The Result
Sea Dogs - 8 to 5

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
22 wins - 27 losses

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

At the end of the Game
1 hit from 5 at-bats - home run, 1 x RBI, 1 x run scored, 2 x GIDP

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - none down
Ball - up and away
"And that is hit deep down the rightfield line"
HOME RUN
......and 1 x RBI!!! (click here for all the home run details)
And here is what the game commentator said -
"Roneberg launches that fast ball down the rightfield line and if it stays fair it's gone ...... and there it goes!!!"
"The wind, coming across from leftfield, tried to blow that into foul territory, but it stayed fair and was inside the foul pole by about ten feet"
"That was a definite no-doubter and cleared the fence by about thirty-five feet"
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Ball - "a little bit low"
Foul ball - "slashed down the leftfield line"
Foul ball - straight back
Ball - high and outside - and the runner stole to second base
Foul ball - off to the left
High fly ball into straight-away centrefield
Out F8
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Called strike - at the knees
Ball - at the feet "and Brett skips out of the way"
Called strike - on the outside corner
Foul ball - "slashed down the leftfield line"
Foul ball - down the first base side
"Belted towards the Fisher Cats shortstop who made a great diving stop and then threw to second base for the first out and then the relay was made to first base"
Out 6-to-4-to-3 double play
After this out, the commentator said that "Roneberg is arguing the call with the first base umpire and I've got to agree with him because from our vantage point he clearly beat the throw plus the Fisher Cats first-baseman's foot was well off the bag"
He also mentioned that "it was a great stop by the diving fielder who robbed Roneberg of a hit"
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runners at first and third base - one down
Called strike - at the knees on the outside corner
Ground ball back up the middle which was fielded by the second-baseman "and Roneberg has hit into his second double-play of the game"
Out 4-to-6-to-3 double play
Fifth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
(and the commentator said "we know he can't hit into another double play here!!!)
Called strike - "a generous strike on the outside corner"
Ball - high inside
Ball - low
Ball - outside and high
Popped-up into shallow leftfield and the shortstop went back to make the catch
Out F6

Heard during the game
N/A

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports

Dogs sniffing sweep

Left-hander Abe Alvarez took a perfect game into the sixth inning of what turned into an 8-5 victory Sunday over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in front of 3,745 at Gill Stadium.

And that wasn't even what Manager Ron Johnson liked best about his starter's outing.
Johnson was happier with how Alvarez bounced back from a little sixth-inning adversity with a one-two-three seventh.
"That was nice to see," Johnson said.

"Here's a guy who pitched 19 innings in rookie ball last year and he's able to do that at this level versus this type of ballclub.
That's pretty impressive."

What the Sea Dogs have done overall this weekend to the Fisher Cats has been pretty impressive.

Sunday, they jumped all over starter Francisco Rosario, leading 4-0 after one inning and 8-0 after five before the Fisher Cats rallied late.

The Sea Dogs improved to 22-27 with their third straight win and moved a step closer to getting out of the cellar in the Eastern League's Northern Division, which they haven't done since April 18.

Portland and New Hampshire wrap up their first-ever series tonight at 7:05.
Right-hander Chris Smith (3-2, 4.25 ERA) goes for the Sea Dogs, left-hander Gustavo Chacin (4-0, 2.77) for the Fisher Cats.

Alvarez evened his record at 4-4 with his longest outing as a pro.
He allowed three hits and two earned runs, struck out four and walked none.

"A lot of my stuff was working," Alvarez said.
"My fastball was good. I got some swings and misses on my change-up. I got pop-ups a couple of times.
I was just cruising for a little bit. It felt good."

Alvarez retired the first 16 Fisher Cats to continue a trend - Portland pitchers got 16 of the last 17 batters Saturday.

Jose Umbria broke up the perfect game with a single to right that just got past second baseman Joe Kilburg.
Alvarez struck out Justin Singleton, but Tyrell Godwin and Danny Solano then doubled, Solano knocking in Umbria and Godwin.
Dominic Rich grounded out to end the sixth and Alvarez cruised again in the seventh.

"To me, that's an evaluation inning," Johnson said. "And he passed."

Johnson's hitters passed, too.

Mike Campo, who came into the game in a 1-for-21 slump, had three hits.

The Sea Dogs had 13 hits for the game.

Kilburg led off the game with a double and Campo pulled a home run over the right-field fence.

Two pitches later, Brett Roneberg hooked a ball around the right-field foul pole for another homer.

Twelve pitches in, and the Sea Dogs were up 3-0.

Sean McGowan singled and John Hattig and Mike O'Keefe drew walks.
Rosario threw two balls to Eric Johnson and was pulled with a sore arm in favor of Ryan Houston.
Johnson ended up walking, forcing in McGowan for a 4-0 lead.

Portland made it 5-0 in the third when a pop fly by Johnson fell for a double to score Hattig, who had singled.

Consecutive run-scoring hits by Raul Nieves, Kilburg and Campo got it to 8-0 in the fifth.

The Fisher Cats closed to 8-4 with a couple of runs off Colin Young in the eighth, and it was 8-5 in the ninth when Joe Nelson came on for Young, who left with a sore groin.

Nelson struck out the last two batters to earn his 10th save.

NOTES
Another sweep?
A win tonight would make it three straight series sweeps involving the Dogs.
Of course, one of those went against them.
They beat Harrisburg three straight, lost three straight to Binghamton and have now won three in a row here.
The Sea Dogs have not swept a four-game series since July 2001.
The Sea Dogs' bus leaves for Binghamton, N.Y., after tonight's game for a three-game set with the Mets starting Tuesday night at 7.
Right-hander Josh Stevens goes for the Sea Dogs in the series opener.
Hattig has reached safely in 10 of 13 plate appearances in the series.

Fisher Cats fall to Portland again

Mike Campo and Brett Roneberg hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, and lefty Abe Alvarez allowed 2 runs over 7 innings as the Portland Sea Dogs downed the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 8-5 Sunday afternoon at Gill Stadium.

Portland has taken the first three-games of the series, which concludes tomorrow night at 7:05pm.

The 21-year old Alvarez (4-4) retired the first 16 Fisher Cats before allowing a sixth inning single to Jose Umbria.
He allowed 3H, 2 ER, 0 BB and 4 K.

Portland, which has won 8 of its last 11 games, knocked New Hampshire starter Francisco Rosario (0-2) out of the game in the first inning.
Rosario retired only 1 of the 8 batters he faced as the Sea Dogs put four runs on the board in the first.

Joe Kilburg doubled to lead off, and Campo and Roneberg then hit the back-to-back homers to make it 3-0.

Eric Johnson also walked with the bases loaded in the first inning.

The Sea Dogs (22-27), added a run in the 3rd with three hits off reliever Ryan Houston.
Johnson's RBI double scored John Hattig to give Portland a 5-0 lead.

Portland made it 8-0 with three more in the 5th off Houston on RBI hits by Raul Nieves, Joe Kilburg and Mike Campo.

The Fisher Cats scored two runs in the 6th on a Danny Solano 2-RBI double.

They scored 2 more in the 8th on a Tyrell Godwin sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Solano.

Maikel Jova had an RBI double in the 9th before Portland closer Joe Nelson came on to strike out Matt Logan and Umbria.

Nelson recorded his 10th save.

The Fisher Cats will throw southpaw Gustavo Chacin (4-0) tomorrow against Chris Smith (3-2) for the Sea Dogs as they attempt to snap a season-high 3-game losing streak.
The Memorial Day contest starts at 7:05pm at Gill Stadium.

Honest, Abe is top Dog in Fisher Cats loss

Portland went to work early and Abe Alvarez finished strong late.

A four-run first inning rally coupled by a perfect game bid by Alvarez, who settled for a solid three-hitter over seven innings, lifted the visiting Sea Dogs to an 8-5 Eastern League win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before the second largest gathering (3,745) of the season at Gill Stadium.

It was the third straight win for the Sea Dogs (22-27) over the Fisher Cats (26-22) as both teams meet in the series finale tonight at 7:05 p.m.

Alvarez (4-4), who went from rookie ball last season to Double-A this season, had a perfect game through 5+ innings before Jose Umbria came through with a sharp one-hop single through the second base hole on a 3-2 pitch.

That led to a mini uprising by the Fisher Cats, who cut their deficit to 8-2 on a two-run double by Dan Solano.

But Alvarez returned in the seventh inning, set the side down, and completed a most satisfying outing that saw the southpaw finish with four strikeouts and no walks.

“I was very pleased to see him come back in the seventh,” said Sea Dogs manager Ron Johnson.
“Abe had 19 innings in rookie league ball last year and to be able to do this well at this level against this ballclub is pretty impressive.”

Alvarez said he wasn’t aware that he had a perfect game going until the fourth inning.
“A kid passed the dugout and asked someone if your pitcher is throwing a no-hitter,” said Alvarez.
“Right there I said to myself, ‘not anymore.’”

Still it was Alvarez’s longest outing of the season.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of Cats starter Francisco Rosario (0-2) who, after getting touched up for four runs on 36 pitches, complained of soreness in his upper arm, Fisher Cats manager Mike Basso said.

“It wasn’t brought to our attention before the game that something was wrong,” Basso said.
“His English isn’t all that good and when Umbria went out to the mound, that’s when we noticed something.”

On Rosario’s first 12 pitches, Portland scorched him for three quick runs.

Joe Kilburg led off with a double down the right field line and trotted home when Mike Campo, who entered the game with one hit in his last 21 at-bats, drilled a two-run homer over the right field foul pole.

The next batter, Brett Roneberg, deposited a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for a 3-0 lead.

After Rosario departed with the bases loaded and a 3-1 count to Eric Johnson, reliever Ryan Houston was summoned to the hill.
He walked Johnson to force in the fourth run, but both the run and walk were charged to Rosario.

As to Portland’s fast start against Rosario, Johnson said “I was as shocked as anyone in the ballpark.
I looked at this guy warming up and could hardly see the ball. It was seriously coming out of his hand and I had heard reports that this young man was toughing 100 miles per hour.
I’m assuming something wasn’t right with him today.”

Portland got the lead to 8-0 as Johnson (two RBI) had an RBI double in the third inning while fifth inning run-scoring hits came from Raul Nieves (double), Kilburg (single) and Campo (single), who finished with three RBI.

An eighth inning sacrifice fly by Tyrell Godwin and a single by Solano (three RBI) pulled the Fisher Cats to within 8-4.

In the ninth, New Hampshire made it 8-5 on a double by Maikel Jova, but Sea Dogs reliever Joe Nelson garnered his 10th season save by fanning the last two batters to end the game.

Seadogs 8, Fisher Cats 5

Mike Campo and Brett Roneberg hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, and Abe Alvarez took a perfect game into the sixth inning as the Portland Sea Dogs defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 8-5 Sunday.

Portland opened the game with four straight hits, including Campo´s two-run homer and Roneberg´s solo shot, for a 4-0 lead.

Fisher Cats starter and loser Francisco Rosario (0-2) didn´t last the inning.

The Sea Dogs added to their lead in the third inning on Eric Johnson´s run-scoring double.

They pushed to 8-0 in the fifth inning as Raul Nieves, Joe Kilburg and Campo drove in runs.

Alvarez (4-4) had his perfect game broken up on Jose Umbria´s single to right.

Alvarez lost his shutout on Danny Solano´s two-run double later in the inning but still picked up the win.

SEA DOGS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
Alvarez Perfect Through 5 Innings, Campo Drives in 3

Abe Alvarez retired the first 16 batters he faced and 21 of 24 batters on the afternoon and Mike Campo was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, lifting the Portland Sea Dogs to an 8-5 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Sunday afternoon.

Portland has won the first three games of the series and eight of its last 11 games and goes for its first four-game sweep since July 2001 tomorrow night.

Campo and Brett Roneberg homered as part of a four-run first inning.

Fisher Cat starter Francisco Rosario retired only one of the eight batters he faced, allowing four hits and three walks.

Eric Johnson added two RBI for the Sea Dogs, who had every starter reach base and eight of the nine starters reach base at least twice.

Every Sea Dog starter either scored or drove in a run.

Joe Nelson got the final two outs to record his tenth save.

Alvarez imporved to 4-4 as Sea Dog starters are now 9-2 with a 2.10 ERA in the last 13 games.

Portland and New Hampshire conclude the four-game series tomorrow night at 7:05.

Eastern League Game Summary - Portland at New Hampshire

Mike Campo went 3-for-4 with a home run to pace the Portland Sea Dogs' 8-5 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Sunday afternoon.

Campo belted a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to give the Sea Dogs a 2-0 lead.

Brett Roneberg followed with a solo shot, his ninth of the season.

Portland extended its lead to 8-0 in the fifth before cooling off.
Raul Nieves, Joe Kilburg and Campo drove in runs in the three-run inning.

The Fisher Cats came back with five runs over the final four innings, but came up short as Portland's lead was too big to overcome.

Danny Solano went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI for New Hampshire.

Abe Alvarez pitched well and picked up the win.
Alvarez (4-4) allowed two runs on three hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked none.

Joe Nelson fanned the only two batters he faced to convert his tenth save of the year.

Francisco Rosario (0-2) lasted just 1/3rd of an inning and suffered the loss.
He was touched up for four runs on four hits before giving way to relief in the first.
He faced seven batters.

Portland (22-27) has now won three straight, while New Hampshire (26-22) has lost three.