01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, April 23, 2005

BY DAN HICKLING
Special to the Journal

BUFFALO -- The Pawtucket Red Sox had hoped to get started on a six-game swing through upstate New York, beginning with a four-game set with the defending Governor's Cup champions, the Buffalo Bisons.

Instead, the PawSox watched from the Dunn Tire Park clubhouse as rain washed out last night's match with the Herd.

The game was rescheduled for today at 1:05 p.m. as the first of a pair of seven-inning contests. However, that plan may be in jeopardy as rain -- and even snow -- is predicted through the weekend.

RHP Tim Kester (0-1, 6.75) and LHP Chris Narveson (0-1, 4.15) are scheduled to start for Pawtucket, to be opposed by Bison righthanders Jeremy Guthrie (1-1, 5.72) and Francisco Cruceta (1-1, 7.88).

Among the new faces on this year's PawSox roster is fleet outfielder Chip Ambres.

Ambres, who came to the Sox after six years in the Florida chain, was one of the PawSox' brighter lights in the first week of the season, although he has cooled off somewhat since then.

Best known for his base-stealing prowess, (137 swipes in 190 career attempts), Ambres, 25, from Beaumont, Texas, needed a change of scenery after failing to reach Triple-A in his lengthy term as a Marlin farmhand.

"I didn't know what to expect after playing in just one organization," said Ambres, who can play all three outfield spots. "But this is a bunch of great guys, and as soon as I set foot in the organization, I felt right at home."

Ambres said he felt honored to have been pursued by the incumbent World Champion Red Sox.

"I look at it as they wanted (me) for a reason," he said. "So it's up to me to go out and do what I've been doing. Improve here and there, but go out and play my game."

Although he hasn't seen much of Ambres on the field, PawSox skipper Ron Johnson has come to regard him highly.

"I've been very impressed with his athleticism. And the way he approaches his game," Johnson said. "The unfortunate thing with this ball club is that we've got a lot of interchangeable parts, a lot of guys who have to be put in certain spots. But he's been doing a great job, and as the summer goes on, I think he'll be a more valuable part of this team, because he brings an element that we don't have a tremendous amount of, and that's speed.

"He was hitting his head against the wall in Double-A for four years. And that's been a hump he's had trouble getting over. But sometimes a change of scene is good. But the nice thing about Chip is that he fits in the (Red Sox) mold, where not only do they bring in quality players, but quality people. This guy's an outstanding human being."

Bison fails steroid test

Bisons outfielder Darnell McDonald is among the latest minor leaguers to be under the steroid spotlight. McDonald was not among the nine players suspended yesterday for running afoul of baseball's substance abuse policy. But it was revealed yesterday by the public relations department of the Cleveland Indians (Buffalo's parent), that McDonald had flunked his spring training steroid test.

McDonald could be in line for a 15-game sit-down.

Roof takes leave from Red Wings

Red Wings manager Phil Roof left the team Wednesday to return to Paducah, Ky., to care for his wife Marie, who is seriously ill.

The couple has truly lived the baseball life, sharing 41 years together, all of it in the game.

Red Wings' hitting coach Rich Miller will run the club in Roof's absence. It is not known when Roof will return.

The PawSox will make a two-game stop in Rochester, beginning Tuesday, before returning home.