Brentz, PawSox prevail in wild matinee

Baseball fans in Pawtucket were treated to a wild one Tuesday afternoon.

The Red Sox had two players and manager Gary DiSarcina ejected from the game, Bryce Brentz hit his eighth home run, and Pawtucket earned a split in its four-game series against first-place Indianapolis with a 9-8 win despite being out-hit, 13-6.

"There were a lot of things going on today, but we were fortunate enough to get by with a win," Brentz said.

Brentz, the Red Sox's No. 7 prospect, went 2-for-13 in the first three games of the series before delivering two key hits, including a solo homer, on Tuesday.

"The homer was on a 2-0 fastball, and I was able to get good wood on it," he said. His eight longballs and 32 RBIs both lead the Pawtucket lineup.

Indianapolis features the top pitching staff in the International League with a 3.08 team ERA but surrendered 27 runs in the four-game set. Indians starter Andy Oliver came into the game having allowed just three earned runs over 22 innings in his last four starts. Neither statistic meant much Tuesday.

Brentz opened the scoring with a two-out single in the first inning, driving in Justin Henry, who had walked, stolen second and advanced to third on a misplay by Indianapolis second baseman Ivan De Jesus. It was the first of four errors by the Indians defense in the game.

Indianapolis responded with a run in the second and two more in the third off Pawtucket starter Chris Hernandez. Indians first baseman Matt Hague scored the first run and drove in the third en route to collecting three doubles on the day.

Pawtucket added a run on Brentz's solo shot in the fourth and went ahead for good with three runs in the fifth, aided by a wild pitch from Oliver and the first of Indians catcher Tony Sanchez's two throwing errors.

Former Pawtucket outfielder Jerry Sands hit a solo shot for Indianapolis in the sixth, drawing the Indians within one run at 5-4, before fireworks went off in the seventh.

After Alex Presley popped out to open the frame, PawSox reliever Pedro Beato came up and in on Josh Harrison. Though the pitch did not hit the Indians shortstop, home plate umpire Will Little immediately ejected Beato and issued a warning to both benches. Pawtucket first baseman Brandon Snyder was tossed next for arguing the ejection and DiSarcina went next, but not before getting his money's worth.

"I didn't feel that the ejection was justified," Brentz said. "They'd hit our first baseman [Snyder] twice in the last two games and were throwing up and in the whole series -- it didn't seem right that [Beato] was ejected when he didn't even hit anyone."

Beato, who had taken over from Hernandez in the fifth, went 2 1/3 innings before his ejection, allowing one run on three hits and earning the win to improve to 3-1.

Pawtucket brought eight men to the plate in the home half of the seventh, scoring three times on a two singles, two walks, a wild pitch and another Sanchez error.

That was all for Oliver (3-2), who was charged with nine runs -- seven earned -- on six hits and seven walks while striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings. The seven earned runs and seven walks both matched career highs for the 25-year-old lefty. He has issued 19 walks in his last three starts and is now tied for the Minor League lead with 42 on the season.

The insurance runs proved necessary for Pawtucket as a two-run homer from Sanchez in the eighth and another from Jared Goedert in the ninth again made it a one-run game.

With two outs and an 0-2 count in the ninth, Sox closer Anthony Carter hit Sanchez in the arm but did not draw an ejection despite the earlier warning. Carter notched his sixth save after Sands' long fly ball was tracked down by Pawtucket center fielder Ronald Bermudez on the warning track.

Sands was 3-for-5 with a homer and a double in the game, while Sanchez went 2-for-2 with a longball, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Harrison was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles.

Apart from Brentz, the Pawtucket offense was reliant mainly on Indianapolis miscues. Leadoff man Justin Henry drew three walks, stole a base and scored twice. Red Sox shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias went 1-for-3 with a walk in his first-ever career game at third base.

Iglesias, who had played some second base -- but never third -- with the Cuban national team, committed one fielding error in four chances at the hot corner.

"I like it over there," the Minors' No. 90 prospect told WEEI.com's Alex Speier.

Along with losing the game, Indianapolis also may have lost reliever Vic Black. The 24-year-old flamethrower, who is the Pirates' No. 17 prospect, got Henry to ground out to open the eighth, but immediately summoned the trainer while clutching his left side. He left the game having thrown nine pitches.

Both teams have an off day tomorrow following Tuesday's three-hour, 38-minute affair. The Indians head to Buffalo for a four-game set while the PawSox are off to Louisville. The two clubs meet again in Indianapolis next Monday.