Tracy's slam seals third straight win for IronPigs

FROM THE MORNING CALL

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — It isn't often that you see somebody issue an intentional walk to load the bases for the IronPigs' Andy Tracy.

But Pawtucket manager Torey Lovullo, with his team trailing by a run, did in the eighth inning with runners at second and third, ordering reliever T.J. Large to put John Mayberry Jr. on base to potentially set up an inning-ending double play.

However, it took Tracy just two pitches to make Lovullo and Large pay for the move.

Tracy broke the game open with his third grand slam of the season, securing an 9-3 win Wednesday that ended an almost two-month victory drought for Drew Carpenter.

Rich Thompson had four hits, stole three bases (to give him a team-record 27), and scored three runs. The hot-hitting Tracy had three hits (a potential fourth was ruled a tough error, and he also barely missed a home run with a drive ruled just foul by the right-field foul pole before striking out) as did Mayberry, who also knocked in two runs. Cody Ransom added two more hits as the IronPigs (56-83), who ensured themselves of a better record than their inaugural season of 2008, pounded out 13 hits in their third straight win.

Lovullo decided to roll the dice after Thompson's one-out single and Greg Dobbs' double. After walking Mayberry, the lefty-swinging Tracy unloaded on a 1-0 pitch from the right-hander Large for his 21st homer that gave the IronPigs a five-run cushion.

Tracy is now 12-for-22 during a six-game hitting streak.

Carpenter (8-11), who was winless in his last nine starts dating back to a win over Pawtucket (64-75) on July 5, allowed three hits, including Lars Anderson's solo homer, over the first six innings. Working with a 4-1 lead, Carpenter gave up a solo homer to Gustavo Molina and a pair of two-out singles before being replaced by Oscar Villarreal. Second baseman Melvin Dorta muffed a ground ball by Numan Romero to allow a run to score but atoned by fielding all-star Bubba Bell's grounder cleanly for the inning's final out.

Mayberry singled home Thompson, who had singled and stole the first of his three bases, to give Lehigh Valley a 1-0 lead in the first before Anderson's homer in the fourth tied the game. Mayberry later knocked in Thompson again after Thompson's one-out single and two steals in the sixth, then scored when Tracy's bad-hop grounder got by Anderson at first went for an error.

Ransom, who is 24-for-70 (.343) in his last 20 games, doubled home Tracy with the inning's third run. Thompson later doubled home Brian Bocock in the ninth for the final run.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/baseball/ironpigs/mc-ironpigs-0901-20100901,0,3314709.story