Alvarez

DURHAM, N.C. — Pawtucket usually has more success in Durham.

Maybe the big blue wall in left — a blatant copy of the Green Monster at Fenway Park — has made the Red Sox’ top farm team feel at home at the Durham Bulls’ Athletic Park. In the nine years since Durham joined the International League, Pawtucket is the only visiting team to post a winning record on the Bulls’ home field.

But the PawSox saw their all-time record at Durham fall to 23-15 after last night’s 5-0 loss to the Bulls. The visiting hitters were limited to a lone ground-ball single by three Durham pitchers and that familiar “Blue Monster” in left helped sabotage Pawtucket starter Abe Alvarez (0-1).

“You take away one pitch in the ballgame and it’s a fairly interesting game,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said.

Alvarez’s troubles started in the second inning when Durham’s Joel Guzman blooped a double off the short wall in left. Alvarez then loaded the bases with a pair of walks before almost pitching himself out of trouble. The lanky lefthander struck out Jorge Velandia, then retired Raul Casanova on a short pop-up.

However, Bulls right-fielder Jeremy Owens — the No. 9 hitter — lifted a 1-1 pitch over the short left-field wall for a grand slam that put the PawSox in a four-run hole.

“He got the bases loaded,” Johnson said. “He battled back. He got two outs. He tried to lock up Owens on the inner half of the plate. He left it out over the plate. … That’s what happens.”

Alvarez later gave up a solo home run to Dustin Mohr leading off the third inning. He finished the night having pitched five innings, allowing just four hits and the five runs.

“I was really pleased with [Alvarez],” Johnson said. “He went back out there and started to command all his stuff in the strike zone. I thought he finished up very, very strong.”

But his mistake in the second inning was too much to overcome on a night when the PawSox couldn’t touch Durham starter Mitch Talbot (1-0). The 23-year-old right-hander allowed no hits and just two walks in his six innings of work.

“I thought he did a great job,” Johnson said. “That kid changed speeds. He hit locations. He kept our guys off balance. It was all in his favor tonight.”

Talbot became the second Bulls starter to leave the game with a no-hitter this season. Opening-night pitcher Jason Hammel, who will work the second game of the four-game series tonight, threw five no-hit innings against Syracuse before he was pulled.

“I knew he was throwing a no-hitter,” Durham manager Charlie Montoyo said. “I thought, ‘Oh no, the fans will get on me when I take him out.’ But we’ve got that pitch count.”

Talbot didn’t blame his manager for pulling him.

“Yeah, obviously it’s frustrating,” he said. “But this early in the season and being this cold, it was the right decision.”

When Montoyo pulled Hammel in the opener, the Chiefs rallied against the Bulls’ bullpen. The PawSox weren’t so lucky. Chad Spann finally did break up the no-hitter when the third baseman slipped a ground ball through the Durham infield for a two-out single in the top of the eighth. But he was the only base runner the PawSox managed in the final three innings.