•HIGHLIGHTS: The PawSox, who at 46-31 own the best record in the International League, strengthened their hold on the top spot in the I.L. North and took a 2-1 lead in its four-game set with Columbus.

Much like Friday night’s 5-3 win over the Clippers, Pawtucket took control of the game in the third inning, collecting three runs on four hits. After Jeff Bailey slugged his 20th homer, Joe Thurston reached first with his 11th bunt single. Jed Lowrie drove him in with a double off the left-field wall, then scored on Bryan Pritz’s two-out liner to right to put the PawSox up, 3-1.

PawSox starter David Pauley gave up his second run in the fourth, when Frank Diaz scored from third on Yurendell de Caster’s double-play ball. But Chris Carter (a solo blast in the fifth inning) and Jonathan Van Every (a two-run bomb in the eighth) each belted their 16th homers of the season to provide some added insurance.

Michael Tejera and Eric Hull each pitched one inning of scoreless relief to preserve the lead.

•QUOTES: PawSox manager Ron Johnson on Pawtucket’s three homers: “If you look at the numbers, we’re not a team that’s going to steal a bunch of bases and do things that way. (Slugging the ball is) the way we’ve got to score, and they were big homers. Carter’s. Bailey’s, obviously. (Van Every’s) was huge. That’s big because we were in a two-run ball game.”

•NOTES: Thurston, who was named the I.L. Batter of the Week for the first time in his career after homering in three straight games from June 10-12, has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games.

•INJURY REPORT: Outfielder Bobby Kielty, who suffered a strained oblique while swinging the bat two weeks ago against Buffalo, is probably two to three weeks away from returning to action. … Right-hander Kyle Snyder, out with a right groin strain, has also been making progress. “He’s healing, feels real good,” Johnson said. “He’s playing catch. We’ll probably get him off the mound next week. And we’ll probably get him down to Florida and get him a couple times off the mound before we throw him back into the game.”

•TODAY’S MATCHUP: Edgar Martinez (2-1, 4.34 ERA) will take the mound for Pawtucket, today at 1:05 p.m. Columbus has not yet announced its starter.