The Diamond might be Braves territory for a few more months, but last night it was pretty much overrun by Red Sox Nation.

The small crowd of 1,886 included a noticeable contingent of Boston Red Sox fans who came to see Pawtucket, Boston's Triple-A affiliate. Many of the fans wore Red Sox jerseys with the names of their favorite players.

They had plenty to cheer. Pawtucket took advantage of a walk-filled sixth inning and scored five runs to continue its ownership of Richmond with an 8-5 victory.

The Red Sox have beaten the Braves five straight times this season. Pawtucket is 24-5 against Richmond dating to 2005.

Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said the turnout in Richmond isn't a singular event. Sox fans flock to Charlotte and Durham, too.

"I came to the organization in 2000," he said. "I had heard about the Red Sox nation. It's not mythical. It's a reality."

Most of the Sox fans occupied territory behind Pawtucket's dugout on the third-base side. When they started chanting "Let's go Red Sox," some of the Braves fans booed.

"The Braves fans got after it, too," Johnson said.

Pawtucket, which has the best record in Triple-A (58-34), turned this one into a runaway in the sixth. Braves reliever Andrew Shibilo inherited a 4-3 lead from starter Chuck James with one out and runners on the corners.

With a thin bullpen, Shibilo stayed in to face seven batters. He walked five -- three of whom forced in runs -- and surrendered a two-run single as the reeling Braves absorbed their 17th loss in 20 games.

BOUNCING BACK: Reliever Jeff Ridgway, who drew some harsh words from pitching coach Guy Hansen after allowing four runs in 2/3 of an inning Saturday, was dominant yesterday.

The left-hander struck out three in two hitless innings.

"If he can continue to do what he did today," Hansen said, "he'll be a terrific pitcher in the big leagues."

SHORT STAY: Brent Lillibridge was set to play shortstop for Richmond yesterday, but a call a little before game time changed those plans. Atlanta infielder Omar Infante suffered a hamstring injury, so the A-Braves recalled Lillibridge two days after he was sent down. Reliever Vladimir Nunez also was called up.

BACK IN TOWN: Pawtucket outfielder Bryan Pritz, a University of Richmond product, is on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. Pritz, who went undrafted before signing as a free agent in 2004, is hitting .277 and has nine RBI in 83 at-bats.

DOCTOR'S VISIT: R-Braves reliever Zach Schreiber has a partially torn ligament in his elbow and is out for the season. Schreiber will seek a second opinion today from orthopedic surgeon James Andrews on whether he needs ligament replacement ("Tommy John") surgery.

Schreiber (2-2, 2.97, 6 saves) had been battling elbow soreness since the first month of the season.

"I knew something wasn't right," he said. "I didn't have the same stuff, and I wasn't throwing strikes. I'll work hard. It's just another bump in the road I've got to deal with."

UP NEXT: Richmond and Pawtucket play at 7 p.m. at The Diamond. Braves left-hander Francisley Bueno (2-3, 4.60 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against righty Edgar Martinez (3-1, 4.26).

PAWTUCKET	RICHMOND
	a	r	h	bi			a	r	h	bi
Bailey 1b	5	1	3	1		Andrsn cf	3	0	2	3
Thurston 2b	5	0	1	0		Arnold ss	3	0	0	0
Lowrie ss	3	2	1	1		Canzrs ph	1	0	0	0
Carter dh	3	1	0	1		Jones lf	3	0	0	0
Kielty rf	3	0	1	3		Thrmn 1b	4	0	0	0
Brown c	4	1	1	1		Hrnndz 2b	4	1	1	0
Spann 3b	4	1	1	1		Gorecki rf	4	1	2	0
Danlsn lf	5	2	2	0		Ldnthl dh	4	2	3	0
Vn Evry cf	4	0	0	0		Sammns c	4	1	2	3
						Cruz 3b	3	0	0	0
Totals	36	8	10	8		Totals	33	5	10	5

Pawtucket ------------------------- 020 015 000 -- 8 10 1
Richmond ------------------------- 000 040 001 -- 5 10 0

E -- Lowrie (6). DP -- Pawtucket 2. LOB -- Pawtucket 11, Richmond 6. 2B -- Lowrie (12), Spann (4), Sammons (14). HR -- Brown (8). S -- Arnolds. SF -- Kielty, Anderson. SB -- Danielson (14), Loadenthal (7), Anderson 2 (19).

Pawtucket	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Pauley W 11-2	6	7	4	2	3	4
Hull	2	1	0	0	0	1
Smith	1	2	1	1	0	0
Richmond
James L 3-4	5.1	7	5	5	4	6
Shibilo	.1	1	3	3	5	1
Julio	1.1	2	0	0	0	4
Ridgway	2	0	0	0	0	3

Time -- 3:03. A -- 2,847 paid.