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Masterson wins Triple-A debut |
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Friday, 30 May 2008 |
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By BRENDAN MCGAIR Sports writer PAWTUCKET – Rare is case when a pitcher makes his big league debut before throwing a single pitch in Triple-A, but there was Justin Masterson last night, proving that not every pitcher progresses at the same speed.
Making good use of his bread-and-butter pitch, the sinker, Masterson recorded 11 groundball outs en route to six solid innings. And thanks to Jeff Bailey’s two home runs, Masterson was a victor in his PawSox debut.
Pawtucket salvaged a split of the four-game set with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by posting a 5-2 win Thursday, a victory which moves the PawSox (33-22) to within a game of the Yankees in the IL North standings.
With uncertainty surrounding whether Daisuke Matsuzaka is able to make his next scheduled start, the Red Sox have decided to error on the side of caution by shaking up Pawtucket’s rotation. Masterson was originally scheduled to make his PawSox debut Saturday, but with him making the start last night, he’s now at the very least in the running for a possible return trip to Fenway Park next week.
“I just think you’ve got to keep working; you can’t let anything else travel in your head,” said Masterson. “I’ll get my work in [today] and were I start next is where I start.”
Masterson was in complete control, throwing 90 pitches (59 strikes). The right-hander was tagged for two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and just one walk.
“It didn’t take more than an inning to see the attraction,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “You are continuing to see quality come through this system.”
If Masterson is in a groove, chances are his infielders are busy. Masterson also put his faith in catcher George Kottaras since he was facing a new bunch of hitters.
“That’s probably my favorite thing to see,” he said. “When they are doing a lot of work, the ball is sinking like it’s supposed to."
Masterson was tested a bit when the ball went through second baseman Joe Thurston’s legs, but he settled down to get the final out of the fourth.
Masterson clapped his hands after walking off the mound in the sixth. The reason: Jonathan Van Every made a diving catch to take away a hit from Scranton’s Cody Ransom.
“I just wanted to nothing else to happen, but that stuff happens,” Masterson said about working around Thurston’s error. “I’m nothing without my defense; they did very well for me.”
No doubt Bailey will be sad to see May end. Not in Johnson's original lineup, the converted leadoff batter slugged two home runs in a game for the third time on the homestand, giving him 13 for the month with two days remaining. Bailey’s first long ball, a two-run shot, broke a 1-1 game in the third. The second, again a two-run poke, provided some insurance in the eighth.
“I’m just trying to get into good counts; that’s all you can do,” said Bailey.
Bailey now has 16 homers, which equals Brandon Moss’ club lead from a season ago. Chris Carter blasted a solo shot leading off the second, his eighth. Ben Broussard is 5-for-9 in three games since joining Scranton on Tuesday.
The Baby Bombers brought the tying run to the plate with one down in the ninth, but Chris Smith nailed down the final two outs en route to his team-tying fifth save.
Sparks have been flying between between Scranton (34-21) and the umpires for much of the series. On Thursday, the boiling part on from both parties reached its max. Yankees starter Dan McCutchen was ejected by home plate umpire Brian Kennedy after throwing behind Bailey on two consecutive pitches in the fifth.
Kennedy, who tossed coach Alvaro Espinosa while umpiring third Tuesday, also gave the boot to Dave Miley after the Yankees manager had his say, which lasted roughly five minutes. Miley protested that Kennedy never issued McCutchen a warning.
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EXTRA BASES: Jed Lowrie continues to take strides in returning to the lineup. The switch-hitting infielder took batting practice from both sides on Thursday. Johnson reported Lowrie “looked real good” and believes there’s a strong case he’ll be back in the lineup this weekend. Lowrie missed his 12 th straight game last night. He suffered a wrist injury May 16 in Buffalo and was never officially placed on the disabled list. … The PawSox hit the road for an eight-game road trip tonight that features four games in Durham and four in Charlotte. Clay Buchholz kicks off the swing and is expected to throw 80-85 pitches. … David Pauley, who was supposed to start last night, gets moved back to Saturday. Knuckleballer Charlie Zink is listed to pitch Sunday, but the PawSox will have to activate him prior. Zink was transferred to Single-A Lowell earlier this week as part of a paper transaction to make room for Kyle Snyder. .. The last Red Sox to make his big league debut before throwing a pitch for Pawtucket was Abe Alvarez. Alvarez received a spot start for the Red Sox in July 2004 before moving to Pawtucket for the 2005 season. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 07 June 2008 )
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