PawSox Remain Hot, Blanking Buffalo in Start of Road Trip
PawSox news release…
(Buffalo, NY) – Starter Justin Haley held Buffalo scoreless for the second time this week, this time tossing eight shutout innings and combining with Joe Kelly on a two-hitter as the Pawtucket Red Sox blanked the Bisons, 4-0, in the opener of a three-game series Friday night at Coca-Cola Field.
Haley (7-3) did not allow a run for his third consecutive start, a stretch that now spans 21 innings of work. After he pitched a seven-inning complete-game shutout against Buffalo last Sunday, he limited the Bisons to two hits and two walks on Friday night.
The righty retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced, with the lone baserunner reaching on an error. He struck out three batters and threw 97 pitches over his eight innings in Buffalo.
The PawSox (64-55) have won four straight to move a season-high nine game above the .500 mark, the first time they have been that far above .500 since the conclusion of the 2014 campaign. It is the team’s third winning streak of at least four games this season and first since late June.
Kelly finished the team’s 14th shutout of 2016 with a 1-2-3 ninth inning that included one strikeout and two ground outs. He hit 100 miles per hour four times on the stadium radar gun during the frame.
Pawtucket scored three runs in the third inning against Bisons starter Mike Bolsinger (0-2), who lost to Haley for the second time this week. Rusney Castillo’s two-run triple to centerfield opened the scoring, a drive that sailed over the head of a confused Dalton Pompey and plated both Deven Marrero (walk) and Mike Miller (single.)
Ryan LaMarre then drove home Castillo with an RBI single to make the score 3-0. Marrero’s RBI single plated an unearned run against reliever Jason Berken in the seventh to complete the scoring.
LaMarre went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks to pace the PawSox eight-hit offensive attack. Jesus Montero collected each of the Buffalo base hits, singles in both the second and fourth innings.
The teams will play second of this three-game series on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Pawtucket righty Sean O’Sullivan (6-5, 4.23) is scheduled to start against Bisons righty Casey Lawrence (3-4, 4.00).
