By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET - During what’s been a tough four-game losing streak, the Pawtucket Red Sox have gotten very little from their offense, scoring just two runs in their last 44 innings.
A pair of home runs and one very productive inning made the PawSox recent offensive woes a distant memory on Saturday.
Chris Carter and Carlos Maldonado each went yard and the PawSox produced a seven-run third inning en route to an 8-5 victory over the Gwinnett Braves before 3,620 fans at McCoy Stadium. The win puts Pawtucket over the .500 mark at 11-10.
“It was just good to see,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “It was really good to see.”
Pawtucket was actually out-hit by the Braves by a 15-7 margin in the nearly three-hour contest. But the Sox were able to get to struggling starter Jerome Gamble in the third inning to provide al the offense it would need.
Pawtucket did all its damage with two outs in the inning. After Gamble was able to get the first two batters out in the frame, the PawSox caught a break when the Gwinnett shortstop Diory Hernandez couldn’t quite get his glove on a hard grounder by Sean Danielson.
The righthander followed the error by walking Paul McAnulty. Carter, who put the PawSox on the board with a solo homer in the second inning, then gave the offense a kick start with a two-run single to right field. By the time that frame was complete, seven more players would make their way to the batter’s box before the Braves’ offense got back on the field.
Maldonado highlighted the inning with a three-run, 350-foot homer that cleared the left-centerfield fence. Gil Velazquez also contributed greatly, smacking a two-run single.
It was a good thing that bats got going in the inning as the PawSox didn’t do much afterwards with just one hit the remaining four innings.
“There is no substitute for the home run,” Johnson said. “Carter got us on the board with the solo shot and Carlos came with the big three-run homer. Those were big, but that was obviously our inning. Take away that inning and we didn’t do a whole lot. But you know what, we’ll take it. Hopefully we can kind of build on that now.”
Carter continued his hot bat, extending his hitting streak to eight games since being sent down from Boston on April 23. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored on Saturday and is now hitting .423 (14-for-33) in Pawtucket.
“Carter batted well. It was good to see,“ Johnson said. “We needed it. That’s what he does. You look in the media guide and look at what this guys done over his career - he hits. He’s a professional hitter. He really has come up big for us.”
PawSox starter Enrique Gonzalez got the win, improving to 3-1 for the season. In six innings of work, the righty allowed 11 hits and four earned runs. He also had four strikeouts.
“I thought Gonzo was really good through the first three (innings),” Johnson said. “The last three he was kind of good and bad.”
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EXTRA BASES: Red Sox outfielder Mark Kotsay began a 20-game injury rehab assignment at Pawtucket on Saturday. As the designated hitter in the leadoff role, Kotsay had one hit in five at-bats. “He ran well. He has some good swings at the pitches,” Johnson said. “I talked to him after the game and he said he felt fine. He’ll play six innings of defense (Sunday) at centerfield. So far, so good.”…Clay Buchholz takes the mound this afternoon (1:05) for the PawSox, while Charlie Morton (2-1, 5.21) will get the nod for the Braves. Also on Sunday, the PawSox will host their inaugural Star War Days. More than 30 Star Wars characters will be in attendance at McCoy.
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Gwinnett 000 220 100 - 5 15 2
Pawtucket 017 000 00x - 8 7 2
Jerome Gamble, Vladimir Nunez (3), Francisley Bueno (7), Boone Logan (8) and Alvina Colina. Enrique Gonzalez, Fernando Cabrera (7), Daniel Bard (9) and Carlos Maldonado. 2B, G, Brooks Conrad, Alvina Colina. HR - G, Barbaro Canizares. P, Chris Carter, Maldonado.