POSITIVE PERFORMANCE
Chavis belts sixth-inning home run to secure one-run home win
PAWTUCKET – It was firsthand knowledge that helped Michael Chavis to make a much more informed decision.
Chavis was standing in the batter’s box when Rusney Castillo attempted to steal second with two down in the fifth inning. Castillo was erased from the base paths, yet all wasn’t lost for the PawSox. Chavis had seen two pitches from Syracuse reliever Tyler Bashlor – a down-and-in slider that was fouled off and a changeup that was taken for a ball.
Shifting to the bottom of the sixth, Chavis took the first pitch from Bashlor for a ball. The second pitch of the at-bat … let’s just say Chavis did not miss. He pounced on a breaking ball, blasting a solo home run that traveled 467 feet.
“It definitely helps to re-set the at-bat, but the pitch I fouled off in the at-bat that didn’t count, I fouled it straight back. I felt I was on it,” Chavis said.
The blast by Chavis, his second in as many days, was one of many positive highlights turned in by Pawtucket, a 5-4 win that was witnessed by a Sunday afternoon audience of 4,172 at McCoy Stadium. On Saturday, Chavis blasted a no doubter of a 470-foot shot that cleared everything in left-center.
Windshields of the cars that chose to park behind McCoy … you’ve been warned as far as Chavis and his ability to go very deep.
“I try not to get cheated. If I’m going to hack, I might as well do some damage,” said Chavis after going 2-for-4.
PawSox manager Billy McMillon added, “He’s got some bat speed up there and when he gets his pitch, he rarely misses it.” Chavis snapped a 2-2 tie with his third round tripper of 2019. His hold on the club lead in homers lasted all of two batters. After Sam Travis took a Bashlor offering off his side, Josh Ockimey sent a shot that disappeared into the flower bed in left-center. It was Ockimey’s third home run and helped give the PawSox a 5-2 lead.
“Josh and I were talking about that. It’ll be fun if we can go backand-forth the whole year,” said Chavis.
Ockimey has faced Syracuse’s Bashlor before, dating back to their time in Short-Season Class A. Sunday’s home run for Ockimey came on a 1-0 count.
“I know he’s got a very good fastball and his off-speed is plus, too,” said Ockimey. “You don’t want to fall two strikes behind him.”
Ockimey’s blast proved very key after the Triple-A Mets crept to within one run in the seventh, the result of a two-run home run surrendered by PawSox reliever Dan Runzler to Carlos Gomez. Travis Lakins turned in a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts before giving way to Bobby Poyner in the ninth.
It was a bit of an adventure for Poyner, who walked the leadoff batter before getting two groundball outs. The potential tying run was at second base when Poyner issued his second walk of the frame, this time to Gomez.
Syracuse’s final hope was Travis Taijeron, who had worn out PawSox pitchers with three homers over the previous two games. After getting ahead with a changeup, Poyner got Taijeron to swing and miss on consecutive fastballs. It was Poyner’s second save in as many chances.
“He’s going to be in situations like that when he gets called up to the big leagues. To get out of it (on Sunday) was really a good sign,” said McMillon.
Save for a shaky second inning, PawSox starting pitcher Ryan Weber was efficient en route to delivering five innings of two-run ball with three strikeouts and a walk. Syracuse (6-5) nicked Weber for one run in the second but the damage for Pawtucket could have been much worse. The frame saw the Mets collect one double, two singles and receive one walk.
“The second inning was a grind but he was able to give us five innings, which is what I was hoping,” said McMillon about Weber. “He’s one of those guys who has an idea out there. He doesn’t try to overthrow. He just pitches.”
After losing three of four to the Mets in the first series of the year, the PawSox (6-4) returned the favor by taking three of four in the first series of the 2019 season at McCoy Stadium.
EXTRA BASES: Castillo now has six hits in his last at-bats after going 2-for-4 on Sunday. … Syracuse’s Tim Tebow collected a twoout, run-scoring single in the second inning and later worked a walk off the lefty Runzler. On the season, Tebow is 4-for-23 against Pawtucket pitching. … PawSox pitching coach Kevin Walker was away from the club on Sunday, flying home to California to attend his daughter’s Confirmation. … Pawtucket added infielder Jantzen Witte from Double-A Portland and placed infielder/ outfielder Tony Renda on the 7-day injured list (retroactive to last Thursday) with a right shoulder strain. Witte has been with Pawtucket for the better part of the last three seasons. … The PawSox begin a fourgame series with the Buffalo Bisons on Monday at 6:05 p.m. Pawtucket right-hander Mike Shawaryn (1-0, 3.18 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Bisons righty Jacob Waguespack (11, 5.23 ERA). Buffalo features one of the baseball’s top prospects in Vladimir Guerrero Jr.