On top of the DiSarcina and Joppie announcements for Pawtucket, there were plenty more coaching moves up and down the Sox Minor League system today. In Portland Rich Gedman will take over as hitting coach after a season of doing the same in High-A Salem.

For the second straight year Nelson Paulino will fill Gedman’s role as hitting coach as he makes the jump from Lowell to Salem. Paulino will be in his 16th season with the Red Sox organization.

Also departing from Lowell is Paul Abbott who will jump up to Greenville to take the reigns as pitching coach. Joining Abbott with the Drive will be new hitting coach Tim Hyers who has spent the last four seasons as an area scout for the Red Sox. A former second round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays (1990) Hyers was previously a hitting coach with the Single-A West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers) in 2002.

The Short Season-A Lowell Spinners will add two new coaches to join manager Bruce Crabbe. Walter Miranda will fill the pitching coach role left vacant by Abbott. It will be the third separate time Walter has assumed this role with the Spinners, having previously done so in 2005-2006 and 2008. Noah Hall will be the team’s new hitting coach after a year of coaching with the Gulf Coast Red Sox alongside Miranda.

Darren Finster, who served as Greenville’s hitting coach last year, was named manager of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox.

RANAUDO, JOHNSON GREEN LIT FOR SPRING: Anthony Ranaudo and Brian Johnson, both young arms that the organization will hope they can rely on sometime in the near future and both of whom had a bit of uncertainty tagged to their names due to injury issues, were giving positive seals of approval from Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett on Friday.

Ranaudo, who missed much of the regular season with Portland due to a ‘dead arm’, looked to be back on track after pitching very well in the Puerto Rican winter league. But after suffering a groin injury in a November 28th start, concern once again entered into the equation.

"Anthony is back home and at this point we're not anticipating any kind of issue going forward to the offseason," said Crockett. "They did a bunch of tests and there were no tears of note, nothing more than muscle spasms. Based on the history of the injury, we wanted to be more on the cautious side. He's in a good place mentally to go into spring training."

Johnson, the 31st overall selection of the 2012 MLB draft, seems to be suffering no lingering affects after suffering multiple orbital bone fractures after being struck in the face with a line drive during a start with Lowell at Fenway Park in August.

"Currently there are no issues with [Johnson]," said Crockett. "He's been able to go through a fairly normal offseason and we hope that puts him in position to compete in spring training with everyone else."

PAWTUCKET – On Friday afternoon, with the Governor’s Cup perched ten feet from where he sat, Gary DiSarcina was introduced as the 19th manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox at McCoy Stadium.

The former Lowell Spinners skipper (2007-2009) and Billerica native, rejoins the Red Sox organization after spending the last two seasons in the Los Angeles Angels front office, and seemed eager to get down to business.

“The last two years have been tremendous to me as far as being educated in the front office side of things,” said DiSarcina. “But, it’s very exciting to be back.”

Flanked by former Red Sox players and current front office heads, DiSarcina had the full approval of all involved with the process of naming the next manager of the Red Sox Triple-A club.

"I think there are a lot of qualities that are necessary in this job that [DiSarcina] possesses,” said Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett. “The personality, the experience he had as a player, the different experiences as a manager and coordinator and in the front office. I think all those things combined put him in a really good place to succeed.”

DiSarcina will be looking to show off these qualities and use this opportunity as a chance to groom himself for a future position at a higher level, something he didn’t know he truly wanted until a year ago when he was thrust back into a managerial role for the Angels.

“When I was with the Angels I filled in for four days with our Double-A team,” said DiSarcina on why he wanted to be back on the bench. “The [managing] bug caught me. I missed the daily interaction with the players.

“Ultimately I want to be in a big league dugout. I know it takes time and you have to learn.”

Prior to getting the Pawtucket job, DiSarcina had just been promoted to special assistant to the general manager with the Angels and was heading into a meeting where with the team where he thought he was going to be discussing organizational matters.

“I walked into our Angels suite [at the Winter Meetings in Nashville], prepared to talk about our players and our strategy,” said DiSarcina. “I sat down on the couch for five minutes and [Angels G.M.] Jerry DiPoto said “I need to talk to you for a second.””

“From that day forth things have kind of been crazy. At first I thought the decision was going to be difficult…but the more I thought about it, the decision was very easy. The last week for me has just been trying to wrap my mind around being back.”

DiSarcina, who spent 12 years playing for the Angels, finished his playing career with Pawtucket in 2002 and wants to use those experiences in helping him communicate with current players at this level.

“Grinding it out at 33 years of age, having two kids and wife at the time, I just think those experiences, for me, is part of the whole gig,” said DiSarcina. “You’ve got to come in here and communicate with those guys. You have to make sure you talk to them every day.”

DiSarcina takes over for Arnie Beyeler who is now the first base coach for Boston after two seasons as the PawSox skipper.

Also new on the Pawtucket coaching staff is hitting coach Dave Joppie who was promoted from Portland after five seasons in the same position. Pitching coach Rich Sauveur returns to the PawSox for his fifth season.

The Belmar Beach boardwalk was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. (Jayson Hernandez)

The last two weeks have not been kind to the fine folks on the New Jersey shore following the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, which was followed up by a blistering cold Nor’easter that dumped anywhere from six-to-twelve inches of snow on the region.

Thankfully there are folks like Red Sox catching prospect Jayson Hernandez, a life-long resident of Jackson, New Jersey, who made an immediate call-to-arms for help via Twitter.

Now he has gained the support of other professional baseball players, many of whom also call the ravaged shores of New Jersey home, through his Grand Slam for Sandy initiative.

Started in attempt to simply raise a few extra dollars to help out the victims of the storm, Grand Slam for Sandy has quickly become a stand-alone charity thanks to the support of fellow Sox prospects Anthony Ranaudo and Pat Light, Rutgers pitcher Robert Corsi and a host of others in the baseball community who have stepped up to lend a hand.

“It was an unbelievable thing,” said Hernandez of the response he has received. “I didn’t bring anybody into it. It was just going to be my girlfriend and I collecting money around the area.

“Then right after that Anthony [Ranaudo] put it on [Twitter] on his own, then Pat Light did the same thing, then Brad Brach from the San Diego Padres who is from Freehold, New Jersey reached out to me. It’s really unbelievable to see. Sometimes it’s hard to even get words out to describe how amazing it has been.”

Hernandez returned home to Jackson a day before Sandy battered the East Coast and by mid-day on Monday he found himself in the thick of the action.

“The winds starting coming and the rains starting coming,” said Hernandez. “It got the point that by Monday night the winds were up to 90-miles-per-hour. My backyard fence blew out. It was a pretty scary thing.”

“We were looking out my back yard window, saw the sky light up and thought it was lightning. Come to find out it was a transformer exploding. It looked like fireworks were going off on the Fourth of July. As soon as that happened the power went out…we just got power back on Saturday.”

A trip to his former high school, St. Rose’s in the seaside town of Belmar, showed the greater extent of Sandy’s destructive path.

Located seven blocks from the ocean, the school was completely flooded. There was a water mark half way up the hallway walls and the floors were left muddy with dead fish and sea turtles.

“Supposedly the sand [from the beach] is all the way to my high school,” said Ranaudo, who attended St. Rose with Hernandez. “There was water flooding in the cafeteria of the school.”

It was a similar scene up-and-down the New Jersey coast and along the shores of New York and Connecticut as well.

Hernandez knows that he is one of the luckier residents of the region in having power, heat and minimal structural damage to his residence. That is exactly why he continues to make a plea to the public to help out those who have lost most everything in the storm.

In Puerto Rico playing winter baseball, Ranaudo has had to handle the effects on his home state through accounts like Hernadez’s and what he sees in the news.

“It’s still tough to see the damage and devastation to an area I called home for 18 years,” said Ranaudo. “It’s really upsetting seeing the great beaches and tourist attractions that make the Jersey Shore be destroyed and have to be rebuilt."

Families are not only without power or heat, but many have lost everything. Whole neighborhoods have been wiped out and there is a lot rebuilding that will need to be done.

Due to the great response that Grand Slam for Sandy has received in such a short period of time, Hernandez and Corsi have elevated the goal of the charity to help out a specific family who has lost everything, by directly providing them with the funds to start rebuilding.

They have already made the proper steps to set up Grand Slam for Sandy as a non-profit charity, they are in the process of opening up a bank account in the charity’s name, as well as building a website so that people can directly donate with one click.

There will also be an auction, tentatively scheduled for some time next week, with all proceeds to benefit Grand Slam for Sandy.

“Jason Varitek and his wife are sending us an autographed baseball and bat,” said Hernandez. “A couple of people are sending baseballs; a Nomar Garciaparra signed ball…Roy Halladay, Daryl Strawberry and more.”

To date Grand Slam for Sandy has already raised over $3,000 in a little over a week, making Hernandez confident that they can realize their vision of helping a family get back on their feet.

“We want to select a family and personally go give them this money.” Hernandez said.

“This community has supported us through our playing baseball and a lot of us wouldn’t have gotten a shot without this community,” he added. “This is a way for us to give back and let them know that “Hey, we’re going to be here and help you out through this process.””

“I know the area will respond and make it even better when it comes back,” said Ranaudo. “It seems that the support around the area and even throughout the country is pretty unbelievable, which is awesome to see.”

HOW/WHERE TO DONATE TO GRAND SLAM FOR SANDY

Send check or money order to:
Jayson Hernandez
P.O. Box 589
Jackson, NJ 08527
(make checks payable to Jayson Hernadez with Grand Slam for Sandy in the memo)

PayPal: jayhernan24@gmail.com

Email: jayhernan24@live.com (with any questions)

www.facebook.com/grandslamforsandy (‘Like’ for constant updates and auction information)

Twitter: @GrandSlam4Sandy
@Jays0n_Hernan

This photo published in the New York Post shows the mess left behind at St. Rose High School in Belmar. Note the water mark half way up the walls.

The following link provides some amazing satellite images of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in and around New Jersey. The fifth image down shows Belmar, New Jersey where Hernandez and Ranaudo attended St. Rose High School:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Bryce Brentz and Michael Almanzar were selected to the Arizona Fall League’s Rising Stars Game set for this Saturday, November 3rd at 8:00 p.m.

Brentz is batting .304 for the Surprise Saguaros, having hit safely in all but one of the 12 games he has played in. He has eight RBIs, seven runs scored and two stolen bases on two attempts.

Almanzar, a post season All-Star in the Carolina League this season, is batting just .235 in 14 games with the Saguaros, but has scored ten runs to go along with four RBIs.

Nineteen players selected to play in the game are ranked in MLB.com’s Top 100, including Astros top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart, Tampa Bay’s top positional prospect Hak-Ju Lee and the third overall pick in the 2012 draft, Seattle Mariners catching prospect Mike Zunino.

The game will be played at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale and you can watch the action live on MLB Network and MLB.com.

In other Sox-Saguaros news, catcher Christian Vazquez was named the Best Defensive Catcher in the Red Sox system by Baseball America, who also released their updated Top 10 for the system (see below) as well. Vazquez is backing up BA’s claim down in Arizona, having thrown out 8 of 17 base runners for a 47% success rate to go with a pick off of a runner at first base.

Pitchers Brock Huntzinger, Pete Ruiz, Ryan Pressly and Chris Martin have all made seven relief appearances for Surprise. Ruiz is second on the team with 15 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings, while Pressly has allowed only one walk in his nine innings. Martin and Huntzinger are yet to allow a home run.

Circling back around, to no one’s surprise Baseball America listed shortstop Xander Bogaerts as the top player in the Red Sox farm system. Here is their complete list along with their Best Tools selections:

1. SS Xander Bogaerts
2. OF Jackie Bradley Jr.
3. RHP Matt Barnes
4. RHP Allen Webster
5. LHP Henry Owens
6. C Blake Swihart
7. 3B Garin Cecchini
8. OF Bryce Brentz
9. SS Jose Iglesias
10. SS Deven Marrero

Best Hitter for Average - Bradley
Best Power Hitter - Bogaerts
Best Strike-Zone Discipline - Bradley
Fastest Baserunner - SS Tzu-Wei Lin
Best Athlete - Bogaerts
Best Fastball - Barnes
Best Curveball - Barnes
Best Slider - RHP Alex Wilson
Best Changeup - LHP Miguel Pena
Best Control - RHP Brandon Workman
Best Defensive Infielder - Iglesias
Best Infield Arm - Cecchini
Best Defensive Outfielder - Bradley
Best Outfield Arm - Bradley

Ranaudo readies for start of Puerto Rican League
Anthony Ranaudo continues to put in work to return to top-form in 2013 after suffering a dead arm injury during the 2012 campaign that caused him to miss much of the season. The 2010 first-rounder is currently down in Puerto Rico, ready to pitch for Criollos de Caguas of the Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico. He will be joined by fellow Sox pitcher Jose De La Torre, who was acquired by Boston in a deal for Brent Lillibridge. Other names of note for Caguas include former Sox farmhand Aaron Bates and the third selection of the 2000 draft (Cubs) Luis Montanez who is currently in the Cardinals organization. The Criollos kick off their season on Saturday versus Santurce.

Other Sox prospects kicking around on the rosters that we could find for teams in La Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico this winter include pitcher Jeremy Kehrt who is playing with Los Indios de Mayaguez and 20-year-old outfielder Henry Ramos with Leones de Ponce.

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Anthony Ranaudo photo credit - John Corneau/Lowell Spinners

Outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker got a late season call-up from Portland to Pawtucket where he played in eight regular season games before going 3-27 with 2 RBIs and 10 strikeouts in six playoff appearances.

After the season he took his glove and cleats down to Mexico for the winter where he has suited up and played in eight games for Yaquis de Obregon of the Mexican Pacific League.

Thus far, statistically speaking, his eight games with Obregon are on par with his seven in Pawtucket. Noteably he has hit two home runs when he had none with the PawSox, but this is not an anomaly by any means as he had 19 long balls with Portland where he spent much of his 2012 season.

Of course this is far from a large enough sample size to make any assumptions on, but it is worth a gander to see where he is in his current progress as he makes steps up to face better competition.

Hazelbaker is considered a decent enough fringe guy by most, a backup outfielder on a big league club should he be able to put it all together, but many are still not sold on his package as a whole.

Hazelbaker did make some strides this year in Portland, setting career bests in batting average (.273) home runs (19) and RBIs (64) in 114 games with the Sea Dogs.

He is highly regarded for his speed on the base paths, stealing 36 total bases this season and 157 over his four seasons in pro ball. He did get caught 11 times this year and will need to keep those numbers down if he is going to use that to help him rise to the Majors.

But in looking back on his short samples between Pawtucket and Obregon, it is clear that Hazelbaker is still not quite there yet. His walk rate plummeted from 11% in 2010 to 7% in 2012 and there are not many signs of improvement for a guy with a 26% career strikeout rate.

So far with Obregon he has struck out five times and walked twice, so it will be telling to see where these numbers are once he is done in Mexico. He needs to improve his patience and cut down on the first-pitch swings that seem to almost always result into outs for him and he needs to improve at recognizing pitches which should help tie everything together.

As far as Hazelbaker’s future is concerned, he is someone that could come in and provide a spark off the bench ala Daniel Nava. Ultimately it will be his speed that gets him there, but using that speed more effectively in the outfield, coupled with a continued effort to be patient in his at-bats, will go a long way in him making it to Boston.

Continuing to play through the fall and winter in Mexico shows that he is at the very least dedicated enough to make that all happen. Hazelbaker has remained healthy in his four professional seasons, so extending this season could prove to be integral in his progress. Expect Hazelbaker to be with Pawtucket next year, where a full season of Triple-A ball could help him round out the rough edges.

Arizona Fall League notes
Bryce Brentz saw his seven game hit streak come to an end on Thursday when he went 0-for-3 against Scottsdale. However, he did pick up his first stolen base of the fall in that game. So far Brentz is batting .281 through eight games, but does not have an RBI or a run scored in his last four.

Christian Vazquez had a big game against Scottsdale, going 4-for-4 with his first home run of the fall to go along with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs. He continues to be the long arm of the base paths, successfully throwing out 9 of the 15 runners who have attempted to steal on him.

Michael Almanzar has picked up a hit in each of his last four games…Pete Ruiz struck out three batters over two innings of relief work against Peoria on Wednesday. It is the third time in five appearances that he has struck out three or more and his 12 total Ks are second most on the Saguaros and first for relievers…Brock Huntzinger has allowed only one walk in eight innings of relief work, but opponents are hitting .364 off of him…Chris Martin got lit up for four hits and two runs in an inning of work on Wednesday. He inherited the bases loaded in the sixth inning and proceeded to let up four singles before retiring the side…Ryan Pressly struck out two in the seventh inning of Mondays game against Peoria, but also yielded his first home run of the fall, a lead-off shot to Jeudy Valdez.

Craig Forde can be reached at cforde@globe.com and you can follow him on Twitter @BeyondFenway.

Fall and winter baseball leagues are in full swing and the Red Sox seven sent to Surprise for the fall have helped the Saguaros jump out to a 5-3 mark in the Arizona Fall League.

Bryce Brentz brought his hot bat with him to Arizona as the outfielder has hit safely in all five games that he has played in. He has a .333 batting average and has picked up a triple, home run, five RBIs and seven runs scored thus far. The triple came in the Saguaros first game of the fall against Peoria, matching his regular season total for three-baggers.

First baseman Michael Almanzar has played in six games for Surprise, but has not fared as well as Brentz at the plate. He has collected four hits, all singles, and is batting .182. He has one RBI, scored four runs and struck out six times in 22 at-bats.

The third Red Sox positional player with the Saguaros, catcher Christian Vazquez, is batting .231 through four games, but did pick up all three of his hits in a 3-for-4 outing against the Phoenix Desert Dogs on Thursday. He has drawn four walks to only two strikeouts and has scored two runs. In four games behind the dish Vazquez has gunned down four of five would-be base stealers. He threw out 40% of runners who attempted to steal against him in the regular season.

The four Sox pitchers with Surprise, Brock Huntzinger, Chris Martin, Ryan Pressly and Pete Ruiz, have each made three relief appearances and all have walked only one batter. Huntzinger is 0-1 and has struck out four batters over six innings. Martin has also struck out four batters in his 4 2/3 innings pitched. Pressly has five Ks over three innings of work and Ruiz has mowed down eight by way of the strikeout in just 3 2/3 innings.

Three of the four Caribbean winter baseball leagues have kicked off and the following is a listing of Red Sox players that are currently on a team’s roster, with their statistics over the first few games.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE
P Josh Fields, Aguilas Cibaenas: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 IP, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 BB
P Tony Pena Jr, Aguilas Cibaenas: Yet to play
P Stolmy Pimentel, Estrellas de Oriente: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB
3B Nate Spears, Gigantes del Cibao: 3 G, .091 BA, 1 H, 1 R, 5 K, 1 BB
P Steven Wright, Leones del Escogido: Yet to play
C Matt Spring, Leones del Escogido: Yet to play
1B Mauro Gomez, Leones del Escogido: 2 G, .125 BA, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K
C Dan Butler, Toros del Este: 3 G, .083, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K

MEXICAN LEAGUE
P Marco Duarte, Aguilas de Mexacali: 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 2 G, 4 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB
OF Jeremy Hazelbaker, Yaquis de Obregon: 5 G, .250 BA, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 SB

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
P Yeiper Castillo, Aguilas de Zulia: Yet to play
OF J.C. Linares, Bravos de Margarita: 2 G, .333 BA, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R
P Ricardo Betancourt, Leones del Caracas: Yet to play
P Luis Diaz, Leones del Caracas: Yet to play
P Franklin Morales, Leones del Caracas: Yet to play
OF Ronald Bermudez, Leones del Caracas: 4 G, .250 BA, 2 R, 1 K
2B Heiker Meneses, Tiburones de la Guaria: 1 G, .000 BA, 0-1

We will provide weekly updates of all of the Sox players who continue to rake through the offseason, as well as anything else news worthy from these fall and winter leagues.

There will be no outfield consisting of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, as there was last fall, but plenty of top-notch prospects are ready to get rolling in the 21st season of the Arizona Fall League, including seven Red Sox farmhands.

This season the Red Sox players have been assigned to the Surprise Saguaros along with prospects from the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.

Headlining the Sox caravan is outfielder Bryce Brentz who had a solid season in Double-A Portland (17 HRs, 76 RBI, .296/.355/.478) before getting a late season call-up to Pawtucket where he helped the PawSox capture their first Governors Cup since 1984.

Pitchers Brock Huntzinger, Chris Martin, Ryan Pressly and Pete Ruiz along with catcher Christian Vazquez and first baseman Michael Almanzar, round out the Sox participants.

The Saguaros roster also includes Cardinals 2011 first-round pick Kolten Wong, former Lowell Spinners first baseman Chris McGuinness (now with Texas) and the 22nd overall selection in the 2010 draft, catcher Kellin Deglan (Phoenix Desert Dogs) of the Rangers.

Some big names that will dot the AFL landscape this fall include Minor League stolen-base record holder Billy Hamilton (Reds, Peoria Javelinas), Nationals third-baseman Anthony Rendon (Salt River Rafters) and Marlins top-prospect, outfielder Christian Yelich.

The 36-game season commences on Tuesday, with Surprise visiting Peoria, and we will be sure to keep you abreast on how the Sox prospects fare, as well as any other notable news out of Arizona.

ADDITIONAL INFO

What is a Saguaro you ask?

It is a large cactus that can be found in Mexico, California and, of course Arizona. They can live for up to 75 years and can grow to 40-60 feet high. The saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona and harming a saguaro cactus in Arizona is illegal...although brush-back pitches are welcome.

The following are the player eligibility rules, taken from MLB.com:

Roster size is established at 35 players per team.

Each team is allotted 20 pitchers, but only 15 are designated "eligible" each gameday.

Prior to Saturday’s Red Sox-Orioles game at Fenway Park, the organization handed out its annual Minor League Awards, with seven players being honored for their contributions in the system this year.

Brandon Workman, a 2010 second round selection, picked up Pitcher of the Year honors following a 10-8 season with a 3.50 ERA between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland.

“Mt first year I was kind of getting tired by the end of the year,” said Workman, a 6’4” right-hander from Texas. “Going into last offseason I knew I needed to be in better shape and be stronger so I could hold up to the increased innings. It’s something I’m going to have to continue to do every offseason.”

Workman pitched 138 2/3 innings this year, fourth most in the organization and had 130 strikeouts, tied for second most.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was named the Offensive Player of the Year after batting .307 in 127 games between Salem and Portland, including a .326 mark in 23 games with the Sea Dogs.

“I feel I’m pretty good right now after the good season that I had,” said the 19-year-old Bogaerts. “I just enjoyed it very much. It was also a learning experience for me, going through struggles and going through slumps. But it’s all a part of baseball. You have to know how to challenge it.”

Bogaerts was second in the organization in hits (145) and home runs (20), third in RBIs (81) and fourth in doubles (37).

Rated by many as the top prospect in the organization, Bogaerts was a Carolina League All-Star and represented the World Team at the All-Star Futures Game in Kansas City.

“The mental part of it is pretty hard,” said Bogaerts, who says that he may play for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic scheduled for March of 2013. “You can be physically good, but you need to be strong mentally. You got to keep focused and keep doing the best you can.”

The Defensive Player of the Year award went to outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. , another player who took the Salem-Portland route this season.

In 115 games, 114 of which were played in center field, Bradley committed only seven errors in 260 chances, giving him a .973 fielding percentage.

“My only expectations were to stay healthy and play as hard as I can,” said Bradley of his goals coming into the season. “I think it was a pretty decent season. I’ll try to reap the benefits later.”

Bradley, who also hit .315 with 55 extra-base hits, could be a factor at Fenway in the near future, and it’s something he is okay with.

“I like that plan,” said Bradley on getting to Boston sooner rather than later. “It’s always good hearing that, but I’m going to continue to work hard. I feel like I got a long ways to go and I want to get better every day.”

Garin Cecchini, who spent his entire season with Low-A Greenville, was the Base Runner of the Year award recipient after swiping an organizational high 51 steals, having only been caught six times.

“I was at 49 the last game and I stole four times and got caught twice,” said Cecchini. “I was wanting to get [fifty]. It was one of the goals I set in my head but I didn’t say anything about it. Obviously I got there, so it’s good.”

Cecchini, who missed much of his first pro season with Lowell after being hit in the wrist by a pitch, was a South Atlantic League All-Star and hit .305 for the season with 46 extra-base hits, 62 RBIs and 84 runs scored.

“That was my main goal and that is the hardest thing to do is stay healthy,” said Cecchini who played in 118 games this season after playing in just 32 a year ago. “Sometimes injuries you just can help. The season is so long and staying healthy is the biggest key.”

Daniel Nava was honored with the Lou Gorman Award, which is bestowed upon a Red Sox minor leaguer “who has demonstrated dedication and perseverance in overcoming obstacles while working his way to the Major League team.”

Keivin Heras, an 18-year-old right hander, won the Minor League Latin Program Pitcher of the Year, while Dominican Summer League teammate Manuel Margot, a 17-year-old outfielder, picked up Minor League Latin Program Player of the Year honors.

It was a great season for the Pawtucket Red Sox, who captured their first Governors' Cup title in 28 years, but unfortunately they couldn't close it on the highest of notes by winning their first ever Triple-A National Championship as the Reno Aces scored early and often to take the title, 10-3, in Durham on Tuesday.

PawSox starter Nelson Figueroa got roughed up in the first two innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits, including a first inning home run by Brent Clevlen that set the tone for Reno.

The Aces had eight runs on the board before the PawSox could counter with one run in the fourth and another in the fifth on a monster solo home run from Tony Thomas.

In the bottom of the fifth Reno put themselves back up by eight on a two-run shot from Keon Broxton that cleared the Blue Monster in left field, knocking the wind out of any momentum the PawSox may have created for themselves.

Despite drawing eleven walks on the night to go along with seven hits, Pawtucket could not string everything together at the right time, leading to 13 men left on base and only three runs on their side of the scoreboard.

The Aces follow their first ever Pacific Coast League title with their first Triple-A Championship and first for the PCL in four years.

Final: Aces 10, PawSox 3: Alas, the ultimate prize was not Pawtucket's for the taking. However, it was a story book season for Arnie Beyeler and his legions of players that put on the Pawtucket uni this season...and there were many of them. It wasn't a pretty final game from either side, but congratulations to the Reno Aces on capturing fourth Triple-A title for the Pacific Coast League.

Top 9th, PawSox 3, Aces 10: Jonathan Albaladejo on to close the door for the Aces. LaRoche reaches on an infield single to start the ninth. Brentz goes down on strikes for the third time tonight. Butler hits a bomb off the Blue Monster in left, but LaRoche tries to score from first and is gunner down for the second out. Replays show clearly that LaRoche was not tagged, but that doesn't help anyone, so the PawSox are down to one out in their historic 2012 campaign. Broxton makes a diving catch in left on a sinking Lin liner to end the season and the Aces mob each other in a driving rain as they celebrate their first ever Triple-A National Championship.

Bottom 8th, PawSox 3, Aces 10: Tony Pena Jr. gets the ball for Pawtucket. Kuhn becomes the PawSox tenth strikeout victim of the night. Bell grounds out to second. Jacobs flies to shallow left and the PawSox get their first (and only) 1-2-3 inning of the night.

Top 8th, PawSox 3, Aces 10: Jensen Lewis now pitching for Reno. Thomas flies out to the right field corner. Linares grounds out to short and is 0-for-4 on the night. Ryan Dent pinch hitting for Valencia as Arnie starts to give his bench players some time. Dent pops up to second and the PawSox are down to three outs in their season.

Bottom 7th, PawSox 3, Aces 10: Jose De La Torre on for Pawtucket. Bortnick with yet another leadoff hit for Reno, a double. He is 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs on the night. Budde strikes out for the second time tonight. Braxton Ks as well but not before Bortnick takes third on a passed ball. Pollack swings and misses at strike three as De La Torre tallies three Ks in his inning of work.

Top 7th, PawSox 3, Aces 10: LaRoche quickly grounds to short for the first out. Brentz is PawSox walk number nine...yet they somehow only have two runs. Unimaginable. Butler hits a grounder to third which forces Brentz out at second. Hee fouls off a batch of pitches before becoming the tenth walk of the night for Pawtucket. The PawSox have 10 walks and four hits while Reno has 12 hits and one walk. Lesson learned = HIT THE BALL! Lin singles back through the box and Butler scores a two-out run for Pawtucket. Hazelbaker avoids the sombrero with a ground out to first.

Bottom 6th, PawSox 2, Aces 10: Alex Wilson is the fourth PawSox pitcher of the night. Bell with a leadoff infield single. For the fifth time in six innings the Aces have their leadoff man on. Brentz gets to the Jacobs liner for out number one. Clevlen gets called out on strikes for the second out. Harbin flies to center to end the inning.

Top 6th, PawSox 2, Aces 10: Lin is erased with a ground out to short. Hazelbaker pulls himself one K shy of the golden sombrero. Thomas reaches first after Clevlen loses the third out in the lights. Have to assume that Bryce Brentz is telling his teammates "told you so" on the bench. A passed ball advances Thomas. Linares draws the eighth PawSox walk of the night. Valencia strands two more runners was he misses a pitch away for strike three. Rain is coming down pretty good now in Durham, tarps on the bullpen mounds.

Bottom 5th, PawSox 2, Aces 10: Brock Huntzinger comes on for the PawSox, but Reno gets another leadoff guy on as Bortnick doubles for his second hit of the ballgame. Budde strikes out looking. Braxton hits one over the big wall in left for a two-run homer and the PawSox are looking at an eight run deficit once again. Pollack grounds to Hee for out number two. Kuhn Ks to end the inning.

Top 5th, PawSox 2, Aces 8: Tony Thomas with a SOLO HR on the first pitch of the inning and the lineup showing some signs of life. Linares with some awful swings to strike out for the second time tonight. Valencia is out number two with an easy fly to left. LaRoche gets a two-bagger down the third base line, a favorite spot for PawSox hitters tonight. Another walk for Bauer, his sixth, this time Brentz. And another as Butler earns a free pass to load things up. Brett Butler thinks that seven walks is enough and yanks Bauer from the game.

Mike DeMark comes on for Reno with two outs and the bases loaded. Hee is blown away by strike three and the PawSox can do no more damage, leave the bases loaded for the second straight inning.

Bottom 4th, PawSox 1, Aces 8: Bell grounds out to Hernandez who then strikes out Jacobs. Brentz charging for a fly ball in the right corner over runs it, then reaches back and misses the ball allowing Clevlen to get to second base. Brentz has had a rough night out in right field tonight. He does however handle the final out from Harbin before any damage is done. For the first time tonight the Aces fail to score.

Top 4th, PawSox 1, Aces 8: Another leadoff walk for the PawSox as Valencia gets on for the second time tonight. It's the third straight inning that Pawtucket has put their leadoff man on. LaRoche with a can-of-corn popup to second base for the first out. Brentz gives the Aces another easy popup out, this time to shallow center. Butler puts one down the third base line for a two-out single, putting Valencia at third. Hee walks to load the bases. Lin takes four straight balls and the PawSox are on the board! Hazelbaker strands three as he whiffs to end the inning. Bauer has been far from impressive tonight, walking five through three innings.

Bottom 3rd, PawSox 0, Aces 8: Hernandez comes on in relief for Pawtucket, but Reno continues with the leadoff hits as Clevlen singles for his second hit of the game. Harbin follows with a walk. Hee's only play on a tough grounder is to first for out number one, but Clevlen and Harbin move up a base. Linares catches out number two right against the left field wall, but Budde does sacrifice in Clevlen from third. All the rolls seem to be going in Reno's direction as Braxton's slow roller to second is enough to keep the inning alive. And just like that, another break scores more runs for the Aces as Brentz lets the final out of the inning pop out of his glove. A big error that scores another run and puts runners on second and third. The inning mercifully ends on a squib grounder that Hernandez handles. The PawSox will need to chip away at this thing starting with their next at-bat.

Top 3rd, PawSox 0, Aces 6: John Hee draws a four-pitch leadoff walk, and the PawSox might do right by taking a bunch of pitches from Bauer moving forward. Work his pitch count up a bit. Lin takes four straight balls as well and the PawSox have guys on first and second with no outs. Hazelbaker gets punched out on a check-swing third strike. A first pitch fastball to Thomas gets away and Hee and Lin advance a base. Thomas held up with his swing but is called out on strikes and Bauer will have a chance to get out of another threat. Linares aids him with a weak grounder to third to end the inning without a run. Only bright side of that inning for Pawtucket was getting Bauer to burn 20 pitches.

Bottom 2nd, PawSox 0, Aces 6: Tyler Bortnick drops one into left field for another Aces leadoff hit. Che-Hsuan Lin looked to lose his footing for a second before catching the first out of the inning off the bat of Ryan Budde. Keon Broxton hits one to right field that holds up enough to Brentz to camp under it for the second out. Back around to the top of the Reno order. Bortnick breaks for second and gets in under Butler's high throw. Pollack flares a broken bat single into left, scoring Bortnick and no one is covering second for Pawtucket so the speedy Pollack earns another base off of a PawSox gaffe. Kuhn with a solid lined single to center field, Lin's throw home is a weak one and Pollack scores easily while Kuhn moves up to second. Rich Sauveur with a visit to the mound and Chris Hernandez warming in the pen. And another broken bat single scoring a run, this time from Bell and things are officially out of hand. Jacobs flies out to the infield grass to end the two-out rally. Figueroa has faced thirteen batters through two innings and his night may be over.

Top 2nd, PawSox 0, Aces 3: Danny Valencia blisters a 3-1 pitch down the third base line for a double, the first PawSox hit of the night. Valencia advances to third on a wild pitch by Bauer. After running the count 3-0, Andy LaRoche Ks for the first out. Bryce Brentz shows a bit of his youth by swinging at the first pitch and popping it foul to the catcher for the second out. Dan Butler takes one for a ride, but it is tracked down in front of the center field wall, stranding Valencia at third.

Bottom 1st, PawSox 0, Aces 3: For those watching on TV, yes that is former Red Sox infielder Rick "Rooster" Burleson coaching first base. He serves as the Aces hitting coach.

A.J. Pollack hits one off the top of the wall in right-center for a leadoff triple. Had the PawSox hit the cutoff man on that play they would have had a great shot at getting Pollack at third. Tyler Kuhn hits an opposite field single to left to drive in Pollack for the first run of the game. Josh Bell is an easy out on a four pitch K. A pickoff try of Kuhn at first by Figueroa, but he gets in just ahead of the tag. Mike Jacobs goes down looking on an inside fastball for the second out. Kuhn steals second on a swinging strike by Brent Clevlen, solid effort by Dan Butler on the throw. Clevlan deposits one to dead center field for a two-run jack. Taylor Harbin ends the inning with by grounding out to second base.
Figueroa has his toughest inning of the postseason as Reno is quick to jump on the scoreboard in this one with a couple of hard hit balls.

Top 1st, PawSox 0, Aces 0: Trevor Bauer gets Jeremy Hazelbaker to ground out to second base for the first out of the game. Tony Thomas rips a 2-1 pitch that is handled at third base on one hop for the second out. J.C. Linares has trouble with Bauer's breaking balls and strikes out swinging at a ball in the dirt for a 1-2-3 inning. Bauer very sharp out of the gate and not afraid to use his hook often.

Pregame: It all comes down to this. Arnie's Army looks to secure one more win and return to Pawtucket with yet another piece of hardware before calling it a season. If the offense can slug their way to some early runs, as has been the case in most of their playoff wins, then it will go a long way in backing starter Nelson Figueroa. It's been a long time coming since the PawSox made a mark like this, and thanks to the early demise of the big club this season, there has been some much deserved local hype behind their run. Brett Butler leads his Reno squad into Durham with one of the best young pitchers at his disposal in Trevor Bauer. Offensively the Aces will look for a lift from vets Josh Bell and Mike Jacobs, but could be sparked at the top of their order by Diamondbacks top outfield prospect A.J. Pollack. It'll be all hands on deck tonight for both sides in this winner-take-all affair from Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Here are tonight's starting lineups:

PAWTUCKET RED SOX
Jeremy Hazelbaker DH
Tony Thomas 2B
J.C. Linares LF
Danny Valencia 3B
Andy LaRoche 1B
Bryce Brentz RF
Dan Butler C
Jone Hee SS
Che-Hsuan Lin CF

Nelson Figueroa RHP

RENO ACES
A.J. Pollack CF
Tyler Kuhn 2B
Josh Bell DH
Mike Jacobs 1B
Brent Clevlen RF
Taylor Harbin SS
Tyler Bortnick 3B
Ryan Budde C
Keon Broxton LF

Trevor Bauer RHP

Game time: 7:05 p.m

Expected game time temp: 71 degrees, with possible thunderstorms

Notes: PawSox hurler Nelson Figueroa has started the wild card clinching game for Pawtucket, as well as the first round clincher and the Governors’ Cup clincher. The 38-year-old Brandeis product is pitching in his 18th season of professional baseball having spent all of his time prior to this season with National League organizations. Figueroa started the season in the New York Yankees organization and went 7-2 at Scranton-Wilkes/Barre before being released in mid-July. The Red Sox snapped him up and added him to the PawSox staff where he went 5-3 with a 3.77 ERA over eight appearances, six of them starts…Reno starter Trevor Bauer was all of four-years-old when Figueroa was starting his professional baseball career. The 21-year-old out of UCLA has lived up to his billing since being selected with third overall pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2011 draft. He has compiled a 13-4 record with a 3.00 ERA and 200 strikeouts over 156 innings of work in the minors. He did also make four starts for Arizona this season, going 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA. Bauer was ranked as the ninth best prospect in the game by Baseball America prior to the 2012 season…This will mark the latest into any season that the Pawtucket Red Sox have played. Before tonight it was September 15th, 1977 when they lost in the Governors’ Cup to Charleston…Reno is the home team for tonight’s game after the Pacific Coast League beat the International League, 3-0, in the Triple-A All-Star game earlier this season…The PawSox have outscored their opponents 33-14 over their seven playoff games thus far. The pitching staff is holding batters to a .179 batting average to go along with a 2.01 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP...The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Network (check your local listings).

In the last Minor League Baseball game of the season, at any level, the Pawtucket Red Sox square off against the Reno Aces on Tuesday night in the seventh annual Triple-A National Championship in Durham, North Carolina.

Established in 2006, the format features the champions of the International League and Pacific Coast League playing in a one-game, winner-take-all battle and both Pawtucket and Reno will be making their first appearance in the event.

Getting to Tobacco Road
The PawSox journey to Durham started with a three-games-to-one defeat of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in their first round playoff series, followed by a sweep of the Charlotte Knights in three games to capture their first Governors’ Cup in 28 years.

It took the Aces a full five-games in the first round of the PCL playoffs to dispatch of the Sacramento Bears, and then they needed four games to take down Omaha and capture their first ever Pacific Coast League crown.

Reno will pull a solid ace from their deck as the third overall pick in the 2011 draft, Trevor Bauer, will get the start on Tuesday. Bauer is a combined 12-2 with a 2.42 ERA and 157 strikeouts between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno this year.

The PawSox have just announced that Nelson Figueroa, winner of game three’s clincher versus Charlotte last Thursday, will get the start on Tuesday night.

Each league has won captured three Triple-A Championships, with the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) winning the last two. Past game MVP’s include Scott Hairston (Tucson, 2006), Lou Merloni (Sacramento, 2007) and Jeremy Hellickson (Durham, 2009).

Where to watch
If you can’t wait until next season to get back to McCoy Stadium, then you are in luck as they will open the gates for fans to come and watch the game at the ballpark on the videoboard for free. The Governors’ Cup will also be on hand and you can be one of the first people to get your picture taken with the latest piece of hardware to hit the region. Gates open at 6:00p.m. and fans are allowed to watch the game from the outfield grass or the seating bowl.

If you are unable to make it Pawtucket for the festivities, the game is also available on the NBC Sports Network (check your local listings) starting at 7:00 p.m. and we will be providing live updates throughout as well.

It's hard to believe that Ben Mondor wasn’t smiling down on Fort Mill, South Carolina on Thursday night.

The longtime owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox, who passed away in 2010, had only witnessed his club win one International League Championship, back in 1984.

On Thursday night the PawSox reclaimed the Governors’ Cup for the first time in 28 years after sweeping the Charlotte Knights with a 4-1 victory in game three at Knights Stadium.

For the third straight game Pawtucket got a solid effort out of their starting pitcher as 38-year-old Nelson Figueroa held back the Knights for six innings, allowing only one run while scattering seven hits and striking out five.

J.C. Linares helped keep the Knights in check when he came up with a big first-inning assist, cutting down Greg Golson to end an early threat and keep the game scoreless.
The bats wasted little time in staking Figueroa a lead, posting up two runs in the second inning behind an RBI single by catcher Mike Rivera and a sacrifice fly from Che-Hsuan Lin.

The Knights pulled within one in the bottom of the fifth inning when Carlos Sanchez drove in Jared Mitchell on a single to right field. Sanchez tried to advance to second on Bryce Brentz’s throw to the plate, but first baseman Andy LaRoche cut off the throw and gunned him down to end the inning.

Linares also contributed on the offensive end of things, following up Jeremy Hazelbaker’s RBI triple in the seventh with an RBI single of his own to score Hazelbaker and give Pawtucket a three-run cushion for the final three innings.

As has been the case all postseason, the bullpen came on and held down the fort with Will Inman, Jose De La Torre and Josh Fields all working one scoreless inning to clinch the title.

The team will remain in North Carolina as they await the winner of the Pacific Coast League series for the one-game, Triple-A National Championship next Tuesday in Durham.

The Omaha Storm Chasers and Reno Aces are tied at one game apiece in the PCL series which resumes on Friday night.

The championship is the third in Pawtucket Red Sox history (1973, 1984, 2012).

Here are tonight's starting lineups:

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS
Carlos Sanchez SS
Drew Garcia 2B
Greg Golson DH
Seth Loman 1B
Josh Phegley C
Trayce Thompson CF
Jared Mitchell LF
Tommy Manzella 3B
Brandon Short RF

Matt Zileski RHP

PAWTUCKET RED SOX
Jeremy Hazelbaker DH
Tony Thomas 2B
J.C. Linares LF
Danny Valencia 3B
Bryce Brentz RF
Andy LaRoche 1B
Mike Rivera C
Ryan Dent SS
Che-Hsuan Lin CF

Nelson Figueroa RHP

Game time: 7:15 p.m

Expected game time temp: 75 degrees

Notes: Starting pitcher Nelson Figueroa, like much of his PawSox teammates, has caught fire at the right time. After breezing through his last two regular season starts, the 38-year-old won game four of the first round against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by tossing eight inning of two-hit ball where he allowed only one run. Figueroa was spotted leaving McCoy Stadium prior to last night’s game, so that he could fly down to Charlotte yesterday as the rest of the team did not arrive until this morning…The PawSox are 5-1 in the postseason and won all four games that they played at McCoy. As a team they have 46 hits in the playoffs, 21 of which went for extra-bases, included ten home runs. The PawSox have only committed three errors in their six postseason games…The latest into any season that Pawtucket has played is September 15th, which occured in 1977 when they lost to Charleston in the Governors' Cup series...The Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) evened up the Pacific Coast League Championship series with a 9-6 win over the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) on Wednesday night. The PCL champ will play the IL champ in the one-game Triple-A National Championship next Tuesday, September 18th in Durham, North Carolina.

There will no live blog tonight, but check out the Red Sox-Yankees live game blog at Extra Bases as I will be sure to give continuous updates on the PawSox game as well.

PAWTUCKET – It only took two hours and nineteen minutes for the PawSox to push themselves to the brink of history with a 2-0 win over the Charlotte Knights in game two of the Governors’ Cup Championship series at McCoy Stadium on Wednesday.

The PawSox got an exceptional effort out of starter Zach Stewart who paced the shutout by holding the Knights scoreless through the first six innings, striking out four and allowing only four hits and a walk.

“He did a great job,” said Pawtucket manager Arnie Beyeler. “He minimized a couple of innings, kept the ball down and worked ahead [in the count]. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

“It was just one of those nights where the ball was coming out of my hand good,” said Stewart. “I had a good defense behind me and a good offense to go at their guys.”

His counterpart, Charlie Shirek was equally as good for the Knights, but gave up two run on the four hits he allowed in his seven innings of work, including a big fly to Dan Butler in the second that made all the difference.

“It was a very well-pitched game on both sides,” said Beyeler. “They’re going to pitch and we’re going to have the make the most of our opportunities. We did that tonight.”

Butler took a 2-1 offering over the Pawtucket bullpen in left field to put the PawSox up, 1-0, early. As fate would have it, it would be all the scoring that Pawtucket would need. It was also the tenth home run hit by the PawSox in six postseason games.

“Anytime you get an early run like that it’s going to help,” said Butler. “It was a good run.”

The only other run of the game was scored again by Butler, who hustled all the way home from first base on a Che-Hsuan Lin double to left-center in the fifth inning. It was Lin’s first hit of the postseason.

The rest was handled by the bullpen, with Pedro Beato, Alex Wilson and Jose De La Torre all contributing a scoreless inning to the effort.

“Those guys came in and pounded it,” said Butler of the relief corp. “They hit their spots real well. Those guys all throw hard and when they’re throwing the ball as well as they are right now, it’s very hard to hit.”

“It’s been a real good run,” said Stewart. “We got one more game to win and were focused on that right now and trying to get a championship.”

The remainder of the series shifts to Charlotte, with game three set for Thursday night at 7:10 p.m. Nelson Figueroa will start for Pawtucket while Charlotte counters with Matt Zaleski.

Final: PawSox 2, Knights 0: The PawSox are on the brink of history as they win games one and two at home in the Governors’ Cup Championship Series. They now need to capture one win in Charlotte for their first International League title since 1984. Tomorrow night’s game three will be a 7:10 p.m. start time and if a game four of five are necessary, they will begin at the same time.

Top 9th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: Jose De La Torre in to close the door on this one for the PawSox.

Loman goes down looking on three straight pitches. Phegley grounds out to second for out number two. Thompson grounds to Hee who boots the ball and can't get it to first in time to end the game. Mitchell grounds down the line at first, handled by De La Torre who flips to Spears to end the game.

Bottom 8th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: Anthony Carter comes on in relief of Charlie Shirek who allowed only four hits and two runs in seven innings of work for the Knights.

Lin gets his second hit of the game, a single up the middle that shortstop Carlos Sanchez made a nice play on in the hole, but couldn't come up with a strong enough throw. Hazelbaker moves Lin over to second with a groundout to third base. Thomas pushed Lin to third on a groundout to second. Linares stands Lin by striking out to end the inning.

Top 8th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: Short reaches base for the third time tonight with a leadoff walk. Short then steals second on the second pitch to Golson.

Golson proceeds to sky one to the mound which is handled by Spears and Beyeler comes out to make a pitching change, bringing Alex Wilson in from the pen.

Garcia strikes out and Morel flies to center to end the inning. Knights will be down to their last three outs in their next at-bat.

Bottom 7th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: For the second time in three innings Spears grounds to first to start the inning. Butler is retired, 4-3, for the first time tonight. Hee goes down swinging on a 94 mile-per-hour fastball from Shirek who now has three 1-2-3 frames through seven.

Top 7th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: Pedro Beato on to pitch for Pawtucket

Stewart's line - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 87 pitches/58 strikes

Hazelbaker calls off Hee in short left on Phegley's shallow fly out. Thompson pops up to Butler in foul ground for the second out. Mitchell walks, but Sanchez grounds to third to end the inning.

Bottom 6th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: Thomas strikes out looking, his second whiff of the night, this time on a 94 mile-per-hour heater. Linares flies out to right. Valencia rips one down the third base line for a double. It's the PawSox fourth hit of the night and third for extra-bases. Brentz with a lazy po-up to second ends the inning.

Top 6th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: Garcia rolls one down to second for the first out. Morel with an easier grounder for Stewart to handle from the hill. Loman grounds to first on the first pitch he sees. Very short inning for Stewart, his third 1-2-3 of the night.

Bottom 5th, Knights 0, PawSox 2: Spears grounds out to first base. Butler picks up his second hit of the game, a single through the box. He has both of Pawtucket's hits and is only a double and triple from the cycle. Hee lines out to right for the second out. Lin laces a double into the gap in right-center and Arnie Beyeler brings out the windmill to wave in Butler who scored all the way from first base. Butler has scored both PawSox runs. Hazelbaker takes one for a ride to left, but it is caught at the foot of the warning track for the third out.

Top 5th, Knights 0, PawSox 1: Mitchell ends Stewart's leadoff batter strikeout streak with a single to left-center. Sanchez flies out to center and while Hee had faked out Mitchell that a play was going on at second, Lin had plenty of time to double him off of first. Maybe too much time as Lin seemed to throw in a panic to Spears at first, bouncing it only a few feet from where he caught it. Luckily it was rolling fast enough to beat Mitchell back to first.

Short singles, but Golson grounds to third to end the inning.

Bottom 4th, Knights 0, PawSox 1: Linares swings at the first offering and hits a solid ground ball to short for an out. Valencia follows suit with a ground out to short of his own. Heck, even Bryce Brentz isn't immune to the magnet at shortstop named Carlos Sanchez. Shirek has retired all seven batters since allowing the HR to Butler.

Top 4th, Knights 0, PawSox 1: Morel Ks on a breaking ball by Stewart. He has struck out the first batter of all four innings so far. Garcia smacks on right back at Stewart who is ready for it, tosses to first for out number two. Phegley gets on via an infield single after rolling one to Valencia's left at third. Thompson ends the innings with a ground out to second. Stewart is working very quickly and has been very effective in doing so.

Bottom 3rd, Knights 0, PawSox 1: Che-Hsuan Lin lines out to right on the second pitch of the inning for out one. Hazelbaker strikes out and Thomas does the same to end the inning. Shirek looking solid except for the one bad pitch to Butler in the second. He has four Ks through three.

Top 3rd, Knights 0, PawSox 1: Jared Mitchell becomes the third leadoff hitter to whiff against Stewart. Carlos Sanchez is the first Knights batter to reach base with a solid base-knock up the middle. Short walks to put two runners on with one out. Golson lines one right at Lin in centerfield. Garcia flies out to right to end the threat.

Bottom 2nd, Knights 0, PawSox 1: Brentz takes one deep to right-center field but it is tracked down by Brandon Short just in front of the wall. Second ball hit to that part of the park by the PawSox tonight, winding blowing out.

Nate Spears goes down on three quick strikes.

Dan Butler gets the PawSox on the board first with a solo shot to left, over the bullpen. That was hit in the same spot where last night's three long balls went.

Jon Hee harmlessly grounds to second to end the inning.

Top 2nd, Knights 0, PawSox 0: Seth Loman goes down looking at strike three. Josh Phegley flies out to Hazelbaker for the second out. Trayce Thompson makes it six in a row with a slow rolling ground out to short. Stewart looks sharp through the first two innings.

Bottom 1st, Knights 0, PawSox 0: Jeremy Hazelbaker gets the start tonight against the right-handed Shirek, and reaches on a throwing error by Morel to lead off the inning. A wild pitch advances Hazelbaker to second. Tony Thomas gets some real good wood on an opposite field shot to left-center, but it is tracked down at the wall. Hazelbaker advances to third on the sac-fly. Linares grounds one to a drawn in Carlos Sanchez at shortstop who goes home with the ball to cut down Hazelbaker. Danny Valencia Ks to end the inning.

Top 1st, Knights 0, PawSox 0: The first pitch from Zach Stewart comes at 7:04 p.m. (we're leaving early tonight folks) and is fouled off by Greg Golson. Game time temps are 75 with winds out of south at 7-miles-per-hour.

Both Bryce Brentz and Dan Butler gaffe on foul pop-ups that were catchable off the bat of Golson, but Stewart gets him to chase at a strike three in the dirt for the first out of the game. Drew Garcia lofts one out to Lin in center for out number two and Brent Morel grounds out to third on the first pitch he sees to end the inning.

Pregame: With all due respect to those who play 45 minutes north of McCoy Stadium, the Pawtucket Red Sox are gearing up for the last meaningful baseball game of the 2012 season to be played in New England. The PawSox are hoping to head to Charlotte with a two game lead in their best-of-five series and a solid start by Zach Stewart will go a long way against an inexperienced Knights lineup, with six of the nine positional starters having only played in 36 or less games in Triple-A. Stay tunes for live updates all night long and you can also follow along with the streaming audio feed of the game here.

Here are tonight's starting lineups:

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS
Greg Golson DH
Drew Garcia 2B
Brent Morel 3B
Seth Loman 1B
Josh Phegley C
Trayce Thompson CF
Jared Mitchell LF
Carlos Sanchez SS
Brandon Short RF

Charlie Shirek RHP

PAWTUCKET RED SOX
Jeremy Hazelbaker LF
Tony Thomas 2B
J.C. Linares DH
Danny Valencia 3B
Bryce Brentz RF
Nate Spears 1B
Dan Butler C
Jon Hee SS
Che-Hsuan Lin CF

Zach Stewart RHP

Game time: 7:05 p.m

Expected game time temp: 70 degrees

Notes: In round one of the playoffs PawSox starter Zach Stewart allowed four runs on two walks and seven hits, two of which were home runs, in a game one win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He will need to pitch more like his August 23rd start when he threw a season-high seven innings against these very Knights. In that outing Stewart allowed only four hits and two runs and did not allow any walks. This will be his 13th start for Pawtucket since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the Kevin Youkilis deal...Due to the early injury of Knights starter Charlie Leesman last night and the subsequent move to bring in scheduled game two starter Andre Rienzo, manager Joel Skinner has bumped his staff up one game. So Charlie Shirek moves from game three to tonight, Matt Zaleski will pitch in game three and Scott Carroll will get the game four call if necessary. A game five starter has not yet been determined...After a 2-for-3 performance last night with a double, triple and a walk, Bryce Brentz is now batting .471 in the playoffs. Outfield mate J.C. Linares is at .438 after a 2-for-4 night which included his second home run of the postseason...Nelson Figueroa, Pawtucket's game three starter, left McCoy Stadium prior to tonight's game and will depart for Charlotte in advance of the team...The PawSox are 3-0 at home in the postseason after last night's victory. They have outscored their opponents 27-13 in their five playoff games thus far and their pitching is holding opposing batters to a .181 batting average...In game one of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series last night, the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) handily defeated the defending champion Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 13-1. The PCL champ will play the IL champ in the one-game Triple-A National Championship next Tuesday, September 18th in Durham, North Carolina...This will be the final game played at McCoy Stadium this season. It will be seven months before the Triple-A Red Sox return to Pawtucket when they face the Rochester Red Wings on April 11th in their 2013 home opener.

PAWTUCKET – It had been 28 years since the Pawtucket Red Sox picked up a win in the Governors’ Cup Championship Series and on Tuesday night they used the arm of Steven Wright and some heavy lumber to break that slump with a 7-2 win over Charlotte in game one of the Governors’ Cup Championship Series at McCoy Stadium.

After a first inning in which the Knights put good wood on the ball and scored a run, Wright fell into a groove and proceeded to throw six scoreless innings after that, striking out six batters on the night.

“I felt good after the first inning,” said Wright. “I kind of got a little excited and a little amped up. I started rushing and once I rushed everything stays up. Once I calmed down and stayed back I was able to keep the ball down in the zone.”

Despite drawing first blood with a run in the top of the first inning, the opening frame was not kind to the Knights who lost starting pitcher Charlie Leesman after freak collision with his first baseman, Seth Loman, on the third batter he faced.

With runners on first and second and no outs, J.C. Linares hit a slow chopped to first. As Loman came in on the ball, Leesman was crossing over to cover the bag and stopped on a dime, jamming his knee. Leesman lay on the ground clutching his left knee for about five minutes before being escorted from the field, ending his night.

“They’ll do all the diagnostic stuff tomorrow,” said Charlotte manager Joel Skinner. “He broke off the mound and broke for the ball and when he stopped to avoid the collision and that’s when he hurt himself.”

The PawSox knotted the game in the bottom of the first inning on a Danny Valencia sac-fly, scoring Nate Spears. Then Valencia hit what would turn out to be the game-winning blow in the third inning, a two run homer that cleared everything in leftfield, giving the PawSox a 3-1 lead.

Pawtucket maintained a two run lead, 4-2, heading into the seventh inning, but Tony Thomas added the insurance they needed to breathe easier, a two-run homer to left to make it 6-2.

On the very next pitch J.C. Linares lines a solo shot to almost the same part of the ballpark and the PawSox cruised the rest of the way behind scoreless frames pitched by relievers Alex Wilson and Josh Fields.

“The guys swing the bats,” said Pawtucket manager Arnie Beyeler. “We got some good counts and got some good swings on the ball. Danny got us going early and going back-to-back was big.”

Zach Stewart will face off against Charlie Shirek (0-0, 15.43) in game two on Wednesday night, with the first pitch schedules for 7:05 p.m. at McCoy Stadium. This will be the final home game of the season for the PawSox as games 3, 4 and 5 will be played in Charlotte as needed.

Game over: PawSox 7, Knights 2: The Pawtucket Red Sox pick up their first win in a Governors’ Cup game since their game five title clincher in 1984. Steven Wright was spectacular, calming down very nicely after getting hit hard in the first inning. The long ball backed him nicely as well with Valencia’s two-run third inning homer setting the tone and Thomas and Linares’ seventh inning back-to-back effort sealing the deal. Zach Stewart gets the ball in game two for Pawtucket tomorrow at McCoy Stadium with a 7:05p.m. start time. With Rienzo forced into action in game one, Charlotte’s game two starter is currently TBA.

Top 9th, Knights 2, PawSox 7: Josh Fields on the hill to try and close out game one for the PawSox.

Thompson misses a 94 mile-per-hour fastball for strike three. Mitchell with a high fly out to Linares in left. Sanchez walks to extend the Knights lifeline for at least another batter. Short strikes out to end game one.

Bottom 8th, Knights 2, PawSox 7: Butler draws a leadoff walk, his second free pass of the game. Repko grounds to the pitcher whose only play was to first, so Butler advances to second. Hee Ks for the second time tonight. Spears flies out to shallow center to end the eighth.

Top 8th, Knights 2, PawSox 7: Alex Wilson on in relief for the PawSox.

Wright's line - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, 107 pitches/61 strikes

Morel grounds to second for the 12th straight Knights out. Wilson makes it a bakers dozen with an off-speed strikeout of Loman. And Phegley hits a broken bat pop-up to short for the fourth straight 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom 7th, Knights 2, PawSox 7: Ryan Kussmaul enters the game in place of Rienzo for Charlotte. Rienzo put in a solid effort on very short notice. He went 5 2/3 and allowed three earned runs and struck out seven.

Hee lines out to centerfield to start the inning. Spears hits a slow roller that third baseman Morel tries to field barehanded, but is unable to come up cleanly with the ball. It's Spears' second single of the night. Thomas launches a two-run home run to left field and Linares lines a solo shot on the very next pitch to make it 7-2 in favor of Pawtucket. The ball has flown out of the yard in the direction of the PawSox bullpen tonight. That is the insurance that Pawtucket desperately wanted.

Valencia strikes out swinging. LaRoche looked as if he would end an inning for the fourth time tonight, but Sanchez throws wide at first to keep the inning going. Brentz grounds to second to end the inning, but the damage is done.

Top 7th, Knights 2, PawSox 4: Short lifts one to dead center for the first out of the inning. Golson Ks for the second time tonight and is thrown out at first after Butler dropped the pitch. Garcia grounds out to short for another 1-2-3 inning. Wright has retired eleven Knights in a row.

Bottom 6th, Knights 2, PawSox 4: Brentz leads off an inning for the third time tonight and draws a walk after running the count full. Rienzo was a lot more careful with the red hot Brentz in this at-bat.

Butler then wastes no time in grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. Repko sends a long drive to the wall in left-center that Mitchell was able to catch up to to end the inning.

Top 6th, Knights 2, PawSox 4: Thompson, for his second straight at-bat, grounds out to Valencia at third base. Mitchell lines one to Repko in center who takes one step to his right and one step back to make the catch. Sanchez grounds back to Wright for out number three and the second straight 1-2-3 for Pawtucket.

Wright looks very comfortable now. Maybe he was waiting for things to dip into the 50s? Regardless he is handling this Knights lineup very well right now and working quickly, which is more important for those of us who lived through that long first inning.

Bottom 5th, Knights 2, PawSox 4: Spears strikes out for the second time, but a wild pitch allows him to reach first to lead things off. Thomas lofts an easy fly ball to right for the first out. Linares Ks for the second out. He is Rienzo's sixth strikeout victim on the night. Valencia walks to put two on with two out, but LaRoche grounds out to third to end an inning for the third time tonight.

Top 5th, Knights 2, PawSox 4: Wright gets Morel by way of strikeout for the second time tonight, Loman grounds out to Spears at second and Phegley hits a warning-track shot to Linares to end the inning. It is the second 1-2-3 of the game fore Wright.

Bottom 4th, Knights 2, PawSox 4: Bryce Brentz continues his hot streak, pounding a leadoff triple out of the reach of Short in right field. It's his sixth extra-base hit of the postseason, second tonight.

Butler strikes out on a check swing that the fans did not seem to agree with...neither did Butler who was slow back to the dugout. Four Ks for Rienzo.

Repko grounds to third and Bryce breaks home. The throw comes to the plate but Brentz's slide knocks it lose from Phegley's glove and the run counts.

The inning ends on a stike-out-throw-out double play as Hee goes down swinging and Repko gets gunned down at second.

Top 4th, Knights 2, PawSox 3: Jared Mitchell gets an opposite field, lead off double. It's the Knights first extra base hit of the Knight. Sanchez moves him over with a sac-bunt that was handled cleanly by Butler.

Brandon Short hits a solid single up the middle, scoring Mitchell and pulling Charlotte within one. Wright almost gets Short napping at first base on a pick off.

Wright blows his 86 mile-per-hour heater past Golson looking for out two. A passed ball moves Short to second, but Wright makes a great snag on a comebacker from Garcia to end the inning.

Bottom 3rd, Knights 1, PawSox 3: Spears becomes Rienzo's third strikeout victim of the night. Thomas with a hiiiiiiiiigh fly ball that is caught right behind the second base bag for out number two. Linares hits a hard grounder into the hole that shortstop Sanchez makes a great diving play on, but he knew he had no play and held on to it.

Danny Valencia cranks a two-run jack over everything and into the parking lot - his second straight game with a long ball - collecting Linares in the process to give Pawtucket a two-run lead.

LaRoche ends the inning with a deep flyout to the track in center field.

Top 3rd, Knights 1, PawSox 1: Garcia with a grounder right to
LaRoche for an unassisted out at first. Wright Ks Morel for out number two, and his third strikeout of the game. A walk to Loman ends a streak of six straight retired by Wright. Phegley takes the first pitch he sees to center field on a rope for his second single of the night. But Thompson grounds out to third to end the Knights two-out rally.

Bottom 2nd, Knights 1, PawSox 1: Bryce Brentz takes a 2-1 offering right down the third base line for a very solidly hit double. His seventh hit of the postseason and fourth extra-base hit. Brentz is on fire at the right time.

Dan Butler runs the count full before drawing a walk from Rienzo to put PawSox on first and second without an out. Jason Repko swings at a bad third strike for the first out of the inning. Jon Hee grounds into a 4-6-3 double play, despite Carlos Sanchez almost messing up on the turn. Only fifteen minutes to play the second inning!

Top 2nd, Knights 1, PawSox 1: Wright gets Carlos Sanchez to swing and miss on a 2-2 knuckle ball for the first out of the inning and his first strikeout. Then Brandon Sheet goes down swinging and Golson flies out to center for a quick half inning to make up for the first.

Bottom 1st, Knights 1, PawSox 1: Nate Spears pushes a leadoff single through the right side of the infield. Tony Thomas follows that with a single that drops in front of Mitchell in left. Two on and no outs for Pawtucket.

Linares chops a slow grounder to first base and is tagged out by Seth Loman who in the process ran into pitcher Charlie Leesman who was coming over to try and make a play. Leesman stays down on the ground, holding his left knee in pain. Replays show that it may have been a knee-on-knee hit. Leesman is up after a couple of minutes, but is being helped off the field and is not putting much weight on the left leg. A very tough break for the Knights to lose Leesman just three batters into the game.

In for the Knights is Andre Rienzo, a 6-foot 3-inch right-hander who was scheduled to start game two for Charlotte.

Valencia battles Rienzo and after fouling off five pitches he lifts one deep enough to right field to score Spears on the sac fly, tying the game at one.

Andy LaRoche strikes out to end a very interesting first inning that took over half an hour to complete.

Top 1st, Knights 1, PawSox 0: The first pitch from Wright is a 76-mile-per hour knuckle ball, inside on Greg Golson for ball one at 7:06 p.m. The temperature at game time was 64 degrees.

Golson smacks one right back up the box, through the infield for a leadoff single, then advances on a passed ball on the first pitch to Drew Garcia.

Garcia lines a shot right at Danny Valencia at third base for the first out.

Brett Morel finds the hole between third and short, putting runners at the corners with one out.

Seth Morel laces a lined shot out to J.C. Linares in left field for out number two, but in the process scores Golson who tagged from third. Josh Phegley rips a solid single to centerfield to put runners on first and second with two outs. The Knights batters are getting very solid wood on Wright's knuckler so far tonight. Pitching coach Rich Sauveur makes a visit to try and calm Wright.

Trayce Thompson walks and the Knights get a bases loaded situation. Jared Mitchell flies out to Linares to end the inning and squash a very viable threat.

Pregame ceremonies - The PawSox welcomed thirteen local police and fire department color guards onto the field prior to the game to bear the flags. Sgt. Shane Brodeur from the RI National Guard threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Michael Khouri from Barrington, Rhode Island sang the National Anthem in a Paul Simon-esque acoustic way. It's almost game time here at McCoy.

Pregame: We have something to play for at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket tonight as the PawSox host game one of the best-of-five Governors' Cup Series against the Charlotte Knights. Steven Wright, who came to the PawSox from the Indians organization back on July 31st in exchange for Lars Anderson, gets the start tonight. He will be opposed by lefty Charlie Leesman who is ranked by MLB.com as the third best prospect in the White Sox organization, and best pitcher. The Knights also boast the White Sox best positional prospect in outfielder Trayce Thompson who has belted 24 home runs this season, but none since being called up to Charlotte late in the season. It’s going to be a crisp, fall-like evening here in Rhode Island, but we’ll keep the fire going on the live blog this evening, so please follow along and feel free to leave comments.

Here are tonight's starting lineups:

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS
Greg Golson DH
Drew Garcia 2B
Brent Morel 3B
Seth Loman 1B
Josh Phegley C
Trayce Thompson CF
Jared Mitchell LF
Carlos Sanchez SS
Brandon Short RF

Charlie Leesman LHP

PAWTUCKET RED SOX
Nate Spears 2B
Tony Thomas DH
J.C. Linares LF
Danny Valencia 3B
Andy LaRoche 1B
Bryce Brentz RF
Dan Butler C
Jason Repko CF
Jon Hee SS

Steven Wright RHP

Game time: 7:05 p.m

Expected game time temp: 65 degrees

Notes: Knuckleballer Steven Wright will get his first start of the postseason for the PawSox. It's his fifth start for Pawtucket and sixth since being traded from Cleveland for Lars Anderson. He has made a combined 25 starts between Akron, Portland and Pawtucket and has a 10-7 record with a 2.54 ERA, 119 strikeouts and 69 walks...Knights starter Charlie Leesman was 12-10 with a 2.47 ERA in 26 regular season starts for the Knights. In a game one win of their first round series against Indianapolis, he struck out six and allowed one run on six hits in eight innings of work. Charlotte won the season series, 3-5...The last two times Pawtucket appeared in the International League Championship Series (1991 and 2003) they were swept by the Durham Bulls, three games to none. Their last win in the Governor's Cup series came back in 1984 when they won it all...Bryce Brentz has six hits in the postseason including two home runs and a double...Pawtucket's pitching rotation for the remainder of the series - Game 2: Zach Stewart, Game 3: Nelson Figueroa, Game 4 (in necessary): Chris Hernandez, Game 5 (if necessary): Billy Buckner.

The PawSox get the honors of closing out the season after extending things with a first round playoff series win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. They kick up their Governor’s Cup series against the Charlotte Knights (White Sox) on Tuesday night (7:05 p.m.) at McCoy Stadium in a best-of-five series.

It is the first time since 2003 that Pawtucket has been to the International League finals, with their last Governor’s Cup title coming in 1984.

This season the PawSox were 3-5 against the I.L. South champion Knights who are making their first finals appearance since 2006.

Some names of note for Charlotte include outfielder Conor Jackson who played in 12 games with the Red Sox last season, outfielder Trayce Thompson who MLB.com ranks as the White Sox top prospect and pitcher Charlie Leesman, ranked as the White Sox best pitching prospect per MLB.com.

Leesman (12-10, 2.47 ERA) will get the ball for Charlotte in game one. The PawSox have not yet released their pitchers for the series.

McCoy Stadium will host game two on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. I will be in attendance for at least game one and will provide pre and post-game updates as well as a live running blog of the game itself. If all works out we'll do it again for game two.

The winner of the Governor’s Cup will play the champion of the Pacific Coast League in a one-game Triple-A National Championship on September 18th in Durham, North Carolina.

The Pacific Coast League finals will pit the defending league champion Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) against the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks). The Storm Chasers feature outfielder Wil Myers who was recently named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. The Aces are led by hurler Trevor Bauer, the third overall pick in the 2011 draft.

Once the PawSox put out the lights on the 2012 MiLB season, we will go ahead and give individual wrap-ups for each team in the Sox system, and then start looking at the fall leagues, the offseason and how some of these prospects might impact the Red Sox moving forward.

The Can-Am League announced on Friday morning that they have terminated the membership of the Worcester Tornadoes baseball club, the final nail in the coffin of an organization that suffered a tumultuous financial downfall over the past few months.

The league will seek new ownership in an effort to keep the team in Worcester.

"We have taken this action because the league wants strong, financially viable ownership in the Worcester market," said league commissioner Miles Wolff in a press release. "We will begin immediately looking for ownership for a team in Worcester that will be a positive influence in the community for many years to come."

The Tornadoes started the season with a high level of anticipation after the team inked controversial slugger Jose Canseco to a one year contract.

That marriage quickly went sour as Canseco routinely was unable to accompany the team on road trips due to various legal and physical issues before they cut ties after only 20 games.

Canseco has now filled a suit against the team for $840,000 in unpaid wages and interest.

Last Saturday the team had their uniforms seized by lawyers prior to a game for failure to pay a cleaning service and on Tuesday employees were locked out of the team offices while moving trucks packed up furniture.

The team, operated by Streamlined Sports Inc., has also allegedly failed to pay local vendors and detail services.

If the Can-Am League is unable to resurrect a team in Worcester under new ownership, other viable options include the NECBL and Futures League, both wooden-bat summer collegiate baseball leagues.

The current roster of Tornadoes will be able to complete the final three games of the season, all on the road against the Newark Bears.

In a season during which he has made four separate trips to the big club, where he now currently resides, former Pawtucket Red Sox 1B/DH Mauro Gomez was named the International League’s Most Valuable Player on Tuesday.

Gomez and fellow Boston shuttle-takers Jose Iglesias and Ryan Lavarnway were also named to the 2012 International League post-season All-Star Team.

In 100 games with Pawtucket, Gomez hit .310 with 59 of his 120 hits going for extra bases. He is second in the International League with 24 home runs, first in slugging percentage (.589) and fourth in RBIs (74). He becomes the seventh PawSox player to win the league MVP and first since Jeff Bailey received the honor in 2008. Gomez made his big league debut with Boston back on May 14th and returned to the club on August 18th where he has been since.

Highly regarded as one of the best fielding shortstops in the game, Jose Iglesias battled through injuries and an early season slump to play in 88 games for the PawSox. Voted the league's Best Defensive Shortstop for the last two years, he had a .966 fielding percentage on 384 chances at the position this year. Iglesias batted .266 with 23 RBIs, 46 runs, 12 stolen bases and struck out only 46 times in 353 plate appearances. The Cuban born shortstop was called up to Boston on August 25th for the second time this season.

Due to the hot play of both of Boston’s catchers early in the season, Ryan Lavarnway may have been forced to endure more time in Pawtucket than most would have liked, but he was rewarded for his patience. In 83 games he hit .295 despite a slow start that saw him limp out to a .268 average over the first two months of the season. His power numbers were down from a year ago, but Lavarnway still contributed 8 home runs, 22 doubles and 43 RBIs to the cause. He was also voted the league’s Best Defensive Catcher. Lavarnway was finally called up to Boston on August 1st where he remains.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies) RHP Tyler Cloyd was voted Most Valuable Pitcher and Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees skipper Dave Miller was named Manager of the Year. First baseman Ernesto Mejia became the third start Gwinnett Braves players to win Rookie of the Year, following 1B Freddie Freeman (2010) and RHP Julio Teheran (2011).

The International League postseason awards are voted on by the managers, coaches, media and club representatives.

LOWELL - A tenth inning home run from Jake Stewart helped the Connecticut Tigers back a solid night of pitching in a 2-1 win over the Lowell Spinners at LeLacheur Park on Sunday night.

The Spinners jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when a Deven Marrero single brought in Matty Johnson from second base and it looked as if they might be on their way to a .500 record for the first time since June 25th.

Unfortunately for the Spinners, they would not pick up another hit until the sixth inning thanks to an impressive five innings of work from Connecticut starter Edgar De La Rosa who allowed only one hit, striking out two and walking two.

“De La Rosa did a great job,” said Tigers manager Andrew Graham of his starter, who routinely threw his fastball in the high-90s. “He gave us five quality innings, giving up only that one hit, so you can’t ask for any more than that. Obviously we’d like him to go further in the game, but we've got pitching restrictions, which is why he came out [after] the fifth.”

Equally effective for the Tigers was reliever Ramon Lebron who worked a knee-buckling breaking ball for six strikeouts over three innings.

The Spinners bats continued to avoid pitches when side-armer Matt Davenport came on in the ninth, striking out two to send the game into extra innings.

Lowell reliever Gerardo Oliveras whiffed Carlos De Los Santos to start the tenth, and had two strikes on Stewart before he caught a hold of a fastball that touched the left field scoreboard for what would be the game-winning hit.

Despite an errant pick-off attempt that put Aneury Tavarez at third base in the bottom of the tenth, Davenport held tight for the win, striking out Oscar Perez for the final out.

“De La Rosa and Lebron have plus arms and they pitched off their fast ball tonight, doing a great job of staying in the zone,” said Graham. “Davenport has been doing a great job for us all year. He’s been really effective, a little bit deceptive from down there and just does the job.”

Jared Reaves tied the game in the fifth inning with a one out double that scored Edgar Corcino. The win halted a five game losing streak for the Tigers and ended a five game Spinners win streak.

NOTES: Spinners starting pitcher Pat Light was effective in his three innings of work, facing eleven batters, striking out two and pacing himself thanks to a four pitch, 1-2-3 second inning. “I felt good. All my pitches were working well. It’s been a long year for me, my first start was the third week in February. I’m still going and I like it, but I’m ok with it ending.” Light is scheduled to make two more starts, including the final game of the season on the road in Brooklyn….OF Seth Schwindenhammer has been shut down for the remainder of the season as he recovers from appendix surgery.

Pawtucket (71-61, 2nd in IL North – AAA) – Only 12 games remain on the schedule for the PawSox who grip tightly to a one-game lead in the Wild Card standings over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. They cap the season with four games at McCoy against the Yankees first place Travelin’ Wilkes-Barre-ies, giving Pawtucket the slightest chance of defending their I.L. North crown…In the ten starts since RHP Zach Stewart was traded from the Chicago White Sox he has allowed 24 runs, all of them earned, for a 4.13 ERA. He has struck out 38, walked only 14 in 52 1/3 innings and has gone five-plus frames in eight of his starts while stretching back into a starting role after 17 relief appearances with Chicago…RHP Daniel Bard’s roller-coaster ride continues, as he proceeds to put together two solid outings, then couples it with three straight bombs. However, his ride with the PawSox has been pretty even-keeled when it comes down to numbers. He has made 29 appearances, throwing 30 innings, allowing 27 hits, 28 runs, 29 walks to go with 30 strikeouts…SS Jose Iglesias has as many hits (24) so far in August as he had in all of July. He has also scored more runs (14) and has more extra-base hits (5) than in any other month this year…3B/1B Andy LaRoche has hit safely in ten straight games, a span in which he has four home runs, 11 RBIs, six runs, and four doubles. He is hitting .274 in 44 games with the PawSox after hitting .234 in 46 games with Columbus (Cleveland Indians, Triple-A).

Portland (63-66, 4th in EL Eastern – AA) – The SeaDogs have won eight of their last nine games, are 14-4 in August and 33-25 in the second half of the season. They will need to make up a five-game deficit and chase down both Reading (Phillies) and New Britain (Twins) over their last 12 games in order to make their first playoff appearance since 2008. They do finish the season with four games at home versus the Rphils…OF Bryce Brentz is in the top-20 of many categories in the Eastern League, including games played (10th – 115), hits (10th - 124), batting average (11th - .290), slugging percentage (6th - .480), doubles (7th - 28), home runs (6th - 17), runs (14th - 58), RBIs (7th - 69), strikeouts (3rd – 123) and total bases (5th - 205)…RHP Stolmy Pimentel leads the team with nine quality starts on the year. On Wednesday night he picked up his first Double-A road win, allowing one earned run in six innings against New Britain…OF Jeremy Hazelbaker is second in the Eastern League with 33 stolen bases. He has been caught 11 times, as have two others in the top-five…RHP Jason Urquidez is 4-2 with a 1.98 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 13 appearances, 2 starts. He has not a run in his last 18 innings of work.

Salem (21-37 second half, last in CL Southern – High A) – It’s been a second half to forget for the Salem Sox as they continue to lose top-ranked prospects and games at about the same rate. They are 3-9 since the promotion of Xander Bogaerts. Salem has long since been eliminated from playoff contention, but will play out the remaining 12 games of the season with pride on their minds…RHP Keith Couch became a ten-game winner for the first time in his career. He has picked up a decision in 19 of his 26 appearances this season (20 starts). His 102 strikeouts are sixth most in the Red Sox organization…Leading the farm in strikeouts is RHP Matt Barnes with 130 over 112 2/3 innings. In his last ten starts he is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA and has pitched less than five innings in six of those outings. Barnes has not picked up a win since June 14th…After collecting twenty or more hits in each of the first four months of the season, OF Brandon Jacobs has only six hits in August. HE is 2-for-26 over his last ten games, with eight strikeouts and one RBI. Jacobs 118 total strikeouts are fifth most in the Carolina League.

Greenville (24-34 second half, Tied 5th in SAL Southern - Low A) – Just 2-8 over their last ten games, and 6-14 in August, the Drive are looking to put this season in park by this point. Eleven games remain for Greenville who are 58-70 overall on the year…OF Keury De La Cruz continues to be a model of consistency at the plate, with a team high .311 batting average that is good enough for sixth in the Sally League. He is third in the league in hits (142), fifth in doubles (33), second in home runs (19) and fourth in RBIs (79)…RHP Tyler Lockwood has made a team-high 41 relief appearances this season, notching 8 saves, also a team-high. He made 39 appearances with Greenville last season and walked only 9 batters over 69 innings. This season Lockwood has allowed 25 free passes in 59 innings with the Drive this year...SS Jose Vinicio has 15 extra-base hits and 24 stolen bases in 70 games for Greenville. The 18-year-old from the Dominican boasts a .924 fielding percentage in 331 chances at his position.

Lowell (29-33, 2nd in NYPL Stedler - Short Season A) – The Spinners have cooled a bit following a red-hot start to the month. Tri-City sprinted away with the Stedler Division title and Lowell is still nine games back and would have to climb over four other teams to earn a wild card spot. Stranger things have happened, but with just 14 games remaining it looks as if the Spinners will miss out on the postseason for the third straight season…Despite batting .221 in the month of August, SS Deven Marrero has reached base safely in his last ten games. He is second in the league with 21 stolen bases and has only been caught 6 times…1B David Chester hit his 9th home run of the season on Wednesday and is second in the league behind Staten Island Yankees’ 1B Saxon Butler (10). Chester led the Gulf Coast League in home runs last season with nine in 46 games…INF Mookie Betts has driven in a team-high 15 RBIs in 20 games in August after having 11 in his first 38 games…RHP William Cuevas continues to shine in the piggy-back starters role, going 7-1 in his last 8 games. His 1.36 ERA is second lowest in the NYPL and his 0.93 WHIP is fifth…LHP Brian Johnson visited the team on Sunday after being discharged from the hospital after suffering multiple orbital fractures in the left side of his face. Johnson was hit with a line drive on the second pitch of Saturday’s game at Fenway Park. He is headed back to his home in Florida and should be ready to go at the start of next season.

Gulf Coast (32-25, 1st in GCL South – Rookie) – The GCL Sox cling to their one game lead over the Twins with just three games to be played. Two of those games will be against the Twins…LHP Cody Kukuk, a 2011 seventh-rounder, has allowed only one run over seven innings in four relief appearances. He has stuck out ten and allowed only one hit and three walks…LHP Robby Scott has allowed just one earned run over 20 1/3 innings of relief work. He has struck out 23 and walked five. Over two seasons (between GCL Sox and Spinners) Scott has posted a 1.16 ERA in 20 appearances…The Gulf Coast Sox have used four catchers thus far – David Sopilka, Miguel Rodriguez, Beau Bishop, Carlos Coste – and they have combined for a .182 batting average and nine extra-base hits.