Abreu Blast Beats Sea Dogs 5-4

It was a cold night at Hadlock Field as the Sea Dogs and Reading Phillies opened up a 3-game series. However, the temperature wasn't as cold for Sea Dogs fans as Miguel Abreu's ninth inning home run was. The Phillies' 3rd baseman scored the team's first run and did all the work to score their last, as Reading beat Portland 5-4.

 Stolmy Pimentel made his first start of the year for the Sea Dogs after being activated from the disabled list earlier in the day. Pimentel had a rough go of it in his short stint with Portland early last season, but looked like a totally different pitcher in his first start this season. A fastball that hit 95mph and a slider in the low 80s led to 4 strikeouts for Pimentel in his first two innings of work. Then he faced Abreu to lead off the third, and the tall righty ran into trouble. After getting the next better to ground out, Pimentel allowed four straight base hits to give Reading a 3-2 lead. Pimentel would then get bailed out by a nifty double play on a grounder to 3B Kolbrin Vitek to get out of the jam. Pimentel would then strikeout 3 more batters over his final two innings before being lifted after throwing 73 pitches.

 The Sea Dogs took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, thanks to back to back 2-out doubles by Bryce Brentz and Reynaldo Rodriguez. Heiker Meneses looped a single to right to score Rodriguez. 

The Sea Dogs would tie the game up 3-3 in the fourth, as Brentz smacked a double that just barely stayed in the yard, and scored on an RBI single by Dan Butler.

 Juan Carlos Linares would give the Dogs back the lead in the sixth with a lead-off home run, his 4th of the season.

 The Phillies would tie the game up in the eighth with a little help from a fielding error by Brentz in the outfield. After Jeremy Hazelbaker gunned down Cesar Hernandez at 2nd trying to stretch a single into a double, Brentz misplayed a liner into the right field corner by Darin Ruf, allowing Ruf to get into scoring position. Stephen Susdorf then made Brentz and the Sea Dogs pay, dropping an RBI single into shallow center for the game-tying run.

 Aaron Kurcz looked primed to get his team into the bottom of the ninth with the game still tied, striking out the first two batters of the inning. Abreu had other plans, drilling the eventual game-winner into the Sea Dogs bullpen in right field. For good measure, Kurcz got Troy Hanzawa to strike out looking to end the inning. The Sea Dogs then went down 1-2-3 in the bototm of the ninth as Justin Friend earned his 4th save of the season.

 Pimentel's final line was 5 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), with 6 strikeouts and no walks. It was a striking difference from the pitcher that struggled in Portland in 2011.

 Brock Huntzinger came out of the bullpen for the first time for the Sea Dogs after starting 4 games this season. Huntzinger needed only 17 pitches to get through two hitless relief innings, although he did walk a batter.

 Jordan Whatcott picked up the win for Reading, giving up 3 hits with no runs, and striking out two. 

Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a rehab start for the Sea Dogs tomorrow afternoon, as he tries to make it back to the Red Sox after having Tommy John surgery last year. Matsuzaka also made a rehab appearance for the Sea Dogs in 2009, but it was on the road in New Hampshire.

 Another major leaguer is scheduled to pitch in Portland on Monday, as former Yankee and Astro great Andy Pettite is in line to start for Trenton. Pettite is trying to make it back to the Yankees after a brief 1-year retirement from baseball last year.