The Portland Sea Dogs made five errors for the third time this season, helping the Akron RubberDucks snap a six-game losing streak with an 8-2 win Friday night before a crowd of 5,923 at Hadlock Field.
“This is the type of game maybe you see once or twice a year,” Portland Manager Carlos Febles said. “We’ve been playing solid defense until tonight, and I won’t worry about it much. We’ll put this one behind us and get ready for the next one.”
The RubberDucks took a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
After Nellie Rodriguez and Luigi Rodriguez opened the inning with back-to-back singles, Eric Haase drilled a one-out double into the gap in left to make it 1-0.
The second run scored when Yoan Moncada made the second of his three errors, misplaying Lendy Castillo’s groundball to second.
Akron added five runs in the sixth. With one out, Haase drove a home run over the left-field wall. The RubberDucks then parlayed three errors, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by Nellie Rodriquez and singles by Castillo and Jeremy Lucas into four unearned runs.
Akron starter Rob Kaminsky (6-7), a left-hander, limited the Sea Dogs to three hits in five innings, retiring 11 of the last 12 batters he faced.
The Sea Dogs scored their runs in the sixth off reliever Robbie Aviles. They loaded the bases on a walk and singles by Ryan Court and Nate Freiman. The runs scored on an error and a double play.
Akron added a run when Jordan Smith led off the ninth with a double, moved to third on Nellie Rodriguez’s third single of the game and scored on Luigi Rodriguez’s second single.
The lopsided loss ended Portland starter Kevin McAvoy’s string of success at Hadlock. Coming into Friday’s game, he was 4-0 in his last five starts at home. He was charged with six runs, but only two were earned.
“He pitched well,” Febles said. “He induced a lot of groundballs, and the infield defense let him down.”
McAvoy (7-7) pitched out of a nobody-out, bases-loaded jam in the second. After Nellie Rodriguez reached when his pop-up fell in between first base and the mound for a hit, Luigi Rodriguez reached on an error and Joe Sever walked. But Nellie Rodriguez was forced out at the plate when Haase grounded to third, and the Sea Dogs turned a double play to end the inning.
McAvoy avoided trouble in the third when he picked Greg Allen off first base after a one-out single. Jeremy Lucas followed with a double off the wall in left but was stranded at second.
“He didn’t back down at any time,” Febles said. “Every time he got into trouble or the infield got him into trouble, he made pitches to get out of it.”
NOTES: Moncada left the game in the seventh after injuring his left ankle while sliding into third on an attempted steal. “It’s a mild strain,” Febles said. “He’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
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