PAW SOX LOOKING FOR SPLIT OF HOMESTAND

MAY 21st INDIANAPOLIS (32-14) at PAWTUCKET (26-19) 12:05 pm

Indianapolis Indians LHP Andy Oliver (3-1, 2.61) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox LHP Chris Hernandez (2-2, 4.31)

Day Baseball – The Pawtucket Red Sox play the finale of their 4-game series against the Indianapolis Indians this afternoon at 12:05 pm at McCoy Stadium to close out their third homestand of the season. After today’s game the PawSox will be 33% of the way through their home schedule (24 games played of the 72 scheduled games at McCoy this year). They are 3-4 on this homestand after going 5-3 and 4-4 during their first two homestands. The PawSox are just 8-10 in day games compared to 18-9 in night games. They only have two day games in their next 17 games from May 23 – June 8.

This Series – The Indians grabbed a 2 games to 1 lead in this series by virtue of their 8-4 victory last night. Pawtucket (tied for the IL North lead with Buffalo) and Indianapolis (atop the IL West) split the first two games in this match-up of division leaders. Indianapolis got the jump with a 6-3 victory Saturday night but the PawSox rebounded nicely rolling to an 11-3 win Sunday afternoon. These two teams will meet again in less than a week next Monday though Thursday for another 4-game set at Victory Field in downtown Indy (May 27-30).

The Road Ahead – Pawtucket will enjoy their second scheduled off-day the season tomorrow before heading out on an 8-game roadtrip beginning Thursday night in Louisville. The trip will feature a pair of 4-game sets at Louisville and in Indianapolis. The Sox and Bats play Thursday & Friday nights at 6:35 pm and Saturday & Sunday nights at 6:05 pm. PawSox catchers (and pitchers for that matter) will have to contend with Louisville OF Billy Hamilton who leads the International League with 22 stolen bases this season (in 26 attempts) after setting a professional baseball record with 155 SB last season. Pawtucket’s roadtrip will continue next week with a 4-game set against these Indianapolis Indians on Memorial Day Monday at 6:05 pm, next Tuesday at 7:05 pm, a Wednesday matinee at 1:35pm, and the finale next Thursday at 7:05 pm. The PawSox will return to McCoy Stadium one week from Friday to close out the month of May with a May 31 game vs. Syracuse (their first against an IL North rival since April 26) kicking-off another 8-game homestand (four with Syracuse and four with Charlotte) from May 31 – June 7.

ALLEN WEBSTER LOOKS FOR THIRD WIN

MAY 19th INDIANAPOLIS (31-13) at PAWTUCKET (25-18) 1:05 pm

Indianapolis Indians RHP Gerrit Cole (3-1, 2.55) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Allen Webster (2-0, 2.52)

Pitcher’s Duel – Two of the top pitching prospects in their respective organizations hook up this afternoon when the IL East co-leading Pawtucket Red Sox and the IL West-leading Indianapolis Indians play game two of their 4-game series today at 1:05 pm at McCoy Stadium. Indianapolis sends Pittsburgh’s #1 overall prospect 22 year-old RHP Gerrit Cole to the mound against Pawtucket’s/Boston’s #4 overall prospect (#2 pitcher according to Baseball America) 23 year-old RHP Allen Webster. The two aces are a combined 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA (19 ER in 67.1 IP) in 13 starts this season along with 62 SO (31 per pitcher with Webster reaching that in just 25 innings compared to 42.1 innings for Cole).

This Series – Indianapolis got the jump in this 4-game set with a 6-3 victory last night scoring all 6 runs off a pair of rehabbing Red Sox hurlers (5 runs off starter Franklin Morales and the other off reliever Andrew Bailey). The teams play again today, tomorrow night at 7:05 pm and Tuesday afternoon at 12:05 pm to close out the series and this homestand. The clubs will meet again in just over a week during Pawtucket’s next roadtrip for a 4-game set in downtown Indy from May 27-30. Indianapolis owns the best record in the league at 31-13 (best in all of Triple-A Baseball) and the best ERA in the IL by a wide margin at 2.80 (Toledo is next at 3.35). The PawSox are in a virtual tie for the 4th best record in the league (with Buffalo and behind Indy, Norfolk, and Durham).

Day Baseball – The PawSox are just 7-10 in day games compared to 18-8 in night games. They will play another matinee this Tuesday but then have only two days games in their next 17 games from May 23 – June 8.

This Homestand – This homestand is the third of four consecutive 8-game homestands that the PawSox have to begin this season. They have gone 5-3 and 4-4 during their first two homestands and are currently 2-3 following a split of their 4-game series with the Gwinnett Braves and the loss to Indy last night. The next PawSox homestand will also be an 8-gamer from May 1 – June 7 (four vs. Syracuse and four vs. Charlotte).

Home Not So Sweet – The PawSox have lost 5 of their last 7 games overall following their season-high 6-game winning streak. They have also dropped 5 of their last 7 home games. As a result, Pawtucket is now 11-10 at home this season. The last time the PawSox have not been above .500 at home was April 10, 2012 when they finished their first homestand of last year at 3-3.

Home/Road Numbers Similar – The PawSox are 11-10 at home compared to 14-8 on the road. But their numbers are close both home and away. Their home ERA is 3.40 (73 ER in 193 IP) while their road ERA is 3.54 (72 ER in 183 IP). The Sox are hitting .252 at home (170-for-675) and .254 on the road (185-for-727).

Running in Place – The PawSox are 4th in the International League lead in Runs Scored with 219 behind Norfolk (234), Durham (226), and Buffalo (222). Buffalo (50 HR), Norfolk (49), and Rochester (39) are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the league in homers while the Sox are 4th (36) – although Pawtucket has hit just 2 homers in their last 7 games (Jonathan Diaz last Wednesday night and Bryce Brentz’ walk-off 3-run HR on Friday night). The PawSox are 15-8 when they homer in a game. Pawtucket is 6th in Team Batting (.253) and 3rd in Team Pitching (3.47).

PAW SOX LOOK TO REBOUND

MAY 16th GWINNETT (15-26) at PAWTUCKET (24-16) 7:05 pm

Gwinnett Braves RHP Omar Poveda (2-2, 2.56) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Rubby De La Rosa (0-0, 4.35)

All Good Things Must Come to an End – The Pawtucket Red Sox – who had their 10-game winning streak over the Gwinnett Braves snapped last night – bid to gain the upper hand in this 4-game series when they host the Braves again tonight at McCoy Stadium in game three at 7:05 pm. The PawSox could not hold a 4-0, 1st-inning lead last night as they lost to Gwinnett, 6-4 putting an end to their 10-game winning streak against the Braves which dated back almost a full calendar year (since an 11-8 loss to Gwinnett last June 11 at McCoy). The PawSox – who have still won 7 of their last 10 games overall – took the opener of the series on Tuesday night, 5-3. The series finale will be tomorrow night at 7:05 pm which will also mark the final meeting of the regular-season between the clubs (the Braves thus becoming the first team the Sox will have completed the season-series against this year).

Getting to Know Gwinnett – The PawSox won the final five games vs. Gwinnett last season and the first five meetings this season to compile their 10-game winning streak against Gwinnett. The streak ended last night when the Braves evened this series at a victory apiece, 6-4. The PawSox got the jump in this 4-game series with a 5-3 victory in the opener. One week ago the PawSox swept a 4-game set at Gwinnett last Monday – Thursday. In that series the Sox won by scores of 5-1, 7-3, 4-1, and 14-9 (the 14 runs last Thursday a season-high). Overall the PawSox have outscored Gwinnett, 39-23 in the six games while hitting .279 vs. the Braves thus far (58-for-208). Sox pitchers are 5-1 with a 2.83 ERA (17 ER in 54 IP) this season vs. Gwinnett. Although they will have to wait ‘til next year to return to Lawrenceville, GA, Pawtucket has won 10 straight games at Coolray Field, home of the Braves, dating back to the 2011 season (4-0 this year, 4-0 last year, and winners in their final two meetings in Georgia in 2011).

This Homestand – This homestand is the third of four consecutive 8-game homestands that the PawSox have to begin this season. They have gone 5-3 and 4-4 during their first two homestands and are 1-1 currently. This stand features two more games vs. Gwinnett the next two nights (both at 7:05 pm) followed by a 4-game set against the Indianapolis Indians starting Saturday night at 6:05 pm and continuing on Sunday at 1:05 pm, Monday at 7:05 pm, and ending next Tuesday afternoon with a 12:05 weekday matinee. IL West-leading Indianapolis, owners of the best record in the league at 29-13, have former PawSox LHP Kris Johnson (3-3, 3.68) scheduled to start on Saturday along with other ex-PawSox/Red Sox properties such as OF Brett Carroll (.274), INF Ivan De Jesus (.326), and OF Jerry Sands (.154) who are all Indy regulars.

PAW SOX KICK OFF SERIES WITH GWINNETT

GWINNETT (14-26) at PAWTUCKET (24-15) 7:05 pm

Gwinnett Braves RHP Tim Corcoran (1-3, 3.48) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Steven Wright (2-1, 2.57)

Ten Pinned – The Pawtucket Red Sox – who have a 10-game winning streak over the Gwinnett Braves dating back almost a full calendar year – hope to continue their recent roll (winners of 7 of their last 9 games overall) tonight at 7:05 pm in game two of a 4-game series at McCoy Stadium. The PawSox won the final five games vs. Gwinnett last season (following an 11-8 loss to the Braves here at McCoy last June 11) and have taken the first five meetings this season to compile their 10-game winning streak against Gwinnett. Including tonight the teams meet for three more games here at McCoy to conclude the season-series.

Wins vs. Gwinnett – The PawSox got the jump in this 4-game series with the Braves last night with a 5-3 victory in the opener. It comes less than a week after the PawSox swept a 4-game set at Gwinnett last Monday – Thursday. In that series the Sox won by scores of 5-1, 7-3, 4-1, and 14-9 (the 14 runs last Thursday a season-high). Overall the PawSox have outscored Gwinnett, 35-17 in the five games while hitting .291 vs. the Braves thus far (51-for-175). Sox pitchers are 5-0 with a 2.80 ERA (14 ER in 45 IP) this season vs. Gwinnett. Pawtucket has also won 10 straight games at Coolray Field, home of the Braves in Lawrenceville, GA, dating back to the 2011 season (4-0 this year, 4-0 last year, and winners in their final two meetings in Georgia in 2011).

This Series and Homestand – This homestand is the third of four consecutive 8-game homestands that the PawSox have to begin this season. They have gone 5-3 and 4-4 during their first two homestands and are 1-0 thus far currently. This stand features three more games vs. Gwinnett the next three nights (all at 7:05 pm) followed by a 4-game set against the Indianapolis Indians starting Saturday night at 6:05 pm and continuing on Sunday at 1:05 pm, Monday at 7:05 pm, and ending next Tuesday afternoon with a 12:05 weekday matinee. On this homestand the Sox will be hosting (tied for) last-place Gwinnett from the IL South and then IL West-leading Indianapolis (owners of the best record in the league).

Two’s Too Many – Pawtucket’s 5-3 victory last night snapped their modest 2-game losing streak (which followed on the heels of a season-high 6-game winning streak from May 6-11). The PawSox have effectively avoided a 3-game losing streak all season. They not lost three straight since last August 16-18 (two in Scranton/WB and one at home to Buffalo).

First Things First – The PawSox have scored 1st-inning runs in each of their last 3 games and in 6 of their last 7 games (7 runs total in the 1st-inning of those 6 games going 4-2 in those). Pawtucket had scored in the 1st-inning in 7 of their first 30 games before doing the trick in 6 of their last 7 games.

Turning 40 – The PawSox (24-15) play game #40 this evening. Last year their 40th game of the season also came on May 15 and it was an 8-2 win in Durham that improved the Sox record to 26-14 and their 1st-place lead in the IL North to 3-games.

WRIGHT ON THE MOUND THIS MORNING

MAY 9th PAWTUCKET (20-13) at GWINNETT (12-22) 10:35 am

Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Steven Wright (1-1, 1.69) vs. Gwinnett Braves RHP Roman Colon (0-1, 4.32)

And the Beat Goes On – The Pawtucket Red Sox and the Gwinnett Braves play game final game of their four-game series this morning at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA at 10:35 am. The PawSox have taken the first three games of the series the past three nights by 5-1, 7-3 and 4-1 scores. In the process the Sox have extended their winning streak at Coolray Field to 9 straight games dating back to the 2011 season. Gwinnett meanwhile has currently lost 11 consecutive games overall with their last win coming on April 26 in Louisville. Since that point the Braves have been swept in a 4-game series at Indianapolis, swept in a 4-game set by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier on their homestand, and have come up losers in the first three games here vs. the PawSox. Pawtucket’s Coolray winning streak of 9-games began with the final two games in 2011, all four last year, and the first three games this season. The teams will conclude this series today with a 10:35 am start and then will meet again in less than a week for a 4-game series at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket next Tuesday – Friday nights.

This Roadtrip – Pawtucket is 3-0 on this 8-game southern swing. They went 6-2 on their roadtrip to Charlotte and Gwinnett last August 23-30. The PawSox are reversing that order during this trip – playing four in Gwinnett followed by four in Charlotte. After today, Pawtucket heads to Charlotte to face the Knights for a 4-game wrap-around weekend series – Friday & Saturday at 7:15 pm, Sunday at 2:15 pm, and Monday at 7:15 pm. The PawSox return home to McCoy next Tuesday for the start of an 8-game homestand (May 14-21) that will feature four more games vs. these Gwinnett Braves followed by a 4-game series against Indianapolis.

Trying for a Fourpeat – The PawSox have a 3-game winning streak which is their third-best winning streak of the season. The Sox began the year with a 4-game winning streak (April 4-7) and quickly followed that up with a season-high 5-game winning streak (April 9-14). After that, they were not been able to win back-to-back games at any point from April 15-30. The Sox did win their first two games in May (May 2 & 3) but then dropped two in a row before winning their last two. The good news is the PawSox have not lost more than two in a row all season. Pawtucket has had just four 2-game losing skids thus far (April 15 & 16, April 18 & 20, April 25 & 26, and on May 4 & 5).

Running to the Top – The PawSox now own the International League lead in Runs Scored with 172. Buffalo is next with 171. The Bisons are 1st in HR (34) while the Sox are tied for 4th (29). The PawSox are 12-7 when they homer in a game.

ACEVES ON THE MOUND FOR PAW SOX

MAY 7^th                       PAWTUCKET (18-13)     at     GWINNETT (12-20)        6:05 pm   

 

Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 0.00) vs. Gwinnett Braves LHP Daniel Rodriguez (1-2, 7.48)   

  

Trying to Keep The Streaks Going – The Pawtucket Red Sox – who have won 7 straight games at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA dating back to the 2011 season – look to keep that streak alive and send the Gwinnett Braves to their 10^th loss in a row when they play the second game of their 4-game series tonight at 6:05 pm.  The PawSox won the series opener last night, 5-1 to extend their Coolray winning streak to 7-games (the final two in 2011, all four last year, and the first game this season).  In the process Gwinnett lost their 9^th consecutive game overall including 5 straight on their current homestand.

Special Night For Boston In Georgia – The Pawtucket Red Sox thank the Gwinnett Braves organization for hosting “Boston Strong Night” at Coolray Field this evening.  The Braves will donate $5 from every ticket sold via the online link gwinnettbraves.com/boston using the promo code STRONG to OneFundBoston.org, benefitting the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.  Furthermore, Atlanta Falcons and former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, former Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and former Boston Celtics guard Dee Brown will all be guests of the Gwinnett Braves and will all throw out ceremonial first pitches.  The Braves will also hold a Silent Auction that will be at the heart of the fundraising efforts. All players and coaches from both Gwinnett and Pawtucket will wear special Boston Braves hats and will sign them after the game. Each hat will be available in the auction, with all proceeds going to OneFundBoston.org.  In addition to the approximately 60 Boston Braves hats, numerous other items will be available for auction, including:

• Autographed Boston Braves hats worn by Ryan, Varitek, Harrison and Brown during their first pitches
• Lunch and a round of golf for two with Varitek at The River Country Club
• Round of golf for three with Harrison at Sugarloaf Country Club
• One-hour basketball training session with Brown
• Varitek autographed bat and baseball, Ryan autographed football, Harrison autographed football, Brown autographed basketball
• Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia autographed baseball and Red Sox DH David Ortiz autographed baseball

Nice to be Back - The PawSox were last at Coolray Field a little less than eight months ago and it proved to be a most pleasant visit as the Sox swept that 4-game set from the Braves last August 27-30 during the final full week of the regular-season.  Those four key wins came by scores of 3-1, 9-4, and a doubleheader sweep 1-0 and 3-2 and were largely instrumental in earning the PawSox the IL wild card berth which eventually led to their 2012 Governors’ Cup Championship.

This Series and Roadtrip – Pawtucket went 6-2 on their roadtrip to Charlotte and Gwinnett last August 23-30.  The PawSox will reverse that order during this trip – playing four in Gwinnett followed by four in Charlotte during this 8-game sojourn.  The Sox and Braves play tonight and tomorrow night both at 6:05 pm and the series finale on Thursday morning at 10:35 am.  Pawtucket then heads to Charlotte to face the Knights for a 4-game wrap-around weekend series – Friday & Saturday at 7:15 pm, Sunday at 2:15 pm, and next Monday at 7:15 pm.  The PawSox return home to McCoy Stadium one week from tonight for the start of an 8-game homestand (May 14-21) that will feature four more games vs. these Gwinnett Braves followed by a 4-game series against Indianapolis.

Series Business – Pawtucket – up 1-0 in this 4-game set at Gwinnett – is 2-2-4 in their first eight series of the season (two series wins, two series losses, and four series splits).  Pawtucket has gone 5-3 and 4-4 on their first two homestands of the year.  They went 5-1 and 3-5 on their first two roadtrips and 1-0 on this 8-game trip thus far.

Night Shift – The PawSox are 12-4 in night games compared to 6-9 in day games.  Half of the first 30 PawSox games this season had been day games and the other half night games.  That trend is changing now that the first month or so of the schedule is complete.  From May 6 on, only 22 of Pawtucket’s final 114 games this season will be considered day games (and that includes a handful of 5:00 pm road starts which technically are considered day games).

Running in Place – The PawSox and Buffalo are now tied for the International League lead in Runs Scored with 161.  The Bisons are 1^st in HR (32) while the Sox are 2^nd (29).

Repeat After Me – The PawSox began the season with a 4-game winning streak (April 4-7) and quickly followed that up with a season-high 5-game winning streak (April 9-14).  After that, they were not been able to win back-to-back games at any point from April 15-30.  The Sox did win their first two games in May (May 2 & 3).  The good news is the PawSox have not lost more than two in a row all season.  Pawtucket has had just four 2-game losing skids thus far (April 15 & 16, April 18 & 20, April 25 & 26, and on May 4 & 5).

May Underway – Pawtucket is 3-2 in May.  The pitching has been excellent in the early going this month as Sox hurlers are 3-2 with a 1.20 ERA in May (6 ER in 45 IP).  PawSox batters are hitting just .235 in May however (36-for-153).  They are scheduled to play 29 games this month.  Last year the PawSox had their winningest month of the season in May going 18-12.  The PawSox finished April with yet another winning month (15-11) as they have now had just two losing months in their last 12 full months (13-15 in May of 2011 and 13-15 in June of 2012).  They have had 9 winning (full) months and one .500 month in their last 12 months of action dating back to August 2010.

PAW SOX NOTES

​ PAWTUCKET (17-13) at GWINNETT (12-19)

Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Rubby De La Rosa (0-0, 7.11) vs. Gwinnett Braves RHP Omar Poveda (2-1, 1.93)

Cool To Be Back In Georgia – The Pawtucket Red Sox make their only 2013 trip to Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA this week when they open a 4-game series against the Gwinnett Braves tonight at 6:05 pm. The PawSox were last at Coolray Field a little less than eight months ago and it proved to be a most pleasant visit as the Sox swept that 4-game set from the Braves last August 27-30 during the final full week of the regular-season. Those four key wins came by scores of 3-1, 9-4, and a doubleheader sweep 1-0 and 3-2 and were largely instrumental in earning the PawSox the IL wild card berth which eventually led to their 2012 Governors’ Cup Championship. Pawtucket has won 6 straight games at Coolray Field when you include the final two meetings of the 2011 season in Gwinnett on August 14 & 15, 2011 (5-0 and 7-3).

This Series and Roadtrip – Pawtucket went 6-2 on their roadtrip to Charlotte and Gwinnett last August 23-30. The PawSox will reverse that order during this trip – playing four in Gwinnett followed by four in Charlotte during this 8-game sojourn. The Sox and Braves play tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday nights all at 6:05 pm and the series finale on Thursday morning at 10:35 am. Pawtucket then heads to Charlotte to face the Knights for a 4-game wrap-around weekend series – Friday & Saturday at 7:15 pm, Sunday at 2:15 pm, and next Monday at 7:15 pm. The PawSox return home to McCoy Stadium one week from tomorrow for the start of an 8-game homestand (May 14-21) that will feature four more games vs. these Gwinnett Braves followed by a 4-game series against Indianapolis.

Streaking – The Sox come into this series with a 2-game losing skid (matching their longest of the season) following consecutive defeats to Durham over the weekend. Pawtucket needs a win today to avoid their first 3-game losing streak since last August 16-18. Gwinnett, meanwhile, enters play tonight having lost 8 straight games after getting swept in a 4-game series at home by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre over the weekend.

Series Business – Pawtucket is now 2-2-4 in their first eight series of the season (two series wins, two series losses, and four series splits). Pawtucket has gone 5-3 and 4-4 on their first two homestands of the year. They went 5-1 and 3-5 on their first two roadtrips thus far.

Night Shift – The PawSox are 11-4 in night games compared to 6-9 in day games. Half of the first 30 PawSox games this season have been day games and the other half night games. That trend will change now that the first month or so of the schedule is complete. From this point on, only 22 of Pawtucket’s final 114 games this season will be considered day games (and that includes a handful of 5:00 pm road starts which technically are considered day games).

PAW SOX NOTEBOOK: DURHAM BULLS

MAY 5^th                       DURHAM (19-10)     at     PAWTUCKET (17-12)        1:05 pm    

 

Durham Bulls RHP Jake Odorizzi (2-0, 3.33) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Steven Wright (1-0, 1.93)   

Sunday Series Finale – The Pawtucket Red Sox play the finale of their 4-game series (and their 8-game homestand) this afternoon when they host the Durham Bulls at 1:05 pm at McCoy Stadium.  The PawSox will be bidding to win this series outright today after taking 2 of the first 3 games thus far.  They had a similar opportunity earlier during this homestand when they won 2 of the first 3 vs. Columbus but the Sox had to settle for a split of that series when they dropped the finale, 6-5 in 15-innings on Tuesday afternoon.  Pawtucket is 2-2-3 in their first seven series of the season (two series wins, two series losses, and three series splits).  Pawtucket is 4-3 on this 8-game homestand.  The Sox went 5-3 on their initial homestand from April 11-18.

This Series vs. Durham – Pawtucket had their modest 2-game winning streak snapped yesterday with a 4-1 defeat to Durham.  The Sox had rolled to wins in each of the first two games of this series with Durham by a combined 14-2 score (10-1 victory on Thursday followed by a 4-1 triumph on Friday).  Thus, the Sox had won two in a row for the first time in nearly three weeks since a season-high 5-game winning streak from April 9-14.  The PawSox also saw their 6-game home winning streak against Durham come to an end yesterday (they are now 2-1 here at McCoy this season vs. Durham following a 4-0 mark at home vs. the Bulls last season).  Pawtucket has still outscored the Bulls in their last 7 meetings by a combined score of 48-22.  Pawtucket’s victories over Durham last year were by 15-10, 9-5, 2-0, and 7-1 scores and this season by 10-1 and 4-1 margins.  Today is Durham’s final game at McCoy this season unless the teams face each other in the Governors’ Cup Finals.  The clubs won’t meet again until just after the All-Star break for a 4-game series in Durham from July 18-21.

Days Shifts Into Night – The PawSox are 6-8 in days games compared to 11-4 in nights games.  So including this afternoon’s contest, half of the first 30 PawSox games this season will have been day games and the other half night games.  That trend will change now that the first month or so of the scheduled is complete.  After today, only 22 of Pawtucket’s final 114 games this season will be considered day games (and that includes a handful of 5:00 pm road starts which technically are considered day games).

Run for a Cause – The PawSox had overtaken Durham for the International League lead in Runs Scored on Friday but Durham’s 4-1 victory yesterday enabled the Bulls to reclaim the lead.  Durham has scored a league-high 157 runs this season compared to 155 for the PawSox.  Durham is hitting .272 (2^nd best in the IL) while Pawtucket is 4^th in team batting at .259.

Repeat After Me – The PawSox began the season with a 4-game winning streak (April 4-7) and quickly followed that up with a season-high 5-game winning streak (April 9-14).  Since that point they had not been able to win back-to-back games from April 15-30 until winning their first two games in May.  The good news is they have not lost more than two in a row all season.  Pawtucket has had just three 2-game losing skids thus far (April 15 & 16, April 18 & 20, and April 25 & 26).  They need a victory today to avoid dropping back-to-back games.

May Underway – Pawtucket is 2-1 in May.  They are scheduled to play 29 games this month.  Last year the PawSox had their winningest month of the season in May going 18-12.  The PawSox finished April with yet another winning month (15-11) as they have now had just two losing months in their last 12 full months (13-15 in May of 2011 and 13-15 in June of 2012).  They have had 9 winning (full) months and one .500 month in their last 12 months of action dating back to August 2010.

Final April Numbers – PawSox batters hit .257 in 26 games in April.  Justin Henry (.338 in 20 games), Brandon Snyder (.324 in 21 games), and Jeremy Hazelbaker (.311 in 21 games) led the way among regulars.  Snyder, Hazelbaker, and Brentz all had 5 HR while Snyder & Brentz paced the club with 18 RBI.  On the pitching side, the Sox were 15-11 with a 3.96 ERA.  Oscar Villarreal led the way with 4 victories while Ryan-Rowland Smith had the best ERA (0.55) followed by Pedro Beato (1.80) and Jose De La Torre (1.88) with others close behind.

Homer Happy – Pawtucket has pounded 10 HR in their last 5 games – they had hit a total of 10 homers in their previous 17 games combined from April 11-27.  As a result the Sox are tied for 2^nd in the league with 28 HR (tied with Rochester and two behind Buffalo).  The PawSox are 11-7 when they homer in a game.

Go Play Outside – Their last series against Columbus marked Pawtucket’s first games outside their division this season.  The PawSox had played each of their first 22 games against their IL North rivals (going 13-9).  However, the Sox are now playing against teams outside their division for a 32-game span (4-3 thus far).  They will ultimately play 16 games against IL West opponents and 16 more against IL South foes from April 27 – May 30.  That stretch will end on May 31 when Syracuse of the IL North comes to town.

Trying to Climb Back on Top – The PawSox raced to a 9-1 start and a 2½-game lead atop the division through April 14.  However, Buffalo has won 14 of their last 19 games, took over the division lead on April 20, and the Bisons now have a 2-game advantage over the 2^nd-place PawSox (the Sox were a season-high -3 GB on April 26, 28, and 30).

Turn the Beat Around – The Sox are 7-7 in their last 14 games.  They have lost 11 of their last 19 games following their 9-1 start to the season.   The 9-1 start was the best in franchise-history.  Pawtucket has not lost more than 2 in a row this season.  They have had a 4-game winning streak (April 4-7) and a 5-game winning streak (April 9-14).

In the Clutch – PawSox batters are hitting .302 with runners on base (125-for-414), .415 with the bases loaded (17-for-41), and .292 with runners in scoring position (80-for-274).  However, they are hitting .241 with two outs and runners in scoring position (28-for-116).

WEBSTER GETS FIRST WIN FOR PAW SOX

WEBSTER DOMINATES DURHAM

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — In his second outing since making his major league debut, 23-year-old Allen Webster delivered a dominant performance, combining with two relievers to pitch the Pawtucket Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over Durham before 4,916 on Friday at McCoy Stadium.

Webster (W, 1-0) yielded just two hits, while striking out nine in 6.0 innings. He was perfect in all but one inning and retired the final 11 batters faced en route to his first Triple-A victory. Webster has now fanned 26 in 20.0 innings overall and owns a 2.70 ERA.

In this latest start, he totaled 94 pitches, including 59 strikes, before giving way to right-handers Jose De La Torre and Anthony Carter (S, 2). In all, the PawSox trio combined to whiff 13, walk just one and surrender only four hits.

Pawtucket has won the first two games of the series by outscoring the Bulls, 14-2, and is 4-2 on its current eight-day homestand.

In Friday’s win, the PawSox wasted little time before jumping to the lead. They loaded the bases in the 1st inning against Durham’s Alex Colome (L, 1-4) after Jackie Bradley Jr. singled, Jose Iglesias reached on a fielder’s choice and error and Justin Henry walked. The next hitter Ryan Lavarnway drilled a sacrifice fly to center to put them ahead, 1-0.

Pawtucket again put the first two on base in the 2nd inning. Mark Hamilton singled, Jeremy Hazelbaker dropped down a bunt hit and Bradley added an RBI groundout.

But after Allen Webster retired the first six Bulls, he hit Brandon Guyer with a 1-and-2 pitch, setting up singles by Cole Figueroa and Jason Bourgeois. The latter pared the PawSox lead to 2-1.

Lavarnway struck back in the last half of the 3rd with a two-run homer, his second overall. Lavarnway has five RBI the first two games of the series.

NOTES: The PawSox are 8-2 vs. Durham since the start of 2012, outscoring the Bulls, 65-35…Prior to Friday’s game infielder Drew Sutton was placed on the disabled list and was replaced on Pawtucket’s roster by Ryan Dent…The series continues at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday, when native New Englander Terry Doyle (2-1, 2.93) confronts J.D. Martin (2-1, 4.50) in a matchup of right-handers…The series and homestand are scheduled to conclude Sunday at 1:05 p.m., as Steven Wright (1-0, 1.93) starts for the Sox vs. Jake Ordorizzi (2-0, 3.33)…Fans are invited to Run The Bases following Sunday’s game, compliments of The Flood Auto Group.

ACEVES PICKS UP WIN FOR PAW SOX

PAWSOX BLOWOUT BULLS, 10-1

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — The Pawtucket Red Sox paired their most prolific offensive showing of the season with one of their best pitching performances to rout the Durham Bulls, 10-1, before a paid crowd of 6,387 in the opener of a four-day series at McCoy Stadium.

In his first appearance after being sent down from Boston, Alfredo Aceves authored 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six. Aceves (W, 1-0) also walked four, but the Bulls wound up leaving 10 men on.

Also on the mound, Craig Breslow continued his injury rehabilitation assignment by stranding a pair of runners in a scoreless inning.

Meanwhile, despite facing one of the International League’s most impressive pitchers in April, lefty Alex Torres, the PawSox scored in double figures for the first time this season.

Torres, who entered with a 1.28 ERA and walked just six in his first 23.0 innings, pitched himself into a bases-loaded jam in the 3rd inning. A single by Jackie Bradley Jr. was sandwiched between a one-out walk of Brock Holt and a two-out variety for Justin Henry. Ryan Lavarnway singled off the first pitch after Henry reached to score Holt. Bryce Brentz then doubled home two more runs for a 3-0 lead.

The PawSox made it 4-0 in the last of the 6th after Bradley singled, advanced to third base on a wild pitch and passed ball and came home on Mark Hamilton’s sacrifice fly in the 5th inning. They added to their lead when Holt produced a two-run single against reliever Tim Paduch.

Durham didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 8th inning, thanks to Chris Gimenez’s RBI single off reliever Chris Hernandez. But Pawtucket rebutted with four more in the bottom half. Jonathan Diaz, Justin Henry and Holt had run-scoring singles and Lavarnway delivered a sac fly.

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 6:15 p.m., when Allen Webster (0-0, 3.21) is scheduled to start for the PawSox, opposed by fellow right-hander Alex Colome (1-3, 2.28).
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