In The Silo: PawSox Fall, Sea Dogs Win, Salem Sox Drubbed

Fenway Park served as the backdrop for yesterday afternoon’s game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and Norfolk Tides (BAL). The Tides took advantage of the unsettled PawSox pitching rotation to beat the “home” team, 7-3.

Knuckleballer Charlie Zink started in place of Enrique Gonzalez, who was starting in place of Junichi Tazawa… both Gonzalez and Tazawa were unavailable as they had been promoted to Boston within the last 48 hours.  Zink allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings pitched. He hit a pair of batters to extend his team record to 24 hit batsmen in 2009.

The Sox took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning as Jeff Bailey singled home both Bubba Bell and Angel Chavez.

Norfolk tied the game in the top of the fourth inning. RF Jeff Fiorentino led off with a double and scored an out later when 1B Brandon Snyder drove a single to left field. After Zink hit each of the next two batters, C Robby Hammock sent a sacrifice fly to left field to tie the score at two-apiece.

The Tide took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Snyder started things off with a walk. Zink then surrendered back-to-back doubles to 2B Justin Turner and SS Blake Davis (two rbi). After Hammock grounded out, T J Large was brought in to relieve Zink. 3B Brandon Pinckney greeted him with an rbi-single, but the right-hander then induced an inning-enning double play from speedsy Joey Gathright.

Norfolk scored its final two runs in the eighth inning. The visitors loaded the bases with no one out against Large, on a double, a walk, and a hit batsman. Rocky Cherry relieved Large and struck out the first batter he faced before surrendering a two-run single to Gathright… he avoided further damage by getting Fiorentino on a double play.

Sean Danielson legged out an infield hit in the eighth and eventually came around to score on a throwing error by reliever Bob McCrory.

Highly touted starting pitcher Jake Arrieta improved to 4-5, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks in six innings pitched.

The PawSox have a rare Sunday off-day today before opening a series in Charlotte tomorrow night. The game will be broadcast on WHJJ-Providence (920 AM).

The Portland Sea Dogs and Bowie Bay Sox (BAL) got things started off on Futures at Fenway day with a tight contest at The Friendly Confines.

Former first-round pick Jason Place had a big day for the Dogs, smacking his first Double-A homer and knocking in all three runs in Portland’s 3-2 triumph. Chosen by the Red Sox out of Wren (S.C.) High School in the first round (27th overall) of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, the 21-year-old left fielder entered the game hitting just .182 with 0 HR and just two rbi in thirteen games since his promotion on July 10th.

He launched a second-inning fastball from starter Steve Johnson over The Green Monster, scoring C Luis Exposito, to give the Sea Dogs an early 2-0 lead. Of his first home run, Place said: “It’s something you dream of when you’re a kid. It’s such a great feeling that you can’t really describe it. When I hit it, I didn’t even know if it was going to be high enough to get out. I was just praying, ‘Get up, get up. Please, God, get up’. When it went out and I saw the umpire twirl his finger, I was elated”.

The two-run advantage disappeared in the fifth inning. Portland starter Felix Doubront surrendered a single to leadoff hitter RF Ambiorix Concepcion and a home run to C Adam Donachie that tied the game at 2-2.

Ryan Ouellette replaced Johnson to start the sixth inning and immediately allowed the eventual game-winning run to cross the plate. The right-handed reliever walked RF Daniel Nava before Exposito and SS Yamaico Navarro singled to load the bases. Ouellette hit Place with his first pitch to drive in the lead run, but he then retired 2B Ryan Khoury on a pop out and induced a double play from CF Ryan Kalish to escape further damage.

Relievers Ryne Miller and Dustin Richardson each pitched two scoreless innings to finish off the game for the Sea Dogs… Miller earned his first win of the season and Richardson earned his third save.

The win came at a price for the Sea Dogs, who lost first baseman Lars Anderson to a right hamstring injury that he sustained while running out a grounder in the third. Anderson, Boston’s top prospect, entered the game batting just .243 with 8 HR and 49 RBI in 97 games this season.

The teams will finish their series today at 1PM. The game will be broadcast on WBAE (1490 AM).

The Salem Red Sox offense continued to struggle, as it managed just five singles in a 7-1 loss to Kinston (CLE) in North Carolina. The Indians pitching staff again shut down the Red Sox offense while striking out eleven in earning its fifth straight win. In the first three games of the series, the Indians have outscored the Red Sox 18-2.

For the second consecutive evening, Kinston used an offensive explosion in the bottom of the sixth inning to open up a close contest. With a 2-1 advantage in hand entering the sixth, the home team scored five runs to secure the win.

Sox starter Eammon Portice had trouble with his command in the first inning, walking three and giving up a base hit, but he managed to limit the Indians to just one run. In the third inning, 2B Cord Phelps singled, stole second base, and scored on a base hit by DH Doug Pickens.

Otherwise, Portice pitched very well, allowing just the two runs on four hits and four walks through five innings.

Trailing 2-0, Salem took advantage of their only leadoff hit of the ballgame in the fifth. 2B Aaron Reza opened the inning with a single off Kinston reliever Jonathan Holt. SS Kris Negron drove a ground ball past third base to send Reza to second base. With two outs, C Tim Federowicz delivered a single up the middle to cut the deficit in half.

Federowicz finished the game with two of Salem’s five hits.

Salem did not have a baserunner throughout the rest of the game.

Kyle Fernandes relieved Portice to start the sixth inning. He struggled mightily. He yielded five runs on six singles, a walk, and an error in just one inning of work.

Salem will face Kinston this afternoon at 2PM. Stephen Fife will start for the Sox. Former Salem teammate Bryan Price, who was traded to Cleveland along with fellow pitchers Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone for Victor Martinez, will toe the rubber for Kinston.

The game will be broadcast on WFIR (960 AM).