Pitching Matchups; Game of the Day 8/12/11

7:00pm
Erie Seawolves (L.J. Gagnier 3-5, 5.35)
vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Miguel Gonzalez 0-3, 5.92)

7:05pm
Pawtucket Red Sox (Tony Pena Jr. 8-5, 3.63)
vs. Gwinnett Braves (Julio Teheran 12-2, 2.16)

Akron Aeros (Steven Wright 1-1, 4.09)
vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Nestor Molina NR)

New Britain Rock Cats (N/A)
vs. Bowie Baysox (N/A)

Vermont Lake Monsters (Kurt Wunderlich 1-4, 7.20)
vs. Batavia Muckdogs (Hector Hernandez 0-1, 3.38)

Connecticut Tigers (Matt Crouse 2-1, 3.86)
vs. State College Spikes (Matt Benedict 2-3, 5.44)

Lowell Spinners (Luis Diaz 3-2, 3.35)
vs. Jamestown Jammers (Matthew Neil 1-3, 3.66)

Game of the Day – Red Sox vs. Braves – The PawSox finally sit alone atop the I.L. North, but will be faced with a tough test as they head to Gwinnett County, Georgia to face off against the Braves for four games. Gwinnett (65-53) are in the thick of the playoff race, sitting only two games back of Durham in the South and a half game back of Lehigh Valley in the Wild Card. This series has the potential to showcase a future playoff series and both teams start the set with some solid pitching. Tony Pena Jr. has been “under-the-radar” solid this year for the PawSox in both relief and starting roles. Tonight he gets his tenth start of the season on the heels of one his best outings. Last Saturday Pena stifled the Buffalo bats, scattering 6 hits over 7 innings and allowed only one earned run. Pena picked up a loss in a relief appearance against the Braves back on May 10th, but he only allowed 1 earned run in 2 1/3 innings. The Braves counter with Julio Teheran, who should breeze to the I.L. Pitcher of the Year honors at this point. This will be his 21st start with Gwinnett in ’11 as he attempts to rebound from only his second loss of the season in his last outing (and first since May). He didn’t factor in the decision when he tossed 7 2/3 against the PawSox back on May 12th in a game that was decided in 15 innings. Teheran currently leads the I.L. in wins (12) and ERA (2.16), and is second in WHIP (1.11) and eighth in strikeouts (104)…The Braves took 3 of 4 against the PawSox at McCoy in May…Gwinnett’s Stefan Gartrell (24) and Mauro Gomez (19) rank second and fifth in the I.L. in home runs…Lars Anderson has hit safely in seven straight games.

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