Buchholz Paces PawSox Win

PawSox starter Clay Buchholz put together another strong pitching performance, leading Pwtucket to a 5-2 victory over the Syracuse Chiefs last night at Alliance Bank Stadium. The win is the PawSox' third in four tries on this current road trip, and nine out of their last ten away from McCoy Stadium.

Buchholz (4-1, 1.63 ERA) threw five innings of scoreless ball, limiting the Chiefs to four hits. He walked one and struck out three three. Over his last 22 2/3 innings Buchholz has only surrendered one earned run.

Pawtucket scored a run in the first off Chiefs starter Davis Romero (3-6) on a Joe Thurston RBI double, driving in Jeff Bailey who led the game off with a single.

The PawSox would get all the rest of the runs in top of the fifth, touching Romero for four runs and sending nine players to the plate. With two out and Sean Danielson on second base (courtesy a fielder's choice and stolen base) Bailey singled to left, scoring Danielson. Thurston then followed with a single to center. Bailey scored and Thurston advanced to third as the throw to the plate was mishandled by Chiefs catcher Curtis Thigpen. A Jed Lowrie walk and Chris Carter single plated Thurston with the fourth PawSox run. Following a Syracuse pitching change, Lowrie scored on a Keith Ginter RBI single to center.

Thurston finished the day 3 for 5 to raise his International League leading batting average to .324. Bailey and Danielson had two hits each.

PawSox reliever Michael Tejera gave up both Syracuse runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Chip Cannon RBI single and a Thigpen sacrifice fly.

The rest of the Pawtucket bullpen was solid. Mike Timlin threw another scoreless rehab inning. Eric Hull and Hunter Jones finished the game for the PawSox, with Jones securing his fourth save of the season.

Romero worked only 4 2/3 innings in taking the loss.

The two clubs wrap-up the Syracuse portion of their four game home-and-home series tonight (7:00 pm). David Pauley (10-2) takes the mound for the PawSox, opposed by David Purcey (6-6) for Syracuse.

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