They made it interesting. For a while there, it looked like a win was in the works — a win that would have been Pawtucket's second straight for just the first time since late May.
But after rallying from a 1-0 deficit in the third and taking a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth, the PawSox bullpen surrendered an eventual 6-5 win to the International League West's last-place Louisville.
Certainly, there were positives.
For one, there was the performance of starting pitcher Kris Johnson, who left after 5 1/3 innings in line for his fourth win of the season.
There was the performance of Josh Reddick, who continues to steadily climb from a batting average that sat at .196 when the first pitch was thrown on Monday night. Reddick reached base in each of his at-bats — on a walk and three singles — and made the catch of the game in the sixth, killing a Louisville rally by running down Michael Griffin's fly ball to center.
"I think each night, we close the game by making a run at the team, and I think that helps us for the next day," said manager Torey Lovullo. "I think K.J. coming in here and doing a great job in 5 1/3 was a great positive, and Reddick also, inside of those four plate appearances when he got on base, he was balanced. He was using his hands, he was swinging at strikes. There were so many good things that happened, and that's what we'll focus on."
There was also the performance of No. 9 hitter Bubba Bell, who tripled to begin Pawtucket's third-inning rally and then extended the lead with an RBI in the fourth.
There was the fact that Pawtucket strung together a season-high 15 hits.
But there was also the fact that the PawSox didn't win — and that the bullpen couldn't hold onto a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning.
"We lost control of the game in the middle innings," Lovullo said. "We had this game under control and we couldn't close the team out. When you don't close teams out, when you give them a little life, they're going to make you pay for it."
The trouble began with Chad Paronto, who came on with one out in the sixth. The 34-year-old righty, in the midst of his 15th professional season, made quick work of Louisville second baseman Chris Valaika, inducing him into a flyout to center. But then, with two outs, the trouble began.
First came the fast-sinking blooper to left by Louisville No. 9 hitter Chris Denove — a blooper that just barely snuck under the glove of a sliding Aaron Bates. Then came a triple by leadoff man Chris Burke, which tied the game at 4. Then came a walk to Zack Cozart.
Fabio Castro relieved Paronto and quickly allowed a two-run double to the heavy hitting Yonder Alonso, and the damage was done. The PawSox would rally to within a run in the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
"I think we're all a little disappointed," Lovullo said. "Any time you lose games you're supposed to win, it's a little bit frustrating. We developed, we played hard and the guys closed the gap there toward the end. I was pleased with that.
With Michael Bowden taking the mound in the series — and season — finale against Louisville on Tuesday night, the PawSox cannot be anything but confident. That, after all, is the point of the sport — forgetting the past, focusing on the next step, taking it one day at a time.
Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for the PawSox, from top to bottom.
"Morale, I think, is always there for this club," Lovullo said. "It's a good group of guys, and it's about building confidence and letting a guy know that, hey, we'll get you in there as soon as we can to get off what happened. Chad threw a couple of pitches, and they were quality pitches, but we didn't make the outs. Castro came in and didn't get the job done, but he solidified himself after that. So these guys will get the job done.”
Bowden, who comes into the matchup with a 1-3 record and a 4.97 ERA, has a couple of positives going for him on Tuesday. One, the PawSox are 7-5 in his starts. Two, the team averages 5.1 runs of support when he’s on the mound. And three, the team is 22-8 when scoring three or more runs in a game.
No matter what happened on Monday — no matter how disappointing it is to come from behind, fight untill the end and still lose — tomorrow is always another opportunity to turn things around.
"That's what baseball's all about, is going out there and performing when there are some negative thoughts and you're not 100 percent health-wise. These guys will be fine," Lovullo said. "I'm 100 percent confident and ready to watch these guys go to work."
