01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, April 27, 2005

BY DAN HICKLING
Special to the Journal

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A combination of long ball, small ball and a whole lot of pitching powered the Pawtucket Red Sox to a 9-2 rout of the Rochester Red Wings last night.

Justin Sherrod blasted a grand slam, Tim Hummel added a two-run homer and starter Jeremi Gonzalez turned in a superb performance.

"We've got a lot of talent on this team," said Sherrod. "It just seemed like nothing has come together all at once. I think we finally put it all together tonight."

Gonzalez, a veteran right-hander (1-2), pitched six innings of three-hit, one-run ball. He walked three and struck out five.

"It all stems from the performance we got on the mound," said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. "Jeremi was outstanding. Once we got the momentum, he really took charge of the ball game."

Unlike his previous three outings, Gonzalez received plenty of run support last night. He got most of what he needed in the first inning, when Pawtucket scored twice off Red Wings starter Jimmy Anderson (0-1).

George Lombard beat out an infield hit leading off and was doubled to third by Dave Berg. Lombard scored on Kevin Youkilis' sacrifice fly. Berg was singled in by Kelly Shoppach, making it 2-0.

Rochester nicked Gonzalez for a run in the third, but the PawSox rebounded with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, on Hummel's second homer of the season.

The longest hit came in the sixth with the bases full when Sherrod slammed a Jim Abbott slider over the wall in left-center.

"That could have gone out of Yellowstone," said Abbott, not the former major-league hurler of the same name.

Taking advantage of such situations has been a problem for the PawSox, so delivering that blow, even though the game wasn't on the line, left Sherrod feeling satisfied.

"That's not the first time I've come up with the bases loaded," he said, "and (before) I haven't been able to do anything with it. So it's a good feeling to put those runs on the board. We've been getting guys on base, we just haven't been getting the clutch hits."

Relievers Tim Bausher and Juan Perez finished up.

Around the bases

Sherrod's homer was his first since Opening Day against Indianapolis reliever Jeff Miller.

Infielder Alejandro Machado celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday.

Wilmington (Class A) 3B Scott White had his 12-game hitting streak snapped last night. White, hit .450 (18-for-40) for the Blue Rocks during that span, pounding out five doubles and a home run and adding seven RBI.

Portland (Double A) shortstop Hanley Ramirez, Boston's top-ranked prospect, was removed from last night's game in Binghamton after suffering an apparent lower leg injury while running the bases. How much time, if any, Ramirez might miss wasn't immediately known.

The PawSox will wrap up their five-game road trip this morning (11 o'clock) against the Red Wings. RHP Scott Cassidy (3-0, 3.46 E.R.A.) will get the start in place of LHP Lenny DiNardo, who yesterday was summoned to Boston. RHP J.D. Durbin (0-0, 5.11) will start for Rochester.