Bunt Double Sparks Sea Dogs

Speedy outfielder Matthew Van Der Bosch's (hereafter referred to as "VDB") leadoff bunt double in the bottom of the 10th inning sparked the Sea Dogs to a 4-3 victory over the Bingamton Mets on a relatively unchilly Friday night at Hadlock. The win levelled the series with the Mets at one game apiece and brought the Sea Dogs back to .500 on the young season. Brandon Moss followed the diminutive VDB's seeing-eye bunt with a deep fly to left that moved the runner to third. Following an intentional walk to Chris Durbin, David Murphy hit a fielder's choice grounder to second base on which the Mets had no chance to turn two or prevent the winning run from scoring.

Murph prepares to hit as VDB takes his lead in the first inning

The Sea Dogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Jeremy West's three-run shot over the left-center field wall in the bottom of the first inning, then were baffled by the assortment of off-speed pitches offered by starter Miguel Pinango and three relievers while the Mets scrapped a couple of runs off Portland starter Kason Gabbard before tying the game in the 7th off Jon Searles. Gabbard, whose up and down performance last season led me to name him Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde, was the good doctor for his second straight start to start the season before tiring in the sixth. Gabbard's troubles are usually the result of poor control. He tends to walk too many batters and fall behind in the count, and his stuff isn't overpowering enough for him to easily escape trouble. This wasn't a problem last night, as Gabbard regularly got ahead of hitters and kept the ball down. In 5.1 innings, Gabbard recorded 9 ground ball outs and 5 K's. This early-season sharpness is a good sign for the lefty in his third go-round at AA.

Dr. Jekyll

Scorer's Notes:

• In addition to Pinango, who was getting his sweeping curve over the plate all night, reliever Ryan Cullen kept the Sea Dogs off balance. The 9th inning featured a succession of Dogs batters watching 87 mph fast balls go by in the strike zone, then swinging at curveballs in the dirt.
• In contrast Edgar "Guapo Jr." Martinez brought the heat in striking out four of the five batters he faced. Guapo, whose cap is already nearly white from rosin (he pounds the rosin bag on his head as soon as he reaches the mound) wasn't throwing in the mid-90's like he was at the end of last season, but he did top out at 93 and missed a lot of bats. Martinez now has 11 K's in just 5.2 IP on the young season.
• On second thought, given that at least one of Martinez' offerings was shown to be 46 mph, I'd say that the accuracy of the gun could be called into question.
• This was the first Friday Fireworks game of the season. When the game edged into extra innings, I was having bad memories of the 14-inning April marathon that I had the pleasure of scoring last spring. Like that night, there were a lot of kids on hand who were starting to get wired as the game drew on. They were staying up past their bed time, bored of the game, and eager for the fireworks. It makes for an interesting energy in the ballpark.
• One of the quirks that I love about minor league baseball - the DH batting ninth. That was the case with Bingamton's Kevin Rios last night.
• Another thing about minor league ball: everything is for sale. OK, that's the case in the majors, too. New to Hadlock this year are sponsorships for foul balls and the on-deck circle. Somebody sponsors the frigging on-deck circle!