PORTLAND — On one side of the diamond were the visiting Binghamton Mets, the hottest-hitting team in the Eastern League.
On the other side was Kyle Weiland, 23, a young pitcher still in search of consistency.
Additional Photos
It wasn’t an ideal matchup for the Portland Sea Dogs.
Weiland showed the stuff that makes him a Boston Red Sox prospect, but he also got hit hard in what ended up as a 10-4 Mets victory Wednesday at Hadlock Field.
Weiland allowed eight runs on six hits and three walks over four innings. But he also struck out five.
“He didn’t pitch too bad between the blasts,” Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler said.
Weiland (0-2) doesn’t take the sole blame. Portland mounted rallies that usually fizzled.
“We had their pitcher on the ropes,” Beyeler said, “but then we got over-anxious and swung at bad pitches.
“We need to be more patient. We’ll get better.”
Lars Anderson went 1 for 3 with a double, sacrifice fly and three RBI. Ryan Kalish added a solo home run. The two free-agent infielders, Nate Spears and Ray Chang, each had two hits.
But the rest of the offense belonged to Binghamton.
Weiland was throwing strikes but sometimes left them over the plate too much.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis led off with a double on an 0-2 pitch. Nick Evans doubled on a 1-2 fastball. D.J. Wabick later hit a three-run homer and the Mets led, 4-0.
“When I made a mistake, it got hit and it got hit hard,” Weiland said.
“It’s obvious they’re swinging the bat well. You got to find a way to minimize the damage and give your team a chance.”
After Wabick’s home run, Weiland retired nine of the next 10 batters.
Granted, the one batter who reached (Zach Lutz) homered, but Weiland was getting batters out with his curve and change-up.
“The off-speed stuff was there,” Weiland said. “A lot of positives came out of the outing but obviously the result doesn’t show those.”
Two walks and two hits scored three more runs in the fourth inning, giving Binghamton an 8-1 lead. Portland was not coming back.
NOTES: With two Pawtucket outfielders called up to Boston, the Red Sox plucked Sea Dogs outfielder Matt Sheely to help fill in with the PawSox. … Sheely’s spot in Portland was filled with utility player Will Vazquez from advanced Class A Salem. Vazquez pinch hit in the ninth and struck out. … Infielder Yamaico Navarro (sore wrist) is expected to begin swinging a bat soon. … The paid attendance was 4,898.
Left-hander Andrew Dobies, who was traded Tuesday to the White Sox, was sent to Double-A Birmingham, Ala., in the Southern League. He pitched two innings Wednesday and struck out five. But he allowed one hit and an unearned run in the 10th and took the loss.
The Sea Dogs boarded their bus after the game, bound for Trenton, N.J. The seven-game trip will feature four games against the Thunder, then three games in Binghamton. … The Sea Dogs will return to Hadlock on April 30 to face New Britain. … Portland (6-7) is two games out of first place in the East Division. New Hampshire and Trenton (both 8-5) are tied for first. Binghamton (8-6) is a half-game back.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or at:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.