Pawtucket Red Sox Game Notes and Other Noteworthy Info for 5/19/07 - AAA, International League

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MAY 28^th COLUMBUS (22-27) at PAWTUCKET (19-27) 6:15 pm

Columbus Clippers RHP Joel Hanrahan (1-1, 1.69) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP David Pauley (1-1, 3.52)

Discovering a New Columbus – The Pawtucket Red Sox take on the new-look Columbus Clippers in the opener of a 4-game series tonight at 6:15 pm at McCoy Stadium to begin the back half of their 8-game homestand (the PawSox split a 4-game set with Syracuse to begin the homestand – winning the first two but losing the last two). From 1979-2006 the Columbus Clippers were the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees and during that stretch they battled the PawSox with standout players like Don Mattingly, Ron Guidry, Tucker Ashford, Steve Balboni, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettite, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera just to name a few. Columbus owned a 219-171 record against their rival Red Sox during that span. That all changes this year as the teams meet for the first time with Columbus now the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The clubs play tonight at 6:15 pm and then the next three nights (tomorrow – Thursday) all at 7:05 pm at McCoy. Jon Lester starts tomorrow night for the PawSox.

Go Outside and Play – Tonight the PawSox begin a stretch that will have them play 32 of their next 36 games outside their division – and that could be a good thing. From now until July 4 the PawSox will play IL West (12) and IL South (20) clubs with only a 4-game series against IL North rival Ottawa mixed in (June 9-12 at McCoy). Pawtucket has struggled within their division thus far this season going 8-19 vs. IL North rivals (4-10 at home and 4-9 away). The Sox also had a losing record within the North last year (34-46). Conversely, the PawSox are 4-4 vs. the IL West this season (all 8 games at home) and 7-4 vs. the IL South. They went 17-15 vs. the West last year and 18-14 vs. the South.

This Homestand – The PawSox are 2-2 on this 8-game homestand. After Thursday’s homestand finale vs. Columbus to end the month of May, the PawSox will have had 32 scheduled home dates already (in less than 7 weeks) with just 40 home dates remaining over the final three months of the season.

Series Situation – Pawtucket is 4-7-3 in their first 14 series of the year.

It Was a Fine Stretch – The Sox have lost the past two nights to Syracuse – after winning 6 of their previous 7 home games - and need a win tonight to avoid losing 3 in a row at home since their season-high 6-game McCoy losing streak from April 28 – May 3. Despite the setbacks the past two nights, the Sox have still won 3 of 5, 8 of 13, and 9 of their last 15 games from May 11-25 after dropping 12 of their previous 14 games from April 28 – May 9.

And They’re Off – The PawSox have scored in the 1^st-inning during 7 of their last 12 games (19 runs total) and have gone 5-2 in those 7 games. That said, the opponents have scored first in 31 of Pawtucket’s 46 games this season (the Sox are 9-22 in those compared to 10-5 when they score first).

Roger That – There are a couple of ironic twists to the much-ballyhooed Roger Clemens start tonight for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees when they host Toledo at 5:00 pm. First of all, had Columbus still been affiliated with the Yankees, that start could well have occurred here at McCoy Stadium tonight. Furthermore, it comes exactly 12 years to the date that Roger made a rehab start for the PawSox at McCoy Stadium against the Syracuse Chiefs. That outing came on May 28, 1995 when a then 32-year-old Clemens was rehabbing a muscle strain in the back of his right shoulder that had kept him on the DL to begin the ‘95 season. Roger was terrific that night at McCoy although he was not involved in the decision – 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO. He was recalled to Boston five days later to begin the 12-year “twilight of his career”.

Bottom’s Up – By virtue of their wins on Thursday and Friday nights, Pawtucket had moved out of last-place in the IL North and were two games ahead of Syracuse in the IL North. However, the Syracuse victories the past two nights moved the Chiefs pct. points ahead of Pawtucket as the Sox fell into the cellar again. The Sox are now -9 GB, but their recent 7-game deficit (Friday) was the closest they had been since they were 6½ games out on May 4 (and May 1) – the closest they have been to 1^st-place all month.

Reverse Direction – Pawtucket (now 19-27 on the year) had pulled to within 6-games of .500 on Friday for the first time in almost three weeks (since they were 10-16 on May 5). The Sox had dipped to a season-low 11-games under .500 on both May 9 and May 12. That represented their lowest point in two and a half years since they were also 11-games below .500 on July 14, 2004 (40-51). The PawSox have not been over .500 since they were 5-4 on April 13. Twice this season the PawSox have been 3-games over .500 (3-0 on April 7 and 5-2 on April 11) and that equals the highest level they achieved all of last season (the last time in 2006 came on August 4 at 58-55).

Streaks - The PawSox – who won a season-high 4 in a row from May 13-16 – have had a pair of season-high 6-game losing streaks. They lost 6 in a row from April 28 – May 3 and again from May 5-9. They also had a 5-game skid from April 12-19. Pawtucket’s 6-game home losing skid from April 28 – May 3 was their longest McCoy losing streak since the 2002 season (June 25-27, July 2-3, and July 11 of 2002). They also lost 7 straight away games from April 24 – May 9 until a victory in Ottawa on May 19.

Hometown Improvement - Pawtucket is 10-14 at McCoy Stadium thus far this season (along with four home postponements) after a tough 3-11 start at home – their worst since 1989.

The Road Divided - Sox pitching has been outstanding on the road going 9-12 with a 3.05 ERA (62 ER in 182.2 IP). The Sox are hitting .247 on the road (182-for-738) with 16 HR. Sox pitchers are 10-15 with a 4.50 ERA at home (115 ER in 230 IP) and Sox batters are hitting .249 in 25 games at McCoy (210-for-844) with 18 HR.

Supposed to Make Some Hay in May – The PawSox were scheduled to play 20 of their 31 games during the month of May at home at McCoy Stadium (it will be 19 of 30 following the cancelled game on May 18). They are 10-14 in May thus far – their first loss on May 5 in the suspended game at Buffalo actually counted as an April game (it began on April 23). The Sox have 4 games remaining here at McCoy to close out the month and must win all 4 to avoid suffering a losing May.

May Day – The Sox are 10-14 in May as pitchers have a 3.99 ERA (87 ER in 219 IP). Sox batters are hitting .265 (223-for-843) with 14 HR and 100 runs scored in 24 games.

April Downer – Pawtucket finished the month of April at 9-13 and in 5^th-place (-5½ GB). Last year the PawSox went 9-11 in April and were in 4^th-place (-5 GB) after the first month last season.

Final April Stats – The PawSox Team Batting average in April was .229 (169-for-739) with 20 HR in 22 games. In April of 2006 the Sox hit .228 with 19 HR in 24 games but they then improved to .234 in May, .259 in June, a season-best .280 in July, before dipping to .244 in August. PawSox pitchers posted a 3.72 ERA this April (80 ER in 193.2 IP) compared to the 3.65 ERA they posted last April.

By the Numbers – The Sox are 8^th in the league in Team Pitching (3.86) after rising to 4^th in the IL on Friday (3.63). They dipped to 13^th on May 6 (4.09). The PawSox are 11^th in the IL in Team Batting (.248) – they were hitting .249 on Saturday which was their highest average since their third game of the season.

Last Dance – Saturday night’s 10-7 loss to Syracuse marked the 9^th time the Sox have lost a game in the opponents’ final at-bat this season compared to 5 Pawtucket victories during their final at-bat of a game.

Bullpen Bravo – The PawSox bullpen had been brilliant from May 11-25 going 4-1 with a 1.16 ERA (7 ER in 54.1 IP) in 13 games. They gave up 6 runs over the final 3-innings on Saturday to lose to Syracuse, 10-7 and then allowed 4 runs in 5-innings of work on Sunday in the 9-2 loss to the Chiefs.

Designated Driver – PawSox designated hitters had just 3 doubles and 1 HR in their first 37 games this season. In their last 9 games – using Michael Tucker as the DH in all 9 of those games – the Sox have 5 doubles and 1 HR from their DH. Overall on the season, PawSox designated hitters are batting just .140 (24-for-171) with 2 HR & 14 RBI. On the other hand, PawSox pinch-hitters are 4-for-9 with 2 2B and 4 RBI.

Working OT – Pawtucket has played a league-high 9 extra innings games this season (going 4-5 thus far). The Sox won at Charlotte, 4-3 in 10-innings on April 7 but then lost the next day in Charlotte, 4-3 in 12-innings. They lost at home to Buffalo in 11-innings on April 28, 10-7, fell to Indianapolis in 10-innings later on that homestand on May 3 but then rebounded the next night for a 5-4 win over Indy in 11-innings. The Sox suffered a 5-4, 10-inning loss in Scranton on May 9, but won 3-2 in 14-innings over Toledo on May 11 and came up with a 4-3, 10-inning victory on May 13. Pawtucket did lose their most recent overtime affair on May 21 in Ottawa, 5-4 in 10-innings. The Sox played 15 extra inning games all of last year (going 6-9).

Northern Exposure - The PawSox are 8-19 vs. the North thus far in 2007 (4-10 at home and 4-9 at North cities). The Sox had a losing record within their division last year going 34-46 vs. the IL North finishing with a 10-6 mark vs. Scranton/WB but a 6-10 record against each of their other four division rivals – Buffalo, Ottawa, Rochester, and Syracuse. The Sox were 21-19 at home vs. the North but just 13-27 in North Division cities. So, Pawtucket finished with a losing record inside their division for the first time since 2002 when they went 32-48 vs. the IL North. The Sox enjoyed tremendous success within the IL North division over the previous three seasons. Pawtucket went 46-34 vs. the IL North in 2005 (best in the division), went 48-32 vs. Northern foes in 2004 (second best just one-game behind Buffalo), and owned a division-best 50-30 mark vs. the North in 2003.

Western Front – Pawtucket finished 17-15 vs. the IL West last season (7-7 here at McCoy but 10-8 in Western cities).

The Clipper Ship – Pawtucket and Columbus (then with the Yankees) split the season-series last year at 4-4 as the Sox were 0-2 at home but 4-2 in Columbus. The teams met for what should have been a 4-game series at McCoy Stadium in late-June, but instead the series turned into a 2-game Columbus sweep. The PawSox were beaten by Columbus on June 22 and June 23 by scores of 8-2 and 10-2 and then were beaten by the weather on the weekend of June 24 & June 25. Both the June 24^th game and the June 25^th make-up doubleheader were rained-out – thus necessitating consecutive twinbills in Columbus on July 21 and 22. The Sox were swept on July 21 (4-1 & 9-1) but then rebounded to sweep the doubleheader the next night (3-1 & 5-3). Pawtucket proceeded to win the next two games on July 23 (6-4) and July 24 (9-2) to deadlock the season-series at four victories apiece.

The Tide Had Turned vs. the Clippers – As mentioned, Pawtucket and Columbus were even last year at 4-4. Columbus won in 2005 by a 5-3 count but the PawSox won be that same margin in 2004. The PawSox had won the season-series over the Clippers for three straight seasons (2002-2004) before losing in 2005. Prior to 2002, Columbus had won the season-series from Pawtucket for seven years in a row (1995-2001).

Memories – The 2006 PawSox season will forever be remembered for the franchise-record tying 70 different players who donned the PawSox uniform during a hectic campaign. The PawSox finished with a 69-75 record – the exact opposite of 2005 when they went 75-69. It ended their streak of a winning season for three straight years (2003-2005) for the first time since they finished above .500 for a franchise-record five consecutive seasons (1996-2000).

A Look Back – The PawSox finished 37-33 at McCoy Stadium last season, but went 32-42 on the road. They were a fine 21-10 in day games but went 48-65 in night games. The Sox were 11-13 in April and then 13-14 in May last season.

Weather Woes - The PawSox have endured 4 home postponements already this season (on April 15 vs. Scranton/WB, April 17 & 18 both vs. Rochester, and May 18 vs. Durham). The PawSox suffered 7 home postponements last season - their most in ten years (since 8 home rainouts in 1996). Pawtucket has also had two road postponements (April 25 at Rochester and May 10 at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) and one road suspended game (April 23 in Buffalo).

Make-Up Doubleheaders – The PawSox have four doubleheaders now on the schedule including two at McCoy Stadium. The first twinbill at home comes on Friday, August 3 vs. Rochester at 6:05 pm (make-up from April 18). The PawSox will also host a day/night doubleheader at McCoy on Saturday, September 1 vs. the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees for games at 1:05 pm and 6:05 pm. The separate admission day/night doubleheader will be a make-up from the April 15 rainout at McCoy. Tickets for the newly scheduled 1:05 pm game are now available. The PawSox also have road twinbills on tap for July 4 in Scranton/WB at 5:30 pm and July 6 in Rochester at 6:05 pm.

BOSTON RED SOX DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM –

Portland (22-21) – The Portland Sea Dogs (AA) went over the .500 mark as they won their fourth straight yesterday, 6-4 over Reading. Chris Smith fired 3.1 scoreless innings of relief for the victory (1-2) and Zach Borowiak drove in two runs including the go-ahead run with a 6^th-inning sacrifice fly. Daniel Haigwood started – 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO. The line on Smith – 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO. Mike James notched SV #8 working a scoreless 9^th-inning. SS Jed Lowrie had a double and a triple to extend his on-base streak to 26 straight games. Portland goes for the 4-game sweep today with Clay Buchholz (1-1 despite a 1.97 ERA in 8 GS) on the mound.

Lancaster (27-23) – The Lancaster JetHawks (A) were 7-1 losers at Lake Elsinore last night. Justin Masterson (2-4) pitched well but suffered the loss – 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER. Mark Wagner had an RBI double to drive in the only Lancaster run.

Greenville (20-29) – The Greenville Drive (A) came up losers at West Virginia, 5-4 last night. Joshua Papelbon failed for one of the few times in his career as he allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 8^th-inning to suffer the loss – 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R. Pap’s had gone 19.2 innings without allowing an earned run over his previous 16 appearances. Lars Anderson (single, double, 2 BB, 2 RBI), Manny Arambarris, Argenis Diaz, and Luis Exposito all had 2 hits apiece.

PAWSOX PLAYER MOVES – None today. On Friday the Red Sox sent reliever Mike Timlin to Pawtucket on a 30-day injury rehab assignment. Timlin, who worked 1 scoreless innings Friday night, is recovering from right shoulder tendonitis and has been on Boston’s disabled list since May 3. He worked in relief again last night vs. Syracuse - .2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO. Mike is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in 9 RA for the Red Sox this season (6 ER in 8.2 IP). He actually began this season with the PawSox while rehabbing a left oblique strain and he made two appearances at Charlotte on April 5 and April 7 (1 run in 2 IP). He was recalled to Boston on April 10.

The PawSox are still one under the roster limit with 23 active players (not including rehabbing LHP Jon Lester and the rehabbing Timlin). Last year a club-record tying total of 70 different players appeared for the PawSox (31 position players and 39 pitchers) – equaling the mark from the 1995 season which featured replacement players during the MLB strike that spring.