July 2, 2009 at 3:23 PM
Paw Sox to send two to Triple-A All-Star Game
The International League today announced that two members of the Pawtucket Red Sox will be representing the International League when the IL All-Stars take on their Pacific Coast League counterparts in the Triple-A All-Star game on July 15 in Portland, Oregon. Clay Buchholz, who was the overall leader in the online fan voting, will be one of the IL's starting pitchers after going 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA in 80.2 innings. The 25-year-old has struck out 75, walked only 24 and yielded only 50 hits so far on the season. His 1.90 ERA ranks first among active IL starting pitchers, and his 0.92 WHIP ranks second only to Syracuse righthander J.D. Martin.
Buchholz will be joined on the IL roster by Pawtucket closer Fernando Cabrera, who has pitched to a 1.03 ERA and has notched a league-leading 16 saves so far this season. Cabrera, who joined the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in January, has recorded 36 strikeouts and issued only 12 walks in 2009, limiting opposing hitters to a .161 average. The 27-year-old righthander has allowed only 1 earned run in his last 10 appearances, recording 7 saves in that span.
As is the case in the MLB All-Star Game, the winning league in the Triple-A All-Star Game will earn home-field advantage in the Triple-A Championship Game in Oklahoma City this September.