Beeks, PawSox Sweep Syracuse With 5-1 Win

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - In his first outing since making his MLB debut, Pawtucket Red Sox starter Jalen Beeks dealt seven crisp innings and piloted the PawSox to a 5-1 win and a three-game sweep against the Syracuse Chiefs on Wednesday night at NBT Bank Stadium.
The PawSox (31-32) used a four-run fourth inning to bury the Chiefs (28-35), bolt up the sweep and win for the 12th time in their last 17 tries. Just like the Red Sox, the PawSox started their road trip with a three-game sweep capped by a 5-1 win. Pawtucket has now swept four series this season and won four straight games - one off their season-best five-game winning streak that concluded May.  
Beeks (W, 4-3) ceded just one run on six hits and no walks in seven innings, piling up seven strikeouts. The 24-year old southpaw has worked at least six innings in each of his last five Triple-A starts, and Beeks posted a line of seven innings, one run, no walks and seven strikeouts for a second straight Pawtucket outing. In his MLB debut on Thursday at Fenway Park, Beeks threw just two curveballs of his 33 first-inning pitches. On Wednesday, Beeks threw five sharp hooks in the second inning alone and used the breaking ball for three of his seven strikeouts (two swinging and one looking).
After Beeks, Pawtucket southpaw Williams Jerez added a scoreless eighth inning, and fellow lefty Robby Scott deftly navigated a bases-loaded jam in the ninth.
Pawtucket designated hitter Mike Ohlman (2-for-5, R, HR, RBI) and catcher Dan Butler (2-for-4, RBI) led an offense in which each starter had at least one hit.
Syracuse reliever John Simms (L, 2-2) made a spot start and allowed five runs on five hits and two walks in 3.1 innings.
With two outs and nobody on in the top of the first inning, Ohlman skied an opposite-field home run to right - his seventh big fly of the season - to prop up Pawtucket to a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth, the PawSox loaded the bases, and third baseman Mike Olt supplied an RBI single to make it 2-0. Two batters later, Butler lined a ball to center, where Syracuse outfielder Andrew Stevenson slipped on the wet surface, allowing a third run to score. Moments later, center fielder Cole Sturgeon pulled a two-run single through the right side to extend the cushion to 5-0.
Syracuse inched onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth. Following a leadoff double and a single to begin the stanza, the Chiefs trimmed the gap to 5-1 on a fielder's choice hit to third.
The PawSox continue their seven-game road trip Thursday when they tangle with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies) at 7:05 p.m. Pawtucket right-hander Josh A. Smith (0-1, 16.87) is scheduled to oppose IronPigs righty Ben Lively (1-2, 2.36). Radio coverage on WHJJ (920 AM and 104.7 FM) and throughout the PawSox Radio Network begins with the pre-game show at 6:35 p.m.
The PawSox will return home to McCoy Stadium on June 19-24 (Tuesday-Sunday) for a seven-game homestand against the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays) and Syracuse. Good seats are available, and fans can visit the McCoy Stadium box office, which is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., and during all home games. Fans can also call (401) 724-7300 or log on to PawSox.com for tickets.