Devern Hansack off the DL in Pawtucket... and starting in place of Hull.

THE HIGHLIGHTS: This one resembled a men’s softball game for quite some time and took a laborious 3:48 to conclude. The teams combined for 21 runs and 36 hits. The PawSox jumped out to a 5-2 lead after two innings but the relief corps couldn’t keep the Bisons in check. A four-run sixth inning gave Buffalo a 9-6 lead but Keith Ginter drove in two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score at 9-9.

Andy Cannizaro hit a solo homer to give the Bisons the lead in the seventh but Gil Velazquez doubled in Dusty Brown to tie the game at 10-10 in the eighth. The Bisons went ahead in the 10th off Chris Smith (1-5) when Jordan Brown doubled and Michael Aubrey laced a hard single to right-center. Brown made a nice slide to get under Dusty Brown’s tag at the plate. Bubbie Buzachero picked up his 10th save.

•KEYS TO THE GAME: Plenty of hitting was trumped by some shoddy Pawtucket relief pitching. Jose Vaquedano gave up two runs in his one inning but the biggest slip of the night came under Lincoln Holdzkom. He inherited a 7-5 lead but surrendered four runs in a sloppy sixth inning. The Sox rallied and tied the game in the eighth but Smith gave up the winning run in the 10th on two hard-hit balls.

If the Boston Red Sox call Sea Dogs pitching coach Mike Cather, he will give them the three words they want to hear:

"Same old Clay," Cather said after Buchholz struck out 10 while allowing just two hits in eight shutout innings in Portland's 7-0 victory over New Hampshire Saturday night at Hadlock Field.

Buchholz's outing is good news for the Red Sox, who hope he can reclaim his form after being sent down from Boston. Buchholz allowed five hits and three earned runs in seven innings last Monday against New Britain.

His performance also thrilled the Sea Dogs (74-64), who are guaranteed life after the final regular-season game Monday.

The combination of Portland's win and Binghamton's 7-1 loss at New Britain clinched a least a tie for the last spot in the Eastern League playoffs.

The Sea Dogs' magic number is one, meaning a Portland win or Binghamton loss either today or Monday will send the Sea Dogs to the playoffs, which start Wednesday at Trenton.

If Portland and Binghamton finish tied, they will face each other Tuesday at Hadlock Field.

Will Buchholz be in the rotation if the Sea Dogs reach the playoffs? Manager Arnie Beyeler said the Red Sox have not announced their plans.

Although Buchholz did not talk about the possibility of going back to Boston, he did talk about friend Michael Bowden's major-league debut on Saturday, when he got a win in Boston's 8-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

"Even if (Bowden) gets sent back down, he'll be back up in September, and he's going to help that team win," Buchholz said.

Buchholz walked one batter Saturday, throwing 56 strikes in 94 pitches. He mixed a sharp curveball with a change-up and a slider, but his best pitch was an accurate fastball. He threw 54 fastballs, 38 for strikes.

Jed Lowrie, 24, is establishing himself as a major-league shortstop.

Argenis Diaz, 21, is so good the Boston Red Sox put him on their 40-man roster.

There are more Boston shortstop prospects looking good – Yamaico Navarro, 20, and Oscar Tejeda, 18.

Then there's Iggy Suarez, 27, who is finishing his second year and first full season in Portland.

He may be old in minor-league terms. His future as a major leaguer is no guarantee.

But of the many who have donned a Sea Dogs uniform over the past 15 years, few have garnered as much respect and popularity as Ignacio Antonio Suarez.

Suarez played 105 games last year in Portland, batted .253, played superb defense and was named the team's "Citizen of the Year" for his contributions to the community.

When the team honors are handed out before Monday's game, Suarez is a heavy favorite to receive the award again.

"He's the mayor," Manager Arnie Beyeler said, regarding Suarez's popularity in Portland. "You've got all the kids buzzing his name every night."

It's common to hear "Ig-gee, Ig-gee," before Suarez comes to bat.

"The support I get from them, I love it," Suarez said. "I think I work hard enough where they know I'm doing my best."

Suarez came to the Red Sox in the 2003 draft, from which only four players remain in the Red Sox organization. Three were drafted early – outfielder Mickey Hall (second round), pitcher Beau Vaughan (third) and pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (fourth). Suarez arrived in the 24th round.

"I've lasted pretty long," Suarez said. "I'm sticking with this. I'm going as long as I can. I've always wanted to do this. I'm finally getting a chance to do it, and I'm not complaining one bit."

Suarez didn't complain last year when he started a fourth season in Class A. He didn't stay there long, hitting .379 in 18 games to earn a promotion to Portland.

Suarez didn't complain when Diaz was promoted this summer and took the starting shortstop job. Diaz is the prospect.

And Suarez hasn't griped about staying in Double-A, although his glove, versatility and clutch hitting (.288 with runners in scoring position, with 50 RBI) could work in Pawtucket.

"Obviously you want to move up," Suarez said. "For me to say I don't think about that stuff, I'd be lying.

"Then it comes to a point that I think about that stuff so much that it takes me away from how I'm playing. And that's not me.

"I want to be out there having fun, smiling and joking around."

Maxwell gave up just one run, on back-to-back doubles in the second inning over his seven innings of work. He struck out six and walked one. However, on the other side, Alderson was just a little bit better. He shut out the JetHawks over six innings fanning seven without issuing a walk.

Lancaster had two significant scoring chances. In the fifth inning, an infield single by C Luis Exposito and a double by Daniel Nava put runners at second and third with no outs, but the bottom of the order couldn’t find the hit to bring in the tying run. In the ninth, with two outs Exposito doubled and was replaced by pinch-runner Kris Negron. Nava blooped a ball into shallow centerfield that looked like it might tie up the game but Giants second baseman Brad Boyer made a nice running catch to preserve the Giants victory.

After suffering a sweep in their last road series of the season, the Crawdads started their last homestand of the year off positively, topping the Greenville Drive, 7-6.

While Greenville (29-38, 68-68) scored first with a run in the top half of the first inning, Hickory (21-46, 51-86) scored most, jumping out to a lead as big as 7-3 before a late Drive comeback.

After a three-run first saw them go ahead, the 'Dads would never look back, pounding six doubles en route to 13 total hits and withstanding a late Drive rally that saw them score four times between the sixth and eighth innings.

Jordy Mercer led the way for Hickory, going 2-4 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs and a run scored. Keanon Simon paced the 'Dads with three hits in a 3-5 night, scoring twice.

Pitching-wise for Hickory, Emilis Guerrero won his second straight start, allowing five runs (all earned) on nine hits across 6.1 innings. He walked only two and struck out five, improving to 2-3 on the season.

Greenville's Chad Povich dropped to 8-7 with the loss, surrendering four runs (two earned) on seven hits in five innings.

Hickory's Adam Simon pitched a scoreless ninth inning to notch his second save of the season.

Eight of the nine 'Dads had hits, helping offset a career night from Oscar Tejeda, who went 3-4 with a pair of solo home runs, finishing with three RBIs.

Mitch Dening scampered home from third base with the winning run, capping a nail-biting comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning by the Lowell Spinners as the team clinched its first playoff berth and Stedler Division title in team history, 5-4, over the Oneonta Tigers during Kids’ Kickball and Dodgeball Giveaway Night, sponsored by Courier and Sal’s Pizza.

The celebration began as soon as Dening slid into home, and continued into the clubhouse as the team relished in its first postseason berth.

Lowell (38-29) got off to a great start, scoring single runs in the first and second innings to take a quick 2-0 lead. In the first, Peter Hissey walked, advanced to second on a walk to Tim Federowicz and scored as Ricardo Burgos laced a single to left.

The second Spinners’ run came courtesy of a wild pitch, as Ronald Bermudez led off the second with a triple and came home when Oneonta (28-38) starter Mark Sorensen whipped a pitch to the backstop.

Lowell cruised through the next few innings, until the Tigers put a damper on celebration preparations in the sixth as right fielder Hayden Parrott smacked a 3-run homer to deep left-center field.

Oneonta added what looked to be an important insurance run in the eighth inning on an RBI double by left fielder Luis Arlet.

With one out in the Spinner ninth, Derrik Gibson walked, stole second and then scored on a Casey Kelly single to cut the Tigers’ lead to one. Mitch Dening followed with a double to left-center field, scoring Kelly from first, that just missed hitting the Pepsi ProStar Video Board for a 2-run homerun. Dening then stole third and when Oneonta reliever Tyler Stohr threw a fastball that got behind catcher Joe Bowen, Dening scored a historic run.

There aren't many baseball fans around here who can remember the last time Lowell had a championship minor-league team before the "Hitless Wonder" Spinners performed the feat this summer. The year was 1934, nearly three-quarters of a century ago.

The Lowell Lauriers had shared the Class B New England League pennant with Worcester the previous summer after a hurricane washed out the playoffs with the teams tied at one win apiece. But the NEL, like so many minor leagues during the Great Depression, folded after that season, and the Lauriers were in search of a new league in 1934.

The Class A Northeastern League was formed during the winter, and Lowell joined. The Lauriers signed working agreements with two National League clubs, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants, who sent them a handful of players to stock the roster. Former Braves infielder Bill Hunnefield was hired as player-manager of the Lauriers.

Owner Vic Lecourt brought back several key members from the 1933 NEL co-champions, including Lowell native Aimee "Jerry" Savard. Savard had led the NEL with 24 homers -- the all-time Lowell minor-league record for a single season -- while hitting .303 and slugging .576.

Also returning were first baseman Larry Donovan, outfield Pete Ballard, second baseman Tony Begos, catcher Leo Sevigny, and pitchers Larry Bishop -- who had thrown back-to-back no-hitters in 1933 -- and Babe Drisko.

Joining them were four Braves farmhands, pitchers Joe Kinney and Lou Sakas, shortstop Reggie Smith, and outfielder Bud Galvin. The Giants provided another outfielder, Hal Saffer.

A nine-game winning streak early in the season propelled the Lauriers into first place. But a rash of injuries struck the club in early June.