PawSox Battle Yankees' Affiliate, Fall 3-2
July 6, 2018 - International League (IL1)
Pawtucket Red Sox News Release
PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Pawtucket Red Sox right-hander Josh A. Smith starred in four effective innings of relief, but the PawSox couldn't overcome an early deficit against the Triple-A affiliate of the Yankees in a 3-2 loss Friday night at McCoy Stadium.
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (45-40) plated a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and hung on down the stretch in the opener of the three-game series with the PawSox (40-45). The Triple-A affiliates of the Red Sox and Yankees will meet Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at McCoy, as well, heading into the all-star break.
In his first start since returning from the Red Sox, Pawtucket right-hander Justin Haley (L, 4-7) allowed two runs in three innings and retired seven of the final eight batters he faced. Haley was slated to start Thursday night in Rochester when the game was suspended just as Haley was set to begin the bottom of the first inning. On Friday, Smith followed Haley and fired four innings of two-hit, one-run ball, piling up five strikeouts. Over his last five outings, the 30-year old former big leaguer has ceded just three earned runs in 15.1 innings (1.76 ERA). Left-hander Robby Scott spun a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and Ty Buttrey punched out two (on 96 and 98 MPH fastballs, respectively) in a scoreless ninth.
Pawtucket shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin (1-for-3, R, 2 BB) reached base three times atop the order, as did left fielder Sam Travis (1-for-2, R, 2 BB), who also lined out on a 105-MPH rocket - the hardest-hit ball by either team all night - in the eighth inning.
RailRiders starter Chance Adams labored through four innings of one-run ball in which he walked four and allowed three hits. Right-hander J.P. Feyereisen (W, 5-2) chipped in two innings of one-run ball, and hard-throwing Joe Harvey (S, 4) used two hitless innings to earn the save.
In the top of the first inning, Scranton first baseman and former first-round pick Billy McKinney hammered a full-count offering for a two-run homer into the right-field bullpen.
The PawSox sliced the gap in half, 2-1, in the bottom of the first when first baseman Adam Lind slapped an RBI single past the shift into left field to score Lin from second.
The RailRiders grabbed that run back in the top of the fifth inning when shortstop Abiatal Avelino rolled an RBI single that ricocheted off the second-base bag - an unlucky break for Smith and the PawSox.
After a successful sacrifice bunt from Pawtucket catcher Oscar Hernández in the bottom of the sixth inning, the PawSox placed runners at second and third for second baseman Mike Miller, who stung a sacrifice fly to right field to score Travis and trim the margin to 3-2.
The PawSox continue their three-game series with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate Saturday at McCoy Stadium at 6:15 p.m. The game will be televised live on myRITV, and radio coverage on WHJJ (920 AM and 104.7 FM) and throughout the PawSox Radio Network begins with PawSox Insider at 4:45 p.m.
The three-game series at McCoy Stadium will conclude Sunday at 1:35 p.m. Good tickets are available for both games, 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.
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