PORTLAND – The Portland Sea Dogs twice rallied with three-run homers Thursday night.

Juan Carlos Linares’ blast to left-center made it 4-4 in the fifth inning.

Matt Spring launched a ball over the left-field wall for a 7-7 tie in the eighth.

An applaudable effort that still ended in a loss.

The Trenton Thunder hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth off reliever Josh Fields to beat the Sea Dogs 9-7 at Hadlock Field.

Trenton swept three games from Portland, each time scoring the winning run in the ninth inning.

The Sea Dogs’ bullpen gave up a total of 12 runs in the eighth and ninth innings in this series.

“We’re not producing shutdown innings at this point,” Manager Kevin Boles said.

Portland produced 11 hits, including the home runs and two Oscar Tejeda doubles. But Trenton got 14 hits.

“Our offense was terrific,” Boles said. “They battled. To come back twice is a credit to them.”

The Sea Dogs dropped to 7-20, one of the worst records in all of minor league baseball. The low Class A Rome (Ga.) Braves were 6-19 heading into a Thursday night game that was delayed by rain in the fourth inning.

Portland is already 111/2 games behind first-place Reading in the Eastern League’s East Division and on pace to lose more than 100 games — in a 142-game season.

Portland entered Thursday with the sixth-best hitting team in the league but is last in pitching with a 4.98 ERA.

Sea Dogs starting pitcher Stolmy Pimentel saw a decent outing turn sour in the fifth.

Making his second start since coming off the disabled list, Pimentel allowed four hits, two runs and no walks through four innings.

But in the fifth, Pimentel gave up two singles and, after a sacrifice, issued his first walk to load the bases.

Then, after being ahead 0-and-2, he walked a run in and left the game.

Reliever Jeremy Kehrt hit a batter with his first pitch, scoring another for a 4-0 deficit.

Linares’ home run highlighted a four-run rally in the fifth. But Kehrt allowed three runs in the sixth.

Spring’s blast tied it in the eighth, but Ronnier Mustelier and Cody Johnson began the ninth by taking Fields (0-1) deep.

The Sea Dogs will leave Portland today for a three-game series in New Britain before returning to Hadlock Field on Monday.

NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 3,826. … Linares went 2 for 3 and is batting .364. … Bryce Brentz, out since Saturday with a bruised heel, was the designated hitter, going 1 for 4. … Second baseman Heiker Meneses, on the disabled list with a bruised shoulder, took grounders during batting practice. … The Thunder activated catcher Gustavo Molina, 30, from the disabled list. Molina, who has played for six organizations, including Boston (2010), went 3 for 5.

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

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: ClearTheBases