THE HIGHLIGHTS: Pawtucket starter Michael Bowden was good, but Toledo starter Eddie Bonine was just a little better. Bowden gave up a solo home run to Timo Perez to lead off the fourth, and that was the game's lone run as Bonine and the Mud Hens limited the PawSox to just one hit, a one-out single by Dusty Brown in the second. Bonine struck out seven and got nine ground-ball outs in seven strong innings, which Francisco Cruceta and Blaine Neal each added a scoreless frame to help Toledo snap a four-game losing streak.

KEY TO THE GAME: Bonine dominated the PawSox in his seven innings of work. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 25 batters he faced and threw 60 of his 98 pitches for strikes. The right-hander struck out seven and got nine outs on ground balls -- in fact, no Toledo outfielder touched a live ball until the sixth, when centerfielder Clete Thomas caught a fly ball by Jonathan Van Every. Pawtucket got a runner in the third when Gil Velazquez was hit by a pitch, then took second on a sacrifice by Van Every, but Bonine struck out Jeff Bailey and got Joe Thurston on a popout. The only other time the PawSox threatened was in the seventh, when Keith Ginter was hit by a pitch with two outs, but Thomas made a diving catch on a sinking liner by Jeff Corsaletti to preserve the shutout.

PROSPECT WATCH: Michael Bowden was much more successful in his second Triple-A start. After giving up seven hits and three runs in four innings at Columbus on July 21, the 21-year-old right-hander allowed just six hits in six strong innings, striking out three and not walking a batter. Bowden, who before the season was considered the seventh-best prospect in the Boston system by Baseball America, was a midseason Eastern League all-star after ranking second in that loop with a 2.33 ERA and 101 strikeouts.

THEY SAID IT: "We beat a great team [in Pawtucket], so this is good for our confidence," Toledo starter Eddie Bonine said. "I was trying to mix up my pitches, and they hit a lot of balls at people. Me and [catcher Max St. Pierre] did a good job of mixing up speeds, and when they hit the ball it was at someone. That's the way it goes sometimes.