Owens twirls gem as Sea Dogs rout Fisher Cats

Left-hander Henry Owens, the Red Sox's No. 1 prospect, threw seven scoreless innings Saturday as Double-A Portland routed New Hampshire, 18-0.

Owens, ranked No. 27 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, threw 89 pitches in seven innings, scattering four hits and one walk. He struck out six batters.

In 10 starts this season, Owens is 5-3 with a 2.83 ERA. He has thrown 57 1/3 innings and leads the Eastern League with 63 strikeouts.

Owens got plenty of support from the Sea Dogs' offense Saturday. They combined for 15 hits, including three home runs. One of the long balls was hit by Travis Shaw, the Red Sox's No. 19 prospect. It was his 11th of the season, the second-most in the league. Mookie Betts, the club's No. 5 prospect and No. 53 overall, added two hits, two runs, three walks and a stolen base.

Though Saturday quickly turned into a one-sided affair, it was expected to be a pitchers' duel between Owens and Aaron Sanchez, the Blue Jays' No. 1 prospect. The two met for the first time May 8, with Owens and the Sea Dogs coming out on top.

The rematch didn't last long, however. Sanchez faced just six batters before manager Bobby Meacham was forced to go to his bullpen. Sanchez walked four batters and didn't record an out. All six batters came around to score, and though three runs were unearned, his ERA rose from 2.98 to 3.54 with the outing.