A couple of Sea Dogs moves to announce, while wondering if another one is in the works.

After Tuesday night's gamme, Portland sent reliever Miguel Asencio back to Pawtucket, and will soon welcome reliever J.J. Large from Lancaster.

Could another pitcher may be on the verge of a promotion?

Michael Bowden (5-3, 2.24) starts for the Sea Dogs tonight. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, who took in Wednesday night's game at Hadlock Field, is expected to be back to watch one of his prized pitching prospects.

Michael Bowden has been dominating Double-A batters recently. In his last 10 games, he's 5-1 with a 1.40 ERA.

Bowden's over-the-top, jerky motion is deceptive, and his heavy fastball is hard to hit hard. While Bowden is only 21, and thus not necessarily ripe for a promotion, he may need the challenge of more experienced Triple-A batters.

As for the recent Sea Dogs moves, Asencio's prmotion has been anticipated. He is a minor league free agent with major league experience and a lot of Triple-A time. So, even though his ERA is 6.44, when there was an opening, he moved up.

Large, 25, a Sox 46th-round draft pick in 2005, was 2-1 in Lancaster with a 3.16 ERA. Away from Lancaster's wind-blown stadium, Large had a 1.77 ERA.

In another move, the Sea Dogs put left-handed starter Dustin Richardson on the disabled list (shoulder tendinitis). The plan is to shut him down for a week and then slowly bring him back to form (likely out 2-3 weeks in all).

In Portland's Tuesday night loss, reliever Daniel Bard again had the Hadlock Field radar gun elevating. He hit 99 m.p.h. with three fastballs. In 2 innings, Bard allowed 1 H and 1 BB.

In Lancaster, Josh Reddick continued on his tear (3-for-4, now. 352) ... Blake Maxwell lowered his ERA to 1.54 with 3 IP of shutout relief (1 H, 3 K) ... Bryce Cox pitched a scoreless inning.

Recent third-round draft pick Kyle Weiland (Notre Dame) got in 2 innings work for Lowell (0 H, 0 BB, 2 K) ... Outfielder/DH Luis Sumoza went 2-for-5 with a homer. Sumoza, who turns 20 next month, was a bonus baby out of Venezuela, signing for $200,000 when he was 16. This is his first season away from the rookie leagues.

The Red Sox are off today. The Cardinals come to Fenway on Friday. Here's hoping for a blowout to ensure that reliever Chris Smith gets in the game for his major league debut.

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