Brown's HR Gives PawSox 4-3 Win
(Syracuse, NY) - Corey Brown's solo home run leading off the top of the ninth inning snapped a 3-3 tie and propelled the Pawtucket Red Sox to their sixth-consecutive victory, a 4-3 win over the Syracuse Chiefs Monday night at NBT Bank Stadium in the opener of a two-game series.
The six-game winning streak matches a season-high for Pawtucket (56-48), which is now a also season-high eight games above .500. The victory, coupled with a Rochester loss at Durham, moves the PawSox into first place in the IL wild card standings.
Will Middlebrooks, playing in the fourth game of his most recent injury rehab stint, played the entire game at third base and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Middlebrooks, on the DL since May 16th, is attempting to return to Boston from finger and wrist injuries and is now 5-for-13 with a sacrifice fly over the last four games.
Brown's long ball, his team-leading 14th of the season, came on the first pitch thrown in the ninth inning by reliever Warner Madrigal (0-3). It made a winner out of Alex Wilson (3-1), who pitched a scoreless eighth and then worked around a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth to finish the victory.
Carlos Rivero (4) also homered for Pawtucket, a solo shot in the fifth against Syracuse All-Star Aaron Laffey that put the PawSox in front 3-0. Alex Hassan's RBI single highlighted a two-run first-inning rally against Laffey.
Allen Webster allowed three runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score, including back-to-back RBI singles by Manny Burriss and Jeff Kobernus with two outs in the inning. Webster lasted seven full innings and allowed six hits and three runs, while walking just one and fanning three.
Mookie Betts, just optioned back to Pawtucket from Boston over the weekend, led the PawSox offense by going 2-for-5 with a double. Jonathan Herrera also collected two of Pawtucket's 12 hits.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night with first pitch at 7:00 pm, as Pawtucket looks for its seventh-consecutive win. Right-hander Matt Barnes (4-7, 5.06) is slated to start for the PawSox against Syracuse righty Blake Treinen (6-0, 2.22). Radio coverage on 920 AM (WHJJ) and also streaming online begins at 6:45 pm.
Following the eight-game road trip and a subsequent day off, the PawSox return to McCoy Stadium for a seven-game homestand that begins on Wednesday July 30. The stand features three games against Syracuse and four with Columbus.
Good seats are still available at the McCoy Stadium box office, by calling (401) 724-7300 or by visiting pawsox.com.