Teddy Stankiewicz continues to grind through another Portland Sea Dogs season. He turned in another quality start Friday night, eating up seven innings, allowing three earned runs (five total).

But Stankiewicz and the Sea Dogs lost again, 5-3 to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before 5,384 at Hadlock Field.

Catcher Jhon Nunez of the Portland Sea Dogs attempts to hold the ball as Dalton Pompey of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats prepares to score Friday night during the fourth inning of New Hampshire's 5-3 victory at Hadlock Field. Staff photos by Brianna Soukup

Jordan Betts receives a welcoming hand while crossing third base on his way home after hitting a solo home run for the Portland Sea Dogs.

Portland outhit the Fisher Cats 9-8, but New Hampshire had the timely hits and the Sea Dogs made the more crucial error (by Stankiewicz).

Jordan Betts hit a solo home run for Portland. Michael Chavis and Nick Lovullo singled in runs.

Bo Bichette, the 20-year-old touted prospect for New Hampshire, went 4 for 5 with a double and two RBI. Conor Panas hit a two-run homer off Stankiewicz in the first inning.

In the second, with two runners on and two outs, Stankiewicz fielded Dalton Pompey’s slow grounder, but his underhand throw hit Pompey. One run scored and another came across on Bichette’s single for a 4-0 lead.

Stankiewicz (5-8) yielded another run in the fourth but hung in for seven innings. He retired nine of the last 10 batters – the other reached by error and Stankiewicz picked him off.

Stankiewicz, who led the team in innings the previous two seasons, is second this year (89 1/3 to Mike Shawaryn’s 93 2/3). Even though his ERA is 5.04, pitching coach Paul Abbott believes this is Stankiewicz’s best season.

“He repeats (his delivery) better. He has more (velocity) and has more life on his slider,” Abbott said. “Take away those first two starts …”

Stankiewicz began the year allowing 13 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. After that his ERA is 4.09.

Tayler Saucedo (1-1) of New Hampshire made his second Double-A start, allowing two runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 innings.

Lovullo, Tate Matheny and Jeremy Rivera all had two hits for Portland. Chavis was 1 for 4.

NOTES: Jantzen Witte returned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Witte, who was demoted two months ago, batted .265 with eight home runs and an .800 OPS in 54 games. … Witte joins infielder Tony Renda, who was promoted Thursday. Renda, who hit .371 in 26 games for Portland, homered Friday. … Also in Pawtucket on Friday, Drew Pomeranz made another rehab start (3 2/3 innings, four hits, three earned runs). … Saturday’s 6 p.m. game features two aces with Shawaryn (3.65 ERA) and T.J. Zeuch of New Hampshire (3.21), the Blue Jays’ first-round draft pick in 2016.

New Hampshire backup catcher Ryan Hissey is the brother of former Sea Dogs outfielder Peter Hissey (2012-14). Ryan is in his fourth year in the Blue Jays’ organization. Peter retired after the 2014 season and is a business student at the University of Pennsylvania. Peter Hissey is married to Grace, whom he met during a missionary trip to Ecuador between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. …

Rob Leary was back in familiar territory at Hadlock Field. Leary, 54, was the Florida Marlins’ minor league field operations director in 1999, when the Sea Dogs were a Marlins affiliate. He held the same position with the Red Sox in 2003, when Portland became a Boston affiliate. He held that job through 2009. Leary became the bench coach for the Marlins in 2013 with Manager Mike Redmond, a former Sea Dogs catcher. Leary is now in his second year as an Arizona Diamondbacks scout.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-7411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: @ClearTheBases

Related Stories