Kevin Thomas - Rock Cats outlast Sea Dogs in wild game; Both starters have problems throwing strikes, making for a lengthy game at Hadlock Field.
After two innings and 109 total pitches from both pitchers, Wednesday looked to be a long night of baseball at Hadlock Field.
It was.
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Both starters, Kyle Aselton of New Britain and Matt Goodson of Portland, left early.
Goodson walked four batters in the first inning, giving up two runs. He allowed three more runs in the second, which included Eric Lis' two-run homer into the Sea Dogs' bullpen.
Goodson left with one out in the fourth after 79 pitches (48 strikes).
"He got into deep counts and had trouble finishing hitters," Beyeler said.
Staked to a 5-0 lead, Aselton couldn't hold it. He walked four in the second inning, including two with the bases loaded (RBI for Tony Granadillo and Jeff Corsaletti).
Portland scored three in the second and two in the third -- another bases-loaded walk to Granadillo and a Corsaletti RBI single to tie it.
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Veteran relief pitcher Miguel Asencio, (6.44 ERA) is headed to Triple-A Pawtucket, filling the vacancy created by Chris Smith's promotion to Boston. Joining the Sea Dogs will be reliever T.J. Large, 25, from advanced Class A Lancaster. Large, a Sox 46th-round draft pick in 2005, was 2-1 in Lancaster with a 3.16 ERA (1.77 on the road). Portland put left-handed starter Dustin Richardson on the disabled list (shoulder tendinitis). Third baseman Andrew Pinckney (sore shoulder) missed his third straight game. Reliever Daniel Bard hit 99 mph on the Hadlock radar gun.
Kevin Thomas - Theo to watch Bowden
Michael Bowden (5-3, 2.24) starts for the Sea Dogs tonight. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, who took in Wednesday night's game at Hadlock Field, is expected to be back to watch one of his prized pitching prospects.
Michael Bowden has been dominating Double-A batters recently. In his last 10 games, he's 5-1 with a 1.40 ERA.
Bowden's over-the-top, jerky motion is deceptive, and his heavy fastball is hard to hit hard. While Bowden is only 21, and thus not necessarily ripe for a promotion, he may need the challenge of more experienced Triple-A batters.
As for the recent Sea Dogs moves, Asencio's prmotion has been anticipated. He is a minor league free agent with major league experience and a lot of Triple-A time. So, even though his ERA is 6.44, when there was an opening, he moved up.
Large, 25, a Sox 46th-round draft pick in 2005, was 2-1 in Lancaster with a 3.16 ERA. Away from Lancaster's wind-blown stadium, Large had a 1.77 ERA.
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In Portland's Tuesday night loss, reliever Daniel Bard again had the Hadlock Field radar gun elevating. He hit 99 m.p.h. with three fastballs. In 2 innings, Bard allowed 1 H and 1 BB.
In Lancaster, Josh Reddick continued on his tear (3-for-4, now. 352) ... Blake Maxwell lowered his ERA to 1.54 with 3 IP of shutout relief (1 H, 3 K) ... Bryce Cox pitched a scoreless inning.
Recent third-round draft pick Kyle Weiland (Notre Dame) got in 2 innings work for Lowell (0 H, 0 BB, 2 K) ... Outfielder/DH Luis Sumoza went 2-for-5 with a homer. Sumoza, who turns 20 next month, was a bonus baby out of Venezuela, signing for $200,000 when he was 16. This is his first season away from the rookie leagues.
