The Providence Journal
Jim Mandelaro - Red Wings 4, PawSox 3
Right-hander Michael Bowden pitched a great game but was denied his first Triple-A win when reliever Kyle Snider served up a two-run homer to Matt Macri in the seventh inning, pushing Rochester in front, 4-3. Bowden allowed three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked none and struck out six but remains 0-3.
Despite the loss, the PawSox clinched their first playoff berth since 2003 because Toledo also lost. Pawtucket will meet Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a best-of-five series beginning Sept. 3. Tickets for all possible games at McCoy Stadium are on sale at the stadium box office.
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Bowden is the No. 7 prospect in the Boston chain, according to Baseball America magazine. He was promoted from Double-A Portland after going 9-4 with a 2.33 ERA. Bowden allowed just one earned run in his last start, a six-inning gem against Buffalo, but fell to 0-3 with the PawSox as Buffalo won, 1-0.
Full Version: Sox Minor League News Links, Sun. Aug. 24, 2008
Jimenez homer propels Sea Dogs to comeback win
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Jorge Jimenez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning Saturday night to lift the Portland Sea Dogs to a 5-2 victory over the Harrisburg Senators.
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Chad Rhoades (4-3) got the win in relief of Adam Mills, who allowed six hits, struck out three and walked none in 6 2/3 innings. Daniel Bard got the last five outs for his sixth save.
Kevin Thomas - Aggressive Reddick making better choices at the plate
In the outfield, Reddick runs down balls and throws runners out. He recorded 19 outfield assists last year and already has 22 this season, which included stops at Class A Greenville and Lancaster.
With all the Red Sox like about Reddick, they are tweaking his approach at the plate.
It's a case of the aggressive Reddick joining a club that tells its hitters to be patient.
"They preached it to me about going up there and working the count," Reddick said. "They want me to see pitches that I would normally swing at, and just let them go by."
When Reddick says this, a slight disdain comes through. Letting a hittable pitch go by?
"It's been a slow process for me, and frustrating," Reddick said. "It's nothing I've been accustomed to my whole life."
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Reddick said he is trying the approach, and he is actually drawing more walks – 10 in 24 games with Portland after drawing 17 in his previous 76.
"But in the last month, I've seen my average drop big-time," he said.
True, Reddick arrived in Portland on July 20 with a career .323 pro average. Through Friday's game, he was hitting .265 with the Sea Dogs.
But Reddick's numbers are rising. He was hitting .180 on Aug. 9. In the past 10 games, he's batting .394, with four home runs.
"His tools are pretty good," Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "He's not that smooth, polished guy you look at. He's still a young kid. He goes after it and just plays hard."
Kevin Thomas - Buchholz pitching Monday; Reddick on the rise
In the minors, Pawtucket starter Michael Bowden got a no-decision for 6 1/3 innings of work (6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K) ... Jeff Corsaletti (.218) went 3-for-4.
Adam Mills (4.31) had a fine start for Portland (6 2/3, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K) ... Daniel Bard (2.03) got his sixth save (1 2/3, 1 H, 1 K).
Lancaster catcher Luis Exposito (.311) went 3-for-4, as did outfielder Jason Place (.244).
Greenville beat Augusta 2-1, but the story was Augusta starter (and Giants prospect) Scott Barnes. Barnes, 20, gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in the first inning on an error, double, walk, and ground-out ... He retired the last 17 batters he faced - 14 by strikeout (including 8 K's in a row at one point).
David Hood - Drive win pitchers' duel in front of season-high crowd
Greenville starter Terumasa Matsuo (6-5) went six innings, giving up just one earned run and striking out six, to pick up the win over Augusta starter Scott Barnes, who also went six innings (retiring 17 in a row at one point) and gave up both Greenville runs ó one earned ó despite striking out 14.
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The Drive scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the first inning. After leadoff hitter David Mailman's grounder was bobbled at short for an error, Rafael Cabreja followed that with a double, and Zach Penprase and Oscar Tejeda each had RBI groundouts for a 2-0 lead.
Matsuo gave up his lone run in the third inning, but the tying run was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Jared Stanley to end the inning. Lance McClain pitched two scoreless innings before giving way to Felix Ventura in the ninth, who picked up his 19th save of the season.
"Matsuo did a nice job of giving us a quality start," Greenville manager Kevin Boles said. "Our bullpen did a nice job of holding it together, and McClain did a nice job in his two innings. Their pitcher has good stuff and has a bright future, but we were able to scratch those two runs, and we had some bright spots on defense."
JetHawks Make it Eight Straight With Comeback Win
The long ball was the order of the early part of the game. Zak Farkes and Aaron Reza hit back-to-back blasts in the second inning to stake the JetHawks to an early 3-0 lead. Modesto hit two home runs off of Chris Jones to pull Modesto ahead 4-3 in the fifth inning. While a Reza single tied the game in the sixth inning, Modesto hit another homer in the seventh to go up 7-5.
Once again it was the bottom of the order that got things rolling in a JetHawks rally. Matt Sheely faked a bunt to pull in the third baseman, then singled past him to start the inning. A single by Jason Place and a bunt hit by Kris Negron loaded the bases with no one out. Ryan Kalish hit a ball that could have been a double play, but the Nuts through the ball away for an error, allowing place to score the tying run and sending Kalish to second base. He then scored on the winning hit, a single by Michael Jones that gave Lancaster the lead.
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Farkes drove in three runs to lead the Lancaster offense. Reza had two hits and drove in two runs to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Place and Exposito each had three hits and Sheely had two.
Geoff Morrow - Portland's closer cracks 100 on gun
Bard, a 6-4, 195-pound right-hander, has long since accomplished 100 mph, which he did for the first time as a junior at the University of North Carolina.
Now the Charlotte, N.C., native just needs to reach the big leagues. Expectations are high for the Boston Red Sox's first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2006 draft.
"I guess I've always had a good arm," Bard said after saving Portland's 5-2 victory over Harrisburg Saturday night at Commerce Bank Park. "I sort of grew into my body and finally gained some muscle and added some weight in college. [The triple-digit speed] developed over time."
While Commerce Bank Park doesn't boast an outfield speedometer, the Sea Dogs' home of Hadlock Field does, as do a handful of other Eastern League parks.
When anybody hits 100, crowds get juiced.
"My concern is getting outs," said Bard, who also mixes in a slider and a changeup. "It doesn't matter how hard you throw. If I can excite the fans, that's nice, but that's not my primary goal."
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But after he went a combined 3-7 with a 7.08 ERA at two Class A stops in 2007, the Red Sox moved him to the bullpen. Bard adapted quickly to the new role, as he's 5-1 with six saves, a 1.53 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 762/3 innings between Portland and Class A Greenville this year.
"I love it," Bard said. "It's a different mentality."
Geoff Morrow - Portland 5, Senators 2
Harrisburg, riding another strong mound effort from LHP Justin Jones, took a 2-1 lead into the eighth. With two outs, reliever Josh Perrault walked Zach Daeges before the Senators called on closer Adam Carr. Aaron Bates greeted him with a single before Jimenez's shot over the right-field wall made it 4-2. Portland added another run on three singles in the ninth off Carr (3-4), who blew his sixth save this season.
RHP Chad Rhoades (4-3) pocketed the win with 0.2 innings of scoreless relief, while RHP Daniel Bard notched his sixth save by pitching out of Rhoades' jam in the eighth and finishing the ninth. The Sea Dogs' comeback took a loss away from RHP Adam Mills, who was on the hook despite allowing just two runs on six hits and no walks in 6.2 innings.
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