Cats Face MLB Rehabber Dobbins on Saturday
EL New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Cats Face MLB Rehabber Dobbins on Saturday

July 5, 2025 - Eastern League (EL)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (3-7, 32-47) and the Portland Sea Dogs (4-6, 38-39) Hadlock Field at 6:00 PM EDT on Saturday night.

LAST TIME OUT

The Fisher Cats lost their second game to the Sea Dogs this week at Hadlock Field on Friday night, 7-1. New Hampshire's lone run scored with two outs in the top of the ninth inning when Peyton Williams crushed a homer to right-center field to finalize the scoring at 7-1. The 403-foot blast was Williams' eighth round-tripper of the year.

Williams collected two of the Cats' five hits in Friday night's loss. The other three New Hampshire base knocks came from Jace Bohrofen, Charles McAdoo and Alex Stone as the Cats were outhit 10-5.

With a single in the top of the fourth inning, McAdoo extended his on-base streak to 25 games, and he has hit safely in nine straight games. In his last 10 games, McAdoo has hit .333 with 13 hits, three homers and seven runs driven in, while slashing .381/.590/.971. The corner infielder has hit safely in 20 of his last 21 games, dating back to June 5.

New Hampshire's Kendry Rojas (L, 0-1) made his Double-A debut and retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced with five strikeouts. The lefty pitched into the bottom of the fifth inning before being replaced by reliever Alex Amalfi with runners on second and third and two outs. Amalfi allowed a single to Portland's Mikey Romero that plated both runs before surrendering two more runs on an Allan Castro single. Rojas finished with three earned runs on four hits and five punchouts in his first start for the Fisher Cats. Amalfi recorded one out and was charged with one earned run on two hits. Relievers Michael Dominguez and Justin Kelly took care of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Dominguez gave up one earned in and struck out one in two innings of relief. The Sea Dogs tagged Kelly for two earned runs in one inning of work.

Right-hander Tanner Houck (W, 1-0) made a major league rehab appearance for the Sea Dogs and tossed five scoreless innings and allowing three hits with four strikeouts. Portland's Payton Tolle (S, 1) followed by allowing one earned on two hits and eight punchouts in four innings of work.

PITCHING MATCHUP

New Hampshire's Juaron Watts-Brown (1-2, 3.06 ERA) gears up for his eighth start in a Fisher Cats uniform this season. Through seven outings, Watts-Brown surrendered 12 earned runs in 35-1/3 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts to 17 walks. Watts-Brown has not eclipsed the five-inning mark since June 11, when he fired five innings with two punchouts in a no-decision effort in Reading. The Fisher Cats have dropped each of the last three contests that Watts-Brown has started in, despite a scoreless start his last time out in Hartford. On June 29, Watts-Brown went four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks against the Yard Goats as the Cats went on to drop the series finale at Dunkin' Park, 7-5. It was Watts-Brown's second scoreless start for the Cats and first since June 5 against Altoona, when the righty dealt six scoreless, one-hit frames and fanned five batters in New Hampshire's 2-0 win over the Curve at Delta Dental Stadium. The Blue Jays' No. 15 prospect (MLB Pipeline) started the year with High-A Vancouver and was promoted to New Hampshire on May 20 after leading all Canadians arms with 62 strikeouts. Watts-Brown's 98 strikeouts this season rank second amongst pitchers in the Blue Jays' farm system behind Trey Yesavage. Yesavage has fanned 107 batters across his time with Single-A Dunedin, High-A Vancouver and Double-A New Hampshire, and he is set for his fifth start for the Cats on Sunday afternoon. Saturday night will be Watts-Brown's first career start against the Sea Dogs.

Hunter Dobbins (MLB Rehab) returns to Hadlock Field to start his major league rehab assignment against the Fisher Cats on Saturday night. it will be Dobbins' fourth appearance and third start against the Fisher Cats in his career. Dobbins' second career Double-A start was at Delta Dental Stadium on July 1, 2023. The righty went 5-1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on eight hits and took the loss in New Hampshire's 3-0 win. Orelvis Martinez and Damiano Palmegiani combined for five hits on Dobbins as Sem Robberse collected the win with 5-2/3 scoreless innings. Dobbins' next outing against New Hampshire was at Hadlock Field on July 21, when he surrendered two earned runs on eight hits in five relief innings during the Sea Dogs' 7-6 win. He made one start against New Hampshire in 2024 on April 20, going six innings and allowing one earned run in Portland's 6-2 win. In three outings against the Cats, Dobbins is 1-1 with a 3.31 earned run average, with six earned runs in 16-1/3 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts. The Bryan, Texas native found himself on Boston's 15-day injured list on June 22 after making 12 appearances with the big league club to start the season. In 12 outings and 10 starts, Dobbins went 4-1 with a 4.10 earned run average while racking up 43 punchouts in 59-1/3 innings of work. His last MLB appearance was on June 20 against the San Francisco Giants. Dobbins was an eighth-rounder by the Red Sox out of Texas Tech in 2021. He joined the Sea Dogs during the 2023 campaign and spent the majority of the 2024 season in Portland. Across 34 total appearances and 33 starts, Dobbins boasted a 3.62 earned run average over 176-2/3 innings with 176 strikeouts.

THIS DAY IN FISHER CATS HISTORY

July 4, 2016- Christian Lopes delivered the walk-off single as the Fisher Cats topped the Sea Dogs 6-5. New Hampshire was up 4-0, but Portland scored five times in the fifth on homers by Andrew Benintendi and Sean Coyle. Derrick Loveless hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot in the seventh, to bring the teams back to even at 5-5.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Fisher Cats and Sea Dogs finish up their series with a 1:00 PM EDT first pitch at Hadlock Field on Sunday afternoon. New Hampshire sends Trey Yesavage (1-1, 5.79 ERA) to the mound for his fifth start with the Fisher Cats this season, and Portland lefty Connelly Early (6-1, 1.94 ERA) gets the start for the Sea Dogs in Sunday's series finale.

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics



Eastern League Stories from July 5, 2025


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