Pitching prospects were paired against each other Friday night at Hadlock Field. Both German Marquez of Hartford and Portland’s Teddy Stankiewicz allowed two earned runs.
The difference turned out to be an unearned run – a dropped fly ball in left field in the third inning – as the Yard Goats beat Portland, 3-2.
Andrew Benintendi and Tzu Wei both had RBI groundouts for the Sea Dogs, but Portland could never catch up.
Stankiewicz (1-4) allowed eight hits but escaped most trouble, helped by three runners caught stealing by catcher Jake Romanski.
Stankiewicz, ranked the Red Sox’s 20th-best prospect by Baseball America, has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his nine starts. He experienced one clunker (eight earned runs on May 3), which has his ERA at 3.25.
“Even though he worked behind the count most of the night, he made pitches,” Manager Carlos Febles said.
“He competed on the mound and gave us a chance to win the ballgame.”
Hartford led 1-0 on Dillon Thomas’ RBI double in the second. In the third, with Raimel Tapia on first base and two outs, left fielder Aneury Tavarez camped under a fly ball but dropped it, allowing Tapia to score.
“It did make a difference but at the same time, we need to get going offensively,” Febles said.
Portland got a run back in the sixth. Sean Coyle doubled down the left-field line, reached third on a wild pitch and came home on Benintendi’s grounder to first.
But Stankiewicz began the seventh with his third walk and then a single. Reliever Williams Jerez gave up a sacrifice, then threw a wild pitch, bringing in Hartford’s third run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Romanski led off with a double off the left-field wall. He reached third and Lin’s RBI scored him, closing to 3-2.
Marquez (4-2) was a top Tampa Bay Rays prospects (ranked 14th by Baseball America) before he was included in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. Only 21, he has been strong in Double-A. Three weeks ago, he carried a no-hitter into eighth inning at New Hampshire.
Marquez gave up a season-high eight hits but also escaped some jams.
“We’re not going to win a lot of games scoring two runs,” Febles said. “That’s been the case most of the season … I think we’re definitely going to hit. But when? That’s the question.”
NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 6,485. … Ramos (2 for 4) is batting .380 in his last 13 games. … Reliever Luis Ysla switched to a new jersey number (34). The Sea Dogs don’t use any numbers that have been retired by the Red Sox. Ysla’s old number (26) also was worn in Boston by Wade Boggs.
Ryan Lavarnway, a former Sea Dogs catcher (2010-11), could be returning to Hadlock. Lavarnway, 28, who has major league time with the Red Sox, Orioles and Braves, was recently signed by the Blue Jays and assigned to Double-A New Hampshire. The Fisher Cats next come to Hadlock on July 14-17.
Hartford is still having problems with construction of its new stadium. The Yard Goats already played four of their home games at Hadlock Field in April. Because of a conflict between the city and the developer, construction on the stadium may be halted, leaving the Yard Goats on the road for the rest of the season. … When the Sea Dogs play Hartford on June 3-6, it will be at Dodd Stadium in Norwich. But Dodd will be unavailable after June 20. Portland is scheduled to play a three-game series in Hartford from July 8-10.
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