BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Nate Freiman and Jalen Beeks made sure the Portland Sea Dogs got their trip off to a fast start Thursday night.
Freiman doubled twice and drove in three runs in the first three innings, and Beeks pitched five scoreless innings to lead the Sea Dogs to a 7-0 victory against the Binghamton Mets.
“It’s nice to win the first game,” said Freiman, who had hits in his first three at-bats. “I’m just trying to get good at-bats.
“We’re getting into the part of the season where you’re starting to see guys multiple times.”
The Sea Dogs had trouble with Binghamton starter Tyler Pill in the past.
Pill, who won his last five starts, was 4-0 for his career against the Sea Dogs, including a victory Saturday in Portland in his last start, which made him the winningest pitcher in team history.
The Sea Dogs put their knowledge of Pill (8-9) to immediate use Thursday.
Freiman drove in three runs and scored another as Portland opened a 4-0 lead in the third inning.
Freiman, with a career 116 major league games, has heated up recently after being released by Triple-A Syracuse, then spending time in an independent league in April and May.
Beeks (2-2) took advantage of Freiman’s fast start, going five innings and allowing two hits. He threw 57 of 90 pitches for strikes, walking two and striking out three.
“He’s been more consistent,” Manager Carlos Febles said of Beeks, who is 2-0 with a 2.52 earned-run average in his last four starts. “He’s been more aggressive. He’s always had the stuff, just sometimes he gets behind in the count and doesn’t know how to get out of it. That was not the case tonight.”
Beeks got help from Jake Drehoff, who allowed three hits in three innings, and Taylor Grover, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for Portland.
“I’ve had a lot of long innings, a lot of long counts,” said Beeks, 23, who has made just seven Double-A starts. “I’ve got to get guys out more efficiently.
“I only walked two guys so it’s not the walks. I’m not having trouble throwing strikes; I’m just having trouble putting guys away.”
Beeks has had less trouble lately. His only difficulty Thursday came when Binghamton loaded the bases in the second, in part because a batter reached on a passed ball on a strikeout.
The Sea Dogs got plenty of production from the top half of the order.
Aneury Tavarez and Mauricio Dubon started the game with back-to-back singles and came in to score. Tavarez then drove in a run when his sixth-inning chopper to first base got through for a double.
Andrew Benintendi went 2 for 4 and scored twice from the third spot in the order before being lifted for a pinch hitter.
While Benintendi was increasing his average to .325 for the past 11 games, Yoan Moncada, the Sea Dogs’ other prized prospect, had the night off.
Febles said Moncada, who is 4 for 33 (.121) with 16 strikeouts in his last eight games, will return Friday for the second game of the four-game series.
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