PAWTUCKET � Christian Vazquez stepped into the batter�s box and dug in. Wearing his Pawtucket Red Sox hat, dark sunglasses and red shorts, this was your typical pregame batting practice routine.Throwing...

PAWTUCKET � Christian Vazquez stepped into the batter�s box and dug in. Wearing his Pawtucket Red Sox hat, dark sunglasses and red shorts, this was your typical pregame batting practice routine.

Throwing behind a pitching screen, PawSox hitting coach Dave Joppie delivered the pitch. The catcher lifted his left leg and swung away, driving the ball to right. Another pitch from Joppie led to another liner, this one to right. And another.

The next time Vazquez stepped in the box, he drove the ball to left � a towering flying ball here, a line drive there. Again and again. When he stepped up to the plate for his final two rounds, he sprayed the ball to all fields.

The 5-foot-9 catcher came into this season known for his defensive abilities. Runners stand little chance, compared to most, when Vazquez is behind the plate. But the month of June has kick-started the summer of offense for this 23 year old.

After hitting zero home runs in the first two months of the season and batting .237 for the month of May, Vazquez has shown he�s also a threat in the batter�s box, hitting .293 with three home runs in June.

For Vazquez, the offensive results have been about thinking less in the batter�s box.

�Doing less. I was trying to do more in the beginning,� said Vazquez, who sat out Sunday�s game against the Durham Bulls. �I�m more reacting. Don�t think too much. See the ball and hit it. That�s better for me because when I�m thinking too much, things don�t go [my way].�

Since being picked by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2008 MLB Draft, Vazquez has been known for his defensive ability. With a quick release and a cannon for an arm, he could make an impact with the Red Sox on his defense alone.

PawSox manager Kevin Boles believes his ability to shut down an opposing team�s run game has cast a large shadow over his offense.

�I think people sell the bat short because the defense is that good,� Boles said.

The manager has noticed that Vazquez�s pitch selection has gotten better over the last month, and he�s no longer expanding the zone with two strikes.

�He�s been terrific,� Boles added. �It�s amazing what a month [can do]. People were talking, a month ago, �Oh his bat, his bat.� We�ve never had any question about his bat. Really haven�t.�

On Saturday night, Vazquez went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. He again showed the ability to spray the ball to all fields, hitting the homer down the right-field line and the double down the left-field line.

With A.J. Pierzynski struggling to hit above .250 and batting .159 (as of Sunday) in the month of June for Boston, Vazquez might get the chance to join the Red Sox this summer. The catcher�s not focused on the potential call-up but says he will be ready when it comes.

�I don�t pay attention and play my game and have fun here. When it�s time, it�s time and they�ll call me up,� Vazquez said. �Everybody wants that goal.�

Hernandez cruises

In a sea of blue-chip prospects that�s made up the PawSox rotation this season, Chris Hernandez has typically been the forgotten man. But on Sunday, instead of being forgettable, the left-hander was nearly unhittable.

Hernandez was perfect for 42/3 innings, dominating the Durham Bulls and leading Pawtucket (44-41) to a 7-4 victory at McCoy Stadium. The 25-year-old went seven innings, giving up three hits and two runs and striking out eight.

�I felt good. It was nice to bounce back from the start before,� Hernandez said. �[I] kind of gathered myself throughout the week to get ready for this and went out there and felt well.�

The team�s offense backed Hernandez up early and often, led by Dan Butler (3-for-4, home run and three RBI).

In the second inning, Butler hit a two-run home run off Bulls� starter Enny Romero, driving in Alex Hassan. In the next inning, Carlos Rivero singled home Mike McCoy with a liner to left to give the PawSox an early 3-0 lead.

Corey Brown hit a team-leading 10th home run of the season, when he hit a solo shot to center in the fourth.

The hit parade continued in the fifth. First, Travis Shaw hit a towering home run to right-center. The PawSox added two more, one off a Brown single and another on an error from shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

That was plenty for Hernandez. He cruised through the Bulls� lineup to start the game, needing only 62 pitches to get through five and was perfect through the first four innings. Durham�s first hit came on a single from Curt Casali with two outs in the fifth.

The Bulls finally got to Hernandez in the seventh, scoring two runs.

Durham closed the gap to 7-4 when Drake Britton gave up a two-run homer to Mikie Mahtook in the ninth. Britton did, however, recover to close out the game.

Injury updates

Will Middlebrooks, whose broken finger is still swollen, fielded ground balls before the game on Sunday. He�s scheduled to take batting practice on Monday. � The PawSox activated catcher Jayson Hernandez from the disabled list on Sunday, and he made his Triple-A debut.