Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Defenders top the Dogs

The Sea Dogs fell to the Connecticut Defenders 4-3 in Monday's series opener. The game was a lot closer than it needed to be, as Connecticut collected 11 hits (three by Brian Buscher) and three walks. However, the Defenders also hit into three double plays (one with the bases loaded) and had a man thrown out attempting to steal, all of which combined with a lack of timely hitting to keep the game close.

Portland started Luis Mendoza was making his second AA start of the year, and it began pretty well. Mendoza featured a 92 mph fastball to set up a sharp curve in striking out leadoff batter Clay Timpner. That was Mendoza's last strikeout, however. As the game progressed, his velocity levelled off in the 89-90 mph range and he was quite hittable. There were a few nice defensive plays behind him, the highlight being Tyler Minges' second inning strike from center field to first base to double off Tyler von Schell, who had been running on the pitch.

Defense also failed the Sea Dogs, as Dusty Brown's throw to third on a double steal skipped into the outfield, allowing Timpner to score the winning run in the 7th. Mendoza also handed Connecticut a run in the fourth by balking Brian Munhall to third base and allowing him to score on a wild pitch. The wild pitch was doubly troubling, as it also represented ball four issued to the number nine batter in the lineup.

Notes:
  • Minges is similar to second baseman Scott Youngbauer, who came to Portland following Dustin Pedroia's promotion last summer. He hits for a good average, doesn't walk a lot, has some pop, and he can field his position. At 26, he's too old to expect much of a major league career at this stage, but he can definitely help a team like Portland. He hustles out every hit, and tonight his hustle contributed to two runs. Minges beat out a double play grounder in the 5th and scored on Brandon Moss' triple. By staying out of the DP, Minges also enabled Moss to score on Chad Spann's sacrifice fly.
  • Moss is continuing the hot hitting that he was showing during the last homestand. The right fielder has hit .341 over his last 25 games, which have included 9 multi hit outings (per the Sea Dogs game notes). It's a steep hill, however, as his average still stands at just .247 with a .311 OBP. Moss leads Portland with 7 homers and 42 RBI.
  • The Defenders play an agressive brand of baseball, with lots of stolen base attempts and hit-and-run opportunities. With half the team hitting close to .200, you do what you gotta do.
  • This was the first game at Hadlock with the fresh-back-from-a-strike minor league umps. I thought that the replacement umps did a fine job, but they weren't all that aggressive. I saw my first balk of the year called on Mendoza.

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