Big bats, Carpenter lead IronPigs to second straight win

The kid did it again.

So, too, did the vet.

Domonic Brown, the youngest IronPig, continued to tear up Triple-A pitching Monday night with two hits including another home run.

But it was Andy Tracy, the oldest IronPig, who delivered the telling blow, a third-inning grand slam that started Lehigh Valley on its way to an 8-2 win over Pawtucket at Coca-Cola Park.

Drew Carpenter took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and the IronPigs survived a shaky rehab appearance by Ryan Madson to win back-to-back games for the first time since their three-game winning streak from June 19-21.

The eight runs was the most by the IronPigs (34-51) since a 10-1 win at Buffalo on June 13. They now have scored 14 runs and have 23 hits, 12 in this game, the last two nights after struggling offensively.

"That's baseball," said Tracy, who had two hits to hike his average to .292. "Maybe we've been putting balls in play more often than fouling them off, I don't know. Like I said, that's just baseball."

Tracy unloaded his second slam of the season and third as an IronPig off a familiar face, Fabio Castro, who was making a spot start after Boston called up scheduled starter Felix Doubront.

Castro breezed through the first two innings, allowing only a first-inning single to Brown. But Castro, who was Phillies property for 2 1/2 years before being dealt to Toronto for Matt Stairs in September 2008, gave up singles to Paul Hoover and Chris Duffy in the third, then issued a two-out walk to Brown to load the bases for Tracy.

The IronPigs two-time All-Star fell behind 1-2, then jumped on a Castro curve and sent it onto the concourse in right center for his 12th homer to give Carpenter and the IronPigs a 4-0 cushion to work with.

"Fabio can spin the ball real well, and he left one up a little bit and I got a hold of it," Tracy said.

Carpenter (7-6) allowed three base runners over the first five innings, each with two outs. He issued two-out walks to Aaron Bates in the second and to Tug Hulett in the third, then hit Lars Anderson on the foot in the fourth. Each time, however, he retired the next hitter to end the inning.

Gil Velazquez broke up Carpenter's no-hit bid with a solid single that dropped in front of John Mayberry in left, eliciting a solid round of applause from the 9,355 fans. Ryan Shealy later laced a two-out double just inside the third-base bag to leave runners at second and third but Anderson went after a 3-0 pitched and flied out to center to end the threat.

Carpenter got the first two outs in the seventh, including his eighth strikeout, but gave way to Alex Concepcion after issuing back-to-back walks. Concepcion walked Hulett to load the bases but got Velazquez to bounce into a force play at second to end the threat.

By the time Madson came in the next inning to make his fourth rehab appearance, however, the IronPigs had doubled their lead with another four-run inning.

The sizzling Brown got the inning started with his second homer in two days and fourth in 12 as an IronPig, a one-out solo shot onto the lawn in left center. Tracy followed with his second hit, a double to right center, and Mayberry – who came into the game mired in a 5-for-53 slide – ripped his second hit, a single up the middle, to chase in Tracy and increase the lead to 6-0.

After a walk to Neil Sellers, Chris Agiula capped the inning with a double down the third-base line and off the stands into left field, driving in the final two runs.

Brown's two hits boosts his average back up above .400 to .405 in his first 42 Triple-A at-bats, with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 12 games.

"Anytime you get a guy with the abilities of a Domonic Brown on your team things are going to happen," Tracy said of the youngster. "We'll take a five-tool guy in the middle of the lineup any time."

Madson, who has been on the disabled list since late April after breaking a toe when he kicked a chair following a blown save in San Francisco, had good velocity but struggled with his command. Twice he hit 94 on the park's radar gun but he also threw just 10 of his 22 pitches for strikes, allowing three of the five batters he faced to reach base. He left after Josh Reddick's bases-loaded sacrifice fly brought in Pawtucket's first run, allowing a run, a hit and walking two in two-thirds of an inning.

He is scheduled to make another appearance Wednesday night, the first time he will go back-to-back.

"Absolutely not," Madson answered when asked if he was happy with his outing. "I haven't walked anybody yet [in rehab appearances] and I did tonight. It didn't go as planned but I feel good, feel healthy, and that's what matters."

Madson said he has two goals for Wednesday.

"I just want to stay healthy and get the ball down in the zone a little bit," he said.

The Morning Call