RED SOX STARTNG PITCHER: TEXAS GAME 1

30-ANDREW MILLER, LHP 6-1, 4.42 ERA, 12 games, 10 starts

2011: 6-1, 4.42 ERA (27 ER/55.0 IP) in 12 G, 10 GS

2011 vs. TEX: 1-0, 0.00 ERA (0 ER/6.1 IP) in 1 GS

CAREER: 21-27, 5.62 ERA (218 ER/349.1 IP) in 91 G, 64 GS

CAREER vs. TEX: 1-0, 0.00 ERA (0 ER/7.1 IP) in 2 G, 1 GS

CAREER AT HOME: 11-10, 5.38 ERA (103 ER/172.1 IP) in 46 G, 30 GS

CAREER vs. TEX in BOS: First appearance

LAST OUTING: Tossed 6.1 shutout innings and earned the win in the Red Sox 6-0
victory at Texas on 8/25…Allowed 3 hits, all singles, and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts over 83 pitches…Alfredo Aceves and Dan Wheeler combined to throw 2.2 hitless innings in relief..Adrian
Gonzalez went deep in his 1st 2 plate appearances.

Was his longest scoreless outing of the season and longest since a 7.0 IP start at WSH on 5/10/08 with FLA.

WINNING WAYS: Is 6-1 in his 10 starts, matching his season high for wins in a season (also 2008 with FLA)…BOS has won 9 of his 10 starts…His only start that didn’t result in a Red Sox win came in a
9-6 loss at TB on 7/15.

All 6 of his wins have come in starts, establishing a new career high as a starter.

STARTING LINE: Is 6-1 with a 4.33 ERA (25 ER/52.0 IP) in 10 starts this year,
allowing 3 runs or less in 8 of those 10 starts…Combined to yield 14 runs (12 ER) in his other 2 starts.

VS. THE RANGERS: Makes his 2nd consecutive start against TEX…Defeated the Rangers
6-0 on 8/25 at TEX…Tossed 1.0 inning of relief against the Rangers on 9/13/06 while with DET in his only other appearance against the club.

IN RELIEF: Made 2 appearances out of the bullpen on 8/4 (vs. CLE) and 8/10 (at MIN), giving up 2 runs in 3.0 innings with 5 strikeouts in the bullpen outings.

Is 1 of 4 Red Sox pitchers to both start a game and appear in relief this season.

FANTASTIC FOUR: Did not lose any of his 1st 4 starts with the club, going 3-0…The
last pitcher to go undefeated in his 1st 4 or more starts with the club was Brad Penny (2-0 from in 1st 4 starts, 4/11-28/09)…Jon Lester was the last southpaw to be undefeated in his 1st 4 starts with BOS (5-0
in his 1st 9 starts, 6/10-7/23/06).

Went at least 5.0innings and allowed 3 runs or fewer in each of his 1st 4 starts with BOS, the
longest such stretch to start a Sox career since John Burkett in 2002 (1st 6 starts)…The last Sox lefty to have a streak of that kind was Jeff Fassero in his 1st 4 starts of 2000.

RED SOX DEBUT: Fanned 6 batters in his Red Sox debut on 6/20 vs. SD…Became just
the 5th lefty since 1919 with at least as many strikeouts in his Red Sox debut, 1st since Kevin Morton, who pitched a 9.0-inning complete game with 9 strikeouts in his 1st outing with Boston on 7/5/91 vs. DET…Miller was the 1st pitcher to strike out at least 6 in his Sox debut overall since Daisuke Matsuzaka
fanned 10 on 4/5/07 at KC.

PREVIOUS START: Earned the win, going 5.1 innings and allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts, in the Red Sox 7-1 victory at KC on 8/19…Was his 1st start since 7/31 after 2 appearances in relief…Allowed the only KC run in the 3rd inning on a sac fly by Alex Gordon…With the score 2-1 in the 5th inning, Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a 3-run homer to help the Sox pull away…Alfredo Aceves threw a scoreless 3.2 innings in relief for the save.

MORE
2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Did not earn a decision in a 5-3 Red Sox win on 7/31 at CWS after pitching 5.2 innings, and allowing 3 runs on a seasonhigh 10 hits, 1 walk and a hit batter with a season-best 8 strikeouts…Went 3.2 innings, allowing 7 runs (5 ER) on 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1 in a no-decision against Kansas City on 7/26 at Fenway Park…Went 5.2 innings and earned the win, allowing no runs on 2 hits and a career-high 6 walks in Boston’s 4-0 victory in Baltimore on 7/20…Since 1994, the only other Red Sox to hold a team scoreless while issuing at least 6 walks in an outing was Matt Clement on 9/24/05 at BAL (6 BB in 5.2 IP)…Miller was the 1st to do it and earn a win for Boston since Joe Hesketh, 4/17/93 vs. CWS

(6 BB in 8.0 IP)…Took his 1st loss in a Boston uniform, lasting just 2.2 innings, his shortest start with the Sox, surrendering a career-high 7 runs (also 7/13/08 vs. LAD with FLA) as the Red Sox fell to the Rays, 9-6, on 7/15 at Tropicana Field…Picked up his 3rd straight win as BOS defeated BAL, 10-4, on 7/7 at home…Did not strike out any batters for the 1st time in a start since 7/19/09 vs. PHI while
with FLA…Won, 10-4, at HOU on 7/2, yielding 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks over 6.0 IP…Picked up his 1st win in a BOS uniform at PIT, 4-2, on 6/26 to help snap a 4-game team losing streak.

ON THE FARM: Signed with Boston as a minor league free agent on 12/16/10 and was with Triple-A Pawtucket from the start of the season until his 6/19 promotion…Went 3-3 with a 2.47 ERA (18 ER/65.2 IP) and 61 K’s with 35 walks in 13 games (12 starts) for the PawSox.

Held opponents to 3 runs or less in all 13 outings with the PawSox, surrendering just 2 homers at
Triple-A…Allowed 1 earned run or less in 9 of those 13 appearances, including scoreless tilts on 5/29 vs. Indianapolis (7.0 IP) and 4/15 at Syracuse (4.0 IP)…Held lefties to a .122 clip (9-for-74).

Was 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA (5 ER/25.1 IP) over his last 4 Triple-A outings (3 starts) from 5/29-6/14,
improving his ERA from 2.90 to 2.47…In that time, ranked among International League leaders in WHIP (4th, 0.79), ERA (8th), strikeouts (T-3rd, 26) and ground out/air out ratio (5th, 1.82).

MINOR LEADER: At the time of his 6/19 promotion to Boston, led qualifying
Triple-A hurlers with a .181 opponent average (42-for-232) and ranked 4th among Triple-A
qualifiers, 2nd among left-handers, with a team-best 2.47 ERA…Also ranked 9th in
the IL with a 1.17 WHIP.

IN THE MAJORS: Has appeared in the Major Leagues in all 6 seasons since being selected in the 1st round (6th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft…Made just 3 minor league appearances in the Tigers organization before his Major League debut on 8/30/06 at NYY…Threw 1.0 scoreless relief inning in his 1st ML appearance, on 8/30/06 at Yankee Stadium.

IN THE HEIGHTS: At 6-foot-7, became the tallest left-handed pitcher ever to appear in a game for the Red Sox…Is the 12th Red Sox player overall (9th pitcher) ever to stand at least that tall…The last Red Sox to measure in at 6-foot-7 or taller was Kyle Snyder at 6-foot-8 from 2006-08.

RED SOX NOTES; BEAT ROYALS 7-1

Boston Red Sox (76-48) 7, Kansas City Royals (51-75) 1 

ANDREW MILLER GETS THE SPOT START AND PICKS UP THE WIN !

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Boston 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 0 7 13 0 Kansas City 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1

Boston AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO PO A Ellsbury, CF .313 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0   Reddick, RF .307 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Aviles, SS .237 5 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 Gonzalez, Ad, 1B .346 4 0 3 2 0 0 1 0 1 11 0 Pedroia, 2B .307 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 5 Lowrie, 3B .264 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 Lavarnway, DH .125 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Crawford, LF .248 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Saltalamacchia, C .246 5 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 6 0 McDonald, D, RF-CF .170 4 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0   Miller, A, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2   Aceves, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals .278 37 7 13 4 1 1 6 4 4 27 13 BATTING 2B: Gonzalez, Ad 2 (38, Francis, Teaford), Crawford (18, Francis), Aviles (13, Teaford). 3B: McDonald, D (1, Francis). HR: Saltalamacchia (12, 5th inning off Francis, 2 on, 1 out). RBI: McDonald, D (16), Ellsbury (79), Saltalamacchia 3 (41), Gonzalez, Ad (93). SF: Ellsbury (off Francis), Gonzalez, Ad (off Teaford). GIDP: Lowrie, Crawford. Team RISP: 4-for-13. Team LOB: 10. BASERUNNING SB: Aviles (12). FIELDING DP: (Pedroia-Aviles-Gonzalez, Ad).
Kansas City AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO PO A Gordon, LF .296 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 Cabrera, Me, CF .306 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 Butler, DH .293 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Hosmer, 1B .268 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 0 Francoeur, RF .275 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 Giavotella, 2B .268 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Pena, B, C .258 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Moustakas, 3B .198 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Escobar, A, SS .252 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 7   Francis, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2   Teaford, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   Adcock, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals .266 28 1 4 3 0 0 1 3 6 27 13 BATTING 2B: Francoeur (36, Miller, A), Moustakas (8, Miller, A), Butler (29, Aceves). RBI: Gordon (65). SAC: Escobar, A (off Miller, A). SF: Gordon (off Miller, A). GIDP: Francoeur. Team RISP: 0-for-6. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING SB: Gordon (13). FIELDING E: Escobar, A (13). DP: 2 (Escobar, A-Hosmer, Giavotella-Escobar, A-Hosmer).
Boston ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR BF Miller, A (W, 5-1) 4.99 5.1 3 1 1 2 3 0 20 Aceves (S, 2) 3.06 3.2 1 0 0 1 3 0 13 Totals 3.87 9.0 4 1 1 3 6 0 33		Kansas City ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR BF Francis (L, 4-14) 4.89 5.0 11 5 5 2 1 1 28 Teaford 4.03 3.0 2 2 1 1 3 0 13 Adcock 4.56 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 Totals 4.51 9.0 13 7 6 4 4 1 44		Team ER: off Boston 1, off Kansas City 6. BB: off Miller, A 2 (Moustakas, Gordon), Aceves 1 (Francoeur), off Francis 2 (Pedroia, Pedroia), Teaford 1 (Lowrie), Adcock 1 (Lavarnway). IBB: off Francis 2 (Pedroia, Pedroia). SO: by Miller, A 3 (Gordon, Hosmer, Cabrera, Me), Aceves 3 (Butler, Francoeur, Escobar, A), by Francis 1 (Gonzalez, Ad), Teaford 3 (Pedroia, Lavarnway, Saltalamacchia). HB: Ellsbury (by Teaford). Pitches-strikes: Miller, A 83-50, Aceves 45-31, Francis 91-62, Teaford 44-27, Adcock 10-4. Umpires: HP: Tim Welke. 1B: Andy Fletcher. 2B: Jim Reynolds. 3B: Mike DiMuro. Official Scorer: Del Black. Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 10 mph, In from RF. T: 2:43. Att: 21,262.

Compiled by MLB
Advanced Media; Copyright by MLB Office of the Commissioner

CLEANING UP: Dustin Pedroia made his 12th career start in the clean-up spot last night, 8th this season, and went 3-for-4 with a double and drove in 3 of Boston’s 4 runs…He improved to 25-for-52 (.481) in his career
when starting in the 4-hole with 6 doubles, 5 homers and 14 RBI in those tilts…He’s batting .400 (14-for-35) with 3 doubles, 3 homers and 8 RBI at clean-up in 2011.

-Pedroia notched his 15th game with at least 3 hits last night…According to Elias, it is the most in the Majors by a 2nd baseman this year…The only other 2nd basemen in double-figures in 3-hit tilts are Tampa Bay’s
Ben Zobrist (11) and Florida’s Omar Infante (10).

-He has hit safely in 50 of his last 57 games dating back to 6/15, batting .364 (83-for-228) with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 11 homers, 37 RBI, 42 runs and 29 walks in that span, leading the Majors in that time with 137
total bases and 2nd in hits, AVG, OBP (.427) and extra-base hits (tied, 30).

CENTER OF ATTENTION: Jacoby Ellsbury swiped his 33rd stolen base of the season last night, the 169th of his career, passing Carl Yastrzemski for 3rd on the Red Sox all-time stolen base list, behind only Harry
Hooper (300) and Tris Speaker (267).

-Ellsbury also has 22 homers on the year, surpassing his entire total from the 1st 4 years of his career (20)…Along with his 33 stolen bases, he is the 6th Red Sox (7th time) to reach both 20 HR and 20 SB in a season and his 22 homers are the most ever for a Red Sox with 30 or more steals.

SAVINGS ACCOUNT: Jonathan Papelbon collected his 29th save with a perfect 9th last night, the 4th-most saves in the AL…He has converted each of his last 24 save chances since 5/13, the longest stretch of his career and the 2nd-longest save streak in the American League this year behind Detroit’s Jose Valverde, who has converted each of his 35 chances thus far.

-Papelbon has thrown 14.0 scoreless frames over his last 14 games, allowing just 3 base runners (all singles) with 15 strikeouts in that stretch, while going 2-0 with 9 saves in that time…The 14.0 innings is the longest active scoreless streak in the AL and this is his longest scoreless game and inning stretch stretch since a 16-game, 15.2 IP run from 8/1-9/12/07.

-He is 1 save shy of reaching the 30-save plateau for the 6th straight year…He would become the 1st pitcher ever to record 30 or more saves in each of his 1st 6 full ML seasons (2006-11).

MAJOR DEBUT: Ryan Lavarnway, who was selected to the Major League roster yesterday, made his Major League debut last night with a start at DH (0-for-4)…He is the 4th player to debut with the Sox this year,
joining SS Jose Iglesias, LHP Tommy Hottovy and RHP Kyle Weiland.

 

PAW SOX NOTES

 

JUNE 8^th
PAWTUCKET (31-27)
at     NORFOLK (21-38)      7:15 pm

 

 Pawtucket Red Sox LHP Andrew
Miller (3-2, 2.70) vs. Norfolk
Tides RHP Brad Bergesen (1-0, 1.50)

Bonus Baseball When PawSox &Norfolk Get Together – The
Pawtucket Red Sox and the Norfolk Tides – who have played three extra-inning
affairs in five games against each other in the past nine days (two 13-inning
games both won by Norfolk and an 11-inning game won by the PawSox) – continue
this 4-game set in Norfolk tonight with a 7:15 pm contest at Harbor Park.  The teams have battled for 55-innings in
5-games with the PawSox taking 3 of the 5 thus far.  However, in the series-opener in Norfolk last night, the
Sox fell 4-3 in 13-innings.  They also
dropped a 13-inning decision to the Tides a week ago Monday back in Pawtucket, 5-4.  In between the Sox won an 11-inning game on
May 31 (5-4) and then a pair of 9-inning games by 8-7 and 8-0 scores last week.

 

 

 

This Series – The PawSox and Tides play tonight at 7:15 pm,
tomorrow afternoon at 12:15 pm, and the finale of the series and roadtrip on
Friday at 7:15 pm.  The PawSox return
home this coming Saturday for an 8-game homestand at McCoy that features
4-games vs. Charlotte
from June 11-14 and (after an off-day next Wednesday, June 15) – 4-games vs. IL
North-leading Lehigh Valley from June 16-19.
Pawtucket is 3-2 on their 8-game roadtrip
(winning 3 of 4 in Durham during the wrap-around
weekend) before falling in the series-opener atNorfolk last night.

 

 

 

The Agony of Defeat – The last five PawSox losses – since May
27 – have all come in the opponent’s last at-bat of the game.  The close calls started on May 27 when Indianapolis erased a 3-1,
9^th-inning deficit at McCoy to win 6-3.  The next night Indy scored 3 runs in the 8^th
to tie the game and 2 more in the 9^th–inning to win, 9-7.   On May 30 visiting Norfolk won on a Brandon Snyder HR in the top
of the 13^th, 5-4.  The
dramatic defeats continued on this roadtrip.
On Sunday, June 5 in Durham
the Bulls scored in the bottom of the 9^th to gain a 5-4
victory.  And then last night with 2 outs
in the bottom of the 13^th-inning, Norfolk’s Rhyne Hughes, who was
0-for-5 with 5 strikeouts in the game to that point, delivered the game-winning
single to send the Sox to another difficult loss, 4-3.  The PawSox have now lost 8 games in the
opponent’s last at-bat this season.  On
the other hand, the Sox have won 4 games during their last at-bat including May
31 with a 5-4 win in 11-innings and June 1 with dramatic comeback victory, 8-7
in the bottom of the 9^th (both vs. Norfolk).

 

 

 

Coming Up Winners – The PawSox equaled their season-high 5-game
winning streak from May 31 – June 4 (also from April 15-19) before losing on
Sunday in Durham.  And despite the setback in Norfolk last night, the Sox have still won 6
of 8 and 7 of their last 10 games.
During this stretch (last 10 games), the PawSox are batting .270
(105-for-389) with 13 HR & 65 runs scored (6.5 per game) to raise their
team batting average from .250 on May 28 to their current .254 – it was .257 on
Monday which was their highest since May 10 at .258.  Pawtucket
pitchers are 7-3 with a 2.83 ERA during this span (31 ER in 98.2 IP).

 

 

 

Can’t Get to 6-Above – The PawSox are 31-27 on the year after
reaching 5-games over .500 on Monday for the third time this season – May 9 (at
18-13) and June 4 (at 30-25) the others before Monday.  The loss last night denied the Sox from
pushing to 6-games above .500 for the first time since July 2 of the 2009
season when they were 42-36.  The Sox had
fallen to .500 on May 30 (25-25) as well as May 28, May 21 and May 14 which was
the first time since April 17 (5-5).
They have not been below .500 since April 15 (4-5).

 

 

 

Road Runners – The PawSox have won 6 of their last 8 on the road and 10 of their
last 15 away games since May 7.  The Sox
are 3-games better on the road (18-13) than at home (13-14) this season.  That fine road mark is still only the third
best in their own division (Lehigh Valley is 20-8 and Scranton/WB is 20-12) and 6^th
best in the IL (Gwinnett is 17-10, Columbus has
a 19-12 away record, and Louisville
is 17-12 on the road).  From June 3-27
the PawSox are playing 16 of 24 games on the road (3-2 thus far).

 

Home/Road Comparison – On the season the Sox are 13-14 with a
3.30 ERA at home (94 ER in 256 IP).  Pawtucket is batting .253
in 27 games at McCoy (238-for-940) with 28 HR.
On the road the Sox are 18-13 with a 3.31 ERA (98 ER in 266.1 IP) while
hitting .255 in 31 games (270-for-1058) with 29 HR.

 

 

 

June Roll – Pawtucket
is off to a 5-2 start in the month of June.
Sox pitchers are 5-2 with a 2.74 ERA (20 ER in 65.2 IP) while Sox batters
are hitting .264 (69-for-261) with 8 HR.
The PawSox have out-scored their opponents, 47-23 thus far in June.

 

 

Fixing Things on the Home Front - The PawSox have won 3 straight at home after losing
4 of their previous 5 at McCoy.  Over a
longer stretch, the Sox have lost 9 of their last 14 home games.  They are also 7-12 at McCoy since April 30
including their season-high 5-game losing streak that all came at McCoy from
May 10-14.

 

Series Situation – Pawtucket –
down 0-1 in this 4-game set in Norfolk
- is 7-5-4 in their first 16 series of the season.  From April 26 – July 1, the PawSox are
scheduled to play 16 consecutive 4-game series that will finally end on July 2
& 3 when they play a 2-game series at home vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

 

 

 

Four Score – Pawtucket
is 25-5 when they score more than 3 runs in a game this season.  Conversely they are 6-22 when they score 3
runs or less in a game.

 

 

Staying Steady – The PawSox are still -5 GB in the IL North
after pulling to within -4 GB on Saturday.
They dropped to a season-high of -6 GB on both May 28 and May 30. They
are presently in a virtual tie for 2^nd-place in the division with
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as the Sox and Yanks trail division-leading Lehigh Valley
by 5-games in the IL North.  Pawtucket had pulled to
within a ½-game from May 8-10.  The
PawSox have spent one day alone in 1^st-place this season (April
19).  They have been tied for 1^st
(most recently on April 22). Scranton/WB has won the IL North pennant the past
five years in a row (2006-2010).

 

 

 

May Over – The Sox finished 13-15 in the month of May as Pawtucket batters hit
.250 during the month (243-for-973) with 29 HR in 28 games.  Sox pitchers were 13-15 with a 3.50 ERA in
May (100 ER in 257.1 IP).

 

 

 

April in the Books – The PawSox finished this April at 13-10 as
Sox batters hit .257 last month while the PawSox pitching staff  posted a 3.25 ERA in April.

 

 

 

Homers Return – Pawtucket has belted 16 HR in their last 11
games after hitting just 2 homers in their previous 7 games overall (May 20-27)
and had only 1 homer in their prior 7 home games as well until hitting 3 bombs
on May 28.  The PawSox are T3^rd
(after having fallen to 9^th on May 27) in the International League
in HR with 57 (Louisville
leads with 67 HR).  Pawtucket has homered in 32 games this season
and they are 22-10 in those.  The Sox
have 50 HR in their last 44 games after hitting 7 HR combined in their first 14
games.

 

 

 

Twin Killings – Pawtucket’s
defense has turned 29 double plays in their last 20 games and the PawSox lead
the IL with 64 double plays thus far – 8 more than the next closest club
(Scranton/WB).

 

 

 

 

PAW SOX TONIGHT

 

                               

APRIL 26^th                           PAWTUCKET (11-7)   at   LEHIGH VALLEY (9-9)     7:05 pm  

 

Pawtucket Red Sox LHP Andrew Miller (0-1, 1.32) vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs RHP Eddie Bonine (1-2, 2.60)  

  

Off to Allentown – After facing just three different opponents through the first 19 days of the season (Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse), the Pawtucket Red Sox – winners of 8 of their last 10 games – finally play someone else when they open a 4-game series with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies) tonight at 7:05 pm at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA.  The PawSox will take on Lehigh Valley over the next four nights (all at 7:05 pm) to complete the back half of their shortened 7-game roadtrip (Sox are 2-1 thus far after taking 2 of 3 in Rochester during an abbreviated wrap-around weekend set – last night’s game was rained out).

 Series Business –Pawtucket has won three series in a row.  On their last homestand the Sox swept a 2-game set from Buffalo and then took 3 of 4 from Syracuse.  They began this trip by taking 2 of 3 in Rochester so the PawSox are 3-1-2 in their first 6 series of the season.  From April 18 – July 1, the PawSox were slated to play 18 consecutive 4-game series but their last series this week in Rochester was reduced to 3 games due to the rain out on Monday (make-up doubleheader will be July 5 at 5:05 pm in Rochester).  The Sox will start another streak of 4-game sets here in LehighValley that will finally end on July 2 & 3 when they play a 2-game series at home vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. 

 The Road Home -Pawtucket’s 8-game roadtrip (2-1 so far) continues in LehighValley through Friday night.  The PawSox then return home to McCoy Stadium this coming Saturday at 6:05 pm for a 4-game series and homestand vs. the Toledo Mud Hens through next Tuesday, May 3.  After which the Sox will enjoy their first scheduled off-day of the season on May 4.  The PawSox will stage their first post-game fireworks show of the season after this Saturday’s game at McCoy.   

First and Ten – PawSox pitchers are 8-2 with a 2.89 ERA in their last 10 games (28 ER in 90 IP).  Sox batters are hitting .287 with 9 HR since April 15 (96-for-335) Pawtucket has outscored the opposition, 64-30 while winning 8 of their last 10 games.

 Home/Road Comparison – On the young season the Sox are 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 8 home games (21 ER in 73 IP). Pawtucket is batting .277 in the 8 games at McCoy (72-for-260) with 4 HR.  On the road the Sox are 5-5 with a 3.35 ERA (31 ER in 83.1 IP) while hitting .247 in 10 games (81-for-328) with 9 HR.

 Familiar Foes – As mentioned, thus far the PawSox have played each of their first 18 games against either Rochester (3-2),Syracuse (Sox went 4-3) or Buffalo (Sox were 4-2 in those).  The PawSox will stay within the IL North for the remaining four games of this roadtrip in LehighValley before finally playing outside their division when they return home for a 4-game series vs. the Toledo Mud Hens of the IL West from April 30 – May 3.

 Homer Happy –Pawtucket has homered in 8 games this season and they are 7-1 in those.  The Sox have 13 HR total on the year but 6 of those homers have come in their last four games.

 Double Your Pleasure – The PawSox have smacked 43 doubles in 18 games this season to lead the International League by a good size margin.

 Twin Killings –Pawtucket’s defense leads the IL by turning 19 double plays thus far.  Conversely, PawSox batters have grounded into 19 double plays which are also the most in the IL. 

 Defense – The PawSox have committed just 4 errors in their last 11 games after making 9 errors in their first 7 games.  The PawSox are 6^th in the league with a .980 fielding pct. (13 errors in 646 total chances).

 Other League Rankings – Pawtucket is 3^rd in the IL in runs scored (96) behind Columbus (104) and Gwinnett (101).  The PawSox team batting average of .260 is 4^th in the league.  Sox batters lead the IL with 92 walks.  PawSox pitchers are 2^nd in the IL with a 2.99 ERA.   

 Coming on Strong –Pawtucket has come-from-behind in 6 of their 11 wins this season.  The PawSox had 26 come-from-behind victories all of last season.

  Against Lehigh Valley Last Season - The PawSox finished 6-10 vs. Lehigh Valley last season – their worst record against any IL North rival as the 10 losses were the most defeats they suffered against any opponent last year.  The Sox finished 2-5 atCoca-ColaPark inAllentown,PA but officially with a 2-6 away record vs. the Pigs as Game 1 of a doubleheader on August 18 at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket was technically a “road” game for the PawSox since it was a make-up of a previous rainout in Allentown.  Thus the official home record shows that the PawSox were 4-4 vs. the IronPigs in Pawtucket. 

Stats vs. Lehigh Last Year - The Sox hit only .230 vs.LehighValley last season with 8 HR and 55 runs scored (just 3 runs per game) while the IronPigs hit .272 with 13 HR and 86 runs scored.  Sox pitchers were 6-10 with a 5.40 ERA while the Pigs went 10-6 with a 3.28 ERA. 

 Pigs Eye – Despite losing the season-series last year the PawSox still managed to finish 8-games ahead of the IronPigs in the IL North standings as the clubs finished the 2010 season in 4^th-place and 5^th-place respectively.   

 A Different Looking Pig – Lehigh Valley has gone 10-6 vs. the PawSox each of the last two years – winning 10 times as many games against the PawSox in both 2009 and 2010 (10) as they did in all of 2008 (1-15) – their first year in the International League.  The PawSox have still beaten Lehigh Valley (the fourth-year affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies) 27 times in 48 meetings all-time (going 15-1 during the 2008 season in the inaugural year of the IronPigs, 6-10 in 2009, and 6-10 last season as well.  The PawSox won the first nine games (ever) vs.LehighValley in 2008 before losing on July 5, 2008 at McCoy, 5-2.  That was their only loss that year vs. the IronPigs as the Sox finished 15-1 vs.LehighValley – their most victories in a single-season against any single IL club ever.

PAWSOX NOTES

KEVIN HARRIMAN

Boston Sports Desk Publisher

 

 

                           

APRIL 25^th                           PAWTUCKET (11-7)      at      ROCHESTER (7-10)        7:05 pm  

 Pawtucket Red Sox LHP Andrew Miller (0-1, 1.32) vs. Rochester Red Wings RHP Jeff Manship (1-0, 0.00)  

Monday Night Baseball – After three consecutive day games to begin this series, the Pawtucket Red Sox – winners of 8 of their last 10 games – play the finale of a 4-game wrap-around weekend series with the Rochester Red Wings tonight at 7:05 pm at Frontier Field in Rochester.  The PawSox have taken 2 of the first 3 games thus far – winning on Friday afternoon, 3-1 and yesterday afternoon, 9-3 sandwiched around a 9-7 defeat on Saturday afternoon. 

Series Business –Pawtucket – up 2-1 in this 4-game set at Rochester – is bidding to win their third series in a row tonight.  On their last homestand the Sox swept a 2-game set from Buffalo and then took 3 of 4 from Syracuse.  The PawSox are 2-1-2 in their first 5 series of the season.  From April 18 – July 1, the PawSox will play 18 consecutive 4-game series before that streak finally ends on July 2 & 3 when they play a 2-game series at home vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. 

 The Road Ahead -Pawtucket’s 8-game roadtrip (2-1 so far) will continue tomorrow night with the opener of a 4-game set in LehighValley at 7:05 pm.  The PawSox and Iron Pigs will play four straight night games in Allentown,PA beginning tomorrow through Friday (all at 7:05 pm).  The PawSox return home to McCoy Stadium this coming Saturday, April 30 at 6:05 pm for a 4-game series and homestand vs. the Toledo Mud Hens through May 3 that will lead to their first scheduled off-day of the season on May 4.  The PawSox will stage their first post-game fireworks show of the season after this Saturday’s game at McCoy.   

 First and Ten – PawSox pitchers are 8-2 with a 2.89 ERA in their last 10 games (28 ER in 90 IP).  Sox batters are hitting .287 with 9 HR since April 15 (96-for-335) Pawtucket has outscored the opposition, 64-30 while winning 8 of their last 10 games.

 Home/Road Comparison – On the young season the Sox are 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 8 home games (21 ER in 73 IP). Pawtucket is batting .277 in the 8 games at McCoy (72-for-260) with 4 HR.  On the road the Sox are 5-5 with a 3.35 ERA (31 ER in 83.1 IP) while hitting .247 in 10 games (81-for-328) with 9 HR.

 Familiar Foes – Thus far, the PawSox have played each of their first 18 games against eitherRochester (3-2),Syracuse (Sox went 4-3) or Buffalo (Sox were 4-2 in those).  The PawSox will stay within the IL North for all their games on this roadtrip (one more in Rochester tonight followed by four in LehighValley this Tuesday – Friday) before finally playing outside their division when they return home for a 4-game series vs. the Toledo Mud Hens of the IL West from April 30 – May 3.

 Homer Happy –Pawtucket has homered in 8 games this season and they are 7-1 in those.  The Sox have 13 HR total on the year but 6 of those homers have come in their last four games.

 Double Your Pleasure – The PawSox have smacked 43 doubles in 18 games this season to lead the International League by a good size margin.

 Twin Killings –Pawtucket’s defense leads the IL by turning 19 double plays thus far.  Conversely, PawSox batters have grounded into 19 double plays which are also the most in the IL. 

 Defense – The PawSox have committed just 4 errors in their last 11 games after making 9 errors in their first 7 games.  The PawSox are 6^th in the league with a .980 fielding pct. (13 errors in 646 total chances).

 Other League Rankings – Pawtucket is 2^nd in the IL in runs scored (96) just one behind leader Gwinnett.  The PawSox team batting average of .260 is 4^th in the league.  Sox batters lead the IL with 92 walks.  PawSox pitchers are 2^nd in the IL with a 2.99 ERA.   

 Coming on Strong –Pawtucket has come-from-behind in 6 of their 11 wins this season.  The PawSox had 26 come-from-behind victories all of last season.

  Against Rochester This Season - The PawSox are 3-2 vs.Rochester this season.  The teams split a season-opening 2-game set at McCoy Stadium. Pawtucket won on Opening Night (April 7) by a 2-1 score but the Red Wings earned the split with a 7-2 victory the next night.  The Sox won the opener of this series in Rochester, 3-1 on April 22, lost the next day 9-7, but won yesterday, 9-3.

 Sox vs. Wings Stats – The Sox are hitting .235 in 5 games vs. the Wings (38-for-162) with 5 HR while pitchers are 3-2 with a 4.30 ERA vs. Rochester thus far (21 ER in 44 IP).

 Against Rochester Last Season - The PawSox finished 11-5 vs. Rochester last season – by far their best record and most wins against any IL opponent last year.  The Sox were 5-3 at McCoy Stadium and 6-2 at Frontier Field in Rochester (one of only two teams the PawSox had a winning road record against last year – 3-1 in Toledo the other).  The Sox hit .265 vs.Rochester with 13 HR while the Wings hit .236 with 17 HR.  Sox pitchers were 11-5 with a 3.85 ERA while the Wings went 5-11 with a 4.33 ERA. 

 Against Rochester Recently –Pawtucket went 6-10 vs.Rochester in 2009 (going 3-5 both at McCoy Stadium and at Frontier Field).  The Sox went 10-6 vs.Rochester in 2008 (finishing 6-2 at McCoy and going 4-4 at Frontier Field).  The Sox lost the season-series to the Red Wings in both 2007 and 2006 by a 10-6 margin.

 Northern Exposure – The PawSox finished last season with a 40-40 record against their five IL North division rivals (the only IL North club they had a winning record against Rochester at 11-5). Pawtucket was 8-8 vs. both Buffalo and Syracuse but they had losing marks vs. Scranton/WB (7-9) and LehighValley (6-10).

SOX TAKE ON THE PHILS TODAY

Lester on the mound today

 

FACING THE PHILS: Boston travels to Clearwater today to take on the Philadelphia Phillies…It marks the 2nd and last spring matchup between the 2 clubs as the Red Sox dropped a 2-0 decision to the Phillies on 3/3.

The Sox and Phillies will meet for 1 series during the 2011 campaign, a 3-game set at Citizens Bank from 6/28-30…Boston took 4 of 6 Interleague contests vs. Philadelphia in 2010 and holds an 18-6 advantage in the series since 2004.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK: The Red Sox suffered a 10-3 loss yesterday to the St. Louis Cardinals at City of Palms Park…All 10 Cardinals runs were scored with 2 outs in the 6th inning…Daisuke Matsuzaka started and was tagged with the loss, despite allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts over 5.2 frames…Andrew Miller was charged with 6 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks without retiring a batter and Scott Atchison yielded 2 runs before getting out of the inning but went on to throw a scoreless 7th…Dennys Reyes and Rich Hill tossed a scoreless 8th and 9th inning respectively…At the plate, Marco Scutaro reached in all 3 plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with a walk, and Nate Spears notched a 2-run double.

PITCHING NEWS: Felix Doubront and Bobby Jenks are scheduled to throw a simulated game this morning at 10 a.m. on the back field at City of Palms Park. Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon are each scheduled to pitch in minor league games at the Red Sox Player Development Complex this afternoon at 1 p.m.…Sox minor leaguers will be facing teams from the Tampa Bay organization.

MEDIA SCHEDULE: Boston will host the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m.…

OFF DAY COMING: After tomorrow’s night game, the Red Sox will enjoy their 1st and only scheduled off day of the spring on Wednesday (3/23)…Wednesday also marks first base coach Ron Johnson’s 55th birthday.

ROSTER MOVES: The Red Sox yesterday optioned C Mark Wagner and OF Daniel Nava to Triple-A Pawtucket and reassigned RHP Matt Fox to minor league camp.

CROWDED HOUSE: The 7,876 fans at yesterday’s game vs. the Cardinals was the 11th sellout in Boston’s 12 home Grapefruit League tilts…The Red Sox have sold out 115 of their last 116 Grapefruit League (non-exhibition) games at City of Palms Park dating back to 3/16/03, the exception being 3/8’s split-squad tilt vs. Houston. 13 of the Sox 14 road games this spring have been sellouts, including Saturday’s crowd of 6,644, which also set a record at the Pirates spring home, McKechnie Field, in Bradenton. The Sox enter the 2011 season having sold out a Major League-record 631 consecutive games at Fenway Park beginning 5/15/03.

DID YOU KNOW: Jon Lester is the only pitcher with at least 15 wins in the American League in all 3 seasons since 2008…CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay, Bronson Arroyo and Tim Lincecum are the only other Major League hurlers to win at least 15 contests in each of the past 3 years.

ROTATION SET: Today’s starter Jon Lester will start for Boston in the team’s 2011 regular season opener at Texas on 4/1, his 1st career Opening Day start…John Lackey (4/2) and Clay Buchholz (4/3) round out the Red Sox opening series starters…After an off day, Josh Beckett takes the mound in the series opener in Cleveland (4/5), followed by Daisuke Matsuzaka (4/6) and Lester (4/7)…Lackey is slated to start the home opener at Fenway Park vs. NYY on 4/8 at 2:05 p.m.

REDSOX SIGN 4 FREE AGENTS

BY KEVIN HARRIMAN

Boston Sports Desk Publisher

RED SOX SIGN FOUR FREE AGENTS TO MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACTS;  ANNOUNCE NON-ROSTER INVITES TO MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING CAMP

 BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today announced the signings of four free agents to 2011 minor league contracts, all with invites to Boston’s Major League Spring Training camp as non-roster players.  The four free agents are right-handed pitchers Matt Fox and Tony Pena Jr., catcher Paul Hoover and infielder Hector Luna.  All of the free agents have been placed on the Triple-A Pawtucket roster.

 The club also announced that 20 players overall will attend the team’s Major League Spring Training camp as non-roster invitees.

 The announcements were made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.

Fox, who was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 5 and released on January 13, tossed 1.2 innings of relief over three games with Boston last year (2 ER) after being claimed off waivers from Minnesota on September 9.  The 28-year-old made his Major League debut with a start for the Twins on September 3 (2 ER/5.2 IP) after appearing in 35 games (21 starts) for Minnesota’s Triple-A Rochester affiliate, going 6-9 with a 3.95 ERA (54 ER/123.0 IP) and 104 strikeouts.  A supplemental-round selection by the Twins in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Fox has a 35-28 record with three saves and a 3.71 ERA (223 ER/541.0 IP) in 145 career minor league games (80 starts).

 Pena, 29, spent his first full season as a pitcher in 2010, splitting the year between San Francisco’s Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Fresno clubs.  The right-hander combined to go 3-2 with six saves, a 4.13 ERA (35 ER/76.1 IP), 62 strikeouts and 29 walks over 53 relief appearances, including a 2.53 ERA (13 ER/46.1 IP) in 29 games with Richmond to earn a mid-season promotion to Triple-A.  After the season, he pitched in 26 games with Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League, going 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA (7 ER/22.2 IP), and also threw 1.0 scoreless frame with Bravos de Margarita of the Venezuelan Winter League.  Originally signed by Atlanta as an international free agent on July 21, 1999, Pena played primarily shortstop before converting to pitcher during the 2009 season.  He made his Major League debut with the Braves in 2006 and hit .228 (189-for-829) with 32 doubles, eight triples, four home runs, 66 RBI and 95 runs in 327 career games over parts of four Big League seasons with Atlanta and Kansas City (2007-09).  He tossed 1.0 scoreless inning with one strikeout in his only Big League pitching appearance with the Royals in 2008.  A native of Santiago, Dominican Republic, Pena’s father Tony is a former Major League catcher who played for the Red Sox from 1990-93 and is currently the bench coach for the New York Yankees. 

The 34-year-old Hoover appeared in nine games behind the plate with the Phillies in 2010, including six starts with the team going 5-1 in those contests.  A right-handed hitter, he batted .227 (5-for-22) with two doubles, two RBI, six runs and three walks over his two stints with Philadelphia.  He also appeared in 77 games with the Phillies Triple-A Lehigh Valley club, hitting .247 (63-for-255) with 13 doubles, three triples, two homers, 21 RBI, 23 runs and 26 walks.  Hoover played 67 games at catcher with the IronPigs and eight at first base, throwing out 24 of 81 attempted base stealers while behind the plate (29.6 percent).  Selected by Tampa Bay in the 23^rd round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Hoover has played 40 Major League games over parts of seven seasons with the Devil Rays (2001-02), Marlins (2006-08) and Phillies (2009-10), batting .250 (25-for-100) with eight RBI.  He has made 36 career appearances at catcher (26 starts) and thrown out six base runners in 21 stolen base attempts (28.6).

 Luna, who turned 31 yesterday, hit .294 (104-for-354) with 17 doubles, 16 home runs, 71 RBI, 55 runs scored and 42 walks in 97 games with Florida’s Triple-A New Orleans affiliate in 2010, including 83 games at third base and eight at first base.  He earned Pacific Coast League mid-season All-Star honors and finished third among all Marlins minor leaguers in RBI and sixth in batting average.  Luna also appeared in 27 games with Florida, primarily serving as a pinch-hitter but also making four appearances at third base and one at second base, going 4-for-29 (.138) with two home runs and four RBI overall at the plate.  After the season, he batted .349 (60-for-172) with 17 doubles, four home runs, 28 RBI, 34 runs and 31 walks in 47 games with Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League.  Born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, Luna was signed by Cleveland as an international free agent on February 2, 1999.  In 311 career Major League games over parts of six seasons with St. Louis (2004-06), Cleveland (2006), Toronto (2007-08) and Florida (2010), he has hit .265 (194-for-732) with 39 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs, 86 RBI, 99 runs scored and 23 stolen bases while making appearances at first base, second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions.  Luna also appeared in five postseason games with St. Louis in 2004-05 including as a pinch-hitter in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series against Boston (0-for-1).  

 The complete list of non-roster invitees includes left-handed pitchers Rich Hill, Andrew Miller and Randy Williams; right-handers Jason Bergmann, Brandon Duckworth, Fox, Pena, Jason Rice, Clevelan Santeliz, Kyle Weiland and Alex Wilson; catchers Tim Federowicz, Hoover and Ryan Lavarnway; infielders Brent Dlugach, Luna, Nate Spears and Drew Sutton; and outfielders Che-Hsuan Lin and Juan Carlos Linares.

 Eleven of the 20 invitees have Major League experience, including Bergmann, Duckworth, Dlugach, Fox, Hill, Hoover, Luna, Miller, Pena, Sutton and Williams.  Fox and Hill both saw action for the Red Sox in 2010.

 Pitchers and catchers will participate in their first on-field workout in Fort Myers on Tuesday, February 15.  The first full workout of the Red Sox Spring Training camp is on Saturday, February 19.

All workouts take place at Boston’s Player Development Complex, located at 4301 Edison Avenue.  The team will move its spring operation to City of Palms Park when the games begin on Saturday, February 26.

 2011 NON-ROSTER INVITEES

 

Pitchers (11)               Catchers (3)               Infielders (4)             Outfielders (2)

Jason Bergmann          Tim Federowicz          Brent Dlugach            Che-Hsuan Lin

Brandon Duckworth   Paul Hoover                Hector Luna                Juan Carlos Linares   

Matt Fox                     Ryan Lavarnway         Nate Spears                                                          

Rich Hill                                                          Drew Sutton            

Andrew Miller

Tony Pena Jr.

Jason Rice

Clevelan Santeliz

Kyle Weiland

Randy Williams

Alex Wilson