GOVERNORS CUP: GAME II TONIGHT AT MCCOY

SEPTEMBER 12^th            GOVERNORS’ CUP FINALS     GAME 2          7:05 pm

 

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS   at   PAWTUCKET RED SOX     PawSox Lead Series 1-0

 

Charlotte RHP Charlie Shirek (0-0, 15.43)/(11-5, 3.65)

Pawtucket RHP Zach Stewart (1-0, 7.20)/(3-5, 3.94)  

 

Governors’ Cup Championship – The 2012 IL Wild Card Champion Pawtucket Red Sox play Game 2 of the 80^th Annual Governors’ Cup Finals championship series vs. the IL South Champion Charlotte Knights tonight at 7:05 pm at McCoy Stadium.  The PawSox won Game 1 of this best 3 out of 5 series last night, 7-2 behind starter and winner Steven Wright (7 IP, 2 R) along with homeruns from Danny Valencia (2-run), Tony Thomas (2-run), and J.C. Linares (solo).  Both teams will fly to Charlotte, NC tomorrow morning as the series will continue (and eventually conclude) at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, SC with Game 3 tomorrow night at 7:15 pm and then Games 4 and 5 as necessary on Friday and Saturday nights (both at 7:15 pm).  The winner of the Governors’ Cup will then head to Durham, NC where they will play the Pacific Coast League Champion (Reno leads Omaha, 1 game to 0) in the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game next Tuesday at 7:00 pm at DurhamBullsAthleticPark.

See You Next Year – After tonight, the PawSox will not play again at McCoy Stadium until next April 11 (7 months from yesterday) when they host the Rochester Red Wings in their 2013 home-opener on Thursday, April 11 at 7:05 pm.

Good Time to Get Hot – Pawtucket is 4-1 in the post-season thus far – taking 3 of 4 to win their semi-final series vs. Scranton/WB and winning the opener of the Governors’ Cup series last night vs. Charlotte.  Dating back to the regular-season when the PawSox won 8 of their final 10 games (August 25 – September 3), the Sox are 12-3 in their last 15 games overall.  They are undefeated at home in the playoffs (3-0) and have a 4-game home winning streak including their final regular-season game on Labor Day.  Pawtucket has also won 7 of their last 8 road games going back to a key victory in Charlotte on August 25.

Post-Season Stats – In their 5 playoff games thus far, the PawSox have out-scored the opposition by a 27-13 margin.  Pawtucket pitchers have been sharp going 4-1 with a 2.62 ERA (13 ER in 44.2 IP) with an impressive line – 44.2 IP, 29 H, 13 R, 13 ER,       9 BB, 40 SO – holding opponents to a .181 batting average (29-for-160).  PawSox batters have been productive hitting .252 (41-for-163) but with 7 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR to average 5.4 runs/game.  Furthermore, the Sox defense has been solid making only 2 errors in the post-season thus far.

PawSox Playoff Baseball – Pawtucket is appearing in their first finals series since 2003 (lost 3 games to 0 to Durham) and looking to win their first Governors’ Cup since 1984 (won 3 games to 2 over Maine).  Charlotte won the 1999 Governors’ Cup which was their last appearance in the championship round.  They also won the Cup in their only other finals appearance in 1993.  The ’99 champs were affiliated with the White Sox while the ’93 title came as an Indians affiliate. Both the Knights and the PawSox are in search of their third Governors’ Cup as Pawtucket won in 1973 and 1984.  The PawSox lost in the finals in 1977, 1978, 1991, and 2003.

History Made – Last night Pawtucket won a game in the Governors’ Cup Finals for the first time in nearly 28 years since they won the decisive Game 5 of the 1984 Governors’ Cup on September 13, 1984 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine defeating the Maine Guides, 3-0.  Pawtucket was swept 3 games to none in each of their last two Governors’ Cup appearances in 1991 by Columbus and 2003 by Durham.  In addition, prior to last night, the PawSox had not won a Governors’ Cup Finals game here at home since September 10, 1978 (34 years ago) when they beat Richmond, 7-3 in Game 5 of the Governors’ Cup Finals.  The Sox went on to lose to the Braves in 7-games that year as the championship series was a best of 7 back then until switching to a best of 5 in 1980.

PAW SOX vs SCRANTON/WB:GAME 1 TONIGHT AT MCCOY

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees

Kevin Russo 3B

Corban Joseph             2B

Ronnier Mustelier           LF

Luke Murton 1B

Melky Mesa                  CF

Austin Romine               C

Cole Garner RF

Ramiro Pena                 SS

Darnell McDonald          DH

RHP John Maine           8-5

Pawtucket Red Sox

Jeremy Hazelbaker        DH

Tony Thomas                2B

J.C. Linares                   LF

Danny Valencia             3B

Andy LaRoche              1B

Dan Butler                     C

Bryce Brentz                 RF

Jason Repko                CF

Jon Hee                        SS

RHP Zach Stewart         3-5

ZACH STEWART LOOKS TO CLOSE OUT THE SERIES

JULY 19^th                  SYRACUSE (45-52)     at     PAWTUCKET (54-45)        12:05 pm   

 

Syracuse Chiefs RHP Tanner Roark (4-12, 5.54) vs.Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Zach Stewart (1-1, 3.74) 

Triple Figures – The Pawtucket Red Sox – who had their 3-game winning streak snapped last night – play Game #100 of the season this afternoon against the Syracuse Chiefs at 12:05 pm at McCoy Stadium.  The PawSox are 54-45 after 99 games this season.  Last year they were 56-44 after 100 games (July 22) and in 2^nd-place, -1 GB.  

Matinee Baseball – The PawSox – who have won 5 of their last 9 games following 4-16 tailspin – look to win a series outright when they play the finale of their 4-game set against Syracuse this afternoon.  Today marks the first of two weekday afternoon home affairs on what is hailed as Park & Recreation Day at McCoy (the other in three weeks on Thursday, August 9 at 12:05 pm also vs. Syracuse).  The PawSox have won 7 games in the month of July (going 7-9 thus far) and 4 of those have been against Syracuse in 5 tries.  Syracuse was the last team to visit McCoy this season when they came to town for a 2-game series (July 7 & 8) – swept by the PawSox by scores of 3-2 and 4-1.  The Chiefs returned to Pawtucket on Monday and so far Pawtucket has a 2 games to 1 lead…beating the Chiefs, 8-5 and 8-3 before Syracuse got on the board with a 5-1 victory last night.

Sweep Dreams – The PawSox and Syracuse have met for three different series this season and all three ended in sweeps, although this one will not.  Pawtucket swept a 4-game set in Syracuse from April 16-19, the Chiefs returned the favor when they swept 4-games in Syracuse from June 18-21, and the PawSox most recently swept a 2-game set at McCoy on July 7 & 8.  The Sox are up 2-1 in this current 4-game series.  After this series the clubs will meet for one more 2-game set on August 8 & 9 at McCoy to conclude the season-series.

This Homestand – From July 12 (just after the All-Star break) through Labor Day, September 3 the PawSox are playing their final 52 games of the regular-season in 54 days (3-4 thus far).  This 8-game home stand (3-4) concludes today and will end a stretch of 20 PawSox home games out of 26 games overall from June 22 – July 19.  After today the Sox will play 12 of their next 14 games on the road from July 20 – August 2.

The Race is On – The PawSox remained within a ½-game of the 1^st-place Lehigh Valley IronPigs and held onto their IL wild card lead by a ½-game over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as all three contenders lost last night. (The Sox had trailed by a ½-game in the wild card race from Saturday – Monday).  Until this past Saturday when they fell into 3^rd-place behind the Yankees, the PawSox had been either in 1^st-place or owners of the IL wild card since April 16.  Norfolk is next in the wild card chase and only –3 GB while Buffalo is -3½ GB and Rochester & Columbus are -4½ GB.  The PawSox have 45 games remaining in the regular-season as they bid to defend their IL North title from 2011.  Head-to-head match-ups between the three top teams in the division will go a long way in determining who emerges with a playoff spot(s) as the PawSox face Lehigh Valley 6 more times (4 home & 2 away) and Scranton/WB 12 more times (10 at home although the Sox will be the “away” team in 4 of those & 2 legit road games).

Familiar Foes –Pawtucket is playing exclusively against their IL North rivals for the remainder of their home schedule (June 29 vs. Charlotte was their last home game of the year vs. a team from outside the North).  Their 30-21 record within the IL North is tied for the best of any team in the league inside their own division (Indy is 26-17 in the IL West).  The Sox do have road trips outside the division as they go to Louisville and Indianapolis of the IL West later this week from July 20-27 and later in the season travel to Charlotte and Gwinnett of the IL South from August 23-30.  

Three-peat – Pawtucket recently won 3 straight games from Sunday – Tuesday for the first time in a month…since a 5-game winning streak from June 12-17.  They could not make it 4 in a row as they fell to Syracuse last night.

Trying to Turn the Beat Around – The PawSox are 5-4 in their last 9 games but they have still lost 20 of their last 29 games since June 18 and have gone from 1^st-place and 5-games up in the IL North on June 17 (equaling their largest lead of the season) to 2^nd-place and a ½-game behind 1^st-place Lehigh Valley as a result.  Their 3-game deficit on July 3, 5, and 6 equaled the furthest they had been out of 1^st-place all season (also -3 GB on April 15 & 16).  They had been in either 1^st-place or 2^nd-place every day since April 13 until falling into 3^rd on Saturday.  They returned to 2^nd-place on Tuesday.  Pawtucket was alone atop the division from May 5 – June 25.

Series Setback - The PawSox had dropped a series 6-times in their last 7 tries since June 18 until this current series.  Their only winner in that span was a 2-game sweep of Syracuse on July 7 & 8.  They are up 2 games to 1 in this set vs. the Chiefs.

First and Last Were Fun – Pawtucket and Syracuse have met for a pair of 4-game series (those coming in Syracuse) and a 2-game set here at McCoy.  The first was a 4-game sweep for the PawSox from April 16-19 as the Sox won three close ones…4-3, 1-0, and 6-1 in 11-innings and then completed the sweep with an 11-7 victory on April 19.  Two months later, Syracuse returned the favor sweeping the Sox in a 4-game set from June 18-21.  The Chiefs won those four by scores of 11-7, 4-3, 6-5 (in 11-innings), and 3-1 to complete the sweep on June 21.  The teams will not play in Syracuse again this season.  Most recently, the PawSox swept a 2-game set here at McCoy with 3-2 and 4-1 wins on July 7 & July 8.  Pawtucket has taken an 8-5 lead in the overall season-series by virtue of their 8-5 and 8-3 wins to begin this series before a 5-1 defeat last night.

Stats vs. Chiefs – The PawSox are hitting .271 in the 13 games vs. Syracuse thus far (124-for-457) with 17 HR (4 by Tony Thomas, 3 by Ryan Lavarnway, 3 by Nate Spears, and 1 each by Alex Hassan, Mauro Gomez, J.C. Linares, and Mike Rivera among active PawSox).  Sox pitchers are 8-5 with a 3.53 ERA vs. the Chiefs (46 ER in 117.1 IP) with 10 HRA.  Pawtucket has out-scored Syracuse, 62-51.

When the Going Gets Tough – The PawSox had a 9-game losing streak (the third longest in club-history) from June 18-26 which was preceded by a 5-game winning streak (from June 18-26).  They have now lost 20 of their last 29 overall – including 8 of 10 on the road and 12 of their last 19 home games.

PAW SOX LOOK FOR TWO IN A ROW

JUNE 28^th  CHARLOTTE (45-36)     at     PAWTUCKET (46-34)     7:05       

 

Charlotte Knights RHP Simon Castro (0-1, 10.80) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Brandon Duckworth (7-1, 3.68)

 

Just Win Baby – The Pawtucket Red Sox hope to make it two wins in a row for the first time in 11 days when they play game three of their 4-game series against the Charlotte Knights tonight at 7:05 pm at McCoy Stadium (Live on the Ocean State Networks). Last night the PawSox snapped their 9-game losing streak (the third longest in club-history) with a well-played, 5-1 win overCharlotte to even this series at a victory apiece.  The Sox can win two straight tonight for the first time since they posted a 5-game winning streak from June 12-17. Pawtucket also halted their 5-game home losing streak last night and with a victory tonight would win back-to-back home games for the first time since June 5-7 when they had a 3-game McCoy winning streak.

Back Where They Belong – The PawSox regained sole possession of 1^st-place with their win last night coupled with Lehigh Valley’s loss to Rochester.  The Sox and IronPigs were in a virtual tie after play on Tuesday night (the Pigs actually had a slim pct. point lead over the PawSox at the time).  Pawtucket had been alone atop the division from May 5 – June 25 before falling into that tie on June 26.  However, they are now back atop the division where they have been for much of the past eight weeks.  The Sox tied their largest 1^st-place lead of the season at 5-games overLehighValley on June 17 but then went on a 9-game losing streak until their victory last night.

First and Ten – While losing 9 of their last 10, PawSox pitchers are 1-9 with a 4.58 ERA (47 ER in 92.1 IP) while the Sox are hitting .246 (86-for-350) with 9 HR.  As a result,Pawtucket’s Team ERA has gone from 3.49 on June 17 to 3.63 (it was a season-high 3.68 on Tuesday) while the Team Batting Average has gone from .275 to .271 (it was .270 on Tuesday which was their lowest for the entire month of June). Pawtucket has been out-scored during their last 10 games by a 52-32 margin.

This Series and Homestand - The PawSox had not lost a game by more than 5 runs all season long until Tuesday night’s 8-0 setback toCharlotte in the series-opener.  The Sox evened matters with their much-needed 5-1 win last night. Pawtucket had not lost a home series – and had not lost more than 2 in a row at McCoy all season – untilLouisville just swept a 4-game set here over the wrap-around weekend. Pawtucket’s 8-game homestand (1-5 thus far) continues with two more games vs. the Knights this evening and tomorrow night both at 7:05 pm.

What Have You Done for Me Lately –Pawtucket has lost 9 of their last 10 but they are still 16-15 in their last 31 games since May 26.  Despite dropping 5 of their last 6 at McCoy, they have still won 15 of their last 27 home games dating back to May 9.

June’s Final Days – The PawSox are 12-13 in June (after an 11-4 start) with 3 games remaining in the month.  They need to win all three games to post a winning month of June or go 2-1 to finish .500 this month. Pawtucket has had five consecutive winning (full) months – not counting their 4-0 record last September.  Their last losing month was May of 2011 (13-15).

June Tune – Sox batters are hitting .280 in the 25 games (246-for-878) with 30 HR and 126 runs scored.  Pitchers are 12-13 with a 4.05 ERA (102 ER in 226.2 IP).

Month to Month – Since August of 2010 the PawSox have a 144-111 record. The PawSox won 18 games in May – they had not won that many games in one month in nearly four years since they went 20-9 in June of 2008.  The PawSox have also registered at least 16 victories in each of the last five full months.  They went 17-11 last June, 17-13 last July, 17-12 last August, 16-9 this April, and 18-12 this May.  Pawtucket’s last losing month was May of 2011 (13-15) as the PawSox have had 7 winning (full) months in their last 8 months of action dating back to August of 2010.

STEWART SHARP IN PAW SOX DEBUT

STEWART SOLID IN FIRST OUTING

When the Boston Red Sox acquired Zach Stewart from the Chicago White Sox, the hope was that Stewart would be able to offer insurance for the starting rotation.

After his first start at Pawtucket, Stewart did nothing that would make you think that he wasn’t an option down the stretch for the Red Sox.

Stewart went 5 2/3 innings, allowed just one run on six hits. At one point, Stewart retired 12-straight Charlotte Knights.

The Knights had two of their six hits off Stewart in the first inning.  But after that, Stewart got into a groove. He was able to pound the strike-zone and had great success in getting ahead in counts.

Overall, Stewart threw 81 pitches, 57 of them for strikes.  Stewart had just 18 appearances for the White Sox in 2012. He showed no rust in his Paw Sox start. His control was solid. Stewart finished with 4 strikeouts and did not walk a batter.

Stewart left the game with a 4-1 lead. Paw Sox skipper Arnie Beyeler pulled Stewart with two-outs in the sixth after the Knights had put together a pair of hits.

KEVIN HARRIMAN

STEWART MAKES HIS FIRST START FOR PAW SOX

JUNE 27^th                  CHARLOTTE (45-35)     at     PAWTUCKET (45-34)     7:05 pm      

 

Charlotte Knights LHP Charles Leesman (7-5, 2.16) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Zach Stewart (NR)

 

Right-hander Zach Stewart, acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the kevin Youkilis trade, will make his first start in the red Sox organization tonight for the Paw Sox.

For the White Sox, Stewart was 1-2 in 18-games with a 6.00 ERA. The Red Sox are hoping that Stewart can provide some needed starting pitching insurance in the second half of the season.

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	ERA+	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB	Awards
2008	21	CIN-min	A+,A	1	4	.200	1.09	24	0	21	0	0	5	33.0	26	7	4	0	14	2	36	2	0	0	136		1.212	7.1	0.0	3.8	9.8	2.57	SAR,DAY · FLOR,MIDW
2009	22	CIN-TOR-min	A+,AA,AAA	4	1	.800	1.89	34	14	7	1	0	2	105.0	105	34	22	3	32	0	93	2	0	4	439		1.305	9.0	0.3	2.7	8.0	2.91	SAR,CAR,LVG,LOU · FLOR,SOUL,PCL,IL
2010	23	TOR-min	AA	8	3	.727	3.63	26	26	0	0	0	0	136.1	131	59	55	13	54	0	106	5	2	5	575		1.357	8.6	0.9	3.6	7.0	1.96	MAN · EL
2011	24	TOR-CHW-min	AA,AAA	5	6	.455	4.20	17	17	0	1	0	0	100.2	116	52	47	6	27	0	79	1	1	3	431		1.421	10.4	0.5	2.4	7.1	2.93	MAN,CHR · EL,IL
2011	24	TOT	AL	2	6	.250	5.88	13	11	1	1	1	0	67.1	90	44	44	11	18	2	45	2	1	2	297	74	1.604	12.0	1.5	2.4	6.0	2.50
2011	24	TOR	AL	0	1	.000	4.86	3	3	0	0	0	0	16.2	26	9	9	2	5	1	10	1	1	1	75	89	1.860	14.0	1.1	2.7	5.4	2.00
2011	24	CHW	AL	2	5	.286	6.22	10	8	1	1	1	0	50.2	64	35	35	9	13	1	35	1	0	1	222	70	1.520	11.4	1.6	2.3	6.2	2.69
2012	25	CHW	AL	1	2	.333	6.00	18	1	8	0	0	0	30.0	41	26	20	10	4	0	16	0	1	0	134	71	1.500	12.3	3.0	1.2	4.8	4.00
2 Yrs				3	8	.273	5.92	31	12	9	1	1	0	97.1	131	70	64	21	22	2	61	2	2	2	431	73	1.572	12.1	1.9	2.0	5.6	2.77
162 Game Avg.				5	13	.273	5.92	49	19	14	2	2	0	154	207	111	101	33	35	3	96	3	3	3	682	73	1.572	12.1	1.9	2.0	5.6	2.77

KEVIN HARRIMAN

Turn the Beat Around – The Pawtucket Red Sox look to snap their 9-game losing streak (the third longest in club-history) when they play game two of their 4-game series against the Charlotte Knights tonight at 7:05 pm at McCoy Stadium (Live on the Ocean State Networks).  The only two longer losing streaks Pawtucket has ever had were 10-games from August 12-20 of 2009 and the team-record 13-game losing streak back in 1985 (July 26 – August 6 of ’85). Pawtucket’s current 9-game skid has included a pair of pair of 4-game sweeps inSyracuse (June 18-21) and here vs.Louisville (June 22-25) along with an 8-0 defeat last night toCharlotte –Pawtucket’s worst loss by far of the entire season.

Back Nine – During this 9-game losing streak, PawSox pitchers are 0-9 with a 5.07 ERA (47 ER in 83.1 IP) while the Sox are hitting .234 (74-for-316) with 8 HR.  As a result,Pawtucket’s Team ERA has gone from 3.49 on June 17 (their last win inBuffalo, 6-1) to a season-high 3.68 while the Team Batting Average has gone from .275 to .270 (lowest for the entire month of June). Pawtucket has been out-scored during the 9-game losing streak by a 51-27 margin.

We’ve Got Company – The PawSox tied their largest 1^st-place lead of the season at 5-games over Lehigh Valley on June 17 after completing a sweep of a 4-game series in Buffalo.  However, the Sox have not won since and now, for the first time in seven and a half weeks, find themselves no longer alone in 1^st-place in the IL North. Pawtucket had been alone atop the division since May 5, but now they are in a virtual tie with the IronPigs who actually have a slim pct. point lead over the PawSox (.571 to .570).

Stop Right Now –Pawtucket’s current 9-game losing streak comes immediately on the heels of a 5-game winning streak (June 12-17).  The PawSox have also lost 5 in a row at home for the first time since May 10-14 of last season.  The last time they dropped 6 straight at McCoy came during a 7-game home losing streak from July 3-17 of the 2009 season.  The two longest PawSox losing streaks of all-time were there 10-game losing streak in 2009 that included 2 in Charlotte (Aug. 12-13), 4 in Gwinnett (Aug. 14-17), and 4 at home vs.Rochester (Aug. 18-20)…the Sox were able to snap that streak with a win in the series finale vs.Rochester on Aug. 21 of 2009.  Their club-record 13-game losing streak in 1985 came via 3 losses inRichmond (July 26-28), 2 in Tidewater (July 30), 2 vs.Maine (Aug. 1), 3 vs.Richmond (Aug. 2-4), and 3 more vs. Tidewater (Aug. 5-6).

Streaks All Over the Place – The PawSox 9-game losing streak is not the longest of any current streak in the International League although several teams had streaks of varying sorts snapped last night.  Still many IL teams are presently riding streaks heading into play tonight.  Gwinnett has an 11-game losing streak,Pawtucket has the 9-game skid, andBuffalo is on a 7-game losing streak.  On the positive side, bothSyracuse andLouisville are riding 9-game winning streaks whileColumbus is on a 4-game winning streak.

This Series and Homestand – The PawSox had not lost a game by more than 5 runs all season long until last night’s 8-0 setback toCharlotte in the series-opener.  They had not lost a home series – and had not lost more than 2 in a row at McCoy all season – untilLouisville just swept a 4-game set here over the wrap-around weekend. Pawtucket’s 8-game homestand (0-5 thus far) continues with three more games vs. the Knights tonight through Friday (all three remaining games at 7:05 pm).

What Have You Done for Me Lately –Pawtucket has lost 9 in a row but they are still 15-15 in their last 30 games since May 26.  Despite their 5-game home losing streak, they have still won 15 of their last 27 home games dating back to May 9.

NAVA, MIDDLEBROOKS CARRY RED SOX

SOX LATELY: With yesterday’s 9-4 win over the Braves, the Red Sox have won 7 of their last 8 games…The Sox are 9-2 (.818) since 6/12, 2nd in baseball after TEX (10-2, .833)…At 38-34, the club is a season-high 4 games above .500.

• Boston has won 26 of its last 41 games (.634), tied for 2nd best in the Majors since 5/11…Following a 4-10 start to the season, Boston has gone 34-24 (.586) since 4/23, tied for the most wins in the Majors in that time (also LAA and NYY).
• The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 14 series dating back to 5/10…They have lost just 3 sets in that time and tied once…Boston has taken 4 straight series for the 1st time since winning 6 in a row from 7/1-24/11.

LILLIBRIDGE ACTIVE: The Red Sox today added INF/OF Brent Lillibridge to the active Major League roster…He was acquired yesterday with RHP Zach Stewart (assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket) from the White Sox for 3B Kevin Youkilis and cash considerations…To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated LF Oscar Tejeda for assignment…Lillibridge will wear No. 23.

VS. THE JAYS: Tonight marks the 7th of 18 meetings between the Sox and Jays in 2012 with the clubs tied 3-3 thus far in the season set…This marks Toronto’s 1st trip to Boston this year and the club’s latest initial set in Boston since 1997 (7/10)…Boston went 6-3 at home against Toronto last year, outscoring the Jays 65-36 in those contests…Boston has taken their last 4 home season series agianst the Jays since 2008, the Sox longest ever streak.

WILLY THE KID: Will Middlebrooks, who has reached safely in 21 of his last 21 games since 5/23, is batting .326 (47-for-144) with 10 doubles, 9 homers and 34 RBI in 41 Major League games since his 5/2 call-up…In that time he ranks 3rd in the AL in AVG, 6th in SLG and tied for 10th in RBI…Overall he leads ML rookies in RBI and tops AL rookies in HR.

NAVA-GATION SYSTEM: Daniel Nava is batting .415 (22-for-53) in 17 June games, tops in the AL in the month and 2nd in the Majors behind CIN’s Joey Votto (.434) (min. 50 PA)…Nava leads the AL with a .452 OBP since his 5/10 selection to Boston…His .969 OPS ranks 2nd among AL outfielders in that time behind TOR’s Jose Bautista (1.061).