"I thought he played the game [well]," manager Terry Francona said. "I'm sure he had [a quick] heartbeat, and he came up with a huge hit."

Lowrie also had three RBI to tie the Red Sox's 61-year-old rookie RBI debut record held by Merl Combs. Lowrie's forceout in the fifth accounted for the first one.

Willie T. Smith III - Drive pitch 2nd shutout

"Our pitchers did a tremendous job tonight attacking the strike zone," said Drive manager Kevin Boles. "(Starting pitcher Chris) Province didn't have is best stuff, but he was able to battle through some challenges out there. Once he got into a rhythm, he found the zone a little bit. (Relievers Daniel) Bard and (Felix) Ventura did a real nice job."

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Bard (1-0), who allowed one hit while striking out four and walking none, earned the victory. In five outings this season he has struck out 14, walked one and allowed five hits in 92/3 innings.

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First baseman Anthony Rizzo paced the Drive with three hits. Catcher Tyler Weeden had the team's only home run.

Midway through the second inning, Drive batting coach Billy McMillon, along with Jeremiah Dew, the team's on-field master of ceremony, unveiled the number 42 sign which will remain on the upper deck façade down the right-field line.

Greenville designated hitter Mike Jones, the team's only African-American player, wore the bottom of his pants knee-high in honor of Robinson, who wore his pants the same way.

Lowrie Makes Big League Debut with Red Sox

Five former Blue Rocks that called Frawley Stadium home while Red Sox minor leaguers have made the major leagues. In addition to Lowrie and Ellsbury, former Boston farmhands Clay Buchholz (2006), Luis Mendoza (2005, 06) and Anibal Sanchez (2005) made the journey from Wilmington to the major leagues.

It's an honor to be here, and that's something that I'll always be able to say," Lowrie said Friday, "but at the same time, I've got to focus on what I have to do to stay here."

That began in earnest Tuesday night, when Lowrie's three RBIs in his major league debut built the base of another Sox win in Cleveland. By starting at third base, he became the fourth member of Boston's 2005 draft class to reach the majors, and the ninth Theo Epstein draftee.

"What we kind of told him is some of how he gets used will be determined by our health," manager Terry Francona said this weekend. "If he's here for two weeks, one thing we don't want him to do is sit everyday. That kind of gets in the way of his development."

The eight-pitch at-bat by Moeller, a 33-year-old journeyman backstop who joined the Yankees after the Nationals waived him in spring training, could have at least altered the perception Buchholz was saddled with in his third start of the season.

With the score tied at 3-3, runners on first and third and two outs, Buchholz just missed with the 2-2 fastball on the inside corner. He came back with a changeup and another heater, both of which Moeller fouled off, before the career .224 hitter fisted a broken-bat looper into left field to give the Yankees the lead.

Instead of sitting back in the visitors dugout, Buchholz remained on the mound to load the bases with a five-pitch walk to Melky Cabrera before falling into a 3-1 hole against Jeter. The Yankees captain capitalized, bringing in two with a liner to right.

The sequence left Buchholz with his ugliest line of the year (3 2/3 innings, eight hits, seven runs, 85 pitches).

Kevin Thomas - Sea Dogs win in weird ending - in 17th inning; Outfielder Jay Johnson is the winning pitcher and a third baseman takes the loss after a long night at Hadlock Field.

After 15 innings, the Portland Sea Dogs still had fight left in them.

But they had no pitchers.

No problem.

Outfielder Jay Johnson took the mound and shut out the Connecticut Defenders for two innings.

Then Johnson went back to his strength and stroked the winning RBI double in the 17th, giving Portland an 8-7 victory Wednesday night at Hadlock Field.

...

In the bottom of the 17th, Corsaletti, who arrived from extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., on Wednesday, came up for the first time. He had replaced Johnson in left field.

Corsaletti walked. Johnson then took a first-pitch fastball. Johnson thought he might get the bunt sign but none came. Klink hung a slider and Johnson's hit ended the marathon.

"A good team builder," catcher John Otness said. "We went up and down with a lack of execution on everybody's part. All that is erased when we get a win."

Otness also had three hits and drove in two runs. He helped Portland take a 4-2 lead. But the Defenders scored four off the bullpen in the seventh.

Despite losing 8-2 and having a six-game winning streak snapped, the Drive left Fluor Field at the West End relieved.

Sarting pitcher Nick Hagadone left the game with one out in the third inning because of pain just below his right elbow, but Greenville manager Kevin Boles said he believes the problem is minor.

"He just had a little tightness. That's it," Boles said. "It was just precautionary at this point. It looks like he is going to be fine."

International League News and Notes

PAWTUCKET RED SOX CALLING ALL INFIELDERS: The PawSox sent a pair of infielders to Boston in the last week. The first to leave was Jed Lowrie, who received an early birthday present (he turns 24 today) when he was promoted to Boston on April 10 to take the place of disabled Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell. Lowrie saw his first action for the Red Sox on Tuesday night in Cleveland and promptly became the first Boston rookie to have 3 RBI in his debut since September 12, 1947 when 3B Merrill Combs had 4 RBI in his first game with the Red Sox vs. the St. Louis Browns. Lowrie, Boston's Minor League Offensive Player of the Year last year when he hit .297 for Double-A Portland and .300 for Pawtucket, had a rather eventual day last week on April 10. It began with an afternoon game at McCoy Stadium as Jed started at 3B and had an RBI double in Pawtucket's victory over Lehigh Valley. After the game, Lowrie got word that he was needed at Fenway Park for that night's Red Sox game vs. Detroit in case Lowell was placed on the DL. When that indeed came true, Jed was activated by the Red Sox and was in uniform at Fenway for the night portion of his own version of a day/night doubleheader. On Wednesday of this week, the Red Sox dipped back into the Pawtucket waters for another infielder as 28 year-old veteran Joe Thurston got the call to replace the injured Alex Cora. Thurston, who hit .300 in 129 games for Ottawa, never received a promotion to Philadelphia last year despite his fine season. This season, however, it took less than two weeks for the former LA Dodger and Philadelphia Phillie (.259 in 55 big league games) to return to the big leagues - this time his stage being Yankee Stadium for the Red Sox vs. Yankees series.

Gordon Edes - Red Sox Notebook: Hansen has been huge relief; He's been almost perfect for PawSox

Hansen has pitched 9 1/3 scoreless innings in his first six appearances for the PawSox, after finishing last season with 14 2/3 scoreless innings. Overall, opposing batters are hitting .065 (2 for 31) against him this season, with most of his success coming against righthanded hitters, who have one infield hit in 24 at-bats. One Sox official said the team is impressed with the way Hansen has been asserting himself on the mound - the surgery for sleep apnea may be a factor - but they want to see him continue his early success before making any moves.

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Lefthander Nick Hagadone, the team's first pick in 2007 (55th overall), extended his scoreless streak to 33 with 2 1/3 innings Wednesday for the Single A Greenville Drive, but he was taken out of the game with what was described as tightness in his elbow. "He just had a little tightness," manager Kevin Boles told the Greenville (S.C.) News. "That's it. It was just precautionary at this point. It looks like he's going to be fine." Meanwhile, 2006 first-round pick Daniel Bard, who had awful control problems last year, walking more than a batter an inning (78 walks in 75 innings), has walked just one in his first 9 2/3 innings, spanning five scoreless outings. He has whiffed 14 and allowed five hits. One final Greenville note: Earlier this week, Terumasa Matsuo, the first player signed by the Sox out of the Japanese independent league, allowed one run and two hits in four innings in his pro debut. One of the hits was a home run by John Alonso of West Virginia.