PawSox limp out of Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Despite another multi-hit performance from Iván De Jesús Jr. and sharp relief work from Josh A. Smith, the Pawtucket Red Sox dropped the series finale to the Buffalo Bisons, 8-1, on Thursday afternoon at Coca-Cola Field.
Buffalo (37-35) scored four runs in the fifth inning to establish some breathing room and lock up a third win in the fourgame series with the PawSox (38-40). Pawtucket was limited to six runs over the four games.
De Jesús went 2-for-4, stole a base and drove in the lone run, continuing a monthlong stretch in which he’s ascended in the PawSox lineup and raised his OPS to .722. In his 27 games since May 26, De Jesús has posted the second-highest OBP in the International League.
Pawtucket starter Chandler Shepherd logged 4.2 innings and allowed six runs, only three of which were earned, on four hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts. Smith recorded four outs all via the strikeout after replacing Shepherd in the fifth.
In his Triple-A debut, Buffalo starter and former first-round pick Jon Harris threw six innings and only allowed an unearned run, fanning four without issuing a walk.
Buffalo grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning when first baseman and No. 3 hitter Rowdy Tellez pummeled an opposite-field, two-run homer.
The Bisons pushed across four runs in the fifth inning. With the game still 2-0 at the time, Pawtucket nearly tagged out a Buffalo baserunner between second and third in a rundown, but the PawSox were ruled to have just missed the tag. Moments later, a Pawtucket error allowed that run- ner to score and set the stage for a lengthy half-inning. Later in the inning, Buffalo cleanup man Anthony Alford blooped a two-run single to left field, and second baseman Richard Ureña pulled an RBI base knock into right to stretch the lead to a half-dozen runs.
Pawtucket crept into the run column in the top of the sixth when De Jesús slapped an RBI single down the right-field line, plating shortstop Deiner Lopez.
In the eighth, Buffalo leadoff man Roemon Fields poked a two-run, two-out single to left field to make it 8-1.
The PawSox crack open a three-game weekend series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees) on Friday at 7:05 p.m. Pawtucket lefthander and International League All-Star Jalen Beeks (5-4, 2.40) is the scheduled starter.