Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket drops Game 2 of Governors' Cup finals

9/12 Cup of Coffee: A day after the Salem Red Sox took home the Mills Cup, the Pawtucket Red Sox learned the road to their own championship — which would be their second in a row — won't be as simple. The Durham Bulls (TB) won Game 2 of the Governors' Cup Championship Series, 2-1, to knot the finals at one game apiece.

Right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright pitched well on the road but allowed a pair of unearned runs in his 6 2/3 innings of work. He scattered five hits and three walks, while striking out six.

Pawtucket jumped ahead when catcher Dan Butler and center fielder Justin Henry led off the third with back-to-back singles. Shortstop Heiker Meneses bunted them over, then third baseman Jonathan Diaz grounded out to shortstop to bring Butler home.

That run, though, proved to be all the PawSox could muster. They finished with four hits, none of which went for extra bases, and no batter had more than one.

Durham tied it up in the sixth when a Butler passed ball allowed Jason Bourgeois to score. An inning later, Meneses' throwing error put Craig Albernaz on second with one out. Kevin Kiermaier — the final batter Wright faced — doubled to left to put Durham ahead for good.

Right-hander Chris Martin pitched the final 1 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits and struck out one.

Game 3 will be at 7:05 p.m. Friday in Pawtucket, with Matt Barnes slated to start for the PawSox.

Player of the Day: Steven Wright, who pitched admirably despite absorbing the loss. The 6 2/3-inning, five-hit effort in all likelihood ends his minor league season — his first full one as a member of the Red Sox organization —and a solid one at that. Excluding the playoffs, Wright owned a 3.46 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 24 starts, three of which were complete-game shutouts. He also limited opposing batters to a .254 average. Wright could be in line for a call-up to Boston at the end of the Pawtucket-Durham series.

Photo Credit: Steven Wright by Kelly O'Connor.

Tim Healey is a staff writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @timbhealey.

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