The Red Sox took their most significant step yet in signing their annual haul of amateur draft choices. Second-round pick Alex Wilson, a junior righthander out of Texas A&M, flew into Boston yesterday and prepared to sign with the team, his mother, Ann Wilson, said in phone conversation from the family's home in Hurricane, W. Va.

he Sox have agreed to terms with Wilson and two other picks, director of amateur scouting Jason McLeod said: fifth-round choice Seth Schwindenhammer, a high school outfielder from Illinois, and eighth-round pick William Wilkerson, an outfielder from Augusta State. The players need to pass physicals and drug tests before the deals become official.

McLeod said he is "pretty optimistic" about signing first-round choice Reymond Fuentes without a prolonged negotiation.

...

"It's his dream team," Ann Wilson said. "He's always been a Boston fan."

After landing yesterday, Wilson headed to Lowell, home of the Sox short-season Single A affiliate. Lowell's season begins Friday.

Wilson pitched with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League last summer, his first action after an 18-month recovery. Wilson injured his right elbow in 2007 while pitching for Winthrop. He transferred to Texas A&M and sat out 2008 while rehabbing.

Monday's contest was branded a washout, setting up a doubleheader that begins at 5:35 this afternoon. Kris Johnson, who hasn't throw a pitch since May 31, gets the ball in the opener with knuckleballer Charlie Zink to follow in game two. Both games will last seven innings.

The biggest loser of Monday's rainout was Clay Buchholz. The talented right-hander went through all the typical pregame preparations, which included warming up in the bullpen.

Buchholz remained in the bullpen while the rain drops forced the McCoy Stadium patrons to seek cover. He started to walk back to the Pawtucket dugout around 8:15, the time the contest was officially halted.

Though no official announcement was made, it's presumed Buchholz will take his turn on Wednesday. The date is currently open thanks to Zink getting his start bumped up a day.

Here's what Clay told NECN'S Mike Giardi:

"Everybody knows that this game doesn't last forever, for a pitcher especially. It can be any one pitch that you throw. You can blow out and your career can be over or you could have a year-and-a-half setback. It's really hard to come back from something like that. I feel like I don't want to waste bullets here whenever I do feel ready to actually be there, help the team win and get to the postseason, win another World Series.

"I'm physically healthy to be up there and be able to help that team," Buchholz continued. "If not (the Red Sox), then I want be in the big leagues and I do want to be go where I'll be able to play and go and pitch every fifth day."

***

Of course, the talk show idiots went wild over these remarks, twisting them to the point where they decided Clay is "frustrated" here in Pawtucket as he waits for an opening in Boston's pitching rotation. "Frustrated" would seem a little harsh. Somebody stuck a microphone in Clay's face and he gave an honest answer. Perhaps he sounded a little impatient, or maybe he gave an indication that he has thought about his future with the Red Sox. What Triple-A player with good numbers doesn't do that?

I've been on record as saying Boston general manager Theo Epstein prefers the insurance of veteran major league pitchers over his young prospects. Last year, he brought in Bartolo Colon, with mixed results. This year, he has struck gold with Brad Penny. John Smoltz is due to get his shot with Boston in the next 10 days, or perhaps as soon as this weekend.

PAWTUCKET - Just because Chris Costantino won't be taking hacks for a Red Sox affiliate this summer doesn't mean the Lincoln native will fall off the radar.
Far from the case, according to Ben Cherington, Boston's Senior Vice President/Assistant General Manager. Boston plans to use the coming months as an opportunity to better evaluate Costantino, selected in the 49th round of last week's First-Year Player Draft.

"We take a lot of high school players deeper in the draft with the intent of getting to know them better in the summer and see if it's worth exploring a deal," said Cherington on Monday, sitting inside the McCoy Stadium dugout. "Generally in the early rounds you have a pretty good sense of who the player is and the odds of signing him.

"There's something to like when you get that deep in the third day of the draft, but there's still some work needed," added Cherington.
That feel out process will likely occur in close proximity of the Red Sox and Costantino. According to a source close to Costantino, the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder plans to play for a select team in conjunction with Extra Innings, an indoor hitting facility located in Warwick.

...

Johnson admitted that he didn't know much about Pawtucket's latest addition, other than that Bell knows only one speed: fast. "He's the kind of guy who plays hard, that's kind of his label," said the manager. "He sells out on every play."

Bell's heightened approach has come with a heavy price. He landed on the disabled list last July 21, missing the rest of the Sea Dogs' season with a stress fracture in his leg.

The setback has by no means altered Bell's approach. "That's the way I have to play in order to make my mark," he said. "If I don't I would become an average player."

The 19-year-old right-hander didn't panic when his teammates failed to plate even a single run after loading the bases with no outs in the first inning, and kept the Kinston Indians in check long enough for his teammates to pull themselves together for an 8-1 Carolina League victory at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

"Nobody folded," said Salem manager Chad Epperson, whose team had stranded 17 base-runners in a 5-2 loss Sunday. "That can set a very, very sour tone, but we were able to hold on. And that had a lot to do with Kelly.

"It's amazing what this kid can do."

Kelly did not walk a batter through six innings and gave up just four hits. He struck out five and didn't allow a run until the sixth inning, after the Red Sox had scored two runs of their own.

"His fastball command, it's a two-pitch pitch," Epperson said. "He has the ability to come in with it and the ability to work away with it. Throw in what, to me, was an above average change up and then he was able to flip over a few [curveballs] tonight. And they don't know what the [heck] he's doing.

...

Mike Jones and Luis Segovia each went 2-for-4 for Salem (28-36). Segovia and Jason Place each drove in two runs. Che-Hsuan Lin went 2-for-5.

Portland, Maine- The Portland Sea Dogs have received left-handed pitcher Kason Gabbard from Extended Spring Training. Right-handed pitcher Bryce Cox rejoins the Sea Dogs from Single-A Lowell. Left-handed pitcher Felix Doubront was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to June 13th. Additionally, right-handed pitcher Ryne Lawson was transferred to Single-A Lowell on Monday, June 15th. Earlier today the Sea Dogs received outfielder Matt Sheely from Single-A Salem and Sea Dogs' outfielder Bubba Bell was transferred to Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, June 15th.

...

Gabbard is 21-19, 4.37 ERA (126 ER/259.1 IP) in 54 games/52 starts in his career with Portland. Gabbard ranks fifth in Sea Dogs franchise history with 21 career wins. His .818 winning percentage (9-2 record) in 2006 is tied for the single season franchise record with four others.

This will be Sheely's second stint with the Sea Dogs this season. He appeared in nine games for the Sea Dogs May 1st through May 15th hitting .333 (6-for-18) with two RBI. In 35 games with Single-A Salem this season, Sheely hit .256 (21-for-82) with six RBI and ten stolen bases. The 22 year-old Sheely spent the 2008 season with Single-A Lancaster where he hit .218 with 12 RBI in 65 games. He was selected by the Red Sox in 48th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

The 26 year-old Bell has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Sea Dogs. Bell appeared in 53 games for Portland in 2009 hitting .275 (58-for-211) with five home runs and 20 RBI. He reached base safely in 43 of 53 games played this season. Last season Bell was limited to 79 games with the Sea Dogs landing on the disabled list on July 21st and missing the remainder of the season. Bell was selected to the Eastern League All-Star Game in 2008 but did not appear in the exhibition. In 2007 Bell combined to hit .337 with 26 home runs and 105 RBI between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Portland. He was selected both the California League Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2007 hitting .370 with 22 home runs and 83 RBI for Single-A Lancaster. Bell was selected by the Red Sox in the 39th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

Hazelbaker, a First Team All-Mid-American Conference selection, was selected with the 138th overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Boston Red Sox. He won the MAC regular season batting title by 23-points as he posted a .429 average on the year. He also held a 29-point advantage all players in the MAC in on-base percentage as he reached base at a .550 clip. His .429 batting average is fifth best in a single-season in Ball State history while his .550 on-base percentage is the highest mark in Ball State history.



Hazelbaker, the Cardinals' leadoff hitter, led the league in runs (77), walks (48) and triples (8) while finishing second in the MAC in hits with 87. The all-around threat also was third in the MAC in stolen bases with 29 and fourth in the conference in slugging percentage at .724. Hazelbaker set the Ball State single-season records for runs scored, triples and on-base percentage. He finished second in NCAA Division I in on-base percentage, fourth in runs and sixth in triples.

The PawSox collected three singles in dropping a 1-0 extra-inning decision in the opener and followed that up with five hits in the nightcap, but four of those hits went for extra bases and helped the PawSox score a 3-2 victory.

...

In the nightcap, the PawSox faced Knights starter Jeff Marquez, who came into the game with an 0-4 mark and a whopping 14.18 ERA. Marquez faced the minimum nine batters through the first three innings before surrendering a pair of runs in the fourth inning and a run in the fifth.

...

The PawSox then grabbed the lead in the fifth by kicking off the inning with back-to-back doubles to left by Dusty Brown and Travis Denker. They later filled the bases on two-out walks to Guzman and Bubba Bell, but they were unable to produce an insurance run.

Reliever Jose Vaquedano picked up the victory (his fourth of the season) by retiring all nine batters he faced, and Fernando Cabrera tossed the sixth and seventh innings to pick up his 12th save in as many opportunities.

Josh Kroeger was the hero in the Knights' 1-0 victory, when with one out in the eighth, he turned on a 2-1 pitch by southpaw reliever Hunter Jones and wrapped around the right-field pole and sailed over the shed in right.

The PawSox managed just three singles in that loss and only got one runner as far as third base. Bell led off the fourth with a walk and raced to third on a long single to the gap in right-center by Carter, who was gunned down at second trying to stretch his hit into a double.

A former standout at North Carolina State who was a third-round pick of the Red Sox in the '06 draft, Bates is enjoying the best season of his pro career. In 52 games with the Sea Dogs, Bates belted seven homers and was among the Eastern League leaders in hits (70), RBIs (39), and average (.340).

When Bates was promoted to the PawSox last Monday, he continued his hot hitting and came into Tuesday night's twinbill against the Charlotte Knights with a .400 average, two home runs, four RBIs and an on-base percentage of .520.

"I have a set routine and I think that's the biggest thing that has allowed me to be consistent," said Bates. "I do the same thing regardless if I go 4-for-4 or 0-for-4 the night before and I think that just allows you to be consistent and your body to be ready to play every day."

Bates' promotion has been a welcomed addition to a struggling offense that came into the doubleheader last in the International League in batting (.232) and just only one player (with 60 or more at-bats) with an average over .240 (Chris Carter at .274).

...

"In spring training, Mike Hazen, our player development director, asked me if I wanted to try some left field," said Bates, who also caught a little at N.C. State and in the bullpen for Portland. "I said, 'Absolutely, whatever's going to get me in the lineup more,' and everything worked out well."

Adam Kilgore - Loop has been picking apart opponents

In 42 innings this season, Loop, a lefthander, has picked off 12 runners, and he might have more if not for the handful of times the first baseman didn't see the ball coming. Loop's pickoff move - "my forte,'' Loop said - has helped take him in one year from the independent leagues to a prominent place in the Red Sox farm system.

...

Loop throws a cutter ("my bread and butter,'' he said), two fastballs, a slider, and a splitter, but his best weapon comes into play when a runner reaches. Teammates have joked with Loop that he should intentionally walk batters so he can pick them off.

...

During one of Loop's few rocky games this season, he allowed three runs in one inning, but also picked off two runners. "It saved me probably three or four runs,'' Loop said. "It was a rough outing, but it could have been a lot worse.''

Loop will pitch for the Carolina League in the All-Star Game, which takes place in Lake Elsinore, Calif., Tuesday. Loop grew up half an hour away in Lake Mathews. His father bought 100 tickets for friends and family.

...

Salem pitcher Casey Kelly will soon end the first phase of his unique first season in the Red Sox system. Kelly, the Sox' 2008 first-round pick, is approaching the organization's limit of 100 innings and will switch to shortstop in early July.

At two levels, Kelly has made a strong case for himself as a pitcher long term. Kelly began the season with low Single A Greenville and went 6-1 with 1.12 ERA in nine starts. Pitching against players typically four to five years older, Kelly has a 3.18 ERA at Salem in four starts, including one in which he threw six perfect innings before being removed.

"He's taken the exact same poise, command, demeanor, competitiveness,'' Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen said. "He's been impressive.''

The Providence Journal

Saturday, June 20, 2009


Mike Potter - PawSox 8, Bulls 6: Five runs in the eighth gives Pawtucket the win

The PawSox' bullpen pitched eight shutout innings after the team fell behind, 6-0, in the first inning. Marcus McBeth, Rocky Cherry, winner Randor Bierd and Fernando Cabrera - who earned his 13th save - were all solid.

...

Bowden started against Wade Davis, who is ranked the No. 3 prospect in the Tampa Bay organization by Baseball America. Bowden had the worst start of his young career, going one inning and allowing six runs on five hits, including Ruggiano's grand slam and three walks. Davis was very solid, going seven innings and allowing three runs - one earned - on four hits. PawSox cleanup hitter Aaron Bates went 2-for-4 with a walk and scored twice.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Mike Potter - PawSox 4, Bulls 3: Big fifth inning carries Pawtucket to victory

For the second straight night, it was the PawSox' bullpen and the team's overall resilience. Enrique Gonzalez (6-6) had a solid start, striking out eight against a pair of walks while allowing three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The PawSox allowed just one hit and faced two more than the minimum over the final six innings. Javier Lopez had a one-inning hold, while Hunter Jones went a solid 2 2/3 for his first save.

...

-- "I was really pleased with Enrique Gonzalez," PawSox manager Ron Johnson said. "He had had a couple of outings where he had a hard time getting through the fifth inning. The bullpen has been the heart and soul of this team.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Mike Potter - PawSox 5, Bulls 3: Bullpen comes through again

Vaquedano, Billy Traber and Fernando Cabrera - who picked up his 14th save - combined for 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball. The relievers allowed four hits while striking out two and walking two.

...

"It was great to see Kris Johnson get the win," PawSox skipper Ron Johnson said. "He's a young guy who's still developing. And we were fortunate to get (Mateo) to line into that double play. … Lowrie's going to be here 10 days to two weeks. Right now he's supposed to get three at-bats depending on how the game goes."

Pawtucket scored off Scott Kazmir in the first inning, as Bubba Bell led off with a double to right and scored on Angel Chavez's single to right. Durham tied the score with a two-out rally off Clay Buchholz in the second, as Ray Sadler doubled to right and scored on Ray Olmedo's single to center. The Bulls added another in the fourth as Jon Weber walked, advanced on Sadler's single to left and scored when Ray Olmedo reached on a 4-6 fielder's choice on Jed Lowrie's throw into the dugout. Durham finished the scoring in the sixth, as John Jaso blasted a one-out, 1-0 pitch into the right-field seats. Freddy Guzman made a diving catch to rob Olmedo of a leadoff single in the eighth.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Jim Hodgers - PawSox 6, Norfolk 5: Bubba Bell's 10th-inning home run gives Pawtucket the victory

Bubba Bell lined a Jim Miller pitch over the right-field fence in the top of the 10th inning Tuesday night to give the PawSox a 6-5 win in a game - scoring notwithstanding - highlighted by defense.

It was Bell's first Triple-A homer.

...

Denker caught the ball near second base, touched it to double off Joey Gathright and - rather than just reach out to tag Justin Christian - tossed to Aaron Bates at first to complete the triple play.

"Everybody was yelling at me 'tag him, tag him,'" said Denker, who added he could remember being in at least two other triple plays as a professional. "I wish I had tagged him. Then I wouldn't have to take so much (stuff) about it."

It was the first PawSox triple play since Aug. 13, 2004, when they turned one against Syracuse. It was the first triple play in Harbor Park since June 5, 1997.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Jim Hodges: Norfolk 4, PawSox 2: No comeback on this night

As well as Hernandez and Wolf pitched, PawSox starter Michael Bowden matched zeroes with them through 5 2/3 innings before giving up a home run by Jolbert Cabrera into the left-field picnic area at Harbor Park in the sixth.

Bowden pitched much better Wednesday than in his last start, when he gave up six runs in a 41-pitch first inning at Durham on June 19.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Jim Hodges - PawSox 7, Tides 4: Carter, McAnulty hit three-run homers

Three-run home runs by Chris Carter and Paul McAnulty and the shutdown relief pitching of Billy Traber, Randor Bierd and Fernando Cabrera gave the Pawsox a 7-4 win at Harbor Park on Thursday afternoon.

...

After PawSox starter Enrique Gonzalez (7-6) gave up four runs in the first three innings, he shut down the Tides through the fifth to earn the victory. The three relievers gave up a total of two hits the rest of the way.

...

Carter has hit home runs in each of the past two games and now has six after a slow start, and after hitting six in spring training with the Red Sox to make the big league roster.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Jim Hodges - Tides 4, PawSox 1: In loss, Pawtucket turns its second triple play in four games

Pawtucket starting pitcher Kris Johnson walked a tightrope for five innings, then fell off in the sixth, when back-to-back doubles by Norfolk's Michael Aubrey and Melvin Dorta drove home two runs in a 3-1 Tides victory Friday night. Johnson faced the minimum of 12 hitters through four innings, but was helped mightily by the second PawSox triple play of the series, in the first inning. He also was the beneficiary of a caught stealing in the third, when Carlos Maldonado threw out his Norfolk counterpart, Chad Moeller, at second base. The Tides scored an unearned run in the fifth before breaking out in the sixth.

"Actually, I thought he pitched well," PawSox manager Ron Johnson said. "It's about throwing strikes, and he did that. And it's about pitching to contact."

...

For the second time in this four-game series, the PawSox turned in a triple play, erasing the Tides' Joey Gathright and Justin Christian after left fielder Chris Carter's long, running catch of a short fly ball by Brandon Snyder in the bottom of the first inning. Gathright and Christian led off with singles and were on the move when Snyder swung at an 0-1 pitch. Carter threw to Travis Denker to get Gathright, and the throw to Aaron Bates at first retired Christian.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Kevin Thomas - Dogs' offense comes up short; Portland manages just one run while losing a doubleheader against Akron, 1-0 and 8-1

PORTLAND - Portland Sea Dogs pitchers limited the Akron Aeros to four hits, but also walked five and hit two batters in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.

One of those hit batsmen scored in the ninth inning, giving Akron a 1-0 win at Hadlock Field.

Akron (45-22) also won the second game, 8-1. Portland (32-35) dropped three games below .500 for the first time this year.

...

Sea Dogs starter Junichi Tazawa turned in one of his finest outings, except for four walks. Tazawa pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings and matched a season best by allowing only two hits. He struck out five.

Tazawa lowered his ERA to 2.92.

In his previous start, Tazawa kept getting behind in the count, and the Aeros pounced on him for five runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings.

This time, Tazawa came out throwing strikes and retired the first eight batters, using a fastball that hit 92 mph, along with a hard curve and slow curve.

"He pitched ahead. He did a nice job with his fastball and was much more aggressive today," Portland pitching coach Mike Cather said. "He kept them off balance really well."

...

Tazawa won't pitch again for at least a week. The Red Sox often rest their pitching prospects during the season, and Tazawa was placed on the disabled list after the game (officially with a calf strain). Last week, Felix Doubront also fell victim to a similar "injury."

Kevin Thomas - Red Sox director of scouting keeps looking to the future

PORTLAND - Jason McLeod arrives in town about this time every year. He enjoys the Portland restaurants and (usually) the June weather.

McLeod, director of amateur scouting for the Boston Red Sox, just finished one of the busiest segments of his job, with the major league draft last week.

But he is hardly on vacation.

When McLeod is not on his cell phone, checking on negotiations with those draft picks, he is studying the Portland Sea Dogs, observing them in workouts, batting practice and the game.

"I write reports on every player in our system," McLeod said. "We look at what we thought we were seeing (when the Red Sox drafted them) and where they are now.

"Besides evaluating our own talent, it's like evaluating our (previous) drafts."

Since McLeod joined Boston, after nine years with the Padres, he has been a part of six drafts. Among the picks in those years are Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, Michael Bowden, Mark Wagner, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson, Josh Reddick and Lars Anderson.

All have played - or are playing now - at Hadlock Field.

From the recent draft are some excellent candidates to someday stop in Portland, on a path they hope ends at Fenway Park.

Here is a look at some of those 2009 picks:

Monday, June 22, 2009

Kevin Thomas - Sea Dogs' bats remain ominously silent; Portland's losing streak reaches five after Akron completes a three-game sweep at Hadlock Field.

In their last seven losses, the Sea Dogs have been shut out three times and held to one run three times.

"We've had opportunities," Beyeler said. "We're not getting some breaks and not swinging the bats real well."

...

Adam Mills (2-5) started for the Sea Dogs. He allowed nine hits but minimized the damage, giving up two runs in five innings. That was enough for Akron against Portland's struggling offense, however.

...

Catcher Dusty Brown became the 17th former Sea Dogs player to appear on the Red Sox roster when he was called up Sunday. Brown caught 154 games for Portland in 2006-07. This is his first call to the majors. ...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Still's homer rallies Dogs; Jon Still's three-run homer in the ninth inning caps a rally as Portland wins a series opener at Connecticut, 8-5.

NORWICH, Conn. - Jon Still snapped a 5-5 tie with a three-run homer in the ninth inning as the Portland Sea Dogs rallied to an 8-5 victory over Connecticut Tuesday night to snap a five-game losing streak.

...

Still's home run came on the first pitch after Lars Andersen's RBI single tied the game.

Jorge Jimenez started the winning rally when he was hit by a pitch, and Mark Wagner followed with a single.

Josh Reddick had two hits for the Sea Dogs, including a leadoff home run on an 0-2 pitch.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Sea Dogs fall in 13 innings; Portland takes a 2-1 lead into the ninth, but Connecticut ties it on a sacrifice fly to spoil a strong start by Jarod Plummer

The Sea Dogs took a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning when Jorge Jimenez singled and later scored on a wild pitch.

The Defenders sent the game into extra innings with a run in the ninth. Bobby Felmy doubled to open the inning, advanced on a sacrifice by Martinez-Esteve and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sharlon Schoop.

...

Sea Dogs starter Jarod Plummer pitched six strong innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out eight and walking one.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Connecticut extends slide for Sea Dogs

Kason Gabbard lost his second consecutive start for Portland, lasting only four innings. He gave up eight runs on seven hits and six walks.

The Defenders smacked six doubles off Gabbard and scored all of their runs in the first three innings.

Ryan Khoury (2 for 4) and Jorge Jimenez (3 for 4) had the Sea Dogs' only hits.

...

• Portland pitcher Junichi Tazawa has been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game on July 12 at St. Louis.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Kevin Thomas - The bullpen comes up big as Sea Dogs triumph in 12; Argenis Diaz doubles in the winner as relief pitchers go 10 innings against New Hampshire.

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Ryan Kalish was stealing second base and didn't stop.

Kalish raced home when Argenis Diaz lined a double on the right-field line, scoring in the 12th inning for a 5-4 Portland Sea Dogs victory Friday night before 6,205 at Merchantsauto.com Stadium.

Reid Engel of Portland tied the game in the ninth, leading off with a pinch-hit home run.

T.J. Large (3-0) completed a yeomen's night by the bullpen, pitching two hitless innings for the win, lowering his ERA to 0.93

Sea Dogs relievers took care of 10 innings after starter Ryne Lawson pitched only two, leaving soon after being hit in the right forearm by a line drive.

"He's got a bruise," Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "We knew it was going to stiffen up between innings and we didn't want to mess with it.

...

Portland had other offensive standouts, including Jorge Jimenez's two RBI singles, Jon Still's eighth home run and Ryan Khoury reaching base six times in seven plate appearances (double, single, three walks, hit batter).

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Kevin Thomas - Mills gives staff a much-needed lift; Adam Mills pitches seven strong innings, providing some rest for Portland's overworked bullpen.

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Pitcher Adam Mills received high-fives after the Portland Sea Dogs beat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3-1 Saturday night.

Catcher Mark Wagner got the hugs.

Besides celebrating Mills' victory, the Sea Dogs were congratulating Wagner on his promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Wagner, who was batting .301, did not play Saturday but got the good news after the game.

"I just have been working hard every day to get better," Wagner said. "It feels pretty good."

The bullpen also felt better after an impressive outing by Mills. Having pitched a total of 14 innings over the past two days, the relievers needed a break, and Mills (3-5) provided it. He pitched seven innings of four-hit ball to pace Portland (35-38) before a crowd of 8,126 at Merchantsauto.com Stadium.

Josh Reddick homered, Ryan Khoury knocked in a run, and Argenis Diaz added two hits and scored a run for the Sea Dogs. Dustin Richardson earned his first save with two scoreless innings.

Mills has allowed a total of six runs in his last five starts.

...

Reddick gave Portland the lead for good in the third inning, leading off against Rey Gonzalez (3-5) with his eighth home run of the season in just 33 games.

In the fifth, with runners on second and third and one out, the Fisher Cats (32-43) intentionally walked Reddick to load the bases. Khoury followed with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Diaz.

Portland got one more in the sixth. Lars Anderson singled and went to third on Diaz's single to center, then scored on a wild pitch.

Kevin Thomas - Command remains top issue for Sea Dogs starting pitchers

Command has been a problem. Portland pitchers lead the league in walks (291), and they are falling behind in counts.

"Fastball command," pitching coach Mike Cather said. "It's the same thing we talked about with Buchholz, Bowden and Masterson. It doesn't matter who you are, it's the No. 1 thing.

"It comes down to working ahead in the count to get to the pitches that either induce poor contact or are put-away pitches."

The key is not just throwing strikes but, as Cather says, throwing "quality strikes," low and on the corners.

Progress is being made, Cather said. Here is a look at the Sea Dogs' six starters: