April 23, 2024 Sea Dogs Game Notes
April 23, 2024 - Eastern League (EL)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
FIVE IN A ROW The Portland Sea Dogs took the series finale 8-5 over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (7-8) on Sunday afternoon. Wikelman Gonzalez earned his first win of the season while Ryan Zeferjahn tallied his second save. Phillip Sikes went three-for-four while Nick Yorke went two-for-five. With the bases-loaded, Alex Binelas put Portland on the board in the bottom of the second with a two-run single to center field. Sikes singles to left field to bring home another run before Roman Anthony grounded into a double play to allow Binelas to score and extend a 4-0 lead. New Hampshire countered with a pair of runs in the third inning.Phil Clarke reached with a walk before scoring on an RBI groundout from Glenn Santiago. Alan Roden hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Devonte Brown. In the bottom of the inning, Matthew Lugo lifted his third double of the season to center field to score Yorke and extend the 5-2 lead. Portland scored two runs on three doubles to extend a five-run lead in the fourth inning. Sikes doubled (2) to score Mickey Gasper before Marcelo Mayer doubled (4) to score Sikes. In the top of the seventh, Santiago reached on an error to allow Phil Clarke to score from second before Josh Kasevich hit a two-run single to right field to put New Hampshire within two. Sikes added one more run for the Sea Dogs in the bottom of the seventh with a single to center field. Binelas scored from second after reaching on a walk and Portland held on to take the finale 8-5.
LET'S GO LUGO Matthew Lugo was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of April 15th-21st. Lugo drove in ten of Portland's 27 runs scored against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats last series. Lugo appeared in five games for the Sea Dogs hitting .438 (7-for-16) for the week with three doubles, a triple, a home run, three runs scored, and 10 RBI. He led the league in doubles (3), RBI (10), Slugging Percentage (.938), and OPS (1.509). He ranked second in the league in walks (five), third in average (.438), and third in OBP (.571). Lugo has hit safely in six straight games. On Wednesday night, Lugo broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning with a bases-loaded triple to give the Sea Dogs a 5-2 win over the Fisher Cats. One night later, on Thursday in a scoreless game in the seventh inning, Lugo delivered a RBI double to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead, a game they went on to win 3-0, with Lugo driving in two of the runs. Lugo's biggest game of the week came on Saturday when he reached base five times in a 2-for-2 performance with three walks, a home run, and four RBI as the Sea Dogs defeated the Fisher Cats 6-2.
HOME RUN HITTERS Portland launched twelve homers across six games in Reading during their last road series. Eddinson Paulino and Matthew Lugo now lead the team with three on the season. Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel have each hit a pair while Nick Decker, Max Ferguson, Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke, and Mickey Gapser all have tallied one. Portland is sits in third in all of Double-A with fifteen total while ranking second in the Eastern League, just behind the Patriots who have twenty.
MAYER ON FIRE Marcelo Mayer rode a ten-game hitting streak along with a ten-game on base streak from 4/7-4/19 which marked the longest in the Eastern League. The top prospect has tallied a .314 average with a .347 OBP over twelve games this season. Across those twelve games, he has tallied eight runs, sixteen hits, four doubles, one homer, seven RBI and a pair of stolen bags. He leads Sea Dogs batters in hits and doubles coming into the day.
AMONGST BASEBALL'S BEST According to a recent ranking by Baseball America, the Portland Sea Dogs rank second in the "1O Most Talented Minor League Baseball Teams for 2024". Portland comes in just behind the Norfolk Tides (Orioles AAA) who rank first. The Sea Dogs are the only other team besides the Tides to have three Top 100 Prospects on their roster.
PROMISING PROSPECTS IN PORTLAND The top three prospects in Boston's system (according to MLB.com and Baseball America) will begin the season in Portland with Marcelo Mayer (1), Roman Anthony (2), and Kyle Teel (3) headling the Opening Day Roster. Mayer appeared in 43 games with Portland in 2023 prior to a shoulder injury that ended his season in early August. Both Anthony and Teel were promoted to Portland for the final 10 games of last season. In their first glimpses of Double-A, Anthony hit .343 with four doubles, one homer, and three stolen bases while Teel recorded a .363 average with six doubles, two home runs, and three stolen bases. All three prospects were invited to Winter Weekend with the Red Sox in 2023 while also earning invitations to the inaugural Spring Breakout Game. Teel was named to the Spring Breakout First Team at the catcher position.
THIS DAY IN SEA DOGS HISTORY: April 23, 1995 - For the first time in franchise history, the Sea Dogs pushed a winning streak to 10 games. Pookie Wilson doubled twice and scored twice in Portland's 5-2 win over Bowie.
PITCHING PREVIEW RHP Isaac Coffey will take the mound for the Sea Dogs in game one of the series. Coffey last pitched on 4/17 against the New Hamphire Fisher Cats where he tossed 5.0 innings allowing two runs on five hits while walking one and striking out seven. He has held opponents to a .243 average against him. Coffey has faced Hartford twice in his career in 2023, one of which was a relief outing. Across 10.0 IP against Hartford, he sports a 1-1 record and 3.60 ERA, after allowing five runs (4 ER) on six hits while walking three and striking out seven. He held Hartford to a .171 average in 2023.
Eastern League Stories from April 23, 2024
- Ninth Inning Rally Falls Short in 9-6 Loss to Hartford - Portland Sea Dogs
- Ryan Ritter's Five RBI Day Moves the Yard Goats into First Place with 9-6 Win Over the Sea Dogs - Hartford Yard Goats
- Fightins Dominate Patriots 10-4 in Series Opener - Reading Fightin Phils
- Late Erie Rally Comes up Short in Rain-Soaked Loss - Erie SeaWolves
- Senators Top Erie With 4-3 Win - Harrisburg Senators
- Bracho Homers, Ducks Shut Out Curve, 4-0 - Akron RubberDucks
- Rumble Ponies Drop Series Opener at New Hampshire - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Curve Shut Out to Open Series with RubberDucks - Altoona Curve
- Baysox Drop Series Opener in Richmond - Chesapeake Baysox
- April 23, 2024 Sea Dogs Game Notes - Portland Sea Dogs
- Early Scoring Helps Squirrels to 6-2 Win over Baysox - Richmond Flying Squirrels
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