The Result
Sea Dogs - 1 to 0

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
18 wins - 24 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing leftfield
Batting #3

At the end of the Game
1 hit from 4 at-bats - single

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Ball - low
Ball - breaking ball - outside
Foul ball - popped-up down to the left
Foul ball - into the seats on the left side
Foul ball
Broken bat fly ball into rightfield
Out F9
After the at-bat the commentators said
"Broken bat - that's an understatement as three quarters of the bat just broke off"
"What would have happened if the bat stayed intact as that was hit all the way to the track plus the wind was blowing in fron right-centrefield"
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Called strike
Ball - low
Ball - outside
Foul ball - in the batter's box
Hit towards the Senators first-baseman who flipped to the pitcher covering first base
Out 3-to-1
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Called strike - inside corner
Driven hard down the third base line and "a diving stop by the fielder but he did not have a play at first base but he 'robbed' Roneberg of extra bases"
Infield single
Out at second base on a fielder's choice hit by the next batter
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Ball - fast ball - outside
Foul ball - back to the left
Ball - low
Called strike - "a late strike call on the outside black"
"Very well hit into deep rightfield but the fielder went back to the track to make the catch"
Out F9
After the at-bat the commentators said
"If the wind wasn't blowing in that would have been a definite home run"

Heard during the game
N/A

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports
Zink gains control, Dogs down Senators

His earned-run average has been rising faster than gas prices.
And his record was 0-5.
So, what have the Boston Red Sox been telling Charlie Zink?
Don't worry. Be happy.

It turned out to be solid advice.

A relaxed Zink turned in his best knuckleballing performance of the season as the Portland Sea Dogs slipped by Harrisburg 1-0 Saturday evening at a damp Hadlock Field.

Zink allowed four hits over eight innings, striking out nine and walking only two.
In his last start, he had given up nine runs and six walks.
He had a 10.00 ERA in May until Saturday.

"I was concerned, but they kept telling me not to worry, that they had faith in me," said Zink.
"Obviously, I was looking at the numbers and wondering what was going wrong."

Zink said he stood up straighter, giving more life and more control to his pitches.
It worked.

The Senators had not faced a knuckleball pitcher this year.

"You sit on the side and watch, and you tell yourself it can't be that hard," said Harrisburg shortstop Josh Labandeira, who got one of the four hits.
"Then you get in the box and that ball is dancing all over the place. He's a tough guy to face."

To finish off the Senators, Joe Nelson arrived with his 90-mph heat and went 1-2-3 for his eighth save.

Portland (18-24) won its fourth straight for the first time this season, while the Senators (14-27) dropped their seventh in nine games.

Harrisburg starter Rich Rundles equaled Zink with a four-hitter and no walks over six innings.
Rundles nibbled at the corners all night with his fastball and curve, and then yielded to reliever Chris Schroder (1-1) in the seventh.

The Sea Dogs took advantage quickly.
With two outs, shortstop Kenny Perez (2 for 3) looked for a fastball away and cranked it to the Monster for a double.
Then Edgar Martinez and his .157 batting average stepped into the box.
"I've been struggling lately, but I'm feeling better at the plate," Martinez said through an interpreter.
Schroder jammed him, but Martinez still muscled the ball into center field.
Perez rounded third and scored.

Perez made sure the score stayed 1-0.
In the top of the eighth with a runner on second, Juan Camilo drilled a grounder toward left field.
Perez hustled to the hole and dived, stopping the ball in the infield and holding the base runner at third.

"Kenny made a heck of a play, or we have a tie ballgame," Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson said.

Zink ended the eighth by getting Labandeira to fly out.

Johnson came out to shake his hand.
Johnson had congratulated Zink often at the end of last season, when he was promoted to Portland and went 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA.
"He looked very familiar to what we saw last year," Johnson said.
"It was nice to see. I think Charlie's been fighting himself a little bit.
I think he can jump on this outing and run with it."

NOTES
Zink's mother, Joyce, flew in from California. She sat in the reserved seats, bundled up in the 48-degree weather.
Attendance was announced at 4,849, with several no-shows because of the earlier showers.
This was the first 1-0 win at home since July 27, 2001.

SEA DOG WINNING STREAK AT 4
Portland's Win Over Harrisburg First 1-0 Win in 3 Years

Charlie Zink tossed eight shutout innings and struck out a career-high nine and Edgar Martinez singled in Kenny Perez in the seventh frame to lift the Portland Sea Dogs to a fourth straight win, a 1-0 blanking of the Harrisburg Senators.

Zink, who had an ERA of 10.00 in four starts in May, allowed only two runners past first base in winning for the first time in six decisions.

Joe Nelson earned his eighth save with a perfect ninth inning.

The win was Portland's first 1-0 win since July 27, 2001 - a win over Erie.

Rich Rundles allowed only four hits in six shutout innings.

Chris Schroder allowed the seventh inning run and fell to 1-1.

Portland tries for its first three-game sweep since last June in the series finale Sunday afternoon.

Eastern League Game Summary - Harrisburg at Portland

Charlie Zink was dominating on the mound in eight innings of work, as the Portland Sea Dogs defeated the Harrisburg Senators, 1-0.

The Sea Dogs have won four straight games to improve to 18-24 on the year, while the Senators have lost three straight and fall to 14-27.

Zink picked up his first win of the year in the contest.
He yielded four hits, two walks and struck out nine to improve to 1-5.

Joe Nelson picked up his eighth save.

Edgar Martinez's RBI single in the seventh inning was all the run support Zink needed in the game.

Martinez finished the game 1-for-3, while Kenny Perez went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Harrisburg's Chris Schroeder was dealt the loss.
He went two innings in relief of starter Rich Rundles and allowed the only run of the game to cross the plate.

Rundles was solid in six innings of work where he allowed four hits and struck out five in the no decision.