Clippers take both against Red Sox

It was a two-for-one deal at Huntington Park on Friday night for the Columbus Clippers, as the Clippers won two games in a matter of hours against the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Clippers won a game that was postponed from June 20, 6-3 against Pawtucket and then followed that up with a 5-3 win in the nightcap.

In the suspended game, the Clippers resumed play with the Red Sox in the top of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, leading 4-3. With a two-and-two count, Jordan Brown swung at the first pitch and drove home two more runs. Brown finished the game 4-for-5, recording three singles in Pawtucket and the two-run double in Columbus.

Carlos Carrasco earned the win, giving him nine on the season, as he pitched five innings, all in Pawtucket, giving up three earned runs on five hits. Carrasco received offensive help in Pawtucket from Josh Rodriguez, who hit a two-run home run in the top of the third inning and then recorded his third RBI of the game in the sixth as he walked with the bases loaded.

In the regularly-scheduled game, Brown picked up where he left off from game one, driving his fifth home run of the season to deep right field in the second, giving Columbus an early 1-0 lead.

That lead would be short-lived as Pawtucket answered with a leadoff double by Tug Hulett, who later scored on a groundball to short by Gil Velazquez, who reached due to a poorly thrown ball by Rodriguez.

After Rodriguez hit his seventh home run of the year in the third inning, the Clippers tacked on three more in the fourth inning, highlighted by speedy right fielder, Jose Constanza. Constanza, with two on and two out, lifted a pitch from Robert Coello into deep left field, scoring Nick Weglarz and Ezequiel Carrera.

Jeanmar Gomez, fresh off of his superb spot start in Cleveland, had another stellar performance against Pawtucket, going eight innings, allowing only one earned run on six hits while fanning seven. Gomez improved his record to 7-8 on the season. The Red Sox would put a scare in Columbus in the ninth, scoring twice, but Carlton Smith shut the door for his first save of the year.

Columbus and Pawtucket will meet for game two of the four-game series tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. at Huntington Park. David Huff (4-0, 3.14) is scheduled to start for Columbus against Mark Holliman (0-1, 3.00) of Pawtucket.