PAWTUCKET — No one knows the role of the Pawtucket Red Sox any better than manager Ron Johnson. Last night’s 11-3 loss to Durham offered a prime example.

Last night’s scheduled starter, Devern Hansack, left McCoy Stadium around 4 p.m. for the hour ride to Fenway Park. Boston plans to use him as a fill-in for Josh Beckett to start tonight’s game against Atlanta.

In Hansack’s place, Boston promoted knuckle-baller Charlie Zink from Portland. Zink, a 27-year-old who led Pawtucket in wins last season, left his array of floaters up in Maine or at least in the several airports he was stranded in yesterday trying to fly to Providence.

The Bulls ripped into Zink from the first inning, pounding him for three home runs, eight hits and nine runs in just three ugly innings.

“I couldn’t get in here because of the (thunder)storms. I’ve been traveling nonstop for five days,” Zink said. “But I felt fine. I just left a couple balls up and the wind was blowing out to left field.”

Johnson said he expected his pitching staff to be able to shift on the fly like it did yesterday. He regards that as a positive, even if it places someone such as Zink in a difficult spot. Johnson said he sensed Zink was in trouble early on.

As the righty warmed up, his knucklers were floating a bit high.

“Charlie’s knuckle ball was belt-high and up,” said Johnson. “That wasn’t going to work on a night like tonight with the wind we had. It didn’t take much to funnel the ball out to left tonight.”

Zink’s troubles were quite basic. He couldn’t find the plate with his knuckler (four walks) and left too many pitches up in the strike zone. In the first inning, a hard single and walk put two runners on and Wes Bankston knocked them in with a deep home run to left field for a 3-0 lead.

Zink pitched better in the second inning, and considering he walked two hitters and gave up a single, escaping with only one run was a minor victory. He wasn’t as fortunate in the third. A one-out walk was followed by a single by Raul Casanova and a three-run homer by Elliot Johnson that gave the Bulls a commanding 7-2 lead. A two-out double by Jorge Velandia and another line-drive homer to left, this one from Justin Ruggiano, gave the Bulls a 9-2 cushion.

“When you have it, you have it,” Zink said, perhaps the knuckle-baller’s creed. “It was the knuckle ball I kept leaving up.”

Reliever Edgar Martinez gave up two more home runs in his four innings of work, but he threw the ball well regardless, striking out six Bulls.

It wasn’t a good offensive night for the Sox, either. Durham starter J.P. Howell (3-4) got off to a shaky start in the first inning when an error, walk and double by Brandon Moss led to two runs and sliced the Bulls’ lead to 3-2. Jeff Bailey stroked his fourth home run of the year in the third inning, but by then Zink’s struggles had already put the PawSox in a 9-2 hole.

The PawSox’ bats stayed cool the rest of the way. Howell struck out 10 batters over his six innings.

Pawtucket’s pitching staff could be in for more changes. Kason Gabbard was still in the PawSox clubhouse last night, but he may be promoted to Boston and start Sunday’s game against the Braves.

He was not listed in the PawSox probable pitchers for this weekend’s series in Ottawa.

kmcnamar@projo.com