TRENTON, N.J. – While it may indeed be true that every dog eventually has its day, this one wasn’t it for the Portland Sea Dogs.

Portland played a sloppy and lackluster game, digging a quick hole for itself in a 3-1 loss to the Trenton Thunder.

That drops Portland to a sorry 12-25 on the year, securing its spot beneath Binghamton in the Eastern League East basement for at least another night.

Other than a strong six-inning performance from starter Alex Wilson, the Sea Dogs didn’t have much bite. Portland settled for just four hits against highly regarded Yankee prospect Dellin Betances and two relievers while dropping its second straight, seventh in the last eight and 16th in the last 20 after starting off 8-9.

“I thought Wilson did a great job,” said Portland Manager Kevin Boles. Boston’s second-round pick in 2009 allowed four hits and one earned run. “But we didn’t take care of the ball and it cost him.”

Designated hitter Ryan Lavarnway, whose third-inning single knocked in Portland’s only run, said the Sea Dogs simply need to put it all together.

“We’re just not playing all three phases of the game at the same time,” said Lavarnway. “Some nights we get good pitching, but maybe we don’t play good defense or hit the ball. Some nights the bats are going good, but we don’t have the pitching.

“We’re coming closer to putting it together. Tonight, we hit some balls pretty good but didn’t have much to show for it. It was a frustrating night. It’s a shame you’ve got to hang an ‘L’ on Wilson the way he pitched. I didn’t see them get many comfortable swings on him.”

On the other hand, Portland didn’t exactly light up the 6-foot-8 Betances, considered a top pitching prospect in the Yankees’ system. “He’s got a chance to be a special pitcher in the major leagues,” Boles said. “With his size, a plus breaking ball and fastball with movement, he’s got quality stuff.”

So does Wilson, who was pleased with his effort, especially considering he threw 43 of his 85 pitches in the first two innings. After loading the bases on an error, single and walk, he struck out the next two hitters and would’ve been out of the jam had second baseman Oscar Tejeda not botched Melky Mesa’s ground ball, allowing two runs to score.

“That’s part of the game,” said Wilson. “I made some good pitches to get the strikeouts and that ground ball would’ve sealed the deal. “But to make it through six after throwing 43 pitches the first two innings is a big accomplishment. Tonight my fastball was really good and my change-up was better than my slider, so I switched gears and was able to keep guys off balance.

“They had some good at bats early and I got in some deep counts. But in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings I found my groove.”

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for his teammates.