Most pitchers will say they just want to give their team a chance to win, especially those with pressure to prove themselves after joining a new club.

Brandon Workman didn't really have that concern on Tuesday night.

"I didn't give us a chance to win since we'd scored 11 runs," he laughed. "But I had a good outing."

The Red Sox's No. 20 prospect got plenty of run support and made a seamless transition to Double-A, putting up zeros for six innings to win his Portland debut as the Sea Dogs crushed Altoona, 13-2, at Hadlock Field.

Workman (1-0) struck out six and held the Curve to two baserunners on a pair of singles in the fifth. He did not walk a batter for the fourth time in five starts dating back to his time with Class A Advanced Salem.

"It's definitely great to have a good game for my first start up here and be able to be effective," he said.

Workman, a 2010 second-round Draft pick, retired the first dozen batters he faced in taking a no-hitter into the fifth. But consecutive singles from Matt Curry and former Sea Dog Oscar Tejeda broke up the bid. He retired Christian Marrero on a liner to center, struck out Jarek Cunningham and got Stefan Welch to pop up to end the inning before working another 1-2-3 frame in the sixth to end his night.

Workman spent the whole season with Salem until last week, when he was called into his manager's office following a loss to Carolina.

"I got called into Billy McMillon's office and he talked to me about how the game went and whatever," recalled Workman. "And he told me I was getting moved up, so it was definitely exciting."

Waiting for Workman at Portland was catcher Christian Vazquez, who was promoted four days earlier after catching him all season at Salem.

"I didn't have any nerves, I was throwing to Vazquez, who I threw to 20 times in Salem," Workman said. "He's just up this week as well. But either way, I'm still pitching. Just a different location."

Tuesday marked the fifth time this season that Workman has allowed two hits or fewer. He went 7-7 with a 3.40 ERA in 20 starts for Salem, where he posted a six-inning, two-hit effort on May 31 against Lynchburg. He held Winston-Salem to two hits over seven innings on June 24, then limited Frederick to one hit while striking out nine in six frames on July 9.

Workman said the change in scenery also included better hitters and, in his opinion, stingier umpires.

"The hitters didn't chase as many pitches as they did in Salem, so they're a little more patient," he said. "The biggest difference was the strike zone was a lot smaller up here. I kind of knew that as you move up, I've noticed the difference between [Class A] Greenville and Salem. I expected it to tighten up."

The University of Texas product said his early success Tuesday came with his fastball. He struck out two batters apiece in the first and third, recording 1-2-3 innings until the fifth.

"I was able to establish my fastball early on both sides, down in the zone," he said. "I had a lot of success doing that. Everything I did worked off of that as the game went on."

Workman's only mistakes came in the fifth, when he put two men on base with none out.

"I just left some balls over the plate and they put some good swings on the ball and got a couple hits," he said. "I felt good in the sixth, felt strong, had a quick inning, but they told me I was done afterward."

Workman, who went 6-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 26 starts last year at Greenville, said he'd like to continue making a good impression with his new club.

"I just want to go out and finish the season on a positive note, throw the ball well," he added. "I want to be able to finish strong, have quality outings and throw my pitches where I want to."

Portland scored in each of the first four innings as seven of nine Sea Dogs recorded at least two hits. Xander Bogaerts -- Boston's No. 2 prospect -- slugged a three-run homer and singled, raising his average to .421 (8-for-19) since he was promoted from Salem on Aug. 9.

Marquez Smith and Ronald Bermudez also went deep for Portland, helping send Altoona starter Tyler Waldron (1-1) to his first loss. In his second Eastern League start, the 23-year-old right-hander was charged with five runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings.