The Result
Sea Dogs - 6 to 0

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
36 wins - 43 losses

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

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 4 at-bats - 1 x strike out

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Ball - fast ball - high
Called strike - fast ball
Ball - fast ball - low
Foul ball - curve ball - "a soft curve"
"And that is a ground ball hit straight at the Navigators second-baseman but fortunately the runner was going on the pitch and was able to stay out of the double-play but Roneberg is out easily as first base"
Out 4-to-3
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Called strike - "and that appeared to be high and Roneberg is saying something to the umpire"
Swing&miss
Ball - outside
Foul ball - "a defensive swing"
Called strike - "and that pitch looked low and at the knees and Roneberg again has a few words to say and I must agree with him on this and the first pitch of the at-bat"
Strike out
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Called strike
Foul ball - change-up - down the first base side
Ball - outside
Ball - low
Ball - low
Foul ball - down the third base side
Popped-up to shallow leftfield and the fielder came in to make the catch
Out F7
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike
Ball
"And that is driven to deep rightfield and it's caught on the track ...... it looked like Roneberg got under it a bit"
Out F9

Heard during the game
(1) During the top of the first innings, the Navigators had a runner at first base with one down - the next batter hit a ball into the alley in right-centrefield - the runner held up at second base and the commentators said he probably didn't want to try for third base because "the book on Roneberg is that he has one of the best arms in the Eastern League"

(2) As Brett came in for his first at-bat, the commentator said "Brett hasn't hit a home run since Sunday 6th June, a span of twenty-three games"
And following today's game, it is now twenty-four games since the last homer

There was a left-hander on the mound, and the commentator also said "Brett has only hit one of his twelve home runs off lefthanded pitchers ...... and his overall batting against southpaws in in the low two-hundreds"

(3) Coming in for his fourth at-bat, the commentator said "this is Brett's last chance to extend his 'on-base-streak' via a hit or walk and that streak currently stands at seventeen games"
Brett flew out to rightfield so the streak is over

(4) From the commentator - "Congratulations to the Sea Dogs 'All Stars' - Abe Alvarez, Kenny Perez, Jeff Bailey and Brett Roneberg"

Email from Brett
Too many deep fly balls that don't go out!!!
Also, the "All Star" Team!!!!!
Not too bad, huh!!!!!

Game Reports
Honest, Abe helps Sea Dogs stop slide

Top pitching prospect Abe Alvarez threw strikes.

His relievers did, as well.

The defense caught the ball, and the hits were all clutch.

In other words, the Portland Sea Dogs put it all together for a 6-0 win over the Norwich Navigators on Wednesday night, before 5,969 at Hadlock Field.

Both Kenny Perez and Mike Lockwood homered for the Sea Dogs (36-43), who stopped a five-game losing streak.

Pitching was key.
Wednesday marked the first Sea Dogs shutout since May 22.

Alvarez threw five innings, followed by Colin Young (three innings, two hits) and Ryan Larson (one hit in the ninth).
Neither of the relievers issued a walk.

Alvarez (7-5) may not have been at his best - allowing six hits in five innings - but he was tough, throwing the out pitch when he needed to.
In four innings he did not allow a runner to reach third, let alone score.

"I've had a knack for that since high school," said Alvarez about pitching out of jams.
"They are my mistakes and I want to get out of them. I just bear down and go after (the batter)."

Alvarez again helped his cause with control.
And for a guy whose fastball is clocked in the mid-80s, he sure looked dominating with eight strikeouts, pinpointing his fastball, curve and change-up.

"When a pitcher mixes it up like that, the hitter has to sit on a pitch, or he has no chance," Sea Dogs catcher Jeff Bailey said.

Backing up Alvarez was some fine defense, including Mike O'Keefe showing more acrobatics at first base.
O'Keefe dove to catch a sizzler down the line, preventing an RBI double in the fifth.

The Norwich defense made two errors.

Still, the Navigators (40-38) could not stop the blasts from Perez and Lockwood.

Norwich starter Josh Habel (2-7) is second in the league in home runs allowed (16) and the Sea Dogs pounced on his fastballs.
In the second, Perez followed a Sean McGowan double with his third home run, off the top of the message board in left-center.
Lockwood hit his second home run in as many days, a no-doubter to right-center.

That gave Portland a 3-0 lead.
Such an advantage has not been safe lately for the Sea Dogs because of the struggling relief and the lack of offense.

But in the sixth, Bailey doubled with two outs and O'Keefe singled him in. John Hattig followed with an RBI double.

In the ninth, singles by Bailey and Hattig, plus a throwing error, put another run across, making it 6-0.

"It was nice to see us do something more than just sit on that three," Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson said of the 3-0 lead.
"And Colin Young was outstanding.
That was something we needed, someone to come in and fill middle innings and give us an opportunity."

Young, who had a 5.40 ERA in 18 appearances, struck out two and induced five outs with grounders.

"I've been scuffling throughout the season," Young said.
"Tonight, something just clicked with the fastball location and the change-up.
"It was a good night overall."

To that, near-6,000 at Hadlock would agree.

NOTES
The Eastern League all-stars were officially announced Wednesday, with four Sea Dogs on the Northern Division roster - Alvarez, Perez, Bailey and outfielder Brett Roneberg.
The game is July 14 in Bowie, Md.
Pitcher Chris Smith will skip his scheduled start tonight, part of the Red Sox process of limiting young pitchers' outings.
In place of Smith tonight will be Beau Vaughan, a third-round pick last year, who is 3-1 in Class A Augusta, Ga., with a 2.48 ERA.

PORTLAND SNAPS LOSING STREAK WITH A SHUTOUT
Alvarez, Young and Larson Blanks Norwich, 6-0

Abe Alvarez fanned a career high-equaling eight batters in five shutout innings as the Portland Sea Dogs snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-0 win over the Norwich Navigators.

Alvarez - named an Eastern League All-Star prior to the game - combined with Colin Young and Ryan Larson on the complete-game nine-hitter.

The Navigators stranded 10 runners but moved only one runner past second base on the night.

All-star Kenny Perez hit a two-run home run and fellow All-star Jeff Bailey extended a hit streak to 10 games with a double, single and run scored.

Mike Lockwood hit a home run for the second straight night and Mike O'Keefe and John Hattig added run-scoring hits.

Brett Roneberg was the fourth member of the Sea Dogs to make the Eastern League All-Star game (July 14th in Bowie).
Roneberg went 0-for-4 to end his 16-game on-base streak.

Eastern League Game Summary - Norwich at Portland

Abe Alvarez, Colin Young, and Ryan Larson combined to toss a shutout and Kenny Perez smacked a two-run home run to propel the Portland Sea Dogs to a 6-0 blanking of the Norwich Navigators.

Alvarez (7-5) tossed five innings, allowed six hits and struck out eight to get the win.

Young allowed two hits in three innings and struck out two, while Larson allowed just a hit in one inning of work.

Mike Lockwood chipped in with a solo home run, as Portland improved to 36-43.

Josh Habel suffered the loss and dropped to 2-7.
He allowed four runs on five hits in 5-2/3rd innings.

Doug Clark, Derin McMains, and Julian Benavidez each had two hits, as Norwich fell to 40-38.

Portland will host Akron tomorrow, while Norwich had the day off.