'Nadoes hurlers trust in Trezza; Catcher works at, behind plate.

• Position: SPORTS

Byline: Chad Garner

WORCESTER - Worcester's Alex Trezza isn't worried one bit that he only hit .217 in the first half of the Can-Am League season.

What's important for the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Trezza is driving in runs from the cleanup spot and being rock-solid defensively behind the plate.

"Everyone else talks about (batting average), but I really don't look at that. I look at production," said Trezza, whose team beat Brockton, 11-10, last night at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field. "Average will take care of itself. It's such a long season, there's no reason to talk about it, but I understand.

"I'm in the middle of the lineup to produce - RBIs and runs scored, stuff like that," he continued. "The way I look at it is every night you go hit .300 and every next at-bat is the most important at-bat."

Worcester pounded out 12 hits, led by Francisco Caraballo, who was 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs. He finished a single shy of the cycle. First baseman Chris Colabello went 3 for 4 with a solo homer in the fifth inning.

Junior Guerrero allowed seven earned runs in six innings for the win. Closer John Birtwell stranded the tying and go-ahead runs on base to earn the save.

Leominster's John Kelly took his league-leading 1.46 ERA into the game, but was cuffed around by the Tornadoes. Kelly lasted only 4-1/3 innings, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He also surrendered two homers. It was the first time in Kelly's 10 starts that he's allowed more than three earned runs in a game and the most runs he's given up in a game in three years.

The left-handed hitting Trezza, who doubled, walked twice and scored two runs last night, started the season with a bang. He cranked three home runs in the first six games but went into an average-killing slump.

"I had a 1-for-30 or something in there not too far into the season," said Trezza, who is tied for second on the team in home runs (7), third in RBIs (31) and first in walks (26).

But there's a lot more to his job title as a catcher than just hitting.

Trezza, drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 18th round in 2001, does all the little things needed - blocking balls in the dirt, throwing base runners out and calling a solid game - to be a top-of-the-line backstop in the league. He's only committed one error on the year.

Obviously, the pitchers on the staff appreciated what Trezza does behind the plate.

"What Alex brings is everything. He...