow struck out the next three batters to get out of the inning relatively unscathed.

“He had three days off and maybe he felt a little too strong,” said Johnson. “He looked liked he was overthrowing a little bit, but all of a sudden he strikes out the side.”

The PawSox manager had reliever Edgar Martinez throwing in the bullpen as Breslow closed out the inning and the southpaw told Johnson “I’m fine.” So, Johnson sent him back out for the eighth inning where he retired the first two batters he faced and allowed back-to-back singles before Johnson gave him the hook. Travis Hughes came in and earned his fifth save of the season for his 1 2/3 innings of work with two strikeouts.

It was a solid day at the ballpark for the PawSox, especially after having a very difficult night on Friday in a 6-2 loss where nothing went right, then having a day game yesterday.

Johnson said he learned a lot about the character of his team.

“I’m really proud of these guys to see them bounce back,” he said.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:14 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Lester struggles in PawSox loss

It was quite clear Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester did not want to end his seventh rehab start for the Pawtucket Red Sox last night prematurely. PawSox manager Ron Johnson had other thoughts.

Lester had been outstanding in his six previous starts for Pawtucket, while he continues his way back to Boston after battling cancer during the offseason, but last night he struggled for the first time this season.

The 23-year-old left-hander was scheduled to work seven innings or 100 pitches, but Johnson gave Lester the hook after only 2 2/3 innings where he allowed three runs on five hits and threw 70 pitches (42 for strikes). He matched a season-high with three walks and struck out only two Ottawa Lynx batters.

Lester had trouble with his command, location and velocity.

“This is not my first rodeo,” said Lester after the Lynx beat Pawtucket 6-2 last night at McCoy Stadium. “I know in five days I’ll go back out there and hopefully do a little bit better than I did tonight. Everybody has them every once in a while.”

Unlike in his other starts, Lester wasn’t able to make the necessary adjustment to work his way out of it. There was speculation that last night would have been his last rehab start with the PawSox as the possibility was there he might join Boston by the end of the week.

For now, however, he’ll likely remain with Pawtucket and make his next start on Thursday against Richmond at McCoy.

Johnson said he had to basically hide from Lester for two innings because the pitcher wasn’t too happy about coming out of the game. But, that’s an attitude Johnson likes to see from his players.

“I don’t want to come out of the game regardless of how good or bad I’m doing,” admitted Lester. “I want to go out there and compete and do well. In that situation you just want to keep battling and hopefully you’ll get out of it.”

Strangely enough, he was strong in the first inning as he retired the side in order on just 11 pitches (nine for strikes).

“Even in the first inning I was a little off,” he said. “I didn’t feel quite right and even though I made some good pitches, it still wasn’t there. Then it just snowballed from there. I got ahead of myself and couldn’t make the adjustment to fix it.”

It was clear, however, during his 38-pitch second inning that he was having problems as PawSox pitching coach Mike Griffin made a total of two trips to the mound – one the second and the other in the third inning – as Lester allowed a run on two hits in the inning.

With two outs in the third, he loaded on the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk before he allowed a RBI-single to the Lynx’ Danny Sandoval for a 3-0 Ottawa lead. Johnson felt Lester had enough and called it a night.

“He felt fine and threw the ball well,” said Johnson. “Jon never wants to come out of the ballgame, but that’s where we have to use our intelligence and say to ourselves ‘Jon is a tick off today.’ He wasn’t with the quality of his stuff, just with his command. He was getting to 70 pitches in 2 2/3 and that’s not your typical Lester outing.”

Johnson said at this stage of Lester’s rehab that there was no way he was going to take any chances.

“We let him battle and it got to a point where Jon did get some value out of this outing,” said the manager. “He’ll bounce back in his next one.”

It was a tough night all-around for the travel weary PawSox, who arrived home yesterday afternoon from their recent 6-2 road trip. Pawtucket managed only two runs – an RBI-single in the fourth by George Kottaras and a solo home run by Jeff Bailey in the ninth – as the bullpen allowed another three runs after Lester’s brief outing.

“It was just one of those outings,” said Lester. “I have to suck it up and in five days go get ‘em again.”

Johnson said after the game he feels bad for the Richmond Braves come Thursday when Lester toes the rubber again.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:25 PM | Permalink

PawSox top Braves in rain-shortened game

RICHMOND, Va. - A hot miserable day in Richmond gave way to a hot miserable night for baseball. With a game-time temperature of 93 the Pawtucket Red Sox survived the heat, a shaky first inning by starter David Pauley and a wicked thunderstorm to take a 7-3 win in eight innings at The Diamond.

The game was called in the top of the ninth with one out on account of a severe lightening that knocked out a section of stadium lights and the scoreboard.

Richmond put three runs on the board in the first inning. Back-to-back-to-back singles and a double gave the Braves the early lead before PawSox starter David Pauley finally found his rhythm and retired the next three batters.

Pawtucket got two of those runs back in the second. Bobby Scales one out single and a two out base-on-balls to Jacoby Ellsbury put runners on for Joe McEwing and David Murphy who came through with back-to-back RBI singles, bringing Pawtucket to within a run.

The PawSox got that tying run in the third and Brandon Moss was the catalyst.

Moss, who got off to a torrid start in the first two games of the series but went hitless in Thursday’s game, doubled leading off the third and later scored on an RBI single by Scales.

In the fourth Kevin Cash doubled and scored on a double by Moss to put Pawtucket in front 4-3. The bizzare double by Cash came about on a scary play involving Braves starter Dan Smith. Cash hit a comebacker up the middle that hit Smith on the back of his throwing shoulder and richocheted into the outfield. Smith left the field under his own power.

Ellsbury led off the sixth with a triple and came home on a RBI single by McEwing, his second of the game. Moss added more fireworks in the seventh with a lead-off home run his 11th of the year. Jeff Bailey doubled and scored to put Pawtucket in front 7-3.

The PawSox had runners on first and second with one out in the ninth when the storm hit.

Notes: Coming into last night’s game the PawSox had been receiving exceptional work from their starters thus far in June (all on the just completed road trip) as the starters were 3-1 in seven games with a 1.88 ERA (9 earned runs in 43 innings pitched). . . . Until their 2-1 defeat on Thursday, the PawSox had won 11 in a row versus Richmond. Including the final meeting of 2004, all of 2005 & 2006, and the first three meetings in 2007, the Sox have also won 17 of their last 20 games versus Richmond. . . . Tonight is PawSox Bat Night at McCoy Stadium. The Ottawa Lynx are in town with first pitch scheduled for 6:05. The first 4,000 fans age 14 & under entering the ballpark will receive a regulation Louisville Slugger Bat courtesy of Bank of America and NBC-10.

--BRUCE WELLS (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:58 PM | Permalink

PawSox beat Braves, 5-3.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Abe Alvarez was nearly un-hittable for six plus innings, Brandon Moss and two other PawSox each slugged a home run and Pawtucket kept winning, beating the Richmond Braves 5-3 at The Diamond Wednesday night.

With their fourth win in a row, Pawtucket (25-31) matched their longest winning streak of the season and extended their 11-game winning streak against Richmond that dates back to June of 2005. The four straight road wins are a first this season for the PawSox.

“We have persevered no question,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “We’ve gone through some rough times, we had that couple of week drought when we couldn’t score a run. When that happens you just have to keep at it.”

David Murphy put Pawtucket on the scoreboard in the first, hammering a 1-0 pitch from Richmond starter Kevin Barry over the billboard wall in left field.

The PawSox added two more in the second; one of those runs a towering homer by Moss. The lanky left fielder followed up a 4-RBI performance in Tuesday’s game by going 3-for-4 with the homer and a double. He finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

Michael Tucker added another home run off Barry in the PawSox two run third inning.

“Mossy has been pretty consistent all year, Murphy’s been hitting the ball hard, and Michael Tucker is starting to get past his spring training which he didn’t have,” Johnson said. “It’s good to see.”

There was controversy in the bottom of the third inning involving one of the stranger plays of the season. With Moss at third and Jeff Bailey at first, Braves starting pitcher Kevin Barry faked a pick-off throw to third then turned and fired to second, catching Bailey in a run down.

Moss then started toward home to draw the Braves attention away from Bailey. Moss soon found himself caught in the rundown while Bailey meanwhile had sprinted all the way around to third base. Moss somehow got away from the run down and also found himself back at the third base bag.

Moss, figuring that he was out, touched the bag then turned to walk off to the PawSox dugout. Braves catcher Corky Miller tagged Moss for the out. Braves manger Dave Brundage ran onto the field and argued that Bailey should also be out since both he and Moss had occupied the same base. The umpires agreed and called Bailey for the third out, drawing the ire of Johnson.

Johnson argued his case, the umpires huddled again, then reversed the previous call, allowed Bailey back to third and George Kottaras back to the plate with a 1-2 count. Brundage argued again but to no avail. In the end the play was scored as Moss caught stealing 1-4-5-2, Bailey was credited with a stolen base and Kottaras singled on the very next pitch to drive in Bailey for the 5-0 lead.

“I give those guys [umpires] credit because I’m not really locked in on all those [rules] but it just didn’t look right,” said Johnson. “You could just feel it after that. Our guys had a really good feeling after the call went our way. That was a momentum thing.”

Alvarez meanwhile gave the PawSox his strongest performance of the season, scattering three hits over six and two-third innings. The crafty lefty was in control of all three pitches in his off-speed repertoire, allowing just one run while striking out six.

He left the game after being hit by a line drive on his pitching arm. Alvarez and Johnson said it was a slight bruise but they weren’t concerned about it.

--BY BRUCE R. WELLS
Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:47 PM | Permalink

Gabbard's pitching, Moss' hitting lead to 10-3 PawSox win

BY BRUCE R. WELLS
Special to the Journal

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia, like so many of the other venues in the IL’s South Division is known for among other things it’s southern hospitality.

Five games into an eight game road swing through “The Birthplace of Presidents”, the Pawtucket Red Sox have certainly enjoyed a heaping helping of it.

Hot on the heels of taking 3 of 4 at Norfolk, Pawtucket capitalized on the strong pitching of starter Kason Gabbard and a 4-RBI night from Brandon Moss to beat the Richmond Braves 10-3 at The Diamond last night.

The win extended Pawtucket’s streak to three in a row and marked only the fourth time this season that the PawSox have won three or more in succession.

“We’ve had some outstanding pitching performances on this trip and then tonight the offense bust out, I couldn‘t be more pleased with the way we swung the bats” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “We have three guys right now in Bailey, Kottaras and Ellsbury who aren’t in the lineup so it’s opportunities for some of these guys and they’re trying to take advantage of it.”

The PawSox wasted no time at the plate, scoring in the first when Brandon Moss singled to drive in Joe McEwing, who had been beaned by a pitch earlier in the inning. The 15-year veteran was leveled by a Trey Hodges fastball that struck just above the left side ear hole of his batting helmet, knocking him to the dirt.

“It hit so hard, it actually tore the paint off the helmet,” Johnson said.

The 34-year-old, appearing slightly shaken up, sat in the batters box for several minutes holding his head in his hands. After being attended to by PawSox trainer Greg Barajas, McEwing --who would later double and score in the third and homer in the sixth -- trotted down to first and looked to be none the worst for wear.

Pawtucket added a run in the second. Bobby Scales singled, stole second and scored on a Chad Spann base knock to make it 2-0.

The Braves tied the game in the home half of the inning when, with a runner on first, the diminutive Brent Lillibridge crushed a 2-1 fastball from PawSox starter Kason Gabbard over the leftfield wall for his first career Triple-A homerun.

The high fastball that resulted in Richmond’s two runs would be the only misfire of the night for Gabbard who pitched seven innings, equaling his longest outing of the season and striking out five.

“He has a little trouble early controlling it, because he was getting so much movement,” Johnso said. “He was trying to go to certain spots and he was missing. The last few innings he was just a groundball machine.”

Pawtucket meanwhile was busy pouring on the runs.

In the aforementioned third inning, the PawSox sent eight batters to the plate against Richmond starting pitcher Trey Hodges, beginning with the McEwing lead off double. David Murphy followed with a walk but was doubled up on a Michael Tucker grounder. With two outs PawSox hitters tagged Hodges for five runs, chasing the right-hander from the game.

Alex Prieto was thrown out trying to steal second base to end the inning.

The PawSox tacked on runs in the fourth on the strength of a 2-RBI single by Moss and one more in the sixth courtesy of the solo shot by McEwing, his fourth of the season.

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:32 PM | Permalink

PawSox play overtime, again, lose 4-3

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Pawtucket Red Sox have played in an International League-high 11 extra-inning games this season.

As the saying goes, you win some, you lose some.

One night after posting a 1-0 victory in 12 innings, the PawSox this time lost 4-3 to the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park in front of a crowd 9,642.

Pawtucket is now 5-6 in extra-inning games, 21-31 overall.

Tides catcher Alberto Castillo grounded a ball through the left side of the infield with two out in the 11th inning and the bases loaded to send the PawSox home on the short end.

Norfolk had loaded the bases on an infield single by Mike Cervenak, a walk to Jon Knott, and a walk to Terry Tiffee. Craig Breslow had come on in relief of Edgar Martinez to face Tiffee.

The PawSox looked as if they might get a run in the 10th inning when Ed Rogers led off with a double and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Bobby Scales. Chad Spann then hit a tailing line drive into the gap in right, but Norfolk’s Adam Stern ran it down and then threw out Rogers at the plate as he tried to tag up and score.

Stern also came up big for the Tides defensively in the ninth when he went high on the padded wall along the rightfield line to pull in a fly ball by Michael Tucker for the frame-ending out.

Early on, it looked as if the PawSox were going to break out on the calm night.

Pawtucket got on the board quickly as Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with a single, Joe McEwing reached on a bunt single, the pair pulled off a double steak, and Ellsbury came home on a passed ball. Kevin Cash’s ground-rule double to left plated McEwing and the PawSox led 2-0.

That lead was erased in the bottom half of the inning. Tike Redman singled to center and one out later J.R. House singled up the middle. Mike Cervenak followed with a run-scoring single and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Jon Knott walked to load the bases and David Pauley uncorked his second wild pitch of the inning to allow the Tides’ second run.

By the fourth inning, the two teams had combined for more hits – 10 – than they’d tallied the previous night in that 12-inning affair.

Norfolk took a short-lived lead in the fifth when Brandon Fahey singled to left, stole second, and scored on a single up the middle by House.

Pawtucket evened matters in the top of the sixth as Scales doubled over the head of Stern, who was playing extremely shallow. Scales scored on Spann’s single up the middle, a ball that took a scoot hop under the glove of Tides shortstop Eider Torres who had seemed to have a bead on it.

Any and every rally by the PawSox was met with chants and cheers as the Boston Red Sox faithful living in the region let known their preferences, often drowning out pro-Tides cheering.

Pauley pitched seven innings before giving way to the bullpen. Pauley allowed six hits, walked two and struck out four. Mike Burns pitched a scoreless eighth, then Martinez came on to pitch the ninth.

Martinez had one of the weirder baseball moments in the 10th when Torres led off the Tides’ half of the inning by rapping a sharp one-hopper back to the mound. The ball stuck between the fingers of Martinez’s glove, leaving the pitcher no other option but to peel the glove off and throw it to first base for the out.

The PawSox will send Jon Lester, the comeback kid, to the mound for today’s 1:15 start as Lester continues his return following a battle with anaplastic large cell lymphoma which sidelined him in August of last season after he got off to a fabulous start with the Boston Red Sox.

Lester was 7-2 for the Red Sox and won his first five major league decisions. The 23-year-old Lester underwent therapy and treatment and was pronounced cancer-free in December. He’ll be making his sixth start this season for the PawSox and is 0-1 with a 1.25 ERA. In Lester’s previous outing he went five innings and left with a 4-0 lead, only to see the PawSox lose 5-4 to Columbus

--RICH RADFORD

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:52 PM | Permalink

Game Story - Timlin looks good but PawSox lose 5-2

By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

PAWTUCKET – About the only thing that went right for the Pawtucket Red Sox last night was the most important of all.

Mike Timlin looked good in his best rehab performance yet but the PawSox struggled in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Clippers. Timlin pitched a perfect 1-2-3 inning and pronounced himself ready to return to the bullpen in Boston. No word on Timlin’s status for this weekend’s series against the New York Yankees is expected until today.

``I felt like I was ready a long time ago but obviously I wasn’t. That’s irrelevant, what I feel,’’ Timlin said. ``It was a good outing. I threw 80 percent strikes, which was good.’’

The night started off on a poor note when expected starting pitcher Runelvys Hernandez reported to work yesterday and decided to exercise an option to vacant his contract with the Red Sox organization. Hernandez had until today (June 1) to choose to stay in the system or become a free agent.

``It’s a reminder that this is a business,’’ said manager Ron Johnson. ``We weren’t caught off-guard, necessarily. We knew this was an option and this is a level where stuff like that happens.’’

Johnson tabbed Abe Alvarez to fill the open spot in the rotation and it wasn’t a good night for the lefty. Alvarez, who pitched two innings in relief on Sunday, was roughed up for five runs over 4.1 innings and dug a hole his weak-hitting teammates couldn’t battle out of. Felix Diaz, a veteran righty who’s pitched in the majors for the White Sox, stifled the Sox for seven innings and left the game with a 5-0 lead. He picked up the win and is now 4-4 on the year.

Alvarez, who fell to 3-4, allowed three singles, a double and a walk in a busy fourth inning. Brandon Harper hit a 2-run double to give Columbus a 2-0 lead and then a wild pitch allowed a third run to score. With the bases loaded and two out, Brandon Watson laid down a perfect bunt that let Harper breeze in with the Clipper’s fourth run.

Columbus added a fifth run in the fifth inning when Kory Castro hit a solo home run. That ended Alvarez’s night and brought Pawtucket’s relief corps into action. That was clearly the home team’s bright spot. First Manny Delcarmen didn’t allow a hit and struck out three of the five hitters he faced in relief of Alvarez. Timlin took over for the start of the seventh inning and also breezed. He threw just 12 pitches, eight for strikes, in setting the Clippers down in order. He retired Watson on a grounder to first base, got Bernie Castro to pop up to short left field and watched Darnell McDonald hit a lazy fly ball to center.

Craig Breslow replaced Timlin and also pitched well, allowing just one hit over an easy eighth and ninth innings.

The Pawtucket offense continues to struggle. The Sox are last in the International in runs scored (194) and came into last night hitting .246 as a team, tied for second-to-last. They managed only five hits last night and never mounted a rally off of Diaz.

The same couldn’t be said for the Clipp’s first reliever, Alex Morales. He opened the eighth inning by walking the first two hitters and allowing a Joe McEwing single to load the bases. David Murphy then hit a long, loud fly ball that wasn’t chased down until McDonald’s back was up against the right field fence.

``I thought it was gone off the bat. When he hit it, I thought that was a (grand) slam right there,’’ said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson.

The long out drove in Chad Spann with the Sox’ first run and another walk to Brandon Moss to load the bases again ended Morales’ ugly stint on the mound. Closer Chris Booker came in and walked Michael Tucker to force in Jacoby Ellsbury with the second run of the inning but Booker escaped further trouble in the eighth and pitched a perfect ninth to close out the Sox.

Timlin was happy with his one inning of work which came under the watchful eye of Boston manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell.

``Not too bad,’’ he said. ``It was time on the mound. That’s all it was. Just getting a feel of a release point.’’

Asked if he could throw for the Red Sox at Fenway this weekend, Timlin answered, ``I don’t expect things anymore. It’s not my decision.’’

kmcnamar@projo.com / (401) 277-7340

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:51 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Clippers 8, PawSox 4

PAWTUCKET -- Briefly climbing out of the IL North cellar with last week’s victories over Syracuse, only to have the Chiefs send them right back down with two wins in the second half of that series, the Pawtucket Red Sox haven’t done much to help their cause in their current series against Columbus either.

Seemingly flirting with a no-hitter through 3 2/3 innings, lefty Kason Gabbard watched a strong start fall apart, as the PawSox dropped its second straight to the Clippers with an 8-4 setback, last night at McCoy Stadium.

Pawtucket - which drops to 20-29 and has not been above .500 since an April 13 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre made them 5-4 - took a 1-0 lead in the second when Clippers right-hander Tim Redding gave up three straight singles to Bobby Scales, Michael Tucker and Ed Rogers, then a sacrifice fly to left to George Kottaras.

But that’s the only run Redding, the eventual winner, would allow over his 7.1-inning stint, and the PawSox’ slim lead soon evaporated when Gabbard ran into some control problems.

After retiring 11 of the first 12 batters he faced and starting off the fourth by fanning Bernie Castro and Darnell McDonald, the southpaw walked three of the next five Clippers and gave up his first two hits to the other two.

Walking Kory Casto and DAngelo Jimenez, Gabbard then gave up an infield single to Michael Restovich that loaded the bases.

Issuing another walk to Abraham Nunez that plated Casto, Gabbard then surrendered a two-run single to right to Brandon Harper that put Columbus up, 3-1.

Gabbard was lifted in the sixth after Restovich belted one of his offerings off the concession stand wall in center field for a solo home run.

``He got two outs, two strikes and then we’ve seen it in baseball before, he just got out of rhythm,’’ PawSox manager Ron Johnson said of Gabbard (4-2). ``His curveball and his changeup were really outstanding pitches for him tonight. Got a little bit off with the command of the fastball, but all in all, 5 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 4 runs. That was the one inning where he walked those guys. That was it. You can’t really look at that and go, `He struggled.’ Well, did he? Four hits. This was a pretty good hitting ball club, as we saw late in the game.’’

PawSox reliever Mike Burns, on the otherhand, did struggle mightily, lasting just 1 1/3 innings after giving up four more runs on five hits - including a three-run blast into the right-field picnic area to Casto and an RBI double to Nunez, both in the seventh inning. (It didn’t help that third baseman Chad Spann overthrew first on a sac bunt by Castro on the second play of that inning, which allowed Brandon Watson to advance to third and Castro to make it to second.)

Although the gap proved too large for Pawtucket to close, Johnson was pleased to see his team rally for three runs in the eighth, when the PawSox batted around the order and capitalized on back-to-back doubles by Kottaras and Spann, three walks and an error.

``These guys are playing hard,’’ said Johnson. ``They play hard every night. They hustle every night. They bust their butt. It’s a game of patience. It’s a game of discipline. We battled back. We scratched for some. I’m really proud of the club to get them on the board late. We’re just lacking that one little thing right there, and that’s the gapper. That’s what we’ve been missing, where somebody could get (a hit)into a gap. So back to the drawing board (tonight).’’

--CAROLYN THORNTON

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:54 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Lester sharp again but PawSox lose

Gary Allan is helping Jon Lester return to the majors.

No, Allan is not a pitching guru, a sports psychologist or a doctor. He’s a country artist.

As the young left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox made his fifth rehab start for the PawSox last night, Lester made his way to the mound to start the game against the Columbus Clippers with the song Right Where I Need to Be blasting from the sound system at McCoy Stadium.

Gary Allan sings the song and Jon Lester takes it to heart. So much so, he asked the PawSox staff to play the song during his outing.

It worked.

The southpaw worked five scoreless innings (79 pitches, 50 strikes) and allowed just four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. He had total command of the strike zone and located all of his pitches, especially his off-speed stuff that kept the Columbus hitters off balance during his outing.

Lester couldn’t have picked a better song to pump him up. The lyrics to the beginning of the song are as follows:

There’s a plane flyin’ outta here tonight Destination New Orleans Boss man says my big promotion’s on the line He says that’s right where I need to be

His return destination is Boston. His boss man is Theo Epstein. And, the promotion is well-deserved.

The song continues about being on the road, which Lester has gotten used to during his rehab this season. It began in spring training, continued on to Single-A Greenville (0-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three starts for the Drive) and he’s been outstanding every since he arrived here in late April.

Besides a brief setback with cramping in his left forearm on May 2, the 23-year-old hurler has allowed just one run in 132/3 innings during his last three outings for the PawSox.

Even though the final score was 5-4 in favor of Columbus, the main focus of last night’s game at McCoy Stadium was the pitching.

After Lester’s solid outing, relievers Craig Hansen, Craig Breslow, Mike Timlin, Manny Delcarmen, Travis Hughes and Bryan Corey took over.

Hansen struggled and allowed two runs on two hits with one walk in one-third of an inning before Breslow did his job in two-thirds of an inning with one hit and one strikeout.

Timlin, who is continuing his rehab from shoulder tendinitis, struggled a bit in the seventh, but got out of the inning relatively unscathed. He loaded the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk. PawSox pitching coach Mike Griffin then made a trip to the mound after 12 pitches to talk with veteran reliever. On the next pitch the Clippers’ D’Angelo Jimenez line a shot to shallow right field for a base hit that scored a run.

Timlin retired the next three batters he faced, with some help of the defense behind him, and was finished after he threw 23 pitches (13 for strikes) and allowed one run on three hits. Delcarmen, just back from a brief stint in Boston, worked a scoreless eighth inning with and surrendered one hit with two walks and a strikeout.

The game entered the ninth inning with the PawSox holding a 4-3 advantage, but Hughes gave up back-to-back solo shots as Columbus posted the victory.
In the end, the most important aspect of last night’s game was Lester’s outing and he knows where he wants to be.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:49 PM | Permalink

Game Story: PawSox 2, Chiefs 1

It’s all about being confident.

PawSox starter David Pauley knows that all too well, and he’s quickly learned how to harness it in order to control a game and have success at the same time. Last night was a perfect example.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old (June 17) worked 6 1/3 innings last night and allowed one unearned run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts to help Pawtucket to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Clippers at McCoy Stadium.

After allowing a lead-off single to Clippers Brandon Watson, followed by an error, Pauley retired the next 11 batters he faced.

With Pawtucket hanging on to a one-run lead, Pauley loaded the bases with one out. He collected his third strikeout of the game for the inning’s second out before making a fielding error on a chopper to the right side that allowed a run to score.

A year ago, the game would have spun out of control on him, but he didn’t allow that to happen last night. He composed himself and snared another come-backer and made the play to end the inning.

“He had a real nice outing,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. “I was really impressed with his pitch efficiency and the command of his stuff. I was very pleased with his mound presence and composure. I’m seeing a lot of maturity come out with all of our young pitchers, and you saw it again tonight.”

Pauley was able to throw his curveball for strikes, a pitch he says hasn’t been working for him as much as he would like. The right-hander was able to keep the ball down in the zone and controlled the game at his pace.

“I had good stuff tonight from my eyes,” said Pauley, who improves to 2-1. “It’s something I’ve taken on myself this year being able to control the game at my own pace and not let the situation dictate what’s going on. I’ve told myself to ‘take a breath and get this out.’ Slow the game back down and going after the hitters instead of worrying about what could happen.”

After he got out of a jam relatively unscathed in the fifth, he retired the next four batters he faced before he was given the hook after 90 pitches (57 strikes). The PawSox bullpen of Craig Breslow, Edgar Martinez and Travis Hughes (third save of the season) finished the job to help Pawtucket snap a two-game losing skid.

The necessary offense for the PawSox was provided by Joe McEwing and Ed Rogers, who accounted for a RBI each.

For Pauley, it was his most efficient outing of the season.

He’s based his success this year with the experiences from a season ago in the Red Sox organization as he pitched at three different levels, including Double-A, the majors and Triple-A in that order. Pauley made his major-league debut for the Red Sox in Toronto on May 31 and eventually made two others, including a stellar performance at Yankee Stadium before he was optioned to Pawtucket on June 11.

After a 1-3 record with a 5.54 ERA in nine starts with the PawSox in 2006, his season ended with a forearm strain on Aug. 2. Basically, it was a season of ups and downs for Pauley and when he looks back, he realizes it was an invaluable learning experience.

“It was a big help,” he said. “When you get put into a situation like that, there are a lot of things you have to deal with up there. You have to learn over time and when you get out there consistently, you know what pitches to go to and you’re not stressed about what’s going to happen.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:52 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Chiefs rout PawSox

PawSox manager Ron Johnson is never critical of his team publicly. No matter the score, win or lose, he calls every game a developmental process and quickly looks ahead to the next game the next day.

Pawtucket, however, has lost two straight to the Syracuse Chiefs, including a 9-2 drubbing at McCoy Stadium Sunday night.

“We just got whooped pretty good,” said Johnson. “We'll turn the page because we've got a new club (Columbus) coming in and let's get Syracuse out of here because they're starting to heat up. We'll let them beat up on some other staffs around the league and see what we can do tomorrow.”

The Chiefs stuck it to the PawSox on Saturday night, too, and scored four runs in the top of the ninth for a come-from-behind 10-7 victory.

Last night Pawtucket was done in by Syracuse starter Michael MacDonald, who earned his first Triple-A win by throwing seven scoreless innings. He allowed just four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

“He did a real nice job,” said Johnson. “We didn't do much. We only had six (total) hits. We didn't square up a lot of balls. We didn't do too much tonight offensively.”

In his first appearance since his spot-start for the Red Sox last Saturday, Pawtucket starter Devern Hansack dropped to 1-5 after allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts

“He didn't pitch bad,” said Johnson. “He'll build on that next time he's back out there. He's been back for seven days (from Boston) and he was a tick off with his command. He really didn't establish his rhythm with all of his pitches. But that's the development of a young guy.”

Sometimes when players come back from a big-league stint, no matter how long or short, there's always a chance for a hangover. Johnson said he doesn't see that with Hansack.

“It doesn't appear to be,” said the manager. “He's upbeat. I always watch how guys interact with their teammates when they come back [and he's been fine].”

PawSox pitcher Abe Alvarez has been delegated to the bullpen of late due to Jon Lester's rehab presence in Pawtucket. Alvarez worked two innings and allowed two runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

After Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin made his second rehab appearance and allowed two runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning in the seventh, PawSox reliever Mike Burns, who imploded on Saturday night against the Chiefs and allowed the four runs in the top of the ninth to blow his fifth save opportunity in eight chances, got some redemption last night. He worked a perfect ninth inning and recorded two strikeouts.

“I was fired up to see the way Burns came back and threw the ball tonight,” said Johnson.

The PawSox' Michael Tucker belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to account for Pawtucket's runs.

Even though the PawSox have lost two straight, Johnson and his boys aren't too concerned.

“We've really played well the last two weeks,” said the manager. “If you try to change stuff then it's just out of panic and you really can't do that here. We've got three months of baseball left and that's a lot of games. We're not going to do anything different.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:17 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Chiefs get four in ninth, top PawSox

The Pawtucket Red Sox were well on their way to a fourth straight win, but the Syracuse Chiefs had other thoughts.

The Chiefs scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning off PawSox reliever Mike Burns en route to a 10-7 come-from-behind victory last night at McCoy Stadium.

Burns’ record drops to 2-4 with an 8.06 ERA and has blown five of eight save opportunities this season.

Former PawSox player and current Syracuse designated hitter Chad Mottola belted a three-run homer in the ninth to secure the victory.

Pawtucket had 7-2 lead after four innings, but the Chiefs chipped away and scored eight runs over the last five innings for the victory.

“You have to look at the game as a whole,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. PawSox starter “Runelvys (Hernandez) did a great job of battling and we’re facing a team that has a lot of guys who can hit. When they hit the ball it’ll account for something. It was just one of those things tonight where we couldn’t hold them down. They started pecking away late in the game and you really have to tip your hat to those guys.

“I don’t think Burns made bad pitches,” added Johnson. “We just got beat tonight. That club just came back and beat us tonight. Those types of games are hard to lose, but we did not beat ourselves tonight.”

The Pawtucket offense was solid and banged out 12 hits with outfielder Brandon Moss providing a 4-for-5 performance with three RBI.

“He was perfect,” said Johnson. “He had a lot of professional at-bats tonight. He’s done a great job and it’s good to see.”

It’s very possible Hernandez made his last start for the PawSox last night. A veteran of 78 big-league starts for the Kansas City Royals in parts of four seasons, Hernandez signed with the Red Sox as a minor-league free agent last December and has an out-clause in his contract, stating if the Red Sox don’t recall him to Boston by June 1 then he’s allowed to sign with another club.

If he does start another game for Pawtucket, it could be Thursday against Columbus.

“He’s done exactly what we thought he’d do,” said Johnson. “He’s a veteran guy with multiple years of experience in the big leagues. You look for guys like that to come down and stabilize your staff. You take away the win-lose record; we just haven’t scored any runs for the guy. He’s done a real nice job for us. . . With the way pitching is around baseball he’s a guy who can help a club, but we hope he can stay here.”

Hernandez, who would not speak with the local media after the game, entered last night’s start with a 0-3 record in six starts for the PawSox, and also spent some time on the disabled list (April 25 to May 7) with a strained left hamstring, which caused him to miss a few starts.

If he does decide to look elsewhere for employment, that could mean Red Sox pitching prospect Clay Buchholz could be promoted from Double-A Portland. The 22-year-old right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.97 E.R.A in eight starts for the Sea Dogs. He has struck out 61 and walked only seven.

For now Hernandez remains with Pawtucket and he battled at times last night, but he was able to control most of his outing.

The Chiefs’ Russ Adams and Kevin Barker each hit solo home runs in the top of the first off Hernandez, but Pawtucket’s offense answered in the bottom of the inning as Moss delivered a two-run double to tie the game at 2-2.

Following the two runs Hernandez surrendered in the first, he settled down and retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced before allowing a two-run triple to the Chiefs’ Russ Adams in the fifth inning. Fortunately, the PawSox scored one run in the third and four more in the fourth, so Hernandez and Pawtucket still held a 7-4 advantage.

Hernandez’s day on the job was over after he retired the side in order in the sixth. The veteran right-hander allowed four runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout, throwing 112 pitches (60 for strikes) in his seventh start of the season for Pawtucket.
Syracuse scored a run in the top of the seventh inning as Adams provided an RBI-single, his fourth RBI of the game, off Pawtucket reliever Craig Hansen to cut the Chiefs’ deficit to two.

The Chiefs pushed across another run in the top of the eighth as John-Ford Griffin (cq) hit a solo homer off PawSox reliever Bryan Corey to cut Syracuse’s deficit to one, 7-6. Moss recorded his fourth hit of the game, a one-out triple to deep right field, but he was left stranded 90 feet away.

In the top of the ninth inning, the Chiefs finally knotted the game at 7-7. Syracuse lead-off man Wayne Lydon led off the inning with a double and later scored on Adams’s RBI-single off Burns. Adams finished the night 4-for-5, including a home run, triple, a pair of singles and five RBI.

The Chiefs, however, weren’t done.

Mottola crushed a three-run homer off Burns to take a 10-7 lead and Syracuse held on for the win.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:05 PM | Permalink

Game story: Lester solid in PawSox' 3-2 victory

PAWTUCKET -- PawSox manager Ron Johnson said prior to Jon Lester’s start last night, the Red Sox organization was just looking for another solid outing from the young left-hander.

Lester delivered.

In his fourth rehab start for the PawSox this season, he worked five solid innings and allowed just one run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout. His scheduled allotment of work was originally set at 70-75 pitches or five innings, which ever came first. He finished with 65 pitches (39 strikes) and showed no ill effects. He’s expected to pitch again for the PawSox on Tuesday against Columbus at McCoy.

The 23-year-old pitcher is working his way back to Boston after he was diagnosed with cancer last August. During his minor-league rehab stint in Single-A Greenville and with the PawSox, he’s been on target, but recently suffered a setback when he experienced cramping in his throwing forearm in his previous start on May 2.

“I felt good,” said Lester after Pawtucket’s 3-2 victory over Syracuse last night. “The forearm felt good; everything felt good. My legs were under me after going five innings, so it’s getting betting. Now I just need to get up to 90-100 pitches and see where we’re at then and go from there.”

The southpaw was able to throw his fastball, curveball and change-up without any problems, but he stayed away from the cutter, the pitch that he thinks caused the tightness in his forearm.

“They said I could throw a couple in the first inning,” admitted Lester. “But we decided I didn’t want to mess around with it, so I just went out and pitched and didn’t worry about it. My mechanics felt good. Everything is starting to feel real good. Everything is clicking and it’s consistent.”

In his four rehab starts for the PawSox, Lester has allowed just three runs in 16 2/3 innings of work with a 1.62 E.R.A.

“I thought he did a great job,” said Johnson. “He was pitch-efficient for his five innings. The bottom line is he felt great before and he felt great afterwards. It’s really good to see.”

During his previous start on Saturday in Ottawa, he retired the final 10 batters he faced. Last night he retired the first 11 hitters for a total of 21straight. Also, he's only allowed six earned runs in 29 2/3 innings of work in his seven minor-league rehab starts this season.

“He really threw the ball well in Ottawa,” said Johnson. “He was free and easy with good velocity and a good breaking ball. I liked what I saw.”

Probably the most impressive aspect of his outing north of the border last weekend was the fact he took the bus with the rest of the team. He didn’t have to do that, he could have easily met the club in Ottawa after a flight, but acted as a true professional.

“I know he was very excited to be with us and he enjoyed the trip as much as anybody else,” said Johnson. “Jon enjoys his normalcy being around the club. He wants to be a part of the team.”

After his second rehab appearance with the PawSox on May 2, when he experienced cramping in his left forearm and suffered a set back, the Red Sox decided it would be best Lester join the parent club to continue his rehab until he was ready to start again.

During that start against Indianapolis where he experienced the tightness, everyone involved didn’t think too much of it.

“We didn’t know anything was wrong until he came out and said he had a cramp,” said Johnson. “To be honest, I didn’t think much of it. It’s different when a guy comes in and says ‘oh I felt something here.’ But he wasn’t that type.”

In the meantime, Lester threw his side sessions in Boston as he prepared for his seventh rehab start of the season last night.

“He’s a young valuable commodity for us,” said Johnson. “He deserves the opportunity to get himself back on track at his pace and we’re going to follow that.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:55 PM | Permalink

PawSox beat Ottawa, 7-3

By Dan Hickling
Special to The Journal
OTTAWA -- It began just after breakfast this morning, and lingered through a long lunch. Even so, the top of the Pawtucket Red Sox batting order kept the table set all day.

The top three PawSox hitters -- Jacoby Ellsbury, Bobby Scales and David Murphy -- combined for nine of the club’s 14 hits, fueling a 7-3 “Getaway Day” matinee win over the Ottawa Lynx.

Scales led the way, going 4-for-5 and driving in three runs.

“It makes that [nine-hour] bus ride a little bit better,” said Scales, who raised his batting average to a team-leading .323.

Pawtucket, which is now on its best tear of the season (6-3 since May 13), bolted to a 4-0 first inning lead.

“Today was a good effort,” said Scales, “because everybody had good at bats. That’s all you’re trying to do.”

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:06 PM | Permalink

Toledo 3, Pawtucket 2

PAWTUCKET — A pitcher coming back from the big leagues squared off against another moving up from Double-A last night at McCoy and the match turned out to be a good one.

The bad news for the home team was that the youngster on the way up, Dallas Trahern, was the victor as he pitched Toledo to a 3-2 decision over Pawtucket.
It was the type of game Pawtucket has played far too often already, one which could have gone either way. The teams combined for a total of only 12 hits, six for each. Pawtucket had the tying run on third base with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
But, in keeping with the script as it has played out so far, the Pawsox, now 11-22, were the team coming up short once again before a crowd of 7,526.

``I thought it was a really good game,’’ said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. ``The guys we used tonight, (Devern) Hansack, (Craig) Hansen, (Bryan) Corey and (Mike) Burns all threw the ball very well.’’

Hansack, making his return after spending eight days with Boston (in which time he pitched only two-thirds of an inning) took the loss because of one bad inning. He was sharp early, allowing only one base runner in the first three innings.

With one out in the fourth, he walked Timo Perez. Ryan Raburn, who leads the International League in RBI, followed with a blast to the back of the berm in left for a two-run homer. It was his eighth of the season.

``Raburn’s been a good hitter for a few years now. He’s got some pop. I’ve seen him since he was in Double-A,’’ Johnson said. ``He can turn on the ball.’’

``That might have been the only pitch Hanny got up all night. . . He just left it up a little bit. He’s a four-hole hitter and he did what a hitter like that is supposed to do,’’ Johnson said.

``But I don’t think that takes anything away from his performance,’’ Johnson said of Hansack. ``That’s a quality start.’’

The home run for Raburn was made a bit sweeter because he had been robbed of a two-run homer on a great leaping catch at the fence in center in Friday night’s game by Jacoby Ellsbury.

It was the final run of the fourth that turned out to be the killer. Jack Hanrahan blooped a double to left and came around on a single by Mike Hessman and a ground ball Henry Mateo.

Trahern was outstanding in getting the victory in his International League debut. The 21-year-old right-hander was 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA for Erie, in Double-A.
David Murphy continued his strong play for Pawtucket, scoring each of his team’s runs. He walked leading off the fourth, moved up on two ground ball outs and scored on a triple by Bobby Scales.

That cut the Toledo lead to 3-1. He sliced it to 3-2 in the sixth when he singled with one out and then raced home on Jeff Bailey’s double.

Pawtucket had a chance to tie it in the ninth. Ed Rogers led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Kevin Cash. Alex Ochoa was sent up to pinch-hit for Alex Prieto. On a 1-2 pitch, reliever Jason Karnuth fired the ball wide and to the backstop, allowing Rogers to get to third. However, Ochoa took a called third strike. Ellsbury then grounded to short to end it.

Even with his team in last place, Johnson remains optimistic.

``It will get better. We’ve played a lot of games like this,’’ he said. ``I’m real proud of this team. They hustle. They fight. We’ll get there. We’ll get a few guys who will be able to put things together. It will happen.

``If you don’t have pitching it really gets frustrating. You always wonder how you’re going to finish things up,’’ Johnson said. ``We’ve got pitching here.’’

--PAUL KENYON

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:04 PM | Permalink

PawSox lose sixth straight

The Pawtucket Red Sox took the lead with a three-run ninth, only to give it up in the bottom of the inning and then lose the game, 5-4, to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the 10th. It was the sixth straight loss for Pawtucket, and their 10th defeat in 11 games.

Jeff Bailey hit a two-out, bases-loaded double just after fouling a line drive off the side of third-base coach/manager Ron Johnson (Johnson seemed to be in pain, but stayed in the game) to put the PawSox ahead in the ninth. Pawtucket entered the inning down 3-1, but a single, an error and two walks closed the deficit to 3-2 and set the stage for Bailey's hit.

But reliever Mike Burns couldn't close the deal. He walked leadoff hitter Omir Santos, who then stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single by Chris Basak. In the 10th, Burns again walked the leadoff man, this time Shelley Duncan, then gave up a single to Bronson Sardinha. After an out and an intentional walk, Santos drove in Duncan with the game-winning run on an infield ground ball; Pawtucket was unable to turn the double play to end the inning.

PawSox starter Kason Gabbard pitched four and a third innings, giving up three runs on six hits, three walks and three strikeouts. He gave up a two-run home run to third baseman Chris Basak in the third inning, after Pawtucket had jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on Bailey's RBI double.

The PawSox are now 0-6 on the season against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the New York Yankees' new Triple-A affiliate. The teams play again tomorrow night in Pennsylvania.

Click here to see today's box score.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:20 PM | Permalink

PawSox edged by Scranton, 2-1.

The PawSox got quality pitching from Runelvys Hernandez, Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez, but were unable to generate much offense, losing in Scranton, 2-1.

Hernandez, fresh off the disabled list, pitched five innings. His only mistake was a two-run homer by Bronson Sardinha. Hernandez (0-2, 1.47) gave up just 2 hits. The Yankees managed just 3 hits all night.

The PawSox had ample opportunity to move ahead, but never cashed in. Chad Spann hit into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded.

The PawSox have lost 10 of their last 11 games. The series continues on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. David Pauley (0-0, 3.00) faces Steven Jackson (2-2, 7.15).

--PAWSOX.COM

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:43 PM | Permalink

Ellsbury to start tonight at McCoy

The Red Sox' most heralded offensive prospect, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, will be in the Pawtucket starting lineup tonight for the first time when the PawSox take on the Indianapolis Indians at 7:05, according to the PawSox Web site.

For more on Ellsbury, click here to read Sean McAdam's story about top Sox farmhands.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:22 AM | Permalink

Final: Indianapolis 9, Pawtucket 7

The PawSox gave it a good run but lost for the sixth straight game today at McCoy, 9-7, to Indianapolis.

The PawSox scored 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score at 7-7 but gave up two in the top of the 10th on two Manny Delcarmen wild pitches.

Click here for the box score.

Read more about the loss and the losing streak in Friday's Journal.

Posted by Kevin  at 3:09 PM | Permalink

Indians go up 9-7 in the 10th

Indianapolis scored two runs in the top of the 10th as reliever Manny Delcarmen uncorked two wild pitches to pave the way for both runs to come home.
The PawSox are about to bat in the bottom of the 10th, down 9-7.

Posted by Kevin  at 3:05 PM | Permalink

Extras at McCoy

The PawSox rallied in the ninth inning with Jeff Bailey hitting a two-run, two-out single that tied the score, 7-7.
We're heading to extra innings as the Sox hang in and try to snap a 5-game losing streak.

Posted by Kevin  at 2:52 PM | Permalink

Big Trouble for PawSox

Uh-oh. The reeling PawSox (5 straight losses) just surrendered a 2-run homer to Yurendell De Caster in the top of the ninth that broke a 5-5 tie.
It's Indianapolis 7, Pawtucket 5 as we go to the bottom of the ninth.

Posted by Kevin  at 2:41 PM | Permalink

We go to the 9th....

We're into the ninth inning still tied at McCoy at 5-5. Both teams wasted chances in the eighth. The Indians had two base stealers thrown out at second base. The PSox wasted a one-out single by Kevin Cash.
Edgar Martinez is still on the mound to start the ninth. The Sox are looking to snap a 5-game losing streak,

Posted by Kevin  at 2:28 PM | Permalink

Pawtucket 5, Indianapolis 5 thru 7

Both teams left two runners on base but could not punch in a run in the seventh inning. It's still 5-5 after 7.
Edgar Martinez, who has struggled out of the bullpen, is on to pitch the 8th for the PawSox.

Posted by Kevin  at 2:15 PM | Permalink

PawSox-Indy tied at 5

Indianapolis scored a single run in the top of the sixth inning off David Pauley to tie the PawSox, 5-5. The Sox failed to score in the last of the inning.
Craig Breslow has replaced Pauley to start the seventh inning.

Posted by Kevin  at 1:49 PM | Permalink

Scoreless fifth

No scoring in the fifth. That's three sets of zeroes in a row for the PawSox and Indy Indians.
It's 5-4 PawSox after 5.

Posted by Kevin  at 1:31 PM | Permalink

PSox update

No scoring in the 4th. It's still 5-4 Pawtucket and starter David Pauley is still on the mound.

Posted by Kevin  at 1:25 PM | Permalink

PawSox 5, Indianpolis 4 after 3

No scoring in the third inning.
Pawtucket 5, Indy 4.

Posted by Kevin  at 1:13 PM | Permalink

Gabbard sharp despite PawSox loss to Buffalo

PAWTUCKET _ It’s been 10 days since Pawtucket Red Sox pitcher Kason Gabbard worked in a regulation game. With his performance Sunday you would never have guess the left-hander had that much time off.

His last start was suspended with two outs in the bottom of the first inning with the PawSox holding a three-run lead at Buffalo on April 23. Yesterday, he worked six shutout innings, allowing just four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in his fifth start of the year.

Because of his layoff, Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said he was keeping Gabbard to 90 pitches or six innings. He finished with 89 pitches (52 strikes) and left with a scoreless game. The Bisons scored four runs of Pawtucket reliever Bryan Corey in the top of the seventh and added two more off Mike Burns in the top of the ninth en route to a 6-0 victory at McCoy Stadium.

Despite the team’s loss, Gabbard was sharp.

“I’m just trying to go out there and get a feel for all my pitches and go from there,” said Gabbard. “I made the pitches when I needed to and the end result was good.”
Johnson called Gabbard’s outing outstanding.

For the second game in a row, the PawSox had plenty of opportunity to score, but couldn’t drive in the timely runs. Pawtucket 11 base runners yesterday and left the bases loaded in the eighth inning.

“I try not to get concerned with it,” said Johnson. “Because like I said earlier in the season, we’re a club that is going to get better. We’re going to have streaks and hot spurts. We’ve swung the bats very well the last couple of days and today we didn’t.”

The PawSox have faced some impressive pitching the last couple of games against Buffalo, and the Bisons’ Brian Slocum, yesterday’s starter, was on his game. The right-hander improved to 2-1 after throwing a three-hit shutout in six innings of work with one walk and seven strikeouts. He was a much different pitcher than the last time Pawtucket faced when he allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings and suffered the loss last week in Buffalo.

“That kid threw the ball really good today,” said Johnson. “We got to him pretty good in Buffalo, but today he pretty good.”

The PawSox and Bisons close out this four-game set at 6:15 tomorrow night at McCoy. Pawtucket will send Devern Hansack (1-2, 3.22) to the mound against Buffalo’s Jeff Harris (1-1, 3.27).

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 6:47 PM | Permalink

PawSox lose in 11 innings, 10-7

Luis Rivas bases-loaded walk with two out in the 11th snapped a 7-7 game and propelled the Bisons to a 10-7 victory, Saturday afternoon in Pawtucket. Ben Francisco added a two-run single to ensure the Herd their first extra-inning win of 2007.

The victory was also Buffalo's first in four games against Pawtucket this season.

After battling back from a 7-4 deficit to force extra frames, the Bisons looked like they were going to let a golden opportunity slip for a win slip away. Joe Inglett and Ryan Mulhern opened the 11th with singles and Trent Durrington also reached with a hit when he beat out his sacrifice bunt attempt. But Pawtucket reliever Travis Hughes responded by striking out Mike Rose and inducing Franklin Gutierrez to pop out on the infield.

With two outs, Rivas turned the tides back in favor of the Bisons by drawing a five-pitch walk to force in the go-ahead run. Three pitches later, Francisco stung a pitch to left field to plate two more runs.

Edward Mujica preserved the win by retiring the PawSox 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th inning for his sixth save of the season.

It was a see-saw battle through the first nine innings of play. Buffalo struck first with home runs from Gutierrez and Hector Luna in a three-run first and added a fourth run on triple from Mulhern and an RBI-ground out from Durrington.

The next seven runs, however, were scored by Pawtucket. Kevin Cash went deep and David Murphy doubled home a run to cut the Bisons advantage in half in the third inning. Brandon Moss' two-run homer in the sixth tied the game at four. Ed Roger's home run in the seventh capped a three-run rally that put the Paw Sox ahead, 7-4.

Buffalo tied the game at seven with three runs in the eighth inning. Three consecutive singles by Gutierrez, Rivas and Francisco made it 7-5 Pawtucket. Luna then picked up his second big hit of the game with a two-out, two-run single to tie the game.

The win for the Bisons went to Sean Smith (1-1). Smith came on in the bottom of the eighth inning a quieted the Pawtucket offense with three shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out four to earn his first career Triple-A win.

--BISONS.COM

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 5:44 PM | Permalink

PawSox fall to Red Wings

In a rematch of starting pitchers Rochester’s Kevin Slowey once again bettered Pawtucket’s Devern Hansack as the Red Sox fell to the Red Wings 5-2 Tuesday at Frontier Field.

The two rookies faced each other only last week at McCoy Stadium with Slowey (3-0) striking out nine in five innings and Hansack (1-2) allowing three runs on eight hits in five innings as the Red Wings shutout Pawtucket.

In last night’s rematch the PawSox finally scored on the Rochester righty but four runs on 10 hits by the Red Wings off Hansack helped Rochester to the win.

"The story was Slowey," Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said.

"It was a dominating performance by Slowey," Rochester manager Stan Cliburn added.

"You have to tip your hat. Slowey did a great job," Johnson said. "It was an interesting game."

Slowey (3-0) again had nine strike outs, this time over seven innings, allowing the two runs on three hits. The PawSox whiffed 13 times in the game.

"We made the most of our three hits," Johnson said.

Brandon Moss had a single in the second and Chad Spann singled in the fifth.

Then, in Slowey’s terms, the bottom fell out when he walked Moss in the seventh.

Moss became the first batter in 65 that Slowey has faced in 18 innings to earn a walk from the Red Wings rookie.

"He made some really good pitches," Moss said of his 13-pitch at-bat against Slowey in the seventh inning. "He has really good command. It took him a lot of pitches to walk me and none of them was over the middle of the plate. He was trying to get me to chase something out of the zone. If he wanted to throw a strike there he could have."

George Kottaras followed with a two-run homer to right.

"He hit it a country mile," Slowey said.

"I was overly aggressive in earlier at-bats," Kottaras said. "I went up looking for a pitch I could handle. He has great stuff and will make you pay if you chase stuff. He has a great idea on how to pitch I was lucky to run into one (that he didn‘t concentrate on)."

Kottaras became the first in 66 batters to homer off of Slowey drilling the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall for the only Pawtucket runs.

"Slowey said he made a mistake on Kottaras," Cliburn said. "I told him that wasn’t a mistake pitch. It was a 91 MPH fastball that a good hitter hit out of the park. Your only human."

Three of the Rochester runs came on sacrifice flies. Another on a wild pitch, one of four thrown by Hansack, and the other on a single to center.

"We went out and manufactured runs," Cliburn said. "We stole bases. We were aggressive on the base paths and that allowed us to score on the sacrifice flies."

"When they needed to run and steal a base, they did," Johnson said. "We did a good job of defending but it didn’t work."

Today’s afternoon tilt with the Red Wings will be another classic pitching duel as righty Matt Garza, the minor league player-of-the-year, will take the mound for Rochester against Jon Lester for Pawtucket. It will be the lefties first rehab start for the PawSox. Lester, in three starts for Single-A Greenville allowed three runs on 11 hits over 13 innings with 15 strike outs in three starts for the Drive.

ED GONSER (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:13 PM | Permalink

PawSox rained out

The PawSox battled the weather again Monday night, and had their game against the Buffalo Bisons suspended after heavy rain halted the game after just 16 minutes.

The game, in which Pawtucket has a 3-0 lead in the first inning, will be resumed on May 5 when the Red Sox return to Dunn Tire Park. That game will be a full nine-inning affair and will be followed by a seven-inning nightcap.

Pawtucket, which had won its last two games, had three games postponed in a four-day span between April 15-18. As a result, the starting pitchers haven’t been able to establish a normal routine. The bullpen, though, has worked at least three innings in each of the last four games, so the rest may be beneficial.

“It’ll be helpful,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “We were big-time spent. This situation won’t hurt us at all.”

The game began under cloudy conditions with stiff winds - gusting over 30 miles per hour - blowing out to left field. Brandon Moss hit a wind-assisted three-run homer in the top of the first, giving the Triple-A rookie a home run in three of his last five games.

In the bottom of the first, PawSox starter Kason Gabbard retired the first two batters and had a 1-1 count on Ben Francisco when the rains intensified, forcing the delay.

The grounds crew was able to get the tarp down with little difficulty, but high winds threatened to carry the sheet away once it was in place. Lawn care machinery was used to anchor the tarp.

After the delay hit the 45-minute mark, the cover was lifted as the rains stopped. The howling winds, however, turned the managers’ attention to safety.

“The concern (Buffalo skipper Torey Lovullo and I) had was hitters going to the plate and catching their breath and having trouble seeing against the wind,” Johnson said. “It’s a situation where someone could get hurt.”

The PawSox then traveled to Rochester where they begin a two-game series tonight. Righthander Devern Hansack (1-1, 1.69) is scheduled to start the 6:35 pm contest, slated to face Red Wings’ righty Kevin Slowey (2-0, 0.00).

--MIKE HAIM (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 8:17 PM | Permalink

PawSox roll over Bison, 6-1

BUFFALO — Nothing like being the beneficiary of some long balls if you’re a struggling starting pitcher.

Abe Alvarez won for just the second time in his last 13 Triple-A decisions, and David Murphy, Luis Jimenez and Brandon Moss each hit home runs to give the Pawtucket Red Sox a convincing 6-1 win over the Buffalo Bisons in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 8,184 at Dunn Tire Park yesterday afternoon.

Alvarez (1-2) won for the first time in three starts this season, allowing just two hits over five innings of work while throwing 95 pitches. He also walked three and struck out three, as Pawtucket (8-8) won for the third time in the last four games after dropping five straight.

“To get those runs up early it makes you feel more comfortable as a pitcher,” said Alvarez, who was staked to a 2-0 second-inning lead. “That made it easy for me to calm down.”

Over the first two games of this three-game set, Pawtucket has mashed five home runs against the second-stingiest pitching staff in the International League. Coming into the series, the Bisons’ pitchers had allowed just three homers in their first 12 games.

PawSox hitters, meanwhile, had gone deep eight times in their first 14 games before starting to blast away along the shores of Lake Erie.

“We got the things we needed,” manager Ron Johnson said. “You can only go so long trying to manufacture a run here or there. It gets to the point where you need someone to hit the ball out of the ball park, and we got it today.”

Murphy led off the second by crushing Buffalo starter Brian Slocum’s 1-1 pitch over the right-center field wall, and Jimenez followed three batters later with an opposite-field job that made it 2-0. The early lead helped Alvarez, who labored through the first two innings, allowing a run on two hits and three walks before settling down.

The southpaw retired the next nine hitters he faced before departing in favor of reliever Travis Hughes. Hughes continued the mound dominance by setting down five straight before Hector Luna’s single.

Hughes gave up just that hit and struck out three in three innings, and has not allowed a run in his five appearances.

“That was the momentum time of the game,” Johnson said about the middle innings. “Travis worked fast, he threw strikes and let the defense play.”

After leaving the bases loaded in the third, Pawtucket extended its lead to 3-1 in the fourth on Kevin Cash’s run-scoring double that plated Jimenez.

The PawSox broke it open in the fifth on Moss’ third homer of the young season, a two-run blast off Slocum that easily cleared the right-center field wall. They added to their lead in the seventh after Buffalo third baseman Keith Ginter’s throwing error allowed Murphy to score an unearned run.

Murphy finished 2-for-4 with a walk, and has hit safely in five of his last six games. The 2003 first-round pick is hitting .400 over those half-dozen games.
Moss had two hits, including a double in the seventh, his fourth extra-base hit in the last four games.

Slocum (1-1) lasted five innings for Buffalo, giving up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five.

“That was one of those textbook kind of games,” Johnson said.

Johnson also had good news to report on Runelvys Hernandez, who left Saturday’s start in the third inning after grabbing his left hamstring after a pitch. Johnson said Hernandez is sore, but there is no damage, and the righty shouldn’t miss any starts.

The three-game series concludes tonight at 6. Lefty Kason Gabbard (2-1, 4.41 ERA) is scheduled to start for the PawSox, while right-hander Jeff Harris (1-0, 3.27) will counter for the Bisons.

--BOB MATUSZAK, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 6:31 PM | Permalink

PawSox roll over Bison, 6-1

BUFFALO — Nothing like being the beneficiary of some long balls if you’re a struggling starting pitcher.

Abe Alvarez won for just the second time in his last 13 Triple-A decisions, and David Murphy, Luis Jimenez and Brandon Moss each hit home runs to give the Pawtucket Red Sox a convincing 6-1 win over the Buffalo Bisons in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 8,184 at Dunn Tire Park yesterday afternoon.

Alvarez (1-2) won for the first time in three starts this season, allowing just two hits over five innings of work while throwing 95 pitches. He also walked three and struck out three, as Pawtucket (8-8) won for the third time in the last four games after dropping five straight.

“To get those runs up early it makes you feel more comfortable as a pitcher,” said Alvarez, who was staked to a 2-0 second-inning lead. “That made it easy for me to calm down.”

Over the first two games of this three-game set, Pawtucket has mashed five home runs against the second-stingiest pitching staff in the International League. Coming into the series, the Bisons’ pitchers had allowed just three homers in their first 12 games.

PawSox hitters, meanwhile, had gone deep eight times in their first 14 games before starting to blast away along the shores of Lake Erie.

“We got the things we needed,” manager Ron Johnson said. “You can only go so long trying to manufacture a run here or there. It gets to the point where you need someone to hit the ball out of the ball park, and we got it today.”

Murphy led off the second by crushing Buffalo starter Brian Slocum’s 1-1 pitch over the right-center field wall, and Jimenez followed three batters later with an opposite-field job that made it 2-0. The early lead helped Alvarez, who labored through the first two innings, allowing a run on two hits and three walks before settling down.

The southpaw retired the next nine hitters he faced before departing in favor of reliever Travis Hughes. Hughes continued the mound dominance by setting down five straight before Hector Luna’s single.

Hughes gave up just that hit and struck out three in three innings, and has not allowed a run in his five appearances.

“That was the momentum time of the game,” Johnson said about the middle innings. “Travis worked fast, he threw strikes and let the defense play.”

After leaving the bases loaded in the third, Pawtucket extended its lead to 3-1 in the fourth on Kevin Cash’s run-scoring double that plated Jimenez.

The PawSox broke it open in the fifth on Moss’ third homer of the young season, a two-run blast off Slocum that easily cleared the right-center field wall. They added to their lead in the seventh after Buffalo third baseman Keith Ginter’s throwing error allowed Murphy to score an unearned run.

Murphy finished 2-for-4 with a walk, and has hit safely in five of his last six games. The 2003 first-round pick is hitting .400 over those half-dozen games.
Moss had two hits, including a double in the seventh, his fourth extra-base hit in the last four games.

Slocum (1-1) lasted five innings for Buffalo, giving up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five.

“That was one of those textbook kind of games,” Johnson said.

Johnson also had good news to report on Runelvys Hernandez, who left Saturday’s start in the third inning after grabbing his left hamstring after a pitch. Johnson said Hernandez is sore, but there is no damage, and the righty shouldn’t miss any starts.

The three-game series concludes tonight at 6. Lefty Kason Gabbard (2-1, 4.41 ERA) is scheduled to start for the PawSox, while right-hander Jeff Harris (1-0, 3.27) will counter for the Bisons.

--BOB MATUSZAK, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 6:31 PM | Permalink

PawSox split doubleheader

The Pawtucket Red Sox defeated Rochester, 4-0, in the second game of their seven-inning doubleheader today at McCoy Stadium and earned a split of the twinbill.

Pawtucket fell, 3-0, in the opener. Starter Davern Hansack took the loss, giving up all three Rochester runs in 5.1 innings. Second baseman Matt Tolman homered for Rochester. Craig Hansen pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for Pawtucket.

The PawSox are now 1-4 at McCoy Stadium.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:42 PM | Permalink

PawSox plan to go ahead with twin bill today

Pawtucket Red Sox president Mike Tamburro says the team plans on playing today's double-header as scheduled. The PawSox expect to begin play against the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees just after noon today. The plan is to play two, seven-inning games with a short break in between.

-Report from Sports Writer Kevin McNamara

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:47 AM | Permalink