•KEY TO GAME ONE: Quantity apparently trumps quality. Of the PawSox’ nine hits, five were for extra bases, including three home runs. Meanwhile, the Braves strung together 13 hits, 11 of which were singles. In the seventh and final inning, PawSox reliever Lincoln Holdzkom walked leadoff batter Scott Thorman, then allowed a single to Barbaro Canizares. After a sacrifice bunt by Diory Hernandez moved the runners, Holdzkom uncorked a wild pitch to bring Thorman to the plate for the decisive run.

•KEY TO GAME TWO: Charlie Zink threw everything but the kitchen sink. The Pawtucket knuckleballer tossed a complete game, limiting the Braves to five hits and one unearned run. Zink, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002, outdueled Brian Lawrence, improving to 10-2 with the effort. Zink walked only one batter. Of his 81 pitches, 66 were for strikes.

•THE HIGHLIGHTS: Perhaps the most productive ninth batter in the International League, Jonathan Van Every provided another display of power. In the opener, Van Every blasted a two-run home run well beyond the left-field wall to temporarily tie the score in the seventh inning. Van Every thought he had his 14th home run of the year in his previous at-bat, when he launched a towering shot to right field that got caught in a stiff wind and bounced off the wall. Van Every slowly trotted out of the batters’ box expecting to see the ball sail into the parking lot. He settled for a double.

•THEY SAID IT: “I’ve just been really locked in lately,” Zink said. “I trust my defense, so I just throw strikes and just have them go get it. It’s redundant. That’s what I’ve said all year, but that’s all I’ve been doing. I’m not trying to strike anyone out. I want everyone to hit it. I trust our defense completely.”

•NOTES: Don’t blame Monday’s weather for last night’s doubleheader. A day full of sunshine on Monday could not make up for a soggy infield. The tarp on the infield at The Diamond had been torn out of the ground by strong winds Sunday night, leaving the field in unplayable condition. … The teams endured a 15-minute delay prior to the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader. … The PawSox limited some of the damage of the Braves’ 13 first-game hits by picking off a pair of runners and catching three in the act of stealing. The PawSox also turned two double plays during last night’s opener. … Yesterday marked just the sixth time Richmond has beaten the PawSox in the last 32 games between the teams dating back to 2004. … Four of the PawSox’ six runs in the second game came in the final inning against former major-league reliever Jorge Julio.

•UP NEXT: The PawSox’ RHP Edgar Martinez (3-1, 4.26) will square off with RHP Chris Resop (2-0, 1.50) in the final game of a four-game set with the Richmond Braves. First pitch is 7:05 tonight in Richmond.