•THE HIGHLIGHTS: Pawtucket first baseman Sandy Madera continues to impress in his first days at Triple A, belting a three-run homer to left in the third inning off Rochester right-hander Kevin Mulvey that gave Pawtucket a 3-1 lead.

Madera was promoted from Double-A Portland on April 26 and went 3-for-4 with two doubles in his Triple-A debut at Buffalo on Sunday. He signed with the Red Sox organization on April 8 after winning team MVP honors with the independent New Jersey Jackals last season. This is his 11th pro season.

It was only the sixth homer allowed by Mulvey in two-plus pro seasons. Mulvey was one of four New York Mets minor-leaguers acquired by the Minnesota Twins in February for pitching ace Johan Santana.

Madera, 27, added a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Lee Gronkiewiez recorded his fifth save with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. He stranded runners at first and second in the ninth.

•KEY TO THE GAME: The PawSox never let Mulvey, one of the top young pitchers in the International League, off the hook. He had allowed only four runs combined in his four previous starts, and entered the game with a 1.16 earned-run average — fifth-best in the league. But Pawtucket managed at least one hit in all five innings Mulvey pitched, scoring seven runs over a three-inning stretch.

•PROSPECT WATCH: David Pauley (2-1) made an emergency start for Boston against the Los Angeles Angels last Tuesday in place of Josh Beckett, who was sidelined with the flu and a stiff neck. The right-hander received a no-decision and returned to Pawtucket the following day. Last night, he allowed a two-out run in the first inning on a single to left by Randy Ruiz, then tossed four scoreless innings before exiting in favor of reliever Edgar Martinez.

Pauley’s ERA actually rose from 1.17 to 1.33. He threw 77 pitches, 49 for strikes, and scattered six hits. He showed an impressive ability to work out of jams, picking Denard Span off first base after the outfielder had singled to open the third inning, then inducing Jon Knott to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to work out of more trouble in the fourth.

•THEY SAID IT: “I’ve never doubted myself. I know I can play at this level. I had to keep my head up and do what I can do.” — Madera, who is hitting .500 after the first two Triple-A games of his 11-year pro career.