No Southern Hospitality, 'Dogs Lose in Harrisburg 5-2
August 24, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
(Harrisburg, PA) - Harrisburg, PA - In their final regular season road game of 2008, the Sea Dogs (70-61) lost to Harrisburg, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at Commerce Bank Park. With the loss, Portland dropped two out of three to the Senators, finishing its final regular season road trip with a 2-4 record. Despite winning the season series with the Senators 4-games-to-2, the Dogs finished the season with a sub-.500 record against Southern Division teams at 18-19. The Dogs magic number to clinch a playoff spot stays at seven, pending the late result of the Binghamton-Bowie game Sunday night.
Harrisburg (70-65) jumped ahead first in this game, scoring three times in the first inning. A pair of one-out walks by starter Kris Johnson (8-9) led to an Ofilio Castro 2-run double to left field to make it 2-0. Bill Rhinehart would plate Castro on a ground-out to give the Senators a 3-0 cushion. In winning the series, the Senators actually scored in the first inning in all three games.
The Sea Dogs managed to make it a one-run game by the end of the fourth inning. In the third, Zach Daeges delivered an RBI double to score Juan Apodaca. An inning later, Iggy Suarez doubled home Jorge Jimenez to cut the deficit to 3-2. But that would be as close as the Dogs would come. Harrisburg extended the lead with two-out runs in the fifth and seventh innings. Against Johnson in the fifth, Jemel Spearman drove in Marco Yepez with a run-scoring single. In the seventh, a two-out walk from T.J. Large led to an RBI double off the bat of Yepez to make it 5-2. Johnson was tagged with the loss, his second on the road trip and his fourth in the month of August. He finished six innings, allowing three earned runs on just three hits. But, he walked two, hit another batter, and committed a balk, which led to the fourth run charged against him in the fifth inning.
Portland now comes back home for its final homestand of the season. RHP Clay Buchholz will make his first 2008 start for Portland Monday night. He'll open a five-game, four-day series against New Britain's Ryan Mullins (8-9, 4.49) at Hadlock Field. Mike Antonellis and Tom Gauthier will have the game beginning with the pre-game show built by Correct Deck at 6:40 p.m. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on the US Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network.
Notes: Sea Dogs manager Arnie Beyeler was ejected for the first time this season in the bottom of the first inning, arguing a play a third base...Portland finished the game 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Harrisburg was 2-for-5 with runners-in-scoring position. Portland's magic number to eliminate Connecticut is now three after the Defenders lost to Erie, 7-4.
• Discuss this story on the Eastern League message board...
Eastern League Stories from August 24, 2008
- Reyes Homer not Enough as Curve Fall, 5-2 - Altoona Curve
- Bowie Scores Late, Earns Win - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Mills pitches seven shutout innings in 5-2 win over Curve - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Wieters Waves Goodbye To Binghamton - Chesapeake Baysox
- Aeros Swept Again, Fall 3-2 in Finale - Akron RubberDucks
- Defenders Celebrate 200,000 Plus - Connecticut Defenders
- Offense Shines Again in Trenton's 8-4 Win Over Reading - Trenton Thunder
- Rock Cats Complete Sweep of Akron - New Britain Rock Cats
- No Southern Hospitality, 'Dogs Lose in Harrisburg 5-2 - Portland Sea Dogs
- Defenders Fall Again To Erie - Connecticut Defenders
- Senators Cash In During 5-2 Win Over Portland - Harrisburg Senators
- 'Wolves Sweep Defenders, Win Five Straight - Erie SeaWolves
- Erie SeaWolves at Connecticut Defenders...Game Three of Three...Game Notes - Erie SeaWolves
- Aeros Notes - Akron RubberDucks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
