Dan Goldberg - Patience pays off for JetHawks, beat Bakersfield

The inning began with the JetHawks trailing 1-0. A walk to Lars Anderson preceded a John Wittleman error that allowed Jon Still to reach first. Reid Engel followed with a double down the right field line, which brought home Anderson, tying the game.

"I'm sure they were looking bunt in that situation," Epperson said. "I think Reid did the right thing. He knew he was going to get a fastball and he hammered it."

With runners on second and third, Blaze manager Damon Berryhill removed starter John Bannister in favor of J.B. Diaz, who had not allowed a run this season.

That streak ended on his first pitch to Jimenez, which landed in the forest behind centerfield and gave the JetHawks a 4-1 lead.

The JetHawks made a roster move on Thursday, receiving their first left-handed pitcher of the year. Carlos Vasquez joined the team from extended spring training. Chris Jones, who performed well on Wednesday, striking out eight in four innings, was assigned to Lowell. Vasquez is known as a groundball pitcher with a hard, sinking fastball that reaches 94 mph. He was acquired as a minor league free agent in March. He played 2007 in the White Sox organization, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A.

Sea Dogs Roster Moves

The Portland Sea Dogs today made the following roster moves:
LHP Daniel Haigwood transferred to the Single-A Lowell roster.

INF Aaron Bates placed on the Temporary Inactive List.

LHP Kyle Fernandes received from Single-A Lowell

C Sandy Madera received from Single-A Lowell.

Fernandes, a Westport, Massachusetts native, set career highs with 4 wins and 40 appearances between stops at Single-A Greenville, Double-A Portland, and Single-A Lancaster in 2007. The 22 year-old, was selected by the Red Sox in the 12th round of the June 2005 draft.

"We took him with every intention of letting him try to play shortstop," scouting director Jason McLeod said. "One of the things we wondered when we scouted him as an amateur was why he wasn't playing short at Stanford. He had great hands, a strong enough arm and so forth. I can't say for sure we knew he was going to be a shortstop at the major league level, but the intention was to try to let him play there."

Lowrie began his Stanford career as a freshman second baseman because a senior played short. The following year he stayed there and won the Pac-10 triple crown.

"Our coach decided we were a better team with me at second, and I obliged," Lowrie said. "I think it obviously worked out for me in the long run. I have no regrets about playing there."

Red Sox first base coach Luis Alicea schooled Lowrie in the intricacies of short at spring training, widening his base so he was a little lower on the ball.

"He's very coachable," Alicea said. "Always asking questions. He's always been a solid player."

Brian Moritz - Bell tolls for Sea Dogs in 9-3 victory; Slumping Bubba Bell hits a grand slam, helping Portland to its sixth straight win.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Bubba Bell broke out of his season-opening slump in grand fashion Friday night.

Bell, who came into the game with just nine hits in 55 at-bats this season, crushed a grand slam to help lead the Portland Sea Dogs to a 9-3 victory over the Binghamton Mets in the second of a four-game series at NYSEG Stadium.

...

Richardson picked up his third win in three starts. He struck out six and walked none over six innings, allowing five hits and two runs. Mike James struck out three in two innings of relief, and Beau Vaughn struck out the side in the ninth.

Kevin Thomas - Now Rangers, Gabbard and Murphy getting their chance

"It could not have worked out better for me," Murphy said. "You hate sitting in Triple-A every day, wondering what's going to happen. I became discouraged that even if I put up great minor-league numbers, is it going to happen for me?"

Murphy, a first-round draft pick out of Baylor in 2003, played in Portland in 2005 and at the start of 2006. But he knew he was fading out of Boston's plans after a September call-up in '06.

...

As the Red Sox deepen their farm system, one fact is certain. They can't keep all of their prospects. Astute Sea Dogs followers will note that the Texas starter Friday night was Luis Mendoza, who made nine starts for Portland in 2006 before he was traded to Texas for Bryan Corey).

Some good prospects stay (Ellsbury, Buchholz, etc.), while other good prospects, such as Murphy and Gabbard, have to go.

"It's baseball," Gabbard said. "It happens. I've moved on."

Willie T. Smith III - Drive rally falls short

Although starting pitcher Terumasa Matsuo shut the Grasshoppers out through the first three innings, he fell on hard times in the fourth. Greensboro struck for three runs on four hits to erase Greenville's two-run lead.

Before Matsuo was relieved of his duties with two outs in the fifth, Greensboro scored two more runs to take a 5-2 advantage.

The Grasshoppers continued their assault on Greenville reliever Ryne Lawson as they scored four runs, three earned, on two hits and three walks during the next 21/3 innings.

...

The Drive scored two runs in the eighth to pull within two.

Centerfielder Che-Hsuan Lin opened the ninth with a double to right, then advanced to third on a Aaron Reza ground out.

Shortstop Yamaico Navarro hit an infield single with one out to score Lin. He then advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on a ground out by right fielder Josh Reddick.

First baseman Mike Jones, who had a double and a two-run homer in his first three trips to the plate, hit a hard ground ball up the middle. It was fielded by Greensboro's Garcia, who quickly threw to first to end the game.

It shouldn't be long before Justin Masterson (1-0) comes to Pawtucket. Pitching for Double A Portland, the Sox prospect struck out 10 - all swinging - over five innings in a 6-2 win over the Mets Friday. Masterson allowed four hits and two walks. The 10 K's matched a career high as Masterson lowered his ERA to 0.95.

Brian Moritz - Sea Dogs' winning streak reaches seven; Justin Masterson finally gets a win, striking out 10 in five innings to beat Binghamton, 6-2.

Masterson was masterful, striking out a season-high 10 in five innings and leading Portland to a 6-2 victory against the Binghamton Mets in the third of a four-game series.

The Sea Dogs (12-3) have won seven straight, including the first three in this series. Binghamton (8-8) has lost 4 of 5.

"It's fun to watch them right now," Portland Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "I just sit back and watch them grind out at-bats and play the game hard."

Masterson, who has allowed two runs in four starts, picked up his first win after starting the year with three no-decisions.

Masterson, who was on a pitch count of 85, allowed four hits over five scoreless innings. He walked two and hit one batter. But any time he got in trouble, he pitched his way out of it. The Mets stranded six runners in the first five innings, four in scoring position.

...

Masterson struck out the side in the second and had at least two strikeouts in all but one inning.

It was his third game with 10-plus strikeouts with the Sea Dogs.

...

Tony Granadillo added a two-run double to give the Sea Dogs a five-run lead and chase Niese (0-1).

"We took advantage of their mistakes with some aggressive base-running," Beyeler said.

Granadillo added an RBI single in the ninth to score Suarez. Granadillo finished 2 for 5 with three RBI. Suarez was 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Kevin Thomas - On Baseball: Portland reliever Vaquedano's odd evolution continues

Last year became one for experimenting. Vaquedano worked with Sea Dogs pitching coach Mike Cather, himself a convert to the sidearm style (Atlanta Braves, 1997-99).

Vaquedano had to fight through the doubts. When he struggled, he wondered if he made the right move.

"I would get into trouble and think about it," he said.

Vaquedano pitched in Class A and then came back to Portland (3.96 ERA). Boston sent him to the prospect-filled Arizona Fall League. Then Vaquedano returned home to San Antonio and kept at it.

"I did a lot of flat-ground drills, just repeating my motion," Vaquedano said casually.

But the effort was more than casual, according to Cather.

"The kid went home to Texas and threw against a fence until he figured what felt comfortable," Cather said. "He has a motion now that is quick. It's simple. It's very efficient and it's easily repeatable. He's probably throwing 80 percent strikes. It's phenomenal.

"He has done what professional athletes have to do. He's taken it upon himself to figure it out ... He is 100 percent committed to what he's doing."

And Vaquedano is no soft-throwing sidearmer. His fastball is hitting 88 mph consistently, "which is only a couple miles per hour off when he was a conventional pitcher," Cather said.

Eric Harding - JetHawks learning how to run

BAKERSFIELD - The JetHawks aren't known for playing a small ball style and putting their base runners in motion, but it's becoming more and more part of their arsenal.

Mickey Hall stole the first two bases of the JetHawks' season during Thursday's win at Bakersfield, while Friday night's game featured a couple well executed hit-and-runs.

Manager Chad Epperson said his assistants have asked him to take more chances on the base paths lately and Epperson has begun taking some of the advice to heart.

"(Coaches) were asking me, 'When are we going to start running?'" Epperson said. "I said, 'I'll get to it.' I took their knowledge and put it to good use (Friday)."

Eric Harding - JetHawks adjusting approach

JetHawks second baseman Chih-Hsien Chiang went 1-for-3 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored. Center fielder Jason Place scored two runs himself for the JetHawks who were looking to win their third straight game.

Place also hit an RBI single to right, scoring Matt Sheely from third to tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the eighth.

Consecutive doubles by Blaze third baseman John Whittleman and first baseman Mauro Gomez off JetHawks reliever Josh Papelbon helped Bakersfield regain the lead 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning, after the JetHawks scored four unanswered and had a one-run lead.