•THE HIGHLIGHTS: Pawtucket starter Michael Bowden (0-3) gave up a first-inning RBI double to Todd Linden, but then went on to retire the next 14 Buffalo Bisons that he faced. Bisons (59-68) starter John Halama (8-4) gave up just two hits over seven innings for the win.

•THE RACE FOR FIRST: With 14 games remaining in the season, the PawSox (76-53) are locked in a neck-in-neck race with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for first place in the I.L. North Division.

But for PawSox manager Ron Johnson and his staff, the focus remains on preparing their players to compete each day, and that bringing up a division title race would only put undo pressure on the players, especially new arrivals.

“We’ve [had] a lot of moves so realistically there are a lot of guys in our lineup that haven’t even been here [long] so they’re more concerned with getting their Triple-A experience and trying to create some success for themselves,” said Johnson. “It would be kind of foolish to dump this on them.”

•GO, JOE GO: Joe Thurston had two of the PawSox’ three hits and has now hit safely in eight of his last nine games.

•LATE-INNING MAGIC: The PawSox have notched 27 come-from-behind wins this season with 15 of those victories coming in their last at-bat.

•PROSPECT WATCH: Michael Bowden is rated by Baseball America as the No.7 prospect in the Red Sox chain. He was making his sixth start for Pawtucket last night and gave up three hits over six innings.

“I like that he’s a 21-year-old kid and he’s up here competing at the Triple-A level. I think that’s very exciting. That and the maturity that he has,” said Johnson. “For a player of that experience level, he gives you a very mature outing. That’s not saying he’s going to go out there and throw the ball exactly where he wants to [every time], but he’s going to go out and give himself an opportunity to win. He’s not going to let his mind get in his way. He’s very intense but he’s mature. I think he’s exactly where he should be as far as his development.”