MVN - Most Valuable Network

Colon Attempting To Make It To Boston

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Maybe Bartolo Colon got off to a slow start Saturday night.

But he finished fast which is what impressed Pawtucket Red Sox manager Ron Johnson.

“What I really liked was his third inning because all of a sudden he started to get down in the zone and then he started to get some really good movement on his secondary stuff,” Johnson said after the PawSox defeated the Norfolk Tides, 4-2, in the first half of an International League doubleheader (thanks to a three-run homer by George Kottaras in the fifth inning). “I was really impressed with it.”

Colon, the 2005 Cy Young Award winner when he was with the Angels, made his first appearance since he was placed on the disabled list April 7 (retroactive to April 4) with a strained right oblique muscle.    He had pitched the season opener for Pawtucket on April 3 which was when he incurred the injury.

The 34-year-old right-hander was scheduled to throw 55 pitches or three innings, whichever came first, and wound up throwing 36 of 49 pitches for strikes.

Colon allowed one run on four hits over three innings. He struck out two and didn’t issue any walks.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Colon should make his next rehab start on May 15 at Buffalo.

Norfolk scored its run in the second inning when Mike Costanzo singled with one out, advanced to second base on Omir Santos’ grounder to first and came home on Brandon Fahey’s line single to right field.

“I think he was trying to command his fastball early,” said Johnson. “But he was a little bit elevated and he gave up a few hits.”

Colon, who topped out at 97 miles per hour on the McCoy Stadium radar gun, worked his way out of a first-inning jam.

Elder Torres flared a one-out, off-field single to left and advanced to second on Luis Ferriero’s line single to right.

Oscar Salazar  followed with a hard grounder wide of third that Keith Ginter turned into a forceout at second.

Colon then struck out Scott Moore on a fastball that registered 94 on the radar gun.

He retired the side in order in the third on only nine pitches.

Torres flied out to left field, Ferreiro grounded out to short and Salazar bounced out to second.

“The third inning was really, really good and he looked like he was just starting to roll,” said Johnson. “But that’s all we were going to give him for tonight.”

Johnson felt Colon used all four of his pitches and each had movement.

“He threw his slider, fastball, two-seamer and changeup,” said Johnson. “His stuff was moving all over the place. He threw some changeups early in the ball game.”

In two starts for the PawSox, Colon is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA,  one walk and seven strikeouts.

“The biggest thing is he just went down to Florida (on May 5 for an extended spring training appearance against Baltimore) and threw two innings and 35 pitches,” said Johnson. “We were able to get him close to 50 (pitches).

“He felt good afterwards. He didn’t have any problems and that was the key to the whole thing.”

First baseman Sean Casey, who completed a two-game rehab stint because of a right hip strain, also was impressed with Colon.

“I think Bartolo looked great,” Casey said. “It would be a big plus if he could keep doing that stuff. I looked up a couple of times (at the radar gun board) and saw 97, 95. If he’s doing that stuff, it’s going to play in the big leagues.”

**

EXTRA BASES:  Casey was 1-for-2 (a fourth-inning double) and a walk (immediately prior to Kottaras’ homer) … Alex Cora, who’s on Boston’s disabled list with a sprained right elbow, completed a three-game rehab sting by going 0-for-3 … Cora grounded out to second, flied out to left and reached on an error in the inning Kottaras homered … Casey and Cora left McCoy Stadium after the first game and were scheduled to fly to Minneapolis where they’re going to join Boston on Sunday.

The New Craig Hansen

Imagine a 6-6, 230-pound pitcher who throws 95 fastballs along with a filthy slider.

Imagine that same pitcher with a case of sleep apnea — which is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep, and when left untreated causes people to stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep (sometimes hundreds of times).

Right.

The pitcher could be operating on gasoline fumes.

Boston Red Sox’ reliever Craig Hansen was a living, breathing example of a person with sleep apnea and which — despite his pleas to the contrary — had to have had an wffect on his career.

“I was diagnosed two years ago before spring training,” related Hansen, who was promoted from Pawtucket on May 5 when Brandon Moss was placed on the disabled list after undergoing an appendectomy. “I was supposed to have had surgery but it would have interfered with spring training. So, I held it off for another year and had it done this past off season.

“Ever since then I’ve been fine.”

Indeed.

Through his 11 relief appearances with Pawtucket, Hansen was 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 16 2/3 innings pitched. He had walked five, struck out 17 and his OBA was a miniscule .107

The procedure to correct his problem was, to hear Hansen explain it, quite simple.

“They took out the deviated septum and fixed it,” he said. “That was it.”

Oh.

“If you don’t get your proper rest you don’t feel good the next day,” said Hansen, in a modicum of understatement.

“Basically that’s how it was every single day. If you don’t sleep well you’re not going to be able to play well and recuperate from throwing and lifting.

“You’re not able to build on what you have because you’re not getting proper rest.”

Hansen didn’t have a lot to build on when he spent time with Boston in 2005 and 2006.

In 38 relief appearances, he was 2-3 with a bloated 6.59 ERA.

His numbers last season with Pawtucket showed modest improvement: 3-1 with three saves plus a 3.86 ERA in 40 appearances. But his strikeouts-to-walks ratio was 1.5 to 1 (i.e. 48 strikeouts and 32 walks) which didn’t exactly conjure up visions of, oh, Dick Radatz.

Hansen attributed his fast start with Pawtucket (which was “interrupted” by a one-day promotion to Boston on April 23 against the Angels) to more than the operation which cured him of sleep apnea.

“Basically, my mechanics have changed dramatically,” he said. “I went back to how I was throwing in college (St. John’s, where he was the Big East Pitcher of the Year as a senior). It’s more my style … just staying on line and being aggressive.

“What happened was I listened to certain people (who are no longer with the organization) and that’s what really got to me - listening to other people and taking some advice from different people and trying to incorporate it into my mechanics.

“It didn’t work out.”

Good point.

In addition an adjustment made by new Pawtucket pitching coach Rich Sauveur also helped unlock the door to the wealth of talent Boston’s feels Hansen possesses.

“What I saw him do in spring training was he had a lot of tilt in his front shoulder,” said Sauveur. “I mentioned that to him. If you look at video from his prior days, there’s a lot of tilt in his front shoulder. What I wanted him to do was level it out. I wanted his shoulders to be more level.

:”He has done that. I’m not going to say that’s the reason why he’s throwing the way he is. But it might have helped him a little bit. The day I told him about it, his command improved from one inning to the next.”

Something else improved for Hansen when he reported to spring training: he made a major attitude adjustment.
“Guys who were here last year have told me they saw a big change in him during spring training,” said Sauveur. “After he got here, he’s done nothing but work. He was a very good work ethic. His attitude on and off the field has been a plus.

“Really, I think his attitude coming into spring training was a 100 percent turnaround from last year. He came into spring training saying he was going to wipe the slate clean and start over. He wanted to go 100 percent.”

That’s exactly what Hansen’s done in the early part of the season, since a sense of confidence and relief resulted from his operation plus his return to his former mechanics.

“Just knowing that everything is back to the way it was for me is a huge load off my shoulders (how do you spell two-ton gorilla?),” he said. “Before I was pitching to how they wanted me to pitch as compared with the way I was taught by different people - try to do this, try to do that.

“Now I listen to certain things and take certain things in but not everything. Listen, build off it, use it, don’t use it and stuff like that. Basically I’m going with what feels comfortable.”

And which makes batters feel very uncomfortable.

One school of thought espoused the theory that Hansen was very uncomfortable when he became the first player in Boston history to reach the major leagues the same year he was drafted (Hansen was Boston’s first-round pick in the 2005 draft) - that he might have been better suited to have remained in the minors.

In four relief outings, he was 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in three innings.

“It’s six of one and half-a-dozen of the other,” said Sauveur. “Who’s to say that what happened was going to happen? There have been guys that have been rushed to the big leagues and have had very good careers. You can’t put any blame on that - getting him to the big leagues very fast.

“Sending him back to the minors and getting a year and a half or whatever at Triple-A very well could have helped him. So far, it looks like it has. Again, it comes down to himself, his attitude and what he wants to bring to the table. I think there are going to be a lot of good things coming out of this kid.”

How good?

“He wants to get better,” said Sauveur. “He’s got the ability and his stuff is ridiculous. It’s almost scary to see a man built like that have an arm like he does.

“I mean, the kid has major league stuff. Because of the way he went about his business here, he earned another call to the big leagues. I think he’s going to have a very nice career there.”

SoD Daily Report: 5/7/08

Greenville 1, Rome 5

• Dan Bard’s scoreless streak came to an edn after he allowed 2 runs over 3 innings. He did strike out 3 and walk none.
• Che-Hsuan Lin went 2-4 with a double.
• Kris Negron also went 2-4 with a double.

 Lancaster 6, High Desert 4

•  Tony Bajoczky was the winning pitcher after limiting High Desert to 2 runs over the first 5 innings.
• Aaron Reza went 3-5 with 2 doubles.
• Dennis Blackmon went 2-5 with a double.

Portland 10, New Hampshire 0

• Michael Bowden is on fire. Yesterday he pitched 6.2 innings of 1 hit ball. He has lowered his ERA to 2.68.
• Mark Wagner went 3-4 with a double and homerun.
• Jeff Corsaletti went 2-3 with 2 walks and a double.

Pawtucket 12, Durham 7

• Kyle Snyder pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. He hasn’t dominated AAA but, with his sub-4 ERA, Snyder may get a chance in Boston soon.
• Chris Carter went 2-4 with a double and homerun.
• Sandy Madera went 3-4 with a homerun.

Pitching Matchups 5/8:

• AAA- Pawtucket (David Pauley 2-2 3.70) vs. Durham [TB] (Jeff Niemann 1-1 3.27) 12:05 pm

• AA - Portland (Kris Johnson 2-1 3.99) vs. New Hampshire [TOR] (Brandon Magee 0-4 6.47) 6:00 pm

• A+ - Lancaster (Adam Mills 3-2 5.70) vs. High Desert [SEA] (Keith Renaud 0-4 6.30) 10:00 pm ET, 7:00 pm PT

• A - Greenville (Terumasa Matsuo 0-0 6.45) vs. Rome [ATL] (Chad Rodgers 1-5 3.67) 7:05 pm

SoD Daily Report: 5/6/08

Greenville 5, Columbus 11

• Felix Doubrant struck out 8 over 5 innings. He allowed just 2 runs to score.
• Ryan Kalish went 2-3 with 2 walks and a homerun.
•  Che-Hsuan Lin went 1-4 with a walk homerun. Lin is just 1 homerun away from matching last years total.

Lancaster 6, High Desert 4

• Travis Beazley brought home the win after allowed 3 runs over 5 innings.
• Josh Reddick went 1-4 with a homerun. That is just his 2nd homerun of the year.
•  Chih-Hsien Chiang went 2-3 with a walk.

Portland 14, New Hampshire 3

• Matt Goodson was the winning pitcher. He pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 2 runs.
• Aaron Bates went 3-4 with a homerun and 7 RBIs.
•  Iggy Suarez went 3-5 with a double and 2 homeruns.

Pawtucket 0, Durham 3

• Devern Hansack pitched his best game of the year but was the hard luck loser. He allowed 1 run and 2 hits over 6.1 innings. Hansack’s ERA stands at a shocking 5.89.
• George Kottaras went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts. His batting average has dipped to .250.
•  Joe Thurston went 1-4 with a double. The double was the only extra base hit of the night for the Paw Sox.

Pitching Matchups 5/7:

• AAA- Pawtucket (Kyle Snyder 0-1 4.08) vs. Durham [TB] (Jae Kuk Ryu 1-2 4.38) 6:15 pm

• AA - Portland (Michael Bowden 1-3 3.26) vs. New Hampshire [TOR] (Scott Richmond 2-3 6.68) 6:00 pm

• A+ - Lancaster (Tony Bajoczky 0-1 3.25) vs. High Desert [SEA] (Nicholas Hill 0-2 4.67) 10:00 pm ET, 7:00 pm PT

• A - Greenville (Eammon Portice 2-3 4.40) vs. Rome [ATL] (Scott Diamond 2-0 2.67) 12:05 pm

SoD Daily Report: 5/5/08

 Greenville 3, Columbus 4

• Jose Alvarez induced 11 groundball outs in way to a 1 run outing over 5.2 innings.
• Che-Hsuan Lin went 2-3 with a walk.
•  Ty Weeden went 2-3 with a double.

Portland 4, New Hampshire 5

• Justin Masterson allowed 4 earned runs over 5.1 innings. 15 of his outs came from strikeouts and groundballs.
• Mark Wagner went 2-5.
•  Zach Daeges went 2-3 with a double and walk.

Pawtucket 0, Durham 1

• Check out a recap of the game here.

Pitching Matchups 5/6:

• AAA- Pawtucket (Devern Hansack 0-3 8.25) vs. Durham [TB] (Ben Hendrickson 2-2 2.93) 6:15 pm

• AA - Portland (Matt Goodson 1-1 4.00) vs. New Hampshire [TOR] (A.J. Wideman 1-3 4.71) 6:00 pm

• A+ - Lancaster (Travis Beazley 1-3 4.82) vs. High Desert [SEA] (Alfredo Venegas 1-1 4.26) 10:00 pm ET, 7:00 pm PT

• A - Greenville (Felix Doubront 4-0 0.87) vs. Columbus [TB] (Alexander Cobb 4-2 1.62) 7:05 pm

Zink Pitches Gem but Paw Sox Still Lose

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -  Without question Charlie Zink deserved a better result.

Zink, the Pawtucket Red Sox‘ resident knuckleball pitcher, held the Durham bulls to one run on three hits over eight innings Monday night at McCoy Stadium. But his counterpart, Mitch Talbot, was even better as the Bulls eked out a 1-0 victory.

Durham scored its lone run on two hits in the first inning and then was held hitless over the next seven before Bryan Corey worked the ninth.

Zink (3-2) walked one, struck out three and threw 67 of 91 pitches for strikes.

“I was very happy, even with the run they got,” said Zink. “I was throwing strikes. That’s all I try to do. I can’t control if (the knuckleball) is going to move or not move. But I was very happy with how I did.     “(Catcher) George (Kottaras) and I were on the same page all night. I wanted to mix in fastballs and changeups.”

Over his last four starts, Zink is 3-1 with a 1.31 ERA encompassing 34 1/3 innings. And his success hasn’t been solely because of his knuckleball. He’s added a changeup to his repertoire which has made him more effective than in the past.

“With the new pitching coach (Rich Sauveur), he finally got me to start throwing a changeup again, which was my best pitch as a regular pitcher,” said Zink. “It never made sense to throw a changeup as a knuckleball pitcher. But when I throw my fastball at 80 and I throw a changeup right after it, a lot of guys swing and miss.”

The only time Durham didn’t “swing and miss” came in the first when Fernando Perez led with a double, stole third base and scored on Elliot Johnson’s double.

Zink then hit Justin Ruggiano with a pitch but got Dan Johnson to ground into a double play and Joel Guzman to bounce out to third.

After that the only Bull to reach base  was Ruggiano - in the fourth after he was hit by a pitch and in the sixth when he walked.

“Now, I’m going with four pitches because I’ve got my slider, knuckleball, changeup and fastball,” said Zink. “I sink the fastball by guys and I come right back with a changeup and everyone thinks a fastball’s coming again.

“I get a quick, easy out. It’s really helpful.”

Zink traced his improvement back to early April.

“After my first start (versus Indianapolis on April 5) when I blew up and gave up six runs, (Sauveur) said ‘Let’s try a changeup’ so they can’t sit on anything. It’s been really helpful and has gotten me out of a lot of jams.”

Unfortunately for Zink, the Pawsox seldom came close to getting Talbot (3-3) in a jam.

Their best scoring opportunity came in the sixth when Jeff Bailey singled with one out, and after Joe Thurston flied out, Kottaras singled Bailey to second. But Talbot retired Sandy Madera on a grounder to second.

Altogether, Talbot allowed four hits and no walks over seven innings - and struck out a season-high eight batters.

Pawtucket did even less against reliever Grant Balfour who tossed two innings of perfect relief, striking out five batters in the process.

“It was a really well-played game,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “I’ve got to hand it to Talbot. He used his off-speed stuff very effectively. He had our hitters off-balance. Hitting is timing. Pitching is disrupting timing. He had us out on our front foot all night.

“And (Balfour) was just throwing gas. That’s about as well-pitched a game as I’ve seen this year. Unfortunately, it was against us.”
**

EXTRA BASES:  Craig Hansen received a well-deserved promotion to Boston on Monday when Brandon Moss was placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to May 3) following surgery for an appendectomy on Saturday … Hansen was 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 11 relief appearances … At least two Red Sox are expected to begin rehab stints this week with Pawtucket … Infielder Alex Cora and first baseman Sean Casey should join the PawSox on Wednesday and Thursday … Cora has been on Boston’s D.L. since April 16 with a sprained right elbow … Casey has been on the D.L. since April 4 with a strained right oblique muscle … Bartolo Colon may make a rehab start Saturday night at McCoy against Norfolk … Colon pitched two scoreless innings Monday in extended spring training against the Orioles … He allowed one hit, struck out one and threw 19 pitches … Jeff Bailey was 2-for-4 and now has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games at a .418 clip (23-for-55).