AUGUST 2nd PAWTUCKET (49-58) at SYRACUSE (45-64) 6:35 pm Pawtucket Red Sox LHP Josh D. Smith (6-5, 3.34) vs. Syracuse Chiefs RHP Brdy Dragmire (1-5, 8.39) Series and Quick Trip Finale – The Pawtucket Red Sox look for a split tonight when they play the finale of their 4-game series (and roadtrip) against the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA-Washington) this evening at 6:35 pm at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, NY. The PawSox got on the board in this series – and in the process snapped their 8-game road losing streak – with an 8-1 victory last night. It was Pawtucket’s first road win since July 16 in Charlotte. The Chiefs had won a pair of 1-run decisions during the first two games of this set by scores of 11-10 in 13-innings on Monday and 3-2 on Tuesday. Swan Song - The PawSox are meeting Syracuse tonight for the final time this season and the last time while the Chiefs are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Syracuse will be a New York Mets affiliate in 2019 and that will likely include a name change for this iconic franchise that has been in the International League for 104 seasons now (consecutively since 1961). The Road Home – Pawtucket will be right back at McCoy this coming weekend for a 3-game set against the Rochester Red Wings. The PawSox host Rochester tomorrow (Friday) at 7:05 pm on Gnome-ar Garciaparra Garden Gnome Night for the first 3,000 fans; Saturday at 6:15 pm (on Super Heroes Night with another post-game fireworks spectacular); and Sunday at 1:35 pm (with the 21st Annual PawSox FanFest following the game). That brief 3-game series will constitue the next PawSox homestand and will leave the club with just three homestands remaining (August 13-19, August 28-30, and September 2 & 3). What Have You Done for Me Lately – The PawSox are 3-3 in their last 6 games but they are 4-11 since July 17. Included during that stretch was a season-high 6-game losing streak from July 17-22…Pawtucket’s longest since an 8-game losing streak just about a year ago (last July 29 – August 6). They have not won more than two in a row since a 3-game winning streak from July 14-16. Trending – The PawSox (now at 49-58) were a season-low 10-games below .500 on Tuesday (at 48-58) for the first time in almost three years since they ended the 2015 season with a 59-85 record. Sad Finish – Pawtucket’s recent 8-game road losing skid (July 17-31) included 6 defeats that occurred in walk-off fashion for the opposition as well as 6 losses by 1-run. Overall the Sox have lost 12 games during a last AB while winning 10 times during their own last AB. Home Has Been Sweet, But Road Bumpy – The PawSox have won 5 of their last 8 games at home dating back to July 14 & 15 vs. Syracuse. Pawtucket is 14-10 at McCoy since June 19. The PawSox are 29-26 at home after equaling their season-high of 4-games over .500 at McCoy on Saturday (also from June 24 and July 24). The Sox are 20-32 on the road and have dropped 8 of 9 away games and 13 of their last 17 on the road since June 26. Bye to July - The PawSox concluded July with a 10-16 record in which they battled in a wave of close games. Pawtucket finished the month 2-9 in one-run games, 1-4 in extra innings, and lost 7 games in the opponents’ final at-bat in July. It marked their third consecutive losing month...they went 11-10 in April, but then 13-17 in May, 14-15 in June, and 10-16 in July. The Sox batted .251 in July with 15 HR in 26 games while posting a 3.54 ERA. They will wind up playing 30 games in 31 days in August with two scheduled off-days (August 6 & 20) along with two games on August 21 in Rochester (including the completion of a suspended game from July 5). NEXT ON TAP - The probable pitching match-ups for the upcoming series vs. Rochester: Fri. 7:05 pm (YurView on COX) LHP Stephen Gonsalves (7-3, 3.04) vs. RHP William Cuevas (7-6, 3.57) Sat. 6:15 pm (myRITV) RHP Kohl Stewart (0-3, 3.60) vs. RHP Justin Haley (5-7, 3.66) Sun. 1:35 pm (myRITV) RHP Fernando Romero (3-3, 3.06) vs. RHP Josh A. Smith (2-4, 4.62) Chief Among Us - Pawtucket is 10-7 this season vs. Syracuse (5-5 in Syracuse and finishing 5-2 in Pawtucket). The PawSox went 15-5 vs. the Chiefs last year. These clubs met a total of 10 times over about a one month span from June 11 through July 15. This series in Syracuse has included a wild, 11-10 win in 13-innings for the Chiefs on Monday; a well-played, 3-2 Syracuse victory on Tuesday; and an 8-1 PawSox triumph on Wednesday. Before this week, the teams most recently faced each other just after the All- Star break for a 4-game series at McCoy Stadium with the PawSox taking 3 of those 4 games. The Sox won the opener 7-3 on July 12, the Chiefs rebounded with a 6-3 win the next night, and the Sox took the series with weekend wins by 4-0 and 5-3 scores (the finale on July 15 a walk-off 5-3 victory on a 10th-inning 2-run HR from Adam Lind). Syracuse did not make their first visit to McCoy this season until June 22-24 with the PawSox taking 2 of 3 that weekend. Overall these two teams will face each other 18 times this season…11 in Syracuse and 7 in Pawtucket. 2018 Season-Series vs. Syracuse – Before their last meeting from July 12-15, the PawSox won 2 of 3 over the Chiefs at McCoy from June 22-24…the Sox won the opener, 5-4; the Chiefs were 5-3 winners the next night; and the PawSox rolled to an 8-1 victory in the rubber game on the afternoon of June 24. Pawtucket had previously swept a 3-game series in Syracuse from June 11-13. The PawSox won by scores of 3-1, 5-3 (rallying for 3 runs in the top of the 9th to win that game) and then completed the sweep with a 5-1 victory on June 13. Syracuse took 3 of 4 from the PawSox one month prior to that at NBT Bank Stadium in their first series against each other. The Chiefs won the opener on May 10, 6-4; the Sox notched their only victory of the series the next night, 12-2; but Syracuse won both games over the weekend by 6-5 and 9-1 scores on May 12 & 13. Stats vs. the ‘Cuse - The Sox are hitting .274 in the 17 games vs. the Chiefs (163-for-594) with 12 HR (4 by Lind, 2 by Tavarez, and 1 each from Ohlman, Olt, De Jesus, Hernandez, Renda, and Castillo) and have scored 90 runs (5.3 runs/game). Sox pitchers vs. the Chiefs are 10-7 with a 3.40 ERA (58 ER in 153.1 IP) allowing 65 runs (with 10 homers for Syracuse). 2017 Season-Series vs. Syracuse – Pawtucket will not match the success against Syracuse this season that they did last year when they went 15-5 vs. the Chiefs including a 9-1 record at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse. The PawSox were actually 15-2 at one point vs. Syracuse last season before getting swept in a 3-game set last August 1-3 vs. the Chiefs at McCoy. The 15 wins in 2017 against one opponent in a season tied a PawSox franchise-record…the Sox have won 15 games against an International League club on a couple of occasions – most recently prior to last year when they went 15-1 vs. Lehigh Valley in 2008 – but they have never won 16 games vs. another IL team in a single season. Series Business – Pawtucket – down 2-1 in this 4-game set at Syracuse – most recently won 2 of 3 at home vs. Charlotte over the weekend. Before that they had endured three consecutive series losses as they dropped 3 of 4 at Charlotte and were swept in a 3- game set at Gwinnett during their last roadtrip, and went 1-2 vs. the Clippers earlier last week to begin their past homestand. The PawSox have been swept in a series four times this season (suffering three 3-game sweeps and a 2-game sweep). Pawtucket did take 3 of 4 at home over Syracuse from July 12-15 at McCoy to win a series (of multiple games) for the first time since taking 2 of 3 from the Chiefs at McCoy from June 22-24. Pawtucket is 12-18-4 in their 34 series this season (12 wins, 18 losses, and 4 splits). They have posted three 3-game sweeps this season along with a 2-game sweep and a 1-game sweep (in Rochester on July 4). Nice While it Lasted - After winning on June 25, the PawSox went over the .500 mark at 38-37 for the first time since May 8.