The 2011 baseball season has officially ended for the Pawtucket Red Sox after falling to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs last night 3-1 at McCoy in game three of the opening round of the International League Playoffs. Lehigh Valley swept the best-of-five series winning three games to none.
The PawSox offense became a non-factor in the series, scoring a total of five runs over three games. Of their 18 hits in the series, only six were for extra bases.
The PawSox collected only five singles off Lehigh Valley starter Brain Bass (1-0). Pawtucket’s lone run was unearned and came in the bottom of the ninth. Bass struck out two and walked two in going the distance for the Iron Pigs.
The Pawtucket pitching staff was nearly equal to the task over the three games. Alex Wilson (0-1) pitched well enough to win, giving up three runs on only three hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out six. Trevor Miller threw two hitless innings to close the game.
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The Charlotte Knights broke a 5-5 tie with three runs in the bottom of the tenth inning to come away with a 8-5 win last night at Knights Stadium.
The Knights scored the go ahead runs in the eighth off PawSox reliever Royce Ring (0-2). DH Lastings Milledge led off the inning by collecting a single to center. Gookie Dawkins came in to run for Millegde and was cut down at second after Ryan Lavarnway handled a sacrifice bunt attempt by C Josh Phegley. After CF Jordan Danks struck out 2B Andrew Garcia belted a two run homer to right.
But the Knights were not done. SS Eduardo Escobar followed Garcia’s homer with a double and scored one batter later on a RBI single by LF Tyler Kuhn.
The PawSox took the lead in the game with two runs in the top of the first. Che-Hsuan Lin led off the game with a single and advanced to third on a double by Nate Spears. Lavarnway then drove in Lin with a sacrifice fly to left. Spears scored on a RBI single to right by Lars Anderson.
Anderson drove in another run for the PawSox with a RBI single in the fifth.
A wild pich by Knights pitcher Addison Reed led to another Pawtucket run in the sixth.
A Daniel Nava solo homer in the seventh capped off the PawSox scoring.
Spears had three hits to lead the PawSox. Anderson and Luis Exposito had two hits each.
Brandon Duckworth got the start for the PawSox and worked 6 2/3 innings giving up five runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two. Duckworth gave up a pair of two run homers to Dallas McPhearson, one in the fourth and another in the fifth.
Despite the loss the PawSox are still percentage points ahead of Lehigh Valley for first place in the I.L. North Division. The finale of the four game series is tonight at 7:15p.m. Tony Pena, Jr. (8-5, 3.63 ERA) gets the ball for the PawSox. Doug Davis (1-2, 2.63 ERA) starts for the Knights.
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The unofficial second half of the Triple A season resumes tonight with the PawSox at home to open a four game series with the Durham Bulls. The All-Star Break is a good time to take a look at the PawSox to date and look ahead to the remainder of the season.
The PawSox sit at 50-41, nine games over .500, their best win/loss differential of the year. Last year Pawtucket was 41-49 at the break. The PawSox are currently in 2nd place in the I.L.’s North Division, 3 1/2 games behind the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Pawtucket is in a tie with the Gwinnett Braves for the I.L.’s wild card berth.
It’s safe to say that the PawSox’ success over the first half can be attributed to its pitching staff. As a team the PawSox rank 2nd in the I.L. in ERA at 3.49. They are also second in earned runs allowed with 314. The Pawtucket staff is first in the league with the least number of hits allowed at 705 and first in WHIP at 1.25.
Starter Kyle Weiland has been the most consistent pitcher on the PawSox staff. At the break he has a record of 8-6. His ERA is 5th in the league at 3.00. He is 2nd in the league in strikeouts with 99 and 5th in WHIP at 1.14. Weiland was called up to Boston just before the break but should return to Pawtucket once starters John Lester and Clay Buchholz return from injuries.
Offensively teamwork has been the motto for the PawSox. As a team Pawtucket ranks second to last in batting at .250. They do rate better in other categories. The PawSox rank third in the I.L. in runs scored at 424 and RBI’s with 402. They are tied for 4th in home runs at 86 and are 5th in both OBP (.331) and OPS (.733)
No one individually on the team has made a definitive impact offensively. Daniel Nava is fifth in the I.L. in walks with 48.
The success of the club for the rest of the year depends on a continuation of solid pitching combined with the return of players on the disabled list. SS Jose Iglesias (concussion), OF Ryan Kalish (shoulder), and OF J.C. Linares (ankle) should provide some offensive support once they return. Clevelan Santeliz (oblique) will also be a welcomed site when he returns to the Pawtucket bullpen.
If the team continues to play solid ball there is no reason why the PawSox should not find itself playing in the post season come early September.
The Pawtucket Red Sox used a pair of three-run homers to power their way to a 6-3 victory last night over the Rochester Red Wings at Frontier Field.
The PawSox only had four hits on the night, but made the most of them. Lars Anderson belted a three-run homer off Rochester starter Eric Hacker in the first.
With one out in the fourth Ryan Khoury walked. After Luis Exposito flew out to center Ronald Bermudez doubled Khoury to third. James Kang then belted his first homer in Pawtucket, a deep fly to left, also off Hacker (3-8).
Kyle Weiland (8-6) shut down the Red Wings for the second time in a week, giving up two runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
Jason Rice gave up one run in 2 1/3 innings on the mound.
The two clubs will wrap up their series by playing a double header tonight beginning at 5:05p.m. Matt Fox (4-2, 3.73 ERA) will get the ball for the PawSox. The Twins’ Kevin Slowey (NR) will be making a rehab start for Rochester. Newcomer Jeremy Kehrt (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will start in game two for Pawtucket.
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PAWTUCKET- The rosters for the Triple-A All-Star Game have been set and PawSox starter Matt Fox will be the lone representative from Pawtucket serving on the International League squad.
Fox is 4-2 with a 3.61 ERA in ten starts with Pawtucket. Fox is second on the PawSox with 67 1/3 innings pitched and 58 strikeouts.
Fox was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2004 and made his Major League Debut with the Twins last September. He was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox last September 9th and made three appearances with Boston. He was released over the winter and re-signed with Boston as a minor league free agent.
The Triple-A All-Star Game will be played Wednesday, July 13th at 9:00pm ET at Spring Mobile Ballpark in Salt Lake City, UT. The game will be televised on the MLB Network and also on radio locally on the PawSox flagship station 920 AM WHJJ.
