PORTLAND — One pitcher is polished and may even help the New York Yankees by next year.

The other pitcher is still considered raw talent. Who knows if he will make it to Fenway Park.

Additional Photos

Stolmy Pimentel delivers a pitch during his outing against the Trenton Thunder on Friday. Pimentel allowed two earned runs in five innings of work but took the loss as the Thunder won 4-2 in a fog-shortened game. Photos by Jill Brady/Staff Photographer

Jon Hee throws to first to end the top of the second inning. Trenton scored two runs in the inning to take a 2-0 lead it never relinquished.

Two of the better pitching prospects from the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox faced each other Friday night at Hadlock Field.

Manny Banuelos and his Trenton Thunder teammates had the edge, with a 4-2 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field.

The game was shortened to 6 1/2 innings because of fog that invaded Hadlock and made the game unplayable.

In the Sea Dogs’ 18th year in Portland, they have had only two games shortened because of the fog — and the other one was earlier this season, April 27.

Stolmy Pimentel, 21, saw his record drop to 0-7 as he allowed five hits and three runs (two earned) over five innings. He walked one and struck out four.

Pimentel, with a fastball that tops 95 mph, a changeup and an occasional curve, has showed promise this season, but also had some rocky outings. He was knocked out of the second inning in his last outing against Trenton.

“This was a much better outing, a solid outing,” pitching coach Bob Kipper said.

Pimentel, whose ERA dropped to 7.04, finished by retiring the last five batters he faced, three by strikeout.

“He really settled in and threw all three pitches well after the second inning,” said catcher Ryan Lavarnway.

Banuelos, 20, is a dazzling left-hander who could slide into the Yankees rotation next year or in 2013. And he is not even the ace of this Thunder staff. That is Dellin Betances who pitches on Monday.

On Friday, Banuelos (2-0, 2.16 ERA) featured a fastball, change-up and curve, commanding them to his advantage. He allowed four hits, three walks and two runs, striking out four.

Trenton took a 2-0 lead in the second on a Joe Pirela single, Damon Sublett RBI triple and a wild pitch to score Sublett.

Pirela scored again in the fourth, on a passed ball charged to Lavarnway.

Portland countered in the fourth. Lavarnway walked. With two outs, Chih-Hsien Chiang doubled, and Jon Hee singled in both runners.

Chiang, Hee and Vladimir Frias all had two hits for the Sea Dogs.

Portland’s next best chance came in the fifth. With two runners on and two outs, right fielder Addison Maruszak chased down Tim Federowicz’s line drive to deep right.

Trenton improved to 28-18 and Portland dropped to 13-31, its fourth straight loss. The Sea Dogs continued their bizarre skid. In the last 15 games not started by Stephen Fife, Portland is 0-15.

Fife starts the first game of a doubleheader today.

NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 4,512. The weather is warming and it’s the Memorial Day Weekend: only 250 tickets remain for today’s 1 p.m. doubleheader. Reliever Jeremy Kehrt (4.03 ERA) will make a spot start in today’s second game. … A scoring change in Thursday’s game turned a misplayed flyball single into a error by second baseman Oscar Tejeda. That gives Portland six errors for the game, tying the franchise record. In Class A Salem, former Sea Dogs pitcher Junichi Tazawa struggled Friday in his rehab outing (3 1/3 innings, eight hits, eight runs – three home runs). … Hopes of John Lackey making a rehab start for the Sea Dogs were dashed when the Red Sox announced he would pitch for Pawtucket on Tuesday. The Sea Dogs have a doubleheader that day in New Britain.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: ClearTheBases

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