Marty Dubrow - Minor League Notebook: Starting to impress brass; Pawtucket has some candidates
Given that, who are the likely candidates? "I think there's three guys," said Hazen. "You're talking [David] Pauley, [Charlie] Zink, and [Devern] Hansack, who have put themselves in that position. I think Michael [ Bowden] is a touch behind that right now, but those three guys have really asserted themselves and pitched very consistently."
Pauley, a 25-year-old righthander, made a start for the Sox in April (as well as three in 2006), filling in when Josh Beckett showed up at Fenway Park with a stiff neck. Pauley got a no-decision in a 7-6 victory over the Angels, surrendering five runs over 4 1/3 innings. At Pawtucket, he has been rock steady, going 12-4 with a 3.36 ERA.
"This year, he's been outstanding," said PawSox pitching coach Rich Sauveur. "He doesn't get upset out there. I come out and talk to him, and he's calm and collected. He understands what damage control is."
Zink has also put together his best minor league season. Commanding his knuckleball, he has gone 13-4 with a 2.85 ERA. He leads the International League in victories and innings (145 1/3).
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Hansack, who has logged time with the Sox in 2006 (including a five-inning, no-hit victory in a rain-shortened season finale that doesn't count as an official no-hitter) and 2007, is also deeply in the mix. A former lobster fisherman from Nicaragua, Hansack started slowly this year, but he has performed well of late. Before losing, 6-1, last night at Scranton, Hansack had made 10 consecutive quality starts.
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Sox minor leaguers Chih-Hsien Chiang and Che-Hsuan Lin will be part of the delegation from Taiwan. Chiang, a second baseman for the Sox' Single A affiliate in Lancaster, Calif., is batting .303 with nine home runs. Lin, a 19-year-old outfielder, is batting just .249 for the Single A Greenville Drive, but he burst from anonymity last month by being named most valuable player of the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.
Amalie Benjamin - Red Sox Notebook: Bay having a field day
With the Aug. 15 deadline to sign draft picks approaching, the Sox inked two more, including sixth-round choice Ryan Lavarnway. The Yale catcher got a $325,000 signing bonus and was assigned to Single A Lowell. He hit .398 with 13 home runs, 42 RBIs, 29 walks, an .824 slugging percentage, and .541 on-base percentage during his junior year, being named a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench and Golden Spikes awards. He was also a National Player of the Year candidate. The Sox also signed their 36th-round pick, lefthanded pitcher Richard Wasielewski, out of Brunswick High School in Georgia. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League. Three of the Sox' picks from the first 14 rounds are still unsigned: outfielder Peter Hissey (fourth round), outfielder Ryan Westmoreland (fifth), and righthander Tyler Wilson (13th) . . .