The struggling Portland Sea Dogs featured some decent pitching early in the year, but with little offense to back it up.
Three months into the season, the roles are reversed.
The Sea Dogs recorded nine hits and held a 5-2 lead at one point. But it was not enough as the Hartford Yard Goats rallied for an 8-5 victory Thursday night before a crowd of 4,373 at Hadlock Field.
Hartford (43-34) recorded 15 hits and took the lead for good with a four-run seventh inning. Portland dropped its fourth straight, falling to 27-51.
The first inning was a hitters’ delight with Portland taking a 4-2 lead.
Yoan Moncada led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple off the right-field wall. Mauricio Dubon, Nate Freiman, Jake Romanski and Tim Roberson all recorded RBI singles.
Roberson’s single, with two outs, chased Hartford starter Alex Balog. As Balog was leaving the mound he said something to plate umpire Jorge Teran and was ejected.
Roberson later added a solo home run in the fourth for a 5-2 lead, but Hartford’s bullpen shut down the Sea Dogs from there, allowing only three more hits.
Sea Dogs starter Teddy Stankiewicz gave up two more runs – including a Rosell Herrera home run – leaving with a 5-4 lead after six innings. Reliever Williams Jerez (1-3) began the seventh with a strikeout, but Yard Goats leadoff batter Raimel Tapia blooped a double to left. Three more hits and two walks followed as Hartford took a 7-5 lead.
Jerez exited with two outs and the bases loaded. Reliever Ben Taylor walked in a run before ending the rally. Taylor finished with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit.
Hartford reliever Austin House (3-0) got the win with 22/3 innings of one-hit ball. Matt Carasiti struck out the side in the ninth for his 23rd save.
NOTES: Friday night’s scheduled game has been changed to a doubleheader starting at 6 p.m. … Freiman reached base in all four of his plate appearances with two singles and two walks. … Moncada went 1 for 5 and is batting .250 (10 for 40). … Dubon (1 for 4) is hitting .304. … Andrew Benintendi (0 for 4) dropped his average to .276 but is batting .351 in his last 19 games. … Former Sea Dogs catcher Dan Butler had a home run and four RBI to lead Pawtucket to a 6-4 win. … Former Sea Dogs and Red Sox pitcher Michael Bowden is now pitching in South Korea. He recorded a no-hitter Thursday, leading the Doosan Bears to a 4-0 win.
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