Their pitch on target

Consistency is key to message

With all the pitchers who have joined the Red Sox' big league rotation from their minor league system in recent years - including Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and Justin Masterson - there has to be a key factor in getting them prepared for the majors.

"There's constant communication [within the organization]," said Mike Cather, the pitching coach at Double A Portland. "I think that's the one thing that surprised me most about coaching is how much emphasis is put on the key things, that the focus is always there on staying with the program.

"When there's consistency in the information going to the players, you can see the adjustments that they make. It's like, 'What's next? Where are we at now?' Now we've got to start holding runners, now we've got to execute [when] behind in the count. Now we can go to the next level. It seems like when you break it down into little parts like that, you accomplish the big things early and the good ones figure it out."

That starts with the scouting department and continues through the player development program. Once the players enter the system, the Sox start their unified approach.

"We strive for continuity from level to level and also [with] the overall message," said director of player development Mike Hazen. "As far as the overall program, there's no rocket science. I think every organization has a pitching program. We're no different in what we teach guys from a pitching perspective."

No matter the pitcher's repertoire, he is introduced to everything from the organization's shoulder-strengthening program to the most basic tenets. And many of those facets of pitching are emphasized beginning when the players are drafted or signed, and are followed all the way to the big leagues.

It's no surprise that every time a pitcher throws well in Boston, catcher Jason Varitek cites first-pitch strikes as a major reason. It's the same reason those pitchers are successful from rookie ball through the upper minors.

"We definitely focus on throwing strikes," Hazen said. "That's the most simplistic way to put it. There are certain things we hit on with individuals based on their needs, but the ability to throw strikes is definitely the basis of it. Then it spreads out to throwing strikes with more pitches.

"In the Gulf Coast League [rookie ball], it's more fastballs for strikes. It gets more intricate and more specific. There is that developmental progression - the younger the player, the simpler the progression. As they move up, we can ask them to do more complicated things."

For example? "From fastball control to fastball command," Hazen explained. "Being able to throw your secondary stuff for strikes to the running game to holding runners on. More is implemented as they move higher and master some of the basic stuff."

Upwardly mobile

Catcher Luis Exposito, 21, was promoted from low Single A Greenville to high Single A Lancaster Wednesday. The 6-foot-3-inch, 210 pounder was a 31st-round pick in 2005 out of St. Petersburg (Fla.) Junior College. Hazen said, "He has done really well. Big, strong [catcher] with raw power." Exposito hit .283 for Greenville with 11 home runs in 191 at-bats . . . In his last five starts for Triple A Pawtucket, Buchholz is 3-1 with a 1.05 ERA. He's allowed just three earned runs in his last 25 2/3 innings for the PawSox and has 21 strikeouts in his last 17 2/3 innings . . . Portland lefthander Kris Johnson was 2-0 with a 1.01 ERA in his last three starts before throwing six innings of two-hit ball in a 2-0 win over Connecticut last night. In his previous 12 outings, he was 6-2 with a 2.56 ERA. "He used to take it personally if he pitched poorly," Cather said, citing Johnson's increased maturity. "Now it's like, '[Darn], I didn't get that ball down.' Bingo. There it is. There's that recognition that I want. It wasn't because you didn't tie your shoes right or eat the lucky burrito. There's a tangible reason for having success and not having success." . . . Lancaster won its division for the first half of the season . . . Outfielder Ryan Kalish, 20, was batting .324 over his last 25 games with 12 stolen bases (caught twice) with Greenville before going 1 for 5 last night . . . Third baseman Michael Almanzar, playing for the Sox' Gulf Coast League team, has hits in each of his first seven games, and two in each of his first four games. The 17-year-old is 11 for 32 (.357) with a team-high seven runs.

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.