MOOSIC, Pa. — The Pawtucket Red Sox have counted on Jon Switzer to get them out of their toughest situations for the last month. The Boston organization may very well be counting on Adam Mills in the future.

In the fourth inning of last night’s game, however, Mills and Switzer could not handle the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, who opened up a four-run lead on the way to a 6-4 win in Game Three of the International League semifinals.

Mills, the 53rd player to appear in a PawSox uniform this season, was called on to fill out the playoff rotation and make a start with the series lead on the line. He struggled, allowing five hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out three in 3 1/3 innings. He also made a costly wild pickoff throw.

“It was a great opportunity and it will be an invaluable experience to him next year,” PawSox manager Ron Johnson said. “He kept his composure well. He’s a kid who just signed last year.

“We’re in the business of development. Tonight will be very good to him next year.”

Mills could not get through four innings and Switzer got into trouble on his fourth pitch, allowing the Yankees to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series and move within a win of ending the PawSox season.

The Yankees led from the first inning on. Mills, who is still looking for his first win above Single A, allowed three runs in the first two innings. After the PawSox closed to 3-2, Mills and Switzer combined to give up three more runs in the fourth.

Shelley Duncan and Ben Broussard opened the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back singles. After Duncan was thrown out at the plate on Matt Carson’s ground ball, Johnson called on the lefty Switzer to face Eric Duncan.

Eric Duncan hit just .211 with one homer against lefties last season and .195 with two homers this season. None of those numbers mattered. He ripped a shot over the right-center field fence for a three-run homer and a 6-2 lead.

“We had him 1-2 and Switz didn’t execute a good 1-2 pitch,” Johnson said. “It was a fastball out over the plate. Duncan’s a big strong kid. At 1-2, he’s going to be aggressive.

“Switz has had a good last month with a 1.07 ERA. He’s been our go-to guy, but there’s no way to sugarcoat it. It was a bad pitch.”

When Nick Green followed with a single, Switzer was done without retiring a batter. The remaining four PawSox relievers did not allow a run but too much damage was done.

The Yankees could end the PawSox season as early as tonight if they can win a game that is scheduled for 7:05, but expected to be in jeopardy because of rain.

The PawSox have had trouble in similar situations for nearly a quarter of a century. Since winning their last Governors’ Cup championship in 1984, the PawSox are 1-8 when facing playoff elimination.

Josh Wilson’s two-run, bases-loaded single in the top of the fourth inning and Dusty Brown’s two-run homer in the eighth, both of which came with two outs, accounted for the PawSox scoring.

Kei Igawa got the win, allowing just five hits and two runs (one earned) while walking three and striking out four in seven innings.

“Igawa has dominated us,” Johnson said of the Yankees left-hander, who has given up just three earned runs in 20 2/3 innings while beating the PawSox three times this season.

NOTES: If tonight’s game is postponed, Game Four will be tomorrow and a fifth game, if necessary, would be Monday.

Bartolo Colon (3-1, 2.27) is listed as the scheduled starter against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Phil Hughes (1-0, 5.90). Colon was called up by Boston Thursday when his injury rehabilitation assignment ended, but is expected to be optioned back to the PawSox for tonight’s game.Yankees

6

PawSox

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Next Game

Tonight

at Scranton,

7:05