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Salem opens its 2010 Carolina League season on April 8 on the road at Potomac. The Red Sox's first home game will be April 16.

2010-game-schedule1

Todd Stephenson will replace John Katz as general manager of the Salem Red Sox.

Tim Zue, managing director of the Salem Red Sox and vice president of Fenway Sports Group -- sister company of the Boston Red Sox announced the move on Thursday.

After four seasons, Katz is headed to Savannah to become president of the Sand Gnats.

Stephenson has been Boston's Director of Florida Business Operations, running the spring training facility in Fort Myers. He has been a consultant for Boston in Salem the past two seasons.

Lynchburg beat Wilmington 5-2 on Sunday to win the Northern Division championship and reach the Carolina League's championship series. The Hillcats will host Salem in the opening game of the Mills Cup series Monday at 7:05 p.m. at City Stadium.

Mike Jones's two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Salem a 6-4 win on Friday and completed the Red Sox's 3-game sweep of Winston-Salem in the Southern Division championship series.

Salem will play the Northern Division champ in a best-of-five series for the Carolina League championship beginning on Monday. Wilmington has a 2-games-to-1 lead on Lynchburg in that series after Friday's 2-0 win.

The first two games of the Mills Cup series will be at the home of the Northern champ on Monday Tuesday. Salem will host as many of the last three games as are necessary beginning on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. Friday's game, if needed, will be at 6:35 p.m. Saturday's at 6:05 p.m. at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka held Winston-Salem to one run over 6 2/3 in his rehab start for the Salem Red Sox in the opening game of the Carolina League's Southern Division championship series on Wednesday.

Salem was up 4-1 when Matsuzaka came out of the game to a standing ovation.

The lone run scored on a walk, a stolen base, a grounder and an RBI-single by Brent Morel in the first inning.

Salem clinched a spot in the playoff Monday and Daisuke Matsuzaka will be on the mound for the opening game on Wednesday, Red Sox manager Chad Epperson said.

The Red Sox beat Lynchburg 6-5 sealing a spot in the Southern Division championship series against Winston-Salem. The Dash will host the first two games, so Dice-K will pitch in Winston-Salem on Wednesday for the Salem Red Sox.

The Boston Globe is reporting on its website, boston.com, that Daisuke Matsuzaka will make his next minor league rehab start for either Salem or Greenville on Wednesday, depending on their playoff situations. Greenville is already in the low-A South Atlantic League playoffs. Before Sunday's game, Salem still needed a win to secure a game Wednesday -- and that will be in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Carolina League president John Hopkins said since Major League rehabbers don't count on minor league rosters, a Dice-K appearance for Salem would not violate the rules against adding players from higher leagues after the last 20 days of the season.

Infielder Ryan Dent, a sandwich pick in 2007, was promoted to Salem from low-A Greenville on Thursday and inserted into the lineup at shortstop.

Dent hit .252 with 24 doubles, six homer and 48 RBIs in 99 with Greenville, 65 at second base and 34 at shortstop.

Salem put infielder Luis Segovia on the disabled list to make room on the roster for Dent.

Salem shortstop Kris Negron has been traded to Cincinnati Reds for Alex Gonzalez, the Boston Globe reported on its website Friday afternoon.

Negron played in all but three games for Salem this season, hitting .264 with 17 doubles, four triples, three homers and 34 RBIs. He stole 20 bases in 111 games.

Salem Red Sox general manager John Katz is leaving at the end of the season to become the president of the Savannah Sand Gnats in the low-A South Atlantic League.

"This is the most difficult decision I've made in my life," Katz said on Tuesday.

Katz has been the general manager since Nov. 2005 and the team broke its franchise attendance record in 2007.