Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Sea Dogs' fading finish spoils road win streak

Portland's run of six straight road wins ends as Binghamton rallies from a five-run deficit.

By TOM ROBINSON Special to the Press Herald

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Portland knocked one of the Eastern League's hottest pitchers out of Tuesday night's game early while opening a five-run lead.

But the Sea Dogs were unable to finish off the Binghamton Mets and had their six-game road winning streak come to an end with a 12-8 loss.

Binghamton improved to 11-0 in games started by Josh Stinson (8-1), who began the night fifth in the league in ERA but had his least effective start of the season.

"The last time we were here, he took a no-hitter into the seventh in a seven-inning game," Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "Our guys have done a pretty good job adjusting to a guy the second time around all season.

"We scored runs but we kind of let them back in the game."

Stinson lasted a season-low 21/3 innings while giving up the most hits (7) and earned runs (7) of any game this season.

The Sea Dogs opened leads of 4-0 and 7-2 with the help of three wild pitches by Stinson in the third inning.

"I've never seen him throw wild pitches like that," Mets Manager Tim Teufel said. "He was just off tonight."

Binghamton came back to tie the game with five runs in the fourth.

Dylan Owen (4-1) followed Stinson and worked 32/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.

"Their bullpen did a nice job," Beyeler said. "Owen came in and put up some zeros and kind of sent the momentum back to their dugout."

The Sea Dogs left the bases loaded in the seventh and stranded two more runners in the eighth after Manuel Alvarez hit the first two batters. They left 11 men on base while the Mets stranded just four.

Two fly balls to right field -- one that at first looked routine and one that seemed to be anything but routine -- put Binghamton in the lead.

Sea Dogs right fielder Chih-Hsien Chiang lost a ball in the lights, allowing the go-ahead, two-run double by Nick Evans on what could have been the final out of the sixth inning.

"It looked like he lost it right away and never recovered," Teufel said.

Once Binghamton moved ahead for the first time, it held on with the help of a play by right fielder Raul Reyes to end the seventh inning.

The Sea Dogs had scored once and had the bases loaded when Nate Spears hit a deep fly with two outs. Reyes ran the ball down to make an overhead catch one stride before reaching the warning track.

"He made a great play," Teufel said. "He had to go a long way for Spears' ball. That was a game-changing play.

"A catch like that sometimes goes unnoticed when there are a lot of runs scored, but certainly that was a big play."

Beyeler was equally impressed.

"He just turned, took off and made a very athletic play," Beyeler said.

Binghamton used the long ball to add to its lead late.

Marshall Hubbard sent a 2-1 pitch off the scoreboard for two runs and an 11-8 lead in the seventh.

Jose Coronado continued to beat up the Sea Dogs with a solo home run to right-center field on the first pitch of the eighth inning. Coronado has driven in 14 runs in 14 games against Portland and only 21 in 71 games against the rest of the league.

Alex Wilson (3-3) allowed nine runs on 10 hits in five innings to take the loss.

Evans had four RBI and Zach Lutz returned from the disabled list to go 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBI for Binghamton.