The air was cold and raw Saturday afternoon. And if the game-time temperature of 44 degrees was not discouraging enough, the 13-mph wind blowing in certainly was.
Baseball weather? Hadlock Field was officially sold out, but a couple thousand ticket-holders decided there were more comfortable places to spend their afternoon.
The fans present witnessed a quick game and a 3-0 win by the Portland Sea Dogs over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Sea Dogs starter Mike Shawaryn worked quickly and efficiently, one reason why the game took only 2 hours, 40 minutes.
“He challenged contact. Just had one walk on the day. Kept the defense engaged,” Sea Dogs Manager Darren Fenster said. “He got us back in the dugout quickly.”
Shawaryn, the top pitching prospect on the Sea Dogs roster, pitched six innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five. A fifth-round draft pick in 2016, Shawaryn (1-1) has a 1.69 ERA after two Double-A starts.
“If you’re able to set guys up and able to put them away with the pitch you’re comfortable with, it’s going to be a good day,” Shawaryn said.
Shawaryn used a fastball in the low 90s, a few change-ups to left-handers, and his out pitches – sliders and cut fastballs.
Shawaryn allowed a single in each of the first two innings – with both runners thrown out trying to steal second by catcher Austin Rei.
The third hit allowed by Shawaryn was Tim Tebow’s leadoff double into the right-field corner in the sixth inning. Tebow went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts.
With the wind blowing in, it was not a day to show off power.
“Just got to change the approach, stay on top of the ball, get a good pitch to hit,” Sea Dogs center fielder Tate Matheny said.
Matheny did a little of everything with two singles, two walks, an RBI and a run. Matheny, a fourth-round draft pick in 2015, is batting .346.
“Tate’s put together a pretty good start offensively,” Fenster said. “And, sometimes, what he doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to run the bases. And he’s playing a good center field. Doing a lot of things well right now.”
Portland got four singles in the first inning, including Matheny’s RBI, off Binghamton starter Nasil Crismatt (1-1). Crismatt left with the bases loaded in the fifth, and reliever Eric Hanhold walked Esteban Quiroz, giving Portland a 2-0 lead.
Matheny walked in the eighth, took second on a pitch in the dirt, went to third on a groundout and scored on Jeremy Rivera’s single.
Daniel McGrath relieved Shawaryn and pitched two hitless innings. Adam Lau made his third scoreless appearance of the season, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
NOTES: Left-handed starter Dedgar Jimenez was promoted Friday to Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Marcus Walden, who was summoned to Boston to replace the injured Bobby Poyner (hamstring). Jimenez got a win Friday night against Toledo, allowing five hits and two runs over six innings.
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-7411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: ClearTheBases
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