Things are looking up for Alvarez

Don't get fooled. Abe Alvarez may look a bit unconventional with his bushy hair and slanted cap. The lefthander also faces the challenge of pitching while he is legally blind in his left eye.

But Alvarez has given the Red Sox no reason to regret investing a $700,000 signing bonus in him after they selected him in the second round (49th overall) of last year's draft. An All-American at Long Beach State, Alvarez pitched only 19 innings last summer at short-season Single A Lowell because of the heavy workload in his final college season (122 2/3 innings).

But the Sox saw enough potential in Alvarez that they twice summoned him from the minor league camp in spring training to pitch for the big club (he worked three scoreless innings). Then they bumped him from Lowell to Double A Portland in his first full season.

Now, they see even better things in Alvarez's future.

"This guy is very polished, very advanced, and he's having a lot of success," general manager Theo Epstein said. "He has really developed well this year. He's not too far away from making an impact in our plans."

Though it's too soon to project Alvarez becoming the first Sox pitcher since Casey Fossum to jump from Double A to Boston, he has done little to dampen expectations. He has gone 6-4 with a 3.66 ERA, winning four of his last five starts.

"His numbers are good," Epstein said, "but they're not indicative of how well he has pitched."

Though his velocity is average, Alvarez's command, curveball, and changeup are above average. And the Sox believe he has the knowledge and maturity to help them -- perhaps next season, or sooner.

Gardner blossoms

One of the best surprises of Alvarez's draft class is righthander Jarrett Gardner. A 19th-rounder out of the University of Arkansas, Gardner has manhandled the South Atlantic League, going 7-1 with a league-leading 1.54 ERA while holding opponents to a .213 batting average for Single A Augusta.

The Sox rewarded Gardner by giving him a spot start Wednesday for Portland, and he picked up the win, allowing three earned runs over five innings. He has walked only five batters in 58 1/3 innings for Augusta after issuing only two walks in 60 innings last year in his pro debut with Lowell.

Gardner has to anchor a diverse group of Augusta starters. Jose Vaquedano, who is trying to become the first native Honduran to reach the majors, recently was promoted to Single A Sarasota after going 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA for Augusta. The remaining corps includes Gary Galvez, a 19-year-old Cuban defector the Sox signed last year for $450,000. Galvez, who started 11 games last year in the Dominican Summer League in his pro debut, has had his hands full in Augusta, going 2-5 with a 6.33 ERA.

The rotation also includes New Hampshire's Kyle Jackson, who has pitched better than his 1-8 record suggests. He has struck out 72 and walked 20 in 75 innings while posting a 4.80 ERA.

The newest member of the staff, Billy Simon, debuted last Sunday, nearly two years after he last pitched for Lowell. A 21-year-old righthander who signed with the Sox for $325,000 out of Wellington High School in Florida in 2001, Simon missed last year with a neck ailment that finally was diagnosed as a problem with a vertebra. He allowed four earned runs over five innings in his first two starts.

A Beech landing

With lefthander Phil Seibel on the disabled list with elbow soreness, Triple A Pawtucket picked up 32-year-old lefthander Matt Beech from the Long Island Ducks of the Independent League. Beech, who was scheduled to start last night, pitched for the Phillies from 1996-98, going 8-22 with a 5.37 ERA . . . Pawtucket center fielder Jeremy Owens, who is considered the best defensive outfielder in the organization, has hit .375 (12 for 32) over his last 10 games to improve his average to .240. But a number of Pawtucket hitters recently have slumped, including Adam Hyzdu, Carlos Febles, and Earl Snyder. A 5-18 slump dropped the PawSox from a share of the division lead to fourth place, 11 games out . . . George Lombard, a former outfielder for the Braves and Tigers, made his debut Thursday with Portland and went 3 for 6 in his first two games . . . Portland catcher/outfielder Jeff Bailey, a former Marlins prospect, ranks among the Eastern League leaders in on-base percentage (.429) and slugging (.519) . . . Righthander Jessie Corn, a sixth-round pick last year out of Jacksonville State, will miss the season after shoulder surgery . . . The system's top lefthanded prospect other than Alvarez, Jon Lester, went on Single A Sarasota's disabled list with elbow tendinitis after a strong start . . . West Roxbury High's Manny Delcarmen had his roughest outing in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits Thursday for Single A Sarasota in an 8-7 victory over Fort Myers . . . Augusta's Brandon Moss will start in right field for the Southern Division in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game. He ranks among the league leaders in batting average (.359), on-base percentage (.420), RBIs (55), and hits (83) . . . Pawtucket's Buddy Bailey was named the International League manager for the Triple A All-Star Game next month in Pawtucket. His pitching coach, Mike Griffin, and Louisville manager Rick Burleson were named coaches.