August 6, 2009 at 7:00 AM
Taveras carries perfect game into the fifth in losing effort
The Pawtucket offense finally made some noise, but it was not enough to overcome the rocky start of Michael Bowden as the Red Sox fell to Norfolk by a score of 8-7. The aforementioned Bowden lasted only 3.0 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, although he did strike out 4. Jose Vaquedano, though, was on the mound when 2 of the runs charged to Bowden were scored, as he went just 0.1 innings allowing a hit and 2 walks and throwing a wild pitch to boot. Rocky Cherry (3-1) bailed him out of the fourth, but could not bail himself out in the fifth or sixth as he allowed a run in each inning, only 1 of which was earned, on 4 hits and 2 walks in 3.2 innings total to take the loss. Javier Lopez and Fernando Cabrera each tossed scoreless innings to finish the game. Chris Carter went 2 for 3 with a home run, 2 RBI, a walk and a run scored, while Brian Anderson went 2 for 5 with a home run, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Mark Wagner also had 2 hits, including a double, in 5 at-bats.
Brilliant pitching and a balanced attack led the Sea Dogs to a 9-0 shutout of Altoona. Ryne Lawson scattered 5 hits and 2 walks over his 6.0 innings, striking out 4 to improve to 3-9 on the year. Dustin Richardson had some control issues in his 2.0 innings, walking 3, but emerged unscathed. Chris Province breezed through a perfect ninth, striking out 1 to close things out. It was the three, four, and five hitters in the Portland batting order that did most of the damage offensively, as Jorge Jimenez, Jon Still, and Juan Apodaca each went 2 for 5. Jimenez drove in 2 with a triple in the eighth, and Still drove him in with a single immediately thereafter. Ryan Khoury also had a nice night, going 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.
Salem's game against Myrtle Beach was postponed due to rain.
Fabian Williamson allowed a run in the first, but that was all the scoring Lexington would do as Greenville coasted to a 3-1 victory. Williamson improved to 8-3 for the Drive by pitching 5.0 innings allowing just the 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks. Jeremy Kehrt went the rest of the way, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk. Despite the stellar mound work, though, Greenville pitchers did not record a strikeout in the game. The offensive leader for the Drive was Ryan Dent, who went 2 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI. Shannon Wilkerson went 1 for 3 with a double and 2 runs scored, raising his South Atlantic League average to .455 in the process, and Casey Kelly and Oscar Tejeda each went 1 for 3 as well. Ty Weeden, hitting cleanup and playing first base, went 2 for 4.
With the score tied 3-3 going into the top of the ninth, Lowell scored 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks to take down Hudson Valley 6-3. One of those RBI singles belonged to Ryan Westmoreland, who went 3 for 4 with a walk in the game. Alex Hassan also went 3 for 4 with a walk, and Wilfred Pichardo went 2 for 5 out of the leadoff spot. Chris McGuiness went 1 for 5, but that hit was a double that produced the first 2 Spinners runs in the third. Yeiper Castillo pitched well out of the gate for Lowell, allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits through 6.0 innings, striking out 7 without walking a batter. Michael Bugary (1-0) did not allow a hit in his 2.0 innings of work to earn the win, although he was charged with an unearned run. He walked 2 and struck out 1. Wang-Yi Lin pitched a perfect ninth with a strikeout to earn his first save.
Things didn't go so well for the GCL Red Sox, as they dropped a 9-4 decision to the GCL Twins. Tyler Wilson did not give up a run in his 2.0 inning start, but Richie Wasielewski (0-2) got touched for 4 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks while recording just 2 outs in the third to take the loss. Cesare Angeloni allowed 2 runs of his own on 3 hits and 2 walks in 2.1 innings, striking out 2, while Sven Huijer allowed 3 unearned runs on 4 hits in his 3.0 innings of work. He struck out 1 and did not walk a batter, keeping his walk-less innings streak alive. Reymond Fuentes had a nice night out of the leadoff spot, going 2 for 4 with an RBI, a run scored, and 2 steals, giving him 8 total now on the season. Boss Moanaroa also went 2 for 4 in the game.
The DSL Red Sox tripled their hit total from Tuesday night, but this time came away empty-handed in a 6-1 loss to the DSL Giants, wasting a brilliant start by Francisco Taveras. Taveras threw 5.0 scoreless innings to start the game, allowing only 1 hit while striking out 6, having his perfect game broken up with 2 outs in the fifth. Danny Dilon (2-2) entered the game in the sixth and gave up 3 runs, only 2 of them earned, on 3 hits and a walk in 2.0 innings total to take the loss. Ernesto Reyes pitched a scoreless eighth but gave up 3 earned runs in the ninth, going 2.0 innings total allowing 2 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 2. Curtney Doran had the best offensive showing for the Red Sox on the night, going 2 for 3 with a double and a triple and scoring the team's only run. Lewis Urena, who went 1 for 4, was the one to knock him in.
Player of the Night: Francisco Taveras, who carried a perfect game into the fifth and ended up going 5.0 innings, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 6 in a losing effort.