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Lowrie homers twice in PawSox's extra-inning loss |
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Wednesday, 26 August 2009 |
By STEVE MAZZONE
Sports writer
PAWTUCKET - Jed Lowrie doesn’t need to tell the Boston Red Sox that his left wrist is healing fine.
So far, Lowrie’s letting his bat do all the talking.
Just a day after belting a solo home run in the first game of his 20-day rehab assignment in Pawtucket, the shortstop added two more on Tuesday night.
But unfortunately for Lowrie and the Pawtucket Red Sox his contributions for the night wouldn’t be enough to snare a victory against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs before the McCoy Stadium faithful
The IronPigs scored three times in the top of the 12th inning to earn an eventual 8-5 triumph. With the scored tied at 5, Terry Tiffee’s sacrifice fly to centerfield with the bases-loaded drove in the game-winner in the four-hour marathon. Lehigh Valley added two more in the frame as eight players made their way to the batter’s box.
The PawSox (54-75) were trying to win back-to-back games for only the third time in nearly 10 weeks. Pawtucket finished the game with 12 hits, while the IronPigs had 10.
While it was another disappointing setback for the locals, which were officially eliminated from the postseason on Sunday, it was a good night for Lowrie. Besides his two homers, he also had two deep shots to centerfield among his five plate appearances.
The first five runs in Tuesday’s game were all produced from solo home runs. The PawSox took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Lowrie blasted his first dinger on a 2-2 pitch over the centerfield fence.
After PawSox starter Randor Bierd retired the first seven batters he faced, the IronPigs’ J.J. Furmaniak crushed his first offering off the righthander for a homer in the third. Following a deep pop-out to left from Carlos Leon, Rich Thompson gave Lehigh Valley a 2-1 edge by going yard in center.
With one out in the third, Jeff Bailey tied the score at 2 with another long ball and then teammate Aaron Bates followed suit in the fourth.
After an RBI single by the IronPigs’ Jacob Ellison in the top of the fifth knotted the score again, Lowrie gave his teammates a two-run advantage in the bottom half of the frame when he drove home Josh Reddick (single) with his second homer of the night.
With his productive night, Lowrie became the fifth PawSox player to hit a pair of homers this season. He joins a club occupied also by Jeff Bailey, Aaron Bates, Mark Wagner and Chris Carter.
Bierd was relieved after two batters in the fifth when he allowed an RBI double from John Mayberry. A sacrifice fly to center by Furmaniak would plate Mayberry to deadlock the score for the third time before the IronPigs sealed the deal in the 12th.
Five PawSox pitchers combined for nine strikeouts in the contest, including four for Bierd in five-plus innings of work.
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The fate of pitcher Fernando Cabrera and whether or not he’ll be pitching for Boston will be determined on Thursday, providing he clears waivers. Since taking over the closer duties for the PawSox in May, the seven-year veteran righthander has been a perfect 20-for-20 in save opportunities with a 1.69 ERA.
“(It’s) not going to happen until Thursday,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson when asked about the timetable for Cabrera. “We can’t get him until Thursday at 1 o’clock if he’s even here. That’s what they told me. We’ll see how it goes if he’s ours or not. He’s got until Thursday.”
In four games and four innings with the parent club earlier this season, Cabrera allowed four hits and posted an ERA of 4.50.
“He did pretty well when he was up there,” Johnson said, “and he did pretty well when he was down here.”
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For the sixth straight game, OF/1B Chris Carter was left out of the line-up. The 26-year-old slugger is the team leader in home runs with 14 and is batting .279. With players such as catchers George Kottaras, Dusty Brown and Mark Wagner needing swings in the batter’s box, Johnson didn’t feel a need to rush him back.
Carter was left out of the line-up at the beginning due to side cramps.
“He did BP (batting practice), but I’m going to hold him out one more day because we have the luxury of doing that,” he said. “We got to get George behind the plate, and with Georgie and Brown and Wagner - we are trying to get those guys as much bats as possible.
“CC probably doesn’t understand it but he’s in a good position. He’s fine. He’s hit BP the last couple of days. I’m not worried about that. Just right now we are at a little bit of a logjam.”
There have been reports that Carter is one of two players that were used in a deal by Boston to get New York Mets’ closer Billy Wagner. Wagner came to terms with the Red Sox on Tuesday, waiving his no-trade clause from his original contract.
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Johnson likes what he sees so far from Lowrie, who was placed on a 20-day injury rehab assignment from Boston that began with Monday’s game against the IronPigs.
In that game, Lowrie blasted a solo home run in the PawSox eventual 3-2 victory. He also had two more on Tuesday.
Lowrie suffered some nerve problems in his left wrist on Aug. 8.
“He physically feels fine,” Johnson said. “He played nine innings (Monday). It was the first time in a while. We’ll see how it goes. I was really pleased with what I saw last night. He had pop in the bat. He moved around well.”.
“He did a nice job. It was really impressive to see. I’m expecting some good stuff from him. I think he feels that he’s ready to play.”
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In his second start for the PawSox since Boston signed him to a minor league deal back on Aug. 5, veteran pitcher Paul Byrd looked strong in Monday’s victory. He hurled seven innings and yielded just three hits.
Johnson expects the 38-year Byrd to get one more start on Saturday versus Scranton.
“The quality of his slider and change-up were much better (Monday) night than the first time out,” he said.
The PawSox manager feels Byrd has been a positive influence to his young players, and it’s not just because of his demeanor on the mound.
“What a great guy to be around,” he said. “He’s a great example for the young players. I hope the guys start watching this guy. You got to really respect the way he competes. He’s coming through the clubhouse here giving high-fives a half hour before the game. It’s really cool. It’s really fun to watch.”
“I’m sure Paul Byrd isn’t playing this game because he needs the paycheck,” Johnson added. “I don’t think that his reason. He’s playing for reasons that are most respected. He wants to win. He wants a (World Series) ring. It’s great.”
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 September 2009 )
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