Results tagged ‘ Zach Stewart ’

PawSox Players on the Move

Since it’s hard keeping track of minor league free agency each off-season, here is a list of 2012 PawSox players who have moved on since the end of the season.

(Photos: Kelly O’Connor)

And we can’t leave manager Arnie Beyeler off the list. The former PawSox skipper is now the Red Sox new first base coach.

Enjoy your weekend,

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com

Governors’ Cup Finals: Game 2 Preview

Governors’ Cup Finals
PawSox Lead Series, 1-0
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
McCoy Stadium | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | 7:05 p.m.

With their 7-2 win Tuesday night over the South Division champion Charlotte Knights, the PawSox are now 4-1 in the playoffs and have outscored their opponent 27-13. Just like they successfully did against the Yankees in Round 1 of the playoffs, the PawSox have a chance to leave McCoy Stadium up 2-0 in the series with a win Wednesday night.

As the PawSox prepare to play their last game inside McCoy in 2012, here’s another post-season edition of the PawSox Notebook:

  • Of the PawSox 27 post-season runs scored, 15 have crossed home plate thanks to a homer.
  • In five playoff games, Pawtucket has homered nine times, five of them have come with at least one man on base.
  • The PawSox will face Charlotte starter Charlie Shirek Wednesday night. In his one start against Pawtucket this year, the righty allowed two runs over six innings for a no-decision.
  • Hard-throwing reliever Josh Fields was a welcomed sight Tuesday night. Pitching for the first time since suffering a minor groin injury on the final day of the regular season, Fields struck out two of the four batters he faced in a scoreless ninth inning.
  • Over the last four games, Pawtucket starters have gone 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA (5 ER/27.1 IP) with six walks and 26 strikeouts.

Zach Stewart, a former Chicago White Sox farmhand, pitched in one game for the Knights in 2011. (Kelly O’Connor)

  • Wednesday night’s starter, Zach Stewart, made his best start of the year against the Knights his last time out on August 23. The former White Sox pitcher allowed two runs over a season-high seven innings but was dealt the loss.
  • Take away Game 3 against the Yankees when the PawSox bullpen allowed all four runs and suffered a blown save, the Pawtucket ‘pen has worked 10 scoreless innings this post-season.
  • Combine the work of the rotation and the bullpen, PawSox pitchers have a 2.62 post-season ERA.
  • Bryce Brentz the PawSox post-season MVP? You could make a strong case. The Red Sox No. 5 overall prospect per Baseball America has hit .471 (8-for-17) with two homers, five runs batted in, two doubles, and a triple. In fact, Brentz has at least one extra-base hit in each playoff game.

If you can’t make it to McCoy tonight, you can always join us on the broadcast along the PawSox Radio Network, or by listening online. Pre-Game coverage begins tonight at 6:50.

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com

 

De La Torre Joins PawSox in Lillibridge Trade

In the last two days the PawSox have received two new pitchers.

Tuesday, Nelson Figueroa was signed by the Red Sox and assigned to Pawtucket, and today Jose De La Torre is joining the club in Indianapolis and will be active for this afternoon’s game against the Indians.

The 26-year-old right-hander was acquired by the Red Sox in a 1-for-1 trade with Cleveland for Red Sox utility man Brent Lillibridge on Tuesday.

A native of Puerto Rico, De La Torre made a total of 34 appearances (one start) for Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus prior to the trade. Combined, he went 7-1 with a 2.80 ERA while walking 19 and striking out 42. His final two appearances in the International League came against the PawSox on April 28 and 30 where he tossed 1 2/3 scoreless.

De La Torre is in his sixth professional season and has a career 2.86 ERA having made 202 minor league appearances (14 starts). (Buffalo Bisons)

A former New York Mets’ farmhand, the righty spent parts of 2010 and ’11 with Triple-A Buffalo, and missed all of 2008 because of Tommy John surgery.

Random fact on De La Torre: he pitched at Texarkana Junior College in Texarkana, Tx. — the hometown of Red Sox third baseman, Will Middlebrooks.

For a detailed look at De La Torre and what makes him stand out, take at look at Marc Normandin’s article from OverTheMonster.com.

After joining the Red Sox on June 24 in the Kevin Youkilis trade with the White Sox, the departed Lillibridge had just 16 at-bats over 10 games before being shipped off. With Lillibridge gone, PawSox starter Zach Stewart remains the only piece of the Youkilis deal still under contract with the Red Sox.

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com

PawSox Road Trip By the Numbers

After a quick two hour northern commute from Louisville, the PawSox team bus pulled in front of the Indianapolis hotel around 1:30 this morning for a four-game series against the Indians.

Aside from Saturday’s shutout loss in Louisville, this has been an offensively charged, and well pitched, road trip for the PawSox. Here are some of the team and individual accomplishments over the first four games of the trip.

  • In the PawSox three wins against the Bats, Pawtucket scored 26 runs on 48 hits – not one was a home run.
  • Despite having enough offense to overcome some poor pitching, the PawSox received a quality start in all three wins (Duckworth, Hernandez, and Buckner).
  • Billy Bucker became the first Pawtucket pitcher to go 7.0+ innings since Justin Germano tossed 8.0 innings scoreless on June 30 at Lehigh Valley. It was his final start before being called-up to Boston.

Bucker went seven innings for the first time this year with the PawSox, his second time overall including his final start on May 30 with the Sea Dogs. (Kelly O’Connor)

  • Daniel Bard finished off a 1-2-3 eighth inning last night with a 95 mph strikeout (11 pitches, 8 strikes). It marked the third time this year Bard has pitched in back-to-back days.
  • Jose Iglesias is looking better and better at the plate. Monday night the PawSox shortstop drew two walks in back-to-back games for the first time in 2012. He now has six walks and 10 strikeouts in 18 games this month.

Helped by drawing more walks recently, Iglesias has raised his on-base percentage to .305. In 101 games with the PawSox in 2011, Iglesias had a .285 OBP. (Kelly O’Connor)

  • Since the All-Star break, Iglesias has reached base in 9-of-11 games with five runs batted in, five walks, and six strikeouts. (On July 13, Iglesias did not reach, but only had one at-bat because of fouling a ball of the inside of his left knee.)
  • Monday night, Chris Carpenter, part of the Theo Epstein compensation from the Cubs, became the first PawSox pitcher in 2012 to hit 100 mph. After watching four games in Louisville, and also asking around, the radar gun in Louisville is usually pretty accurate.

The PawSox go from playing the worst team in the International League to playing the best team. Zach Stewart, part of the Kevin Youkilis deal with Chicago, makes his first road start of the year for the PawSox tonight at 7:05 from Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis. Our pre-game coverage begins at 6:50.

Talk with you then.

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com

14 Roster Moves in Seven Days

This has felt much longer than an eight-game homestand. The PawSox have lost 6-of-7 games thus far, have dropped two games by one run (both in extra innings), and have been shutout twice.

As far as player moves go, a lot has changed for the PawSox over the last seven days at McCoy:

  • Ronald Bermudez, who has played in eight games with the PawSox, was placed back on the disabled list with a recurring left hamstring strain.
  • After dominating in Double-A with the Sea Dogs, outfielder J.C. Linares was promoted to Pawtucket and went 4-for-6 with a double in his debut. Since then, he’s been held to one hit over his last five games.
  • Once fully recovered from a left knee injury, outfielder Jason Repko was outrighted to Pawtucket following his rehab.
  • He struck out 20 batters over seven appearances, but following his outing on June 21 at Syracuse, Mark Prior was placed on the disabled list with an oblique strain.

Even at 36-years-old, Podsednik has some spring left in his legs. The outfielder rehabs for the PawSox tonight, batting second and DH’ing. (Kelly O’Connor)

  • To fill Prior’s void in the bullpen, lefty Will Latimer received his first call-up to Triple-A. Unfortunately, he’s been dealt the loss in his two appearances thus far.
  • Aaron Cook was recalled to Boston from his rehab in Pawtucket to start for Clay Buchholz.
  • After two appearances (one start), righty Jeremy Kehrt was assigned back to Portland
  • On the disabled list since May 25, Jose Iglesias (back) was reinstated on Tuesday and has made two starts.
  • Part of the Kevin Youkilis deal with the White Sox, Zach Stewart arrived in Pawtucket and pitched the PawSox to their lone win of the homestand (although Brandon Duckworth more than deserved a win last night).

With a surplus of outfielder, Josh Kroeger was released Thursday by the Red Sox. (Kelly O’Connor).

  • First placed on the temporary inactive list, outfielder Josh Kroeger was released yesterday by the Red Sox. In 64 games with the PawSox, Kroeger hit .244 with nine home runs and 25 RBI.
  • Tony Thomas, who had been playing virtually everyday at second base when Iglesias was on the disabled list, is now on the DL himself with a finger injury suffered during batting practice.
  • After opting out of his contract with Cleveland, Andy LaRoche has been signed by the Red Sox and gets the start at third base tonight. The 28-year-old played 40 games last year with Oakland where he hit .247 with no homers and five RBI. In 46 games this season with Triple-A Columbus, LaRoche hit .234 with five home runs and 16 RBI.
  • Tonight Scott Podsednik bats second and will serve as the PawSox designated hitter as he begins a rehab assignment to heal a groin injury suffered running to first base against the Cubs. In 19 games with Boston, the 36-year-old is hitting .387 with one homer and seven RBI.

Get all that? We’ll see what happens tonight as the PawSox finish the homestand with the Knights, aiming for a series split.

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com

Zach Stewart Makes PawSox Debut Tonight

Scott Rolen, Edwin Jackson, and Kevin Youkilis all share a common connection: they were cornerstone pieces of a trade that involved right-hander Zach Stewart.

After being drafted in 2008 by Cincinnati in the third round, the Reds packaged Stewart in a deal just over a year later to acquire Rollen, the Blue Jays’ Gold Glove third baseman. Almost exactly two years later, Toronto dealt Stewart to the White Sox for Jackson, an All-Star right-hander now with the Nationals.

On Sunday, Stewart received word that he had been traded yet again for another high-profile third baseman, Youkilis. The other piece of the trade, utility-man Brent Lillibridge, is up with the Red Sox.


Stewart, who starts tonight for the PawSox, hasn’t pitched in the minors since 2011 when he made 16 starts for Double-A New Hampshire, and one start for Triple-A Charlotte – whom he’ll face this evening.

The 25-year-old from Wichita Falls, Tx. made 18 appearances (one start) for the White Sox this year going 1-2, 6.00 ERA (20 ER/30.0 IP).

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com

Stewart is 3-8, 5.92 ERA over 31 Major League appearances (12 starts) since 2011. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Will Middlebrooks Named A.L. Player of the Week

It’s is a little ironic that less than 24 hours after Kevin Youkilis is traded to the Chicago White Sox, his replacement is named American League Player of the Week.

Will Middlebrooks batted .625 (10-for-16) with three doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and six runs scored in six games. Among A.L. leaders, the 23-year-old finished tops in batting average, slugging percentage (1.375), on-base percentage (.632) and total bases (22), tied for second in doubles and extra-base hits (6) and tied for fourth in hits and homers.

Hours after his final hit at Fenway Park (his 953rd game with the Red Sox), Youkilis was dealt to the South Side of Chicago for pitcher Zach Stewart and infielder/outfielder Brent Lillibridge.  Of the remaining $8 million on Youkilis’ contract, Boston is obligated to pay slightly more than $5.5 million.

In nine seasons with the Red Sox, Youkilis was a .287 hitter, three-time All-Star, and a Gold Glove winner. (Getty Images)

Stewart, 25, has made 18 appearances with the White Sox this season and in 2011 made one start for Triple-A Charlotte, whom the PawSox host for a four-game series beginning Tuesday. The Red Sox have announced that the right-hander has been assigned to the PawSox.

Following the trade announcement, Middlebrooks said this on Twitter (@middlebrooks):

“It was truely an honor playing with and learning from Youk… He’s the definition of a professional. Played the game right. #RedSoxNation”

Middlebrooks’ emergence has been remarkable. Just recently, he became the 5th player since 1920 (when the RBI became official) with a .331 average, nine homers, and 33 RBI in his first 40 Major League games. The last player was Albert Pujols.

You can expect to hear plenty of “Youuuuk” calls when the White Sox travel to Fenway Park July 16-19.

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com

In 24 games with the PawSox this year, Middlebrooks hit .333 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. (Kelly O’Connor)

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