by Jeff Schuler Of The Morning Call , Morning Call

For Carlos Carrasco, the Phillies' top pitching prospect, his first one in 10 Triple-A starts came on a brilliant summer-like Sunday afternoon when he lasted just 22/3 innings in Lehigh Valley's 7-4 loss to Pawtucket in front of a capacity crowd of 10,000.

It was Carrasco's shortest non pitch-count outing since a Double-A start when he was chased by Trenton after 12/3 innings on Aug. 10, 2007. He was limited to two innings in a start last July 11 against Akron because he was scheduled to start the Futures Game two games later in New York.

IronPigs manager Dave Huppert, when asked about a second-inning visit to the mound by pitching coach Rod Nichols and trainer Jason Kirkman, said quot;everything's finequot; with the 22-year-old right-hander.

But Carrasco left the door open that it was more than the PawSox hitters responsible for an outing that saw him give up eight hits and six earned runs.

quot;I didn't feel very good today,quot; said Carrasco, showing a blister on the inside of his right thumb and adding that his right elbow quot;is sore a little bit.quot;

The blister, Carrasco said, flattened out his curve and affected his change-up, allowing Pawtucket (10-6) to tee off on both pitches during a five-run third that featured two walks and five hits. Carrasco, whose ERA jumped from 2.37 to 4.57, also hit a batter as 11 of the 19 batters he faced reached base.

quot;He didn't locate the ball very well and his breaking ball wasn't very crisp,quot; Huppert said.

But just when it appeared that the Red Sox were going to put the type of pounding on the IronPigs (6-10) they received Friday in the opening game of the series, the resurgent IronPigs bullpen restored order.

Steve Green, Dave Borkowski and Jason Anderson combined to limit Pawtucket to one run on six hits the rest of the way. IronPigs relievers now have an 0.96 ERA in their last 42 innings of work, allowing 29 hits and walking 13.

quot;They got their feet on the ground now and they're a lot more comfortable,quot; Huppert said of his bullpen.

Veteran lefty Cedrick Bowers, who has allowed three hits and a run in his last 72/3 innings, agreed.

quot;We're in more of a routine,quot; Bowers said. quot;Having a role and knowing the situation helps; you know when you have to get ready to go in. And we're throwing more strikes now and getting ahead in the count more.quot;

Down 7-0, the IronPigs began to chip away in the fourth when Andy Tracy followed a Mike Cervenak single with his fourth homer just under the Harry Kalas quot;It's Outta Here!quot; tribute sign in right.

Pablo Ozuna added RBI doubles in the sixth and eighth innings to narrow the gap to three, but he was left at second both times as the Pawtucket bullpen limited the damage.

quot;They don't seem to give away at-bats,quot; Huppert said of his hitters. quot;They keep battling pitch to pitch, inning by inning, and that's all you can do when you fall behind, try to scratch out a few runs here and there and look for a big inning somewhere.quot;

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, on rehab assignment, went behind the plate for the first time since straining an oblique April 10 in Colorado. He appeared to move well and was 1-for-3 with a walk.

quot;[Ruiz] did a good job and he says he feels fine,quot; Huppert said. quot;He was free and loose and moved around good.quot;

Red Sox 7

IronPigs 4

Looking ahead: RHP Drew Carpenter (1-0, 5.63) faces Pawtucket RHP Clay Buchholz (0-0, 3.12) in the final game of a 4-game series.

IRONPIG OF THE WEEK NOMINEES

IF Mike Cervenak: Hit .300 (9-for-30), 4 runs, 3 2Bs, 1 HR, 7 RBIs.

OF John Mayberry: Hit .333 (7-for-21), 3 runs, 4 2Bs, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, .667 slugging pct.

2B Pablo Ozuna: Hit .346 (9-for-26), 4 RS, 4 2Bs, 3 RBIs.

The bullpen: 0.66 ERA, 271/3 IP, 17 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 BBs, 18 Ks.

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