The first inning looked like a bad omen for the struggling Portland Sea Dogs.
They made one throwing error and allowed two unearned runs. Then Sam Travis hit what looked like a home run to center field, only have it called a triple. And he was stranded at third base.
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WHO: Sea Dogs (Mike McCarthy 6-7) at New Britain Rock Cats (Harrison Musgrave 1-3)
WHEN: 7:05 p.m. Thursday
But after that it was pretty much a breeze Wednesday night. The Sea Dogs beat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 7-3 before a sold-out crowd of 7,368 on a fireworks night at Hadlock Field.
The Sea Dogs (48-82) totaled 12 hits and got a combined four-hitter from Luis Diaz and Heri Quevedo.
Tzu-Wei Lin, Travis, Tim Roberson, Dustin Lawley and Luis Martinez all had two hits for the Sea Dogs. Martinez stroked a three-run double in the third.
Ryan Schimpf homered for the Fisher Cats (63-64) in the fourth.
Diaz (2-10) got the win, allowing three runs, one earned, over 51/3 innings. He gave up three hits and four walks, striking out six.
“He was a little rough in that first inning but then got into a groove,” said Martinez, the catcher. “He kept the ball down and threw his breaking ball for strikes.”
But Diaz and Portland still trailed after the first inning. Travis blasted a fastball that looked headed over the wall. Center fielder Melky Mesa leaped and knocked the ball with his glove. It appeared it might have deflected off the glove, gone over the wall and bounced back, but the umpires didn’t see it that way, and Travis stopped at third with his second triple of the season.
“It doesn’t really matter,” Travis said. “We won so it’s no big deal.”
Portland took control with five runs in the third. Roberson doubled in a run. With the bases loaded, New Hampshire starter Scott Barnes (3-3) walked Lawley to tie the game. Martinez followed with his double to the base of the wall in right-center for a 5-2 lead.
Lin and Travis added RBI hits in the fourth.
Diaz got into a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth. Quevedo entered, and got a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
Quevedo got his first save retiring 11 of the 13 batters he faced, four by strikeout.
“Lights out,” Martinez said. “His change-up was working well and he elevated his fastball when he needed to.”
NOTES: Travis went 2 for 3 with a walk to up his average to .301, with a .378 on-base percentage and .431 slugging average (.809 OPS). … Outfielder Cole Sturgeon returned to the Sea Dogs from Class A Salem and pitcher Kyle Kaminska was sent down to Salem. … By winning the Sea Dogs avoided tying the 2011 Portland team (59-83) for the most losses in franchise history. Portland has 12 games to play … The Sea Dogs leave Thursday for their last trip, all against New England opponents – four games in New Britain, then four against the Fisher Cats in Manchester. Portland returns home for its final four games of the season, Sept. 4-7. The Sept. 6 “Field of Dreams” game has 1,500 tickets remaining.
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