The Providence Journal
Paul Kenyon - Buchholz sends a strong reply to Red Sox
Buchholz’s best response to whatever it is the Sox want from him has been on the mound. He is pitching superbly, showing that he is major-league ready. He did it again last night.
The lanky right-hander pitched 6 2/3 innings. He allowed five hits and one run, that in the seventh when his team led Richmond, 8-0, on the way to a 10-1 victory. For six innings, Richmond never got a runner past second base. Buchholz ran his streak of scoreless innings to 17 before cleanup hitter Barbaro Canizares led off the seventh with a home run.
Buchholz walked two and struck out seven. He threw 87 pitches, 57 for strikes. In his last three starts, Buchholz has walked six and struck out 21.
His work continues to be limited. Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said before the game that there are no restrictions on Buchholz, who has long since recovered from the torn fingernail that sent him to the DL. Still, in his seven starts with Pawtucket, the most pitches Buchholz has thrown is 91, at Lehigh Valley on June 14.
Johnson spoke about how happy he was with Buchholz — not just his pitching, but his poise.
“I liked the composure on the mound. He made certain pitches. When he had to make a quality pitch he did it,” the manager said. “We all have to fall in love with his stuff. When you look at a player’s development, where Buck is right now, it’s really good to see that composure on the mound. You could see it tonight.”
Paul Kenyon - PawSox 10, Braves 1: Win streak reaches six
In this one, Clay Buchholz pitched beautifully. The offense produced seven runs, driven in by seven different players, before the fourth inning was over. And the defense turned two double plays. One was a ground ball back up the middle that Joe Thurston and Jed Lowrie turned into a DP, the other a short fly ball to right that Sean Danielson caught, then rifled a strike to first base to catch a Richmond runner before he could return.
The decision on the 29th annual Armed Services Night was decided early. Pawtucket scored two in the second on a double by Bryan Pritz, then five more in a wild fourth. George Kottaras started it with a towering home run to right, the first of his two homers in the game. Pritz had another double. The PawSox drew four walks for two more runs, then Chris Carter singled in two more.
Full Version: Sox Minor League News Links, Thurs. June 26, 2008
Dan Goldberg - Refining his Trade; Top prospect Anderson works tirelessly at plate
LANCASTER - Lars Anderson can't really help himself. He can't stop. He said he looked forward to the All-Star break, few days at home in Sacramento away from baseball. When prodded, however, he admitted that he would probably end up in the backyard in the batting cage his father built for him.
It's not a compulsion, it's cathartic.
Anderson, despite being 20 years old, is a throwback. He doesn't fit in with the ESPN culture, doesn't swing for the fences or tape-measure home runs.
He is a purist.
He enjoys working on hitting, but not talking about it, and he loathes the parameters by which success is often defined.
"I try not to look at (numbers)," said Anderson, the JetHawks' first baseman. "I wish statistics had never been invented. They cause so much anguish."
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His defense is another point of concern. A .990 fielding percentage masks his deficiencies at scooping throws in the dirt, which has cost the left side of the infield at least a couple of errors.
He has worked with Red Sox infield coordinator Bruce Crabbe, and the organization feels he is developing at a steady and satisfying pace.
"There are no red flags for me," Epperson said. "I think he gets in trouble when he bends from his knees instead of the waist, but he's a quick learner and will get better in time."
Scouts have also balked at his home-road splits, which show a struggling hitter outside the confines of The Hangar. Anderson hits .248 on the road (.358 at home) and has just two home runs and nine RBI in 28 games.
The oddest, though, is Anderson's lefty-righty split. The lefty is hitting .391 against southpaws and .273 against right-handers.
Mike Scandura - Bump flattens Sea Dogs, his former team; Veteran Nate Bump, who pitched in four seasons for Portland, goes six strong innings for Connecticut.
Portland scored its run in the fourth when Zach Daeges doubled into the right-field corner with one out and raced home on Sandy Madera's single.
The Sea Dogs' inning might have been more productive if third baseman Ryan Rohlinger hadn't robbed leadoff batter Tony Granadillo and thrown him out by a step.
Augusta tops Drive in ninth
The Drive took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run home run by Jared Stanley, his seventh, and a two-out solo homer by David Marks, his third.
The GreenJackets cut the lead to 3-2 in the third on Bond's first home run of his pro career, a two-run shot.
Manny Arambarris and Ty Weeden had RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively, to give the Drive a 5-2 lead.
The Lowell Sun
Spinners jump all over Oneonta
ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Carlos Fernandez-Oliva banged out three hits, including a double, and knocked in two runs as the Lowell Spinners beat the Oneonta Tigers, 7-1, in a New York-Penn League game last night.
Will Middlebrooks chipped in with 2 hits, 2 runs scored and an RBI for Lowell.
Lowell scored three runs in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. The Spinners put the game out of reach with three in the top of the ninth.
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Starting pitcher Stolmy Pimentel (1-0) earned the win, allowing 1 run and five hits in five innings of work.
Spinners jump all over Oneonta
ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Carlos Fernandez-Oliva banged out three hits, including a double, and knocked in two runs as the Lowell Spinners beat the Oneonta Tigers, 7-1, in a New York-Penn League game last night.
Will Middlebrooks chipped in with 2 hits, 2 runs scored and an RBI for Lowell.
Lowell scored three runs in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. The Spinners put the game out of reach with three in the top of the ninth.
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Starting pitcher Stolmy Pimentel (1-0) earned the win, allowing 1 run and five hits in five innings of work.
Gavin Keefe - Bard: The next in line? Portland pitcher looks to follow in footsteps of young Red Sox hurlers
Norwich - Daniel Bard, the latest in a line of promising young pitchers with golden arms in the Boston Red Sox organization, has followed the fast track of those before him.
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Bard, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Wednesday by pitching a sharp two scoreless innings in relief in a 5-1 loss to the Connecticut Defenders at Dodd Stadium, wants to be next.
”Those guys are 22, 23, 24 years old and they're making an impact,” Bard said. “That's encouraging to know that you're just one step, just one call away.”
Drafted 28th overall in the first round by the Red Sox in 2006, Bard is well on his way. He earned a promotion to Portland this spring after going 1-0 with a sparkling 0.64 ERA at Class-A Greenville, S.C.
Entering Wednesday's action, opponents were hitting just .181 against him. A couple of rough outings inflated his ERA to 3.86. In 21 innings, he has allowed 13 hits with 21 strikeouts and seven walks. Eight of his nine runs allowed came in two appearances earlier this month.
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