3 Sea Dogs Traded Away In 3 Team Deal

As part of a three-team deal that brings starting pitcher Erik Bedard and minor-league pitcher Josh Fields to the Red Sox, 3 Sea Dogs players have been been traded away. Outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang, along with pitcher Juan Rodriguez from Single-A Greenville, have been sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Catcher Tim Federowicz and pitcher Stephen Fife have been sent to the Seattle Mariners.

All 3 players have been key cogs for the Sea Dogs this season. Chiang and Fife were both Eastern League All-Stars, and Chiang played in the MLB Futures Game as part of All-Star weekend in Arizona.

Chiang was leading the Sea Dogs in many categories this season, including batting average, RBIs, and doubles. His 76 RBIs were tops in the Eastern League. He leaves the Sea Dogs organization with a franchise record 72 doubles.

Fife leads the Eastern League in wins with 11. His 11-4 record was tops among Sea Dogs pitchers. In 103 1/3 innings pitched, he had 70 strikeouts and a 3.66 ERA.

Federowicz had a batting line of .277 average, 8 home runs, and 52 RBIs. He finished off his Sea Dogs career in style, going 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs in the Sea Dogs 8-5 win Sunday against the Altoona Curve.

Wagner Shines in Wet Sea Dogs Win

It didn't take Mark Wagner long to get reacquainted with Hadlock Field. In only his second game back in Portland since 2009, the Sea Dogs catcher had 2 big hits as Portland beat Altoona, 6-2 in 6 innings. Former major league knuckleballer Charlie Haeger picked up the win in his Sea Dogs debut.

The Sea Dogs got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first, giving Haeger some early run support. Chih-Hsien Chiang and Will Middlebrooks had back to back one-out doubles, with Middlebrooks driving in a pair, as the Sea Dogs led 2-0 after an inning. Chiang's doubles was his 36th of the season, tops on the team.

Haeger looked strong from the start, retiring 7 of the first 8 batters he faced before Yunesky Sanchez's infield single broke up his short no-hit bid. The light rain aided a lively knuckleball, as Curve batters looked foolish.

Wagner brought back old memories in the fourth, as he blasted a solo home run over the monster, receiving cheers like it was 2009. It was Wagner's first home run in a Sea Dogs uniform this year, and 5th overall.

Haeger's shutout bid was ended in the top of the fifth, as the Curve started to adjust to the knuckler. After getting two quick outs, Haeger gave up 3 straight hits, with Starling Marte's double bringing home Sanchez for Altoona's first run.

The Sea Dogs would give Haeger plenty of breathing room with a big fifth inning offensively. Jeremy Hazelbaker led off with a single, and moved to 2nd on his 18th stolen base in a Sea Dogs uniform. He would then move to 3rd on a ground out by Alex Hassan. Chiang would drive him home on a fielder's choice grounder. Hazelbaker beat the throw home, which went wide of the plate, allowing Chiang to advance to 2nd. After Middlebrooks grounded out, Wagner lined a double into the left field corner, bringing home Chiang. Tim Federowicz then singled to drive in Wagner, making it 6-1 Sea Dogs. Curve reliever Tim Anderson was knocked out after just 2/3 of an inning. Aaron Thompson came in and got the final out of the inning by getting Jon Hee to ground into a force out.

Andrew Lambo hit a solo home run over the high wall in right to round out the scoring. it was Lambo's 3rd homer of the year.

Thompson allowed a lead off single to Ryan Dent in the bottom of the sixth, but he was gunned down trying to steal 2nd. Heiker Meneses and Hazelbaker then flew out to the end the inning.

Junichi Tazawa was set to come on in relief of Haeger in the seventh, but light missed turned into a hard rain. After 30 minutes of rain delay, the game was called, and Haeger picked up his Sea Dogs win in his first try.

The righty allowed 2 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 1. He threw 96 pitches, with 63 for strikes. He showed flashes of why he made it all the way to the big leagues for the White Sox, Padres, and Dodgers from 2006-2010.

Wagner is now 6 for 18 since being called up to the Sea Dogs from Class A Salem. 3 of those 6 hits have been extra base hits.

Micahel Colla took the loss for Altoona, dropping his record to 4-8. he gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in 4 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 1.

The teams will be back at it tomorrow night at 6pm, when hopefully the weather will be a little more cooperative. Brock Huntzinger will take the mound for the Sea Dogs, trying to improve on his 5-8 record. Kyle McPherson will toe the rubber for Altoona, who is 4-3 on the year. After tomorrow's game, the teams will finish up their four-game series on Sunday with a 1pm start.

Seventh Isn't Heaven in Sea Dogs 7-4 Loss

A sloppy seventh inning by Portland defense broke a 3-3 tie, and the Altoona Curve pulled away for a 7-4 win. Eammon Portice took the loss in relief, as he faded in his third inning of work after striking out 4 of the first 5 batters he faced.

The Curve took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Andrew Lambo hit a lead-off double, moved to 3rd on a Tony Sanchez ground out, and scored two batters later on an RBI single by Quincy Latimore. Sea Dogs starter Michael Lee then struck out back to back batters to end the inning.

The Sea Dogs answered in the bottom of the inning, in turn taking their first lead of the game. Mark Wagner doubled in his first game at Hadlock in two years. He then moved to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by Jon Hee. Oscar Tejeda then drove him home with an RBI single. With Jeremy Hazelbaker batting, Tejeda was caught stealing 2nd, as he has been much more aggressive in the base path in recent weeks. Hazelbaker then doubled to the gap on a play in which Tejeda would have easily scored. Heiker Meneses followed up with an RBI single up the middle, scoring Hazelbaker and giving the Sea Dogs a 2-1 lead.

Altoona tied the game up in the top of the third. Brock Holt hit a liner to left-center that Hazelbaker dove for, but it bounced off his glove for a stand-up double. Two batters later, Lambo singled home Holt to make it 2-2.

The Sea Dogs would pull ahead again in the bottom of the inning, as Alex Hassan led of with a double. He would score three batters later when Wagner reached on a throwing error by 3B Yunesky Solarte.

The Curve would again tie the score as Lee ran out of gas in the fifth. He gave up back to back singles to Yunesky Sanchez and Anthony Norman with no outs. After striking out Starling Marte he gave up an RBI single to Holt to end his outing. Portice came in and struck out Josh Rodriguez and Lambo to end the inning.

Portice was locked in in the sixth inning. After getting Tony Sanchez to hit a routine grounder to short, he struck out Matt Curry and Latimore, giving him 4 strikeouts out of 5 batters faced. After getting Yunesky Sanchez to strike out to lead off the seventh, the wheels came off for Portice and the Sea Dog defense. Anthony Norman reached on a fielding error by Meneses at short. Marte then legged out an infield single, beating the throw to first by 3B Will Middlebrooks. Holt drew a full count, and on what looked like should have been a called 3rd strike, Wagner threw to 3rd to gun down Norman. Except it was called ball four, and the bases were loaded. Rodriguez then hit a grounder to 3rd, and Middlebrooks threw it to 2nd hoping for a double play, rather then trying to get Norman out at home. The Sea Dogs could only get out Holt at 2nd, making it 4-3 with runners at the corners. Then With Lambo at bat, Wagner threw to 1st, trying to get Rodriguez in a run down. Hee threw back to home on the double steal attempt, and threw it wide of Wagner, scoring Marte. Portice got Lambo to strike out swinging, mercifully ending a nightmare inning for the Sea Dogs.

It didn't get any better for Portice in the eighth inning. He walked Tony Sanchez on 4 pitches to lead off the inning. Curry then drilled a fly ball off the top of the outfield wall in center for a 2-run home run, his 5th of the year. Cesar Cabral came in to relieve Portice, and retired the next 3 batters to end any further damage.

The Sea Dogs managed to get a run in the bottom of the eighth, digging into the lead they gave to Altoona. Hassan reached base leading off, as his grounder went through the legs of Curve SS Rodriguez. Chih-Hsien Chiang then bounced a grounder off Rodriguez' shoulder for a single that moved Hassan to 3rd. Middlebrooks then stepped to the plate with runners at the corners and no out...and hit into a double play. Hassan scored to make it 7-4, but it killed what could have been a momentum-swinging rally. Wagner weakly popped out to 3rd to end the inning.

Dening almost brought back the magic he had in the Sea Dogs last home game, when he hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth against Binghamton last week. After Altoona closer Michael Dubee got 2 quick outs, Hazelbaker walked. Meneses then singled to center on a full count to put men at 1st and 3rd. Dening also ran the count full, and got solid contact on the 3-2 pitch. however, there was no gust of wind out to center this time around, as Marte got under the fly ball at the warning track for the final out.

The loss was Portice's 6th of the season, as he allowed 4 runs (2 earner) in 2 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 6 and walked 2 and gave up his 9th home run of the season. He does lead all Sea Dogs relievers in strikeouts, with 58.

Matt McSwain picked up the win in relief for Altoona. He threw 2 hitless innings with 1 strikeout and no walks. He is now 2-0 out of the bullpen.

Dubee pitched a tense ninth inning for his 6th save of the year. He lowered his ERA to 2.39, the lowest on the club.

Hassan was one of the lone bright spots for the Portland offense. he went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, and picked up his 26th and 27th doubles of the year. That total is 2nd on the team, behind only Chiang, who has 35.

Wagner's double was his first extra base hit since returning to the Sea Dogs. The Catcher played in Portland in 2008 and 2009 before making it all the way to AAA in 2009. After playing in Pawtucket for parts of two seasons before being designated for assignment in Red Sox spring training this spring. Wagner was once thought to be an heir-apparent to Jason Varitek in the Red Sox system.

The teams will be back at it for game 2 of a 4-game series with Altoona tomorrow night at 7pm. This is the only time Altoona will come to Portland this season.

Dening Walk-Off Dinger Gives Dogs 10-9 Win

With a stiff wind towards the outfield, there was a good chance that couple balls would fly out of Hadlock Field. No one expected there to be 7 of them, especially Mitch Dening, who's solo home run in the bottom of the ninth pushed the Sea Dogs to a 10-9 victory over the Binghamton Mets.

The talk before the game was not if there would be a home run, but how many would there be. The Mets hit 4 in the game, with the Sea Dogs tallying 3, but Dening's shot was the difference, as the pitchers in this game would like to forget this one.

Sea Dogs starter Brock Huntzinger put himself in a jam in the first inning, putting runners at the corners. However he got Dusty Ryan to pop out to end the inning.

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Binghamton starter Robert Carson did not escape the bottom of the first so easily. He allowed a lead-off walk to Jeremy Hazelbaker, and then a single to Ryank Khoury. A fly out to deep center by CHih-Hsien Chiang allowed Hazelbaker to advance to 3rd. He would then score as Carson's pickoff attempt of Khoury sailed wide of first, bringing in the game's first run.

Hazelbaker drove in the next run in the second inning, singling to shallow center to drive home Heiker Meneses. Hazelbaker was 1 of 8 players in this game to record multiple hits.

Huntzinger gave up the first home run of the game in the top of the third, as Allan Dykstra bombed a pitch into the 8th row of the pavilion seats in right field with two on and two outs. Huntzinger had struck out 4 straight batters before giving up back to back singles and the home run.

Khoury led off the bottom of the third with a home run that just cleared the wall in center, tying the game at 3-3. It was Khoury's 2nd homer of the year.

Huntzinger gave up solo shots in both the fourth and fifth innings, to Brahiam Maldonado and Matt Den Dekker respectively. Den Dekker would homer again in the seventh inning, with both of them leading off the inning.

Huntzinger was done after 5 innings, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, with 6 strikeouts. All of the runs he gave up came on home runs.

Portland would push 4 runs across in the sixth inning to take back the lead. Dening led off with a single, and moved to 2nd when Meneses was hit by a pitch. After Hazelbaker struck out, Khoury singled to drive home Dening. Two batters later Will Middlebrooks launched a 3-run home run over the Monster in left, giving the Sea Dogs an 8-6 lead. It was Middlebrook's 12th round-tripper of the year.

After Den Dekker cut the lead to 8-7 in the top of the seventh, the Sea Dogs regained a 2 run advantage as Hazelbaker singled home Jon Hee on a grounder through the left side of the infield.

Blake Maxwell came on in relief in the eighth inning, looking for a 6-out save. he was greeted rather poorly by the Mets. He gave up a lead-off double to Raul Reyes, followed by back to back singles by Maldonado and Eric Campbell to push one run across. Niuman Romero then dropped a sacrifice bunt in front of Maxwell that he threw past Hee, scoring Maldonado and tying the game at 9-9. With the winning run at 3rd Maxwell got a strikeout, flyout, and another strikeout to end the inning.

John Lujan entered the game in the bottom of the inning and struck out the side, giving all the momentum to Binghamton. Maxwell made it interesting again in the ninth, loading the bases on 3 straight one-out singles. He would again escape a jam, getting Campbell to hit a weak flyball and Romero to groundout to keep the game tied.

Jon Hee looked like he might the hero to lead-off the bottom of the ninth. He got good contact on a 3-2 pitch, but landed it shy of the warning track for an out. Then Dening stepped to the plate, and he would erase any doubt as soon as he made contact. The crowd erupted in appreciation of the heroics, and Dening was mobbed by his teammates at home plate after he rounded the bases. With the win, the Sea Dogs took 2 of 3 from the Mets, and ended the homestand on a high note.

Lujan took the loss, his 3rd of the year, after Dening's blast was his only mistake.

Maxwell failed to get the save, but recorded his 2nd win of the season. It was not his finest outing by any means, but he got men out when he needed to.

The teams combined for 19 strikeouts, and 29 hits. The Sea Dogs pitching staff did not allow a walk, and Huntzinger's hit by pitch of Josh Satin was the only free pass.

Each team only had one batter fail to record a hit, as Romero went 0 for 4, and Oscar Tejeda went 0 for 5 for Portland.

With the win the Sea Dogs are now percentage points ahead of the Mets at the bottom of the North Division standings. The Sea Dogs are 38-58, and the Mets 39-59.

The Sea Dogs now head to New Hampshire for a 4-game weekend series against the Fisher Cats. They will then head to Binghamton for a 3-game series before returning home for a 4-game series against Altoona.

POST GAME AUDIO
Sea Dogs Outfielder Mitch Denning


Sea Dogs Manager Kevin Boles

Mets Get Moore in 7-2 Win Over Dogs

Brandon Moore shut down the Sea Dogs offense for six innings, and Brahiam Maldonado led the Mets bats in a 7-2 win over the Portland Sea Dogs.

Moore shook the cobwebs out in the first inning, giving up a lead-off triple to Jeremy Hazelbaker, and hitting Chih-Hsien Chiang with one out. However, as a telling sign for the Sea Dogs all night, they couldn't push a run across, as Will Middlebrooks flew out to left and Tim Federowicz struck out looking to end the inning.

Moore allowed a base runner in every inning, but it wasn't until his sixth and final inning that he allowed a run. He scattered 6 hits, and only gave up one walk, while striking out 4.

Binghamton meanwhile, had no problem finishing rallies. Back to back one-out doubles by Salomon Manriquez and Raul Reyes in the second gave the Mets an early 1-0 lead. They would double that lead in the third when Jordany Valdespin doubled to left-center, and advanced to 3rd when Hazelbaker misplayed the hit. He would then score on an RBI groundout by Josh Satin.

Portland starter Michael Lee only lasted 3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. It was his first start since July 5th, which was also against the Mets.

Junichi Tazawa replaced lee, and was shaky in his first inning of work. He gave up a lead-off double to Manriquez. Reyes then dropped a sacrifice bunt down the 3rd base line that Tazawa got to, but threw wide of Jon Hee at first base, putting runners at the corners with no outs. Maldonado then hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it 3-0 Mets. After giving up a single to Eric Campbell, Tazawa would settle down and retire the next 10 batters.

The Sea Dogs finally got themselves on the scoreboard in the sixth. After Moore got two quick outs, Federowicz and Oscar Tejeda hit back to back doubles to make it 3-1. Mitch Dening then grounded out to end the inning, and the outing for Moore.

Binghamton would pull away with a big eighth inning, as they knocked around reliever Kyle Fernandes. Satin led off with a single and Allan Dykstra followed with a double to put runners in scoring position with no outs. After Dusty Ryan struck out, Fernandes intentionally walked Manriquez to load the bases. Reyes then hit a weak fly ball to Dening in right for the second out, giving Fernandes hope of getting out of the inning unscathed. Maldonado had other thoughts, as he lined a bases-clearing triple past a diving Dening. Fernandes then got Campbell to fly out to prevent any further damage.

The Sea Dogs gave the fans something to cheer about in the bottom of the eighth, even if it was not enough in the end. Chiang led off with a double to left-center, which broke the franchise record for career doubles. It was Chiang's 33rd double of the season, and 68th of his Sea Dogs career. The record was formally held by Brandon Moss. Chiang would be rewarded, scoring 2 batters later on an RBI single by Federowicz.

The Mets would score another run in the seventh for good measure, finishing off a forgettable performance by Fernandes.

With the win Moore evened his record at 7-7. he also lowered his ERA to 3.97 in the process.

Lee took the loss, dropping his record to 1-5. He only threw 52 pitches over his 3 innings, trying to increase his pitch count after spending time in the bullpen.

Save his first inning of work, Tazawa showed further improvement from Tommy John surgery. A perfect example was when he struck out Matt Den Dekker in the seventh inning on 3 pitches, with strike 3 being a filthy off-speed pitch.

The two teams will play the rubber game of the 3-game series tomorrow at noon. Brock Huntzinger is slated to take the mound for the Sea Dogs.

Middlebrooks Mashes in Sea Dogs 7-4 Win

Matt Harvey frustrated Sea Dogs hitters for 5 innings, tallying 9 strikeouts while only giving up 2 runs. The Sea Dogs let that frustration out on the Mets' relievers, as they scored 5 runs in the seventh inning en route to a 7-4 victory over Binghamton.

The Sea Dogs got their licks in on Harvey in the first inning. After Jeremy Hazelbaker struck out to lead off the inning, Ryan Khoury walked, and Chih-Hsien Chiang doubled to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Will Middlebrooks then doubled to center to drive in a pair. Middlebrooks was then left stranded as Harvey settled down, and settled in.

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Harvey gave up two walks and a single to load the bases in the second inning, but struck out Chiang looking to end the threat. He would strand runners at 2nd base in both the third and fourth innings. In the fifth inning he would get his only 1-2-3 inning of the outing, but he finished strong, getting Middlebrooks and Tim Federowicz to strike out looking. Six of his nine strikeouts were on called strikes, as he mastered umpire Shaun Lampe's strike zone.

Alex Wilson was not as sharp as Harvey, but was just as effective at preventing runs. Wilson lasted 5 2/3 innings, while allowing a season-high 9 hits, but giving up just 2 runs. He struck out 6 and walked none, and finished off his outing by striking out Raul Reyes.

With Harvey out of the picture the Portland offense was able to wake up in the game-changing seventh inning. Heiker Meneses led off with a double high off the wall in right field that just barely stayed under the yellow home run line. Hazelbaker then dropped a sacrifice bunt down the 3rd base line, and reached safely when Jordany Valdespin couldn't handle the throw to first base. Menses scored on the error. Ryan Khoury then had quite the at-bat, as he fouled off numerous pitches before connecting on the 13th pitch for an RBI double. After Chiang flew out to right, Middlebrooks stepped to the plate and showed some muscle. He blasted a 2-run home run into the batters eye to straight center, a landmark that few can reach. It was Middlebrooks' 11th home run for the Sea Dogs, and gave him 4 RBIs on the night.

Two batters later Oscar Tejeda lined a 3-2 pitch past the shortstop to keep the inning alive. After stealing 2nd, he would score when Mitch Dening's grounder was misplayed by Valdespin and dribbled into shallow center field.

The Mets would make it interesting in the ninth inning, as they weren't content with giving the Sea Dogs an easy victory. After reliever Charle Rosario induced two fly outs to get two quick outs, Valdespin got some redemption with a single. He would then make it to third when Middlebrooks let a Josh Satin grounder roll under his glove. Allan Dykstra would then get his own redemption, knocking an RBI single into center field after striking out in each of his first 4 at-bats. Dusty Ryan would drive in two more with a single after a wild pitch advanced the runners. Sea Dogs manager Kevin Boles decided he'd seen enough, and brought in closer Blake Maxwell to get the final out. Maxwell needed just one pitch, as Salomom Manriquez hit a slow bouncer to 3rd that Middlebrooks gloved and fired to first for the final out.

Cesar Cabral picked up the win, his 2nd of the season, after pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Brad Holt took the loss, his 7th of the year, after giving up 3 runs on 2 hits in 1+ innings.

Middlebrooks went 2 for 4, with 4 RBIs and a run scored as he showed again why he is considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. His play to get the final out of the game showed that he can also shine defensively.

Maxwell's one pitch earned him his 9th save of the year, as he has become a key cog in the Sea Dogs bullpen.

Michael Lee will take the mound tomorrow for Portland in the 2nd game of the 3-game series against Binghamton. He is just 1-4 with a 5.33 ERA this season.

POST GAME AUDIO
Sea Dogs Manager Kevin Boles

Dogs Claw Back, Beat Cats 10-6

The Sea Dogs looked dead in the water for seven innings. A game-tying double by Mitch Dening changed that, and the Sea Dogs kept going, scoring 8 runs in the 8th inning to rally past the New Britain Rock Cats, 10-6. Chih-Hsien Chiang had two home runs, including a 3-run shot in the 8th to give him a team-high 16 on the season.

Brett Jacobson made the Sea Dogs hitters look foolish until he left with a injury in the fourth inning. Chiang was the only batter to record a hit off the lanky righty, getting a single in the first and his first home run of the game, a 2-run shot, in the fourth. Blake Martin came on in relief of Jacobson and picked up where he left off. Martin pitched 3 1/3 innings of 1-hit ball, with 4 walks and 1 strikeout.

Portland starter Brock Huntzinger looked great at the beginning of the game, retiring the first 7 batters he faced, including 3 straight strikeouts looking to start the game. A solo home run by Deibinson Romero in the third seemed to knock him off his game. He gave up back to back doubles in the fourth, and a home run followed by 3 straight walks in the fifth to end his outing after just 4 2/3 innings. Cesar Cabral came on in relief and allowed a run-scoring walk and a 2-RBI single to give Huntzinger 5 earned runs on the night. That was the end of the New Britain offense on the night, however, leaving open a sliver of hope for the Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs managed only 3 hits in the through the first seven innings, swinging at many pitches up in the zone that led to fly outs or strikeouts. They then started to calm down and make the New Britain relievers work for outs. Deolis Guerra hit Will Middlebrooks with one out in the eighth, and then walked Tim Federowicz and Oscar Tejeda back to back to load the bases. Jon Hee then lined a single that ricocheted off Guerra and drove home Middlebrooks. Rock Cats closer Tyler Robertson came on in relief, but couldn't manage to end this game like he did the previous night. Dening stayed patient in his at-bat, staying away from breaking balls in the dirt, and dropped an RBI double into left-center. Ryan Dent then lined a single that landed just inside the 3rd-base line, bringing home 2 more runs, and suddenly Portland was out of the doghouse and in the lead. After Jeremy Hazelbaker ground into a force out, Alex Hassan drew a walk on 4 pitches. Chiang then hit what has become a common sight at Hadlock this season: a towering home run out of the stadium. It gave Chiang 5 RBIs on the night, the first time he has done that as a Sea Dogs, and only the 2nd time in his professional career.

Blake Maxwell came on to pitch the ninth, and made it interesting. He gave up a single and a walk before getting his first out. He then gave up another walk and a sacrifice fly to pull New Britain within 4 runs. he then got Michael Hollimon to ground out to first to end the game, and the comeback was complete. it was a complete 180 degree turn from last night's game, when the Sea Dogs committed 3 errors and lost the game on an error in the eighth.

Eammon Portice picked up the win in relief, while only throwing 7 pitches. he is now 3-4 on the season.

Guerra took the loss, and the Twins prospect is now 5-7 with a 7.49 ERA. Robertson picked up his 6th blown save, a night after getting his 10th save.

Chiang went 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs and 2 runs, and was the Sea Dogs only offense for much of the game. He now has 67 RBIs on the season, and bumped his batting average up to .323.

The Sea Dogs are now 36-55 on the season, and maybe tonight's win will start a late-season surge towards .500.

Stephen Fife will take the mound tomorrow against New Britain righty Bobby Lanigan. Fife will be looking for his team-high 11th win of the year.

Errors Early and Late Cost Sea Dogs in 5-4 Loss

A forgettable first inning got the Sea Dogs in an early hole and a key error in the eighth killed what was an exciting rally as the New Britain Rock Cats beat the Sea Dogs 5-4 in the first game after the All-Star break. Miguel Gonzalez allowed 2 runs on zero hits in the first, and Junichi Tazawa received some shaky defense as he was tiring in the eighth, as those were the tell-tale innings in the loss.

Gonzalez promptly started off the game by hitting Brian Dozier with a pitch. He would then walk the next batter, Chris Herrmann. Joe Benson then grounded into a force out, getting Herrmann out at 2nd, but putting men at the corners. The 2 runners would score 2 batters later as Yangervis Solarte ground out and Sea Dogs shortstop Heiker Meneses threw the ball away to first. Gonzalez got Evan Bigley to strike out to end the madness.

After getting a 1-2-3 inning in the second inning, Gonzalez ran into trouble again in the third. Dozier led off with a walk on a full count, and would steal second with Herrmann up. He would score two batters later as Meneses threw it away again. Chris Parmalee would also score when Solarte doubled down the first-base line.

Tazawa came on in relief of Gonzalez to start the fifth, and looked the best he has since Tommy John Surgery in 2009. He got out 10 of the first 11 batters he faced before hitting a wall in the eighth. He struck out 4 with no walks, making mutiple batters look foolish with a plus curveball. His velocity made it into the low 90's as well, showing Sea Dogs fans and Red Sox brass alike that he is making strides in a big way. However, after getting 1 out in the eighth the wheels came off. He gave up back to back singles to put runners at the corners. He then got Nate Hanson to hit a ground ball to 3B Ryan Khoury, but Khoury threw it over the head of 2B Oscar Tejeda, allowing Solarte to score the winning run. Caleb Clay came on in relief, and after walking the bases loaded to start, got a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.

The Sea Dogs got their offense from a pair of 2-run home runs in the fifth and sixth innings. With two outs in the fifth Meneses reached on an infield single. Jeremy Hazelbaker then drilled his 6th homer for the Sea Dogs off a fourth tier sign in right center.

The next inning Alex Hassan led off with a single. After Chih-Hsien Chiang struck out, Will Middlebrooks hit a game-tying round-tripper into the pavilion seats in right field. It was Middlebrooks' 10th homer of the year at Double-A.

But besides the 2 dingers the Portland offense couldn't finish off any rallies. They had runners stranded in each of the last 3 innings, including 2 men on in the bottom of the ninth.

Steve Hirschfeld pitched well to start the game for New Britain. In 6 innings of work, he gave up 4 runs on 5 hits, with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk. Discounting the 2 homers, he only gave up a single to Khoury in the first.

Andrew Albers picked up the win in relief, his first of the year. He had 2 hits and 2 strikeouts in 2 innings in his first appearance of the year with New Britain.

Tyler Robertson picked up his 10th save of the year, pitching the final inning for the Rock Cats.

Tazawa took the loss for the Sea Dogs. in 3 1/3 innings, he gave up the 1 run on 3 hits. His ERA sits at a even 10.00.

The two teams are back at it tomorrow night for game 2 of the 4-game series. Brock Huntzinger will be on the mound for the Sea Dogs, looking for his 6th win of the year. Brett Jacobson will start for New Britain, looking to improve on his 3-4 record.

Wilson Dominant in Dogs' 5-2 Win

Alex Wilson (Photo MESN)

Alex Wilson put together his finest outing of the season, going 7 strong innings without a walk in The Sea Dogs 5-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Wilson picked up his 7th win of the season and showed why he was deserving of his All-Star game selection. Three runs in the second and two in the seventh were enough offense for the Sea Dogs and Wilson, who have won 5 of their last 6 games.

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Wilson was dominant from the get-go, allowing only 1 hit through 4 innings while facing the minimum number of batters. When he did face adversity, like putting runners at the corners with one out in the fifth, he relied on his fastball to get batters out. Wilson's efficiency was aided by the fact he didn't walk a batter and didn't face a three-ball count until the last batter in the fifth.

Portland looked like it would score the game's first run in the bottom of the first, loading the bases on a single by Alex Hassan and two walks. However, Matt Spring couldn't resist swinging at the first pitch, and flew out to right to end the inning.

The Sea Dogs would get on the board an inning later, thanks to some solid hitting and some help from the New Hampshire defense. Oscar Tejeda led off the inning with single through the right side of the infield. Tejeda would make it to 2nd when Jon Hee bounced a pitch back to Fisher Cats starter Zach Stewart, who threw the ball into the dirt in front of 2nd, and Tejeda was safe. Mitch Dening then singled to left-center to drive home Tejeda. Jeremy Hazelbaker then singled to load the bases. Hassan ground into a double play, but Hee was able to score. Chih-Hsien crushed a double to score Dening, and it was quickly 3-0 Dogs.

The Sea Dogs made Stewart throw pitches in bunches early, racking up 65 in his first three innings of work. But after giving up a one-out double to Matt Spring in the third, he would get 11 straight outs to finish off his outing with 100 pitches.

The Fisher Cats would end Wilson's shut-out bid in the top of the seventh as Travis d'Arnaud blasted a solo home run over the monster in left field. It was one of the few mistakes Wilson made in seven innings of work. d'Arnaud was the only New Hampshire batter to really be successful against Wilson, getting 3 of the hits given up by Wilson.

The Sea Dogs would tack on two insurance runs in the seventh inning. Hassan walked on a 3-2 count with 2 outs. Chiang then lined a 3-2 pitch from reliever Matt Daly to left to put two men on with two outs. Will Middlebrooks doubled both men home with a drive deep to right to make it 5-1.

Kyle Fernandes came on in relief of Wilson, and after two quick outs ran into some trouble. He gave up a single to Callix Crabbe, who would score as the next batter, Justin Jackson lined a hit past the glove of a diving Dening for an RBI triple. Blake Maxwell came on and got the final out of the eighth by getting Mike McDade to fly out on the first pitch. Maxwell would pitch a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Wilson improved his record to 7-4, while lowering his ERA to 2.70, the lowest on the team for a starter. he allowed just 1 run on 5 hits, with 3 strikeouts and no walks.

Maxwell picked up his 7th save for the Sea Dogs, and his ERA sits at just 1.08.

The Sea Dogs offense was led by its 3 All-Star hitters: Hassan, Chiang, and Middlebrooks. They trio combined for 4 hits, with 2 runs, 2 RBIs, and 2 walks. Chiang's double was his team-leading 23rd of the season. Hassan picked up his 7th stolen base of the season in the first inning, which is 2nd on the team behind Hazelbaker.

The Sea Dogs finished the 8-game homestand at 5-3 by taking 3 of 4 from the Fisher Cats, who are in second place in the Eastern Division, 17 games ahead of the Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs now head out on the road for 8 games, 4 each in Binghamton and New Hampshire before the All-Star break.

POST GAME AUDIO
Manager Kevin Boles

Pitcher Alex Wilson

-WIL KRAMLICH-