The Result
Sea Dogs - 10 to 4

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
35 wins - 38 losses

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

At the end of the Game
3 hits from 5 at-bats - single, 2 x doubles, 3 x RBI's, 1 x runs scored, 1 x strike out

A note that was in The Cairns Post

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
(did not listen)
???handed pitcher
Runners at first and second base - none down
Lined out to the Seawolves first-baseman
Out F3
Second at-bat
(did not listen)
???handed pitcher
Led off the innings
Swing&miss at the strike three pitch
Strike out
Third at-bat
(did not listen)
???handed pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Hit back up the middle - and the runner advanced to third base
Single
Went to second base on a hit
Tagged and advanced to third base on a fly out
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runners at first and second base - two down
Called strike - "and that was right in there
"And that pitch is driven down the rightfield line and hits the base of the wall about four feet inside fair territory and Roneberg has his seventeenth double and fourty-fifth and fourty-sixth runs-driven-in for the season"
Double
......and 2 x RBI's
Left stranded and the end of the innings
Fifth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - none down
Called strike
Ball - high
Foul ball - straight back
Ball - inside - "and that pushed Brett back"
"And Roneberg drives that high into leftfield and it hits about halfway up the wall and Brett has a double to the short-porch here in Erie on what would have been a routine fly ball in any other ballpark"
Double
......and 1 x RBI
Scored on a home run by the following Sea Dogs batter

Heard during the game
N/A

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports

Sea Dogs' major player leads the way

Not that he ever would say so, but George Lombard is too good for the Eastern League.

Any doubts were squelched by the way Lombard terrorized Erie SeaWolves pitchers during a four-game series that ended Thursday with a 10-4 victory before 3,735 at Jerry Uht Park.

Lombard led Portland's second straight 17-hit attack, going 3 for 5 with four RBI.
The last two came on a massive homer to left-center, his second of the season.

Lombard has seven multihit games in his last nine.

Lombard, a former Atlanta Braves blue-chip prospect, savaged the Wolves by going 10 for 20 with nine RBI, raising his batting average by 53 points to a gaudy .404.
And that includes the 0 for 5 he took Tuesday night.

"I expect big things out of myself," said Lombard, who joined the club two weeks ago after two months of rehab in Florida for his surgically repaired shoulder.
"I can't say I expected to be doing this, but being in extended (spring training) for two months, I got to work on some things.
I really feel good."

The pivotal question is how long Lombard, 29, who has seen big-league time with the Braves, Tigers and Devil Rays, will remain a Sea Dog.

"There's a master plan for George," said Portland Manager Ron Johnson, "which I'm sure will be executed in the time frame (the Red Sox) want."

But if you ask Lombard, there's no rush to head for Pawtucket or even Boston.

"I can't control the moves (the Red Sox) make right now," he said.
"What I can control is going out there and playing hard every day.
"In a way it may have been good for me to come (to the Sea Dogs) because it made me relax and allowed me to work on a few things.
I needed at-bats after missing two months.
I think things will fall into place."

Lombard wasn't the only big swinger for Portland.
The top four in the batting order each went 3 for 5.

Brett Roneberg hit a pair of doubles and chipped in three RBI.

The Sea Dogs grabbed a 4-0 first-inning lead, getting to Erie starter Matt Roney (6-5) for five hits in the inning.
Joe Kilburg and Mike Lockwood led off with singles.
After Roneberg lined out, Lombard lashed a double to center, scoring Kilburg.
Jeff Bailey followed with a two-run double into the center-field gap, making it 3-0.
Bailey capped the inning by scoring on an error after Mike O'Keefe singled.

Lombard added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 5-0.

For Portland, the good news didn't end there.
Starter Kason Gabbard, who is working his way back from a strained Achilles' tendon, was strong in his four-inning stint.
Held to a 60-pitch limit - he actually threw 62 - Gabbard allowed three hits and a walk, and one runner reached second.
He struck out three and was helped by three double plays.

"Gabbard was really good," said Johnson.
"He was a tight call and a ground-ball error away from going five innings."

A two-run double by Roneberg in the sixth gave Portland a 7-0 lead.

Erie then scored two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth, but the comeback ended when Lombard hit his two-run shot in the ninth.

Juan Perez (3-0) pitched the final 1-2/3 innings and was credited with the win.

NOTES
The SeaWolves' marketing staff may want to rethink its approach to its "Strikeout Man of the Game" promotion.
Lombard was the designated strikeout man Thursday but refused to oblige.
"A lot of times that's the kiss of death," he said.
Wednesday's "Strikeout Man," Kenny Perez, went 4 for 4 and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Lockwood, who went 3 for 5, has hit in all five games since coming to the club Sunday from the Oakland system.
"You've got to like his play," said Johnson. "He's been a very interesting acquisition for us."
After the game, the Sea Dogs took a bus to Manchester, where at 7:05 tonight they'll begin a three-game set with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
Left-hander Abe Alvarez (6-5, 3.94) will oppose New Hampshire right-hander Cam Reimers (7-3, 2.74).
Portland right-hander Chris Smith, who was scratched Monday with arm soreness, is scheduled to start Saturday and will be on a 60-pitch limit.
Portland also is expected to get bullpen help from Triple-A Pawtucket soon.
The PawSox have six players on the disabled list and some are about ready to return.

Eastern League Game Summary - Portland at Erie

George Lombard doubled, homered, and knocked in four runs and Brett Roneberg contributed three RBI of his own as the Portland Sea Dogs ran past the Erie SeaWolves 10-4 Thursday afternoon.

It was the second straight game Portland put up 10 runs and earned them a split of the four-game series.

Lombard went 3-for-5 and scored two runs and is now hitting .404 for Portland.
The home run was his second of the season.

Roneberg also went 3-for-5 with two doubles and one run scored to go with his three RBI.

Juan Perez (3-0) picked up the win in relief after he threw 1-2/3rd scoreless innings.
He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out two batters in the effort.

Matt Roney (6-5) was tagged for five runs, four earned, on 10 hits in five innings of work to take the loss for Erie.
Roney walked one batter and fanned three.

Jeff Bailey chipped in a double and two RBI in the victory for the Sea Dogs.

Kurt Airoso and Maxim St. Pierre each drove in two runs for Erie.
Airoso hit his 15th home run of the year and scored one run while St.
Pierre went 2-for-3 with a double.

PORTLAND ROLES TO SERIES FINALE WIN AT ERIE
Sea Dogs Rip 17 Hits in 10-4 Win

George Lombard homered, doubled, scored two times and drove in four runs as the Portland Sea Dogs drilled 17 hits for the second straight day in topping the Erie SeaWolves, 10-4 on Thursday.

Lombard doubled in a run in a four-run first inning, singled in a run in the fifth and hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning.

Brett Roneberg added two doubles, a single and three RBI.

Mike Lockwood had three hits and three runs scored and Joe Kilburg singled three times and scored twice.

Portland won its eighth consecutive series finale and pulled to within 4-1/2 games of New Hampshire in the race for the Northern Division's final playoff spot.

The Sea Dogs and Fisher Cats start a three-game series Friday night.

Juan Perez (3-0) retired the final five batters of the game for the win.

Kason Gabbard, in his second Double-A start, fired four shutout inning and allowed only one runner into scoring position.

Wolves promo backfires vs. Dogs

Before every game, the Erie SeaWolves designate a strikeout man from the opposing team.
If he whiffs, fans at Jerry Uht Park receive a coupon for a free food item.

Lately, the promotion isn't going so well.

Wednesday's strikeout man, Portland shortstop Kenny Perez, went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs to help fuel a 10-9 win.
On Thursday the SeaWolves' front office selected Sea Dogs outfielder George Lombard, who responded with three hits and four RBIs as Portland won 10-4 and earned a split of the four-game series against the Wolves before a paid crowd of 3,735.

"Sometimes that strikeout man thing is the kiss of death," said Lombard, who torched SeaWolves pitching throughout the series, going 10-for-20 with two homers, one inside the park, and seven RBIs.

A former major-leaguer who played with Tampa Bay last season and Detroit in 2002, the 29-year-old Lombard spent two months in extended spring training recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Since arriving in Portland two weeks ago, he has been too good for Eastern League pitching.

In four games against the SeaWolves, the left-handed hitting Lombard raised his average 53 points to .404.

"I really feel good," Lombard said in what might rate as the understatement of the season so far.
"I expect good things out of myself, but I can't say I expected this."

Lombard figures to be promoted to the Boston Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, R.I., any time.

It didn't happen soon enough for the SeaWolves, who watched him spark a lineup loaded with veteran left-handed hitters to score 26 runs on 45 hits in the final three games of the series.

"I'm glad they're leaving town," SeaWolves manager Rick Sweet said.
"We've seen enough of them."

For the third day in a row, Portland scored five or more runs against a SeaWolves starting pitcher.

Thursday it was Matt Roney, who watched the Sea Dogs drop in a pair of bloop singles to start a four-run rally in the first.
Lombard - there's that name again - delivered the big hit with a two-run double.

He later hit a two-run homer against reliever Mark Woodyard in the ninth after the SeaWolves had cut a 7-0 deficit to three runs.

"Everything they hit seemed to find a hole or a gap," said Roney (6-5).
"They've got some good hitters who swing the bat really well."

With one of the league's most veteran clubs - eight of nine hitters in Thursday's lineup were 25 or older - the Sea Dogs seemed to make SeaWolves pitchers pay for every mistake, Sweet said.

"Roney didn't struggle," Sweet said. "None of our starting pitchers really struggled in this series.
They made pretty good pitches, but (Portland) just got on a roll. Right now they're a very hot club."

The loss dropped the SeaWolves three games behind Altoona in the Eastern League Southern Division.
The Curve arrive in Erie today for a three-game series.

The Wolves can take heart in having made things interesting Thursday, rallying with a two-run double by Max St. Pierre in the seventh and Kurt Airoso's mammoth two-run homer in the eighth to cut it to 7-4.

In the shadow of Portland's offensive show, the SeaWolves scored 30 runs on 44 hits in the series.

"I don't think anybody is very comfortable against us right now the way we're swinging the bats," Sweet said.
"Even when (Portland was up) 7-0 today, I still don't think they were comfortable."

Sea Dogs split series with Erie

The Portland Sea Dogs salvaged a split in their four-game visit to Erie.

George Lombard drove in four runs and Brett Roneberg drove in three to help Portland beat the Erie SeaWolves 10-to-4 Thursday.

Lombard hit a two-run double during a four-run first inning for Portland and added a two-run homer to cap the scoring in the ninth.

Roneberg had two doubles and went three-for-five.

The Sea Dogs scored ten runs on 17 hits for the second straight game

Reliever Juan Perez recorded the final five outs for the win.