The past was acknowledged Tuesday night at Hadlock Field with a Christian Vazquez bobblehead doll giveaway.

Another former Sea Dog was talked about, with a report that Justin Masterson will make a rehab start here on Friday.

Carlos Asuaje of the Sea Dogs avoids Richmond’s Daniel Carbonell as a throw sails wide during the fourth inning Tuesday night at Hadlock Field. Richmond held on for the 4-3 win. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Carlos Asuaje of the Sea Dogs avoids Richmond’s Jackson Williams after making a bid for a double play in the second inning. The Sea Dogs came close, but stranded two runners in scoring position in the ninth inning. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

As for the present Sea Dogs, they keep coming close, but also coming up short. Portland dropped a 4-3 decision to the Richmond Flying Squirrels in the first of a three-game series. Jantzen Witte had two RBI for Portland.

Down to their last out, the Sea Dogs got back-to-back singles from Aneury Tavarez and Luis Martinez. Both advanced on a passed ball.

Jonathan Roof, who earlier singled and scored, battled back from an 0-2 count. But on the eighth pitch, he grounded out to the shortstop.

“We keep staying in ballgames,” Roof said. “We put up a fight in the ninth.”

Portland dropped to 22-30. Four of its last five losses have been by two runs or less.

“They never give up,” Sea Dogs Manager Billy McMillon said. In those four close losses, “we either had the tying run at bat, or on deck. We just need to get a break.”

Teams are able to turn their seasons around. Just ask Richmond (24-25), which was 3-14 in April, but went 19-11 in May, and is 2-0 in June.

The Squirrels, a Giants’ affiliate, features strong pitching; no surprise since 20 of the Giants’ top 30 prospects are pitchers, according to Baseball America.

But Tuesday’s starter, Joe Biagini (4-3), is not even among those 20. And his ERA is 1.82.

Biagini was perfect through three innings and lasted 71/3 innings.

Portland starter Justin Haley (1-7) gave up four hits, but his pitch count rose quickly – including three walks – and he exited with one out in the fifth (94 pitches, the same as Biagini).

Haley gave up four runs (three earned). The Sea Dogs got shutout relief with Mike McCarthy going 32/3 innings, and Pat Light pitching a 1-2-3 ninth – Light’s ERA is 0.59 in his last 14 games.

Richmond took a 4-0 lead with two runs in the second inning and two in the fourth – one of the runs set up by a Martinez throwing error on a stolen base.

The Sea Dogs rallied.

Carlos Asuaje tripled in the fourth and scored on Witte’s groundout. In the sixth, after Roof’s single, a walk and a sacrifice bunt, Asuaje’s groundout scored one run, and Witte’s single scored another, closing to 4-3.

NOTES: The news that Masterson will make a Portland rehab appearance was confirmed by Red Sox Manager John Farrell on Tuesday, according to weei.com. Masterson was placed on the disabled list May 14 with a tired arm. He has since made one rehab outing, last Sunday in Pawtucket. If he comes, it will be Masterson’s first appearance at Hadlock Field since he pitched for the Sea Dogs in 2007 and ’08 … The announced paid attendance was 4,229.

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