The Portland Sea Dogs broke out of their offensive funk, finishing with seven extra-base hits in a 13-2 win over the Hartford Yard Goats in an Eastern League game Sunday before 7,368 fans at Hadlock Field.
The Sea Dogs snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 45-53 before hitting the road for their next seven games.
“It was a breakout day for the bats,” Portland Manager Carlos Febles said. “We put some at-bats together and kind of put the game out of reach.”
In the previous three games against Hartford, Portland managed just one run and 15 hits. The three-game skid came after the Sea Dogs hit five home runs in a 12-6 win over Hartford on Thursday.
“The first and last game of the series we kind of busted out,” said Portland centerfielder Cole Sturgeon, one of three Sea Dogs to homer Sunday.
“We’ve just got to start doing that consistently.”
The Sea Dogs snapped a 10-inning scoreless streak in the first inning, then broke it open with eight runs in the fifth to take a 10-1 lead.
Michael Chavis gave Portland the lead with an RBI double in the first and Mike Olt made it 2-0 in the second with his 14th home run.
The Yard Goats got within a run in the fourth when Correlle Prime hit an RBI single, the first hit off Portland starter Dedgar Jimenez. In his first start for Portland, Jimenez earned the win, allowing one run on two hits in five innings of work. He walked five, hit one and stuck out three.
Jimenez didn’t allow a ball to be hit out of the infield until Stephen Cardullo flied out to left for the first out in the fourth.
“He’s a command guy,” Febles said. “He’s got to throw everything for a strike, (but) he’s a young kid making his debut in Double A in front of a big crowd. It’s understandable why he was little nervous.”
Portland took control in the fifth, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring eight times. Jeremy Barfield made it 4-1 with this 12th home run of the season, a two-run blast. Also in the inning, Jordan Procyshen drew a bases loaded walk, Danny Mars hit a two-run single, and Cole Sturgeon hit a three-run homer.
Jimenez received exceptional defensive support. The Portland infield turned inning-ending double plays in the second and third. Sturgeon ended the fifth by leaping up against the wall in the gap in right to take a homer away from Ashley Graeter with a runner on base.
“I think we were able to put everything together – the pitching, the defense and the hitting,” Febles said. “It was kind of fun to see that.”
The Sea Dogs added three more runs in the eighth. Olt drove in two runs with his second triple of the season and Procyshen followed with a single to make it 13-1.
NOTES: Jimenez was signed as an international free agent from Venezula at 16. The 21-year-old left-hander went 10-3 with a 3.87 ERA in 18 starts with Salem this season before being called up to Portland. … To make room on the roster for Jimenez, the Boston Red Sox released pitcher Jake Drehoff. In 11 games for Portland this season, Drehoff was 1-2 with a 9.53 ERA. He last pitched on July 18, allowing seven runs on eight hits in two innings of work.
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