The Result
Curve - 2 to 1
Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
40 wins - 47 losses
Brett's Position and
the Batting Order
Playing rightfield
Batting #3
At the end of the Game
0 hit from 4 at-bats
- 2 x strike outs
Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Ball - breaking ball - high
Called strike - breaking ball - "and that looked in the same
spot as the first pitch but this time it was called a strike"
Called strike - on the outside corner - "and Brett did not
like that call"
Swing&miss - "and Roneberg is right in the face of the
home plate umpire claiming that was fouled straight into the ground
...... the catcher had picked the ball up and tagged Brett ......
and Roneberg is still saying something back to the umpire over
his shoulder as he walks back to the dugout"
Strike out
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - low
Ball - high
Popped-up on the infield
Out F4
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - in the dirt and wide of the plate
Foul ball - down the leftfield line
Called strike - change-up
Swing&miss - "and that pitch was down and away"
Strike out
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings - and the Sea Dogs are trailing 2 runs to
1 in the bottom of the tenth inning
Called strike
"And that is driven deep into left-centrefield but the fielder
made the catch on the warning track"
Out F8
Heard during the game
(1) As Brett came
in for his third at-bat, the commentator said "Roneberg
has reached base 'by hit or walk' in 23 of his last 24 games"
(2) The top of the tenth
inning and the score is 1-1!!!
The Curve had a runner at second base, and the next batter hit
a ground ball into rightfield - the runner at second base was
going, and Brett charged in on the ball "but he's over-ran
it!!!" - the runner was able to score the go-ahead, and
winning, run
From what the commentators said, it was a 'do-or-die' -- 'all-or-nothing' play as the third-base coach was waving the runner around third to head for home and to beat the 9-to-2 throw and score (refer to note in the game report below)
Email from Brett
N/A
Game Reports
Altoona gets around Dogs
with late rally
For the longest time, it looked as though the Portland Sea Dogs
were going to get away with an unlikely win Friday against the
Altoona Curve.
The Sea Dogs had only two hits, and their starting pitcher was
forced to leave with an injury in the second inning.
Yet Portland led 1-0 through eight innings.
But in the ninth, Ryan Doumit homered to tie the game.
Then Altoona got the winning run in the 10th as the Curve topped
Portland 2-1 before 6,567 at Hadlock Field.
Newly signed Mark Deschenes took the loss.
In the 10th, Chris Duffy hit a wall-ball double with one out and
scored on Jeff Keppinger's single to right.
Duffy, with blistering speed, made two incredible, diving catches
in center field that may have made the difference.
The loss spoiled a commend-able performance by the Sea Dogs bullpen
after Kason Gabbard rolled his ankle while fielding a ground ball.
With the Sea Dogs leading 1-0 on Mike Lockwood's first-inning
homer, Colin Young pitched 3-1/3 innings of two-hit ball.
Juan Perez allowed one hit in the sixth, and James Johnson was
perfect over two innings.
Deschenes entered in the ninth, making his first appearance since
he was signed from the independent-league team in Nashua, N.H.,
where he was 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA.
"Normally, you let a guy ease in and not put him in a situation
like that," said Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson, who had little
choice after using his bullpen for seven innings the night before.
Doumit led off the ninth and worked to a full count.
"He's got a sneaky delivery," Doumit said.
"He gets up on you pretty good.
With two strikes, I was just looking to get the bat on the ball,
and I got a pitch I can handle."
Doumit sent an inside fastball well over the right-field fence.
In the 10th, Duffy's
double came with one out.
Keppinger then singled to right, and right fielder Brett Roneberg
charged the ball but misplayed it.
With Duffy's speed, though, it mattered little whether the ball
was fielded cleanly.
Duffy showed off his glove in the first inning.
Sheldon Fulse led off with a blast to right-center, but Duffy
ranged into the gap to make a diving catch.
It was a key play, because Lockwood followed with his homer into
the right-field bullpen.
In the eighth, Duffy charged in and dived to rob Sean McGowan
of a hit.
The Sea Dogs had only three base runners after Lockwood's homer.
Mike O'Keefe doubled in the second, Jeff Bailey walked in the
fourth, and John Hattig drew a two-out walk in the 10th.
Altoona (53-34) owns the best record in the Eastern League and
leads the Southern Division by six games.
Portland (40-47) is 10 games out in the Northern Division.
NOTES
Knuckleball pitcher Charlie Zink (1-8, 5.79) was demoted to Class
A Sarasota.
Ryan Cameron replaces him in the rotation.
Infielder Jimmy Alvarez returned to Triple-A Pawtucket, leaving
Portland a player short.
Pitcher Chris Smith was in Worcester, Mass., for a second opinion
on his injured shoulder.
The Sea Dogs have another alum in the majors, as reliever Joe
Nelson was promoted to the Red Sox from Triple-A Pawtucket.
He replaced another alum, Tim Hamulack, on the 40-man roster.
Curve take down Portland in 10th
Jeff Keppinger singled home Chris Duffy with the winning run in
the 10th inning to lift the Altoona Curve to a 2-1 victory over
the Portland Sea Dogs on Friday in the Eastern League.
The Curve tied the game when Ryan Doumit led off the ninth inning
with a home run off reliever Mark Deschenes (0-1).
Mike Lockwood's first-inning homer accounted for the lone Sea
Dogs run.
Duffy led off the 10th with a double off the wall in left, then
scored on Keppinger's base hit.
Starter Mike Connolly went seven innings for the Curve before
giving way to Brad Borner (5-4), who pitched the eighth and ninth.
Jeff Miller took over in the 10th and picked up his sixth save.
Portland starter Kason Gabbard left the game in the second inning
due to injury.
Deschenes, the last of four Sea Dogs relievers, was making his
first appearance after being acquired from the Nashua Dodgers
of the Atlantic League.
DOGS LACK OFFENSIVE BITE, LOSE IN LATE INNINGS
Altoona Wins 2-1 in 10 Innings With Runs in Final 2 Frames
Ryan Doumit hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning and
Jeff Keppinger's RBI single in the tenth frame lifted the Altoona
Curve to a 2-1 win in 10 innings over the Portland Sea Dogs on
Friday night.
Mike Lockwood homered and Mike O'Keefe doubled - the only hits
for the Sea Dogs, who were held without a hit over the final eight
innings.
Kason Gabbard left the game after injuring his ankle in the second
inning.
Lefties Colin Young, Juan Perez and James Johnson combined for
6.1 scoreless innings until newcomer Marc Deschaines allowed the
tying and winning runs in the ninth and tenth innings.
Deschaines was making his Red Sox debut after being signed out
of the independent Atlantic League in Wednesday.
Eastern League Game Summary - Altoona at Portland
Jeff Keppinger singled home Chris Duffy in the tenth inning to
give the Altoona Curve a 2-1 win over the Portland Sea Dogs in
an Eastern League contest.
Ryan Doumit's solo home run in the ninth sent the game to extra's
as the Curve improved to 53-34.
Portland fell to 40-47 with their second straight loss.
Doumit's heroics came at the expense of Portland reliever Mark
Deschenes.
Duffy reached base in the tenth with a double and scored on the
next at-bat by Keppinger.
Josh Bonifay went 2-for-5 with a double in the win.
Brady Borner earned the win in relief of starter Mike Connolly.
Borner tossed two shutout innings and struck out three to improve
to 5-4.
Jeff Miller notched his sixth save.
Deschenes (0-1) suffered the loss for the Sea Dogs.
In two innings he allowed two earned runs on three hits and one
walk.
Mike Lockwood knocked his third home run of the season in the
loss.
GREAT PITCHING EFFORT REWARDED IN CURVE COMEBACK WIN
Jeff Keppinger's RBI single in the top of the 10th inning capped
another late-inning rally as the Altoona Curve defeated the Portland
Sea Dogs 2-1 in 10 innings in the opener of a four-game series
Friday night.
Despite one of the club's best pitching efforts of the season,
Altoona entered the ninth inning trailing 1-0 when Ryan Doumit
led off the inning with a solo home run off of former Curve pitcher
Marc Deschenes, who was making his first appearance for Portland
after being signed by the Red Sox and added to the Sea Dogs' roster
earlier in the day.
The blast was Doumit's 8th of the season and sent the game to
extra innings.
In the top of the 10th against Deschenes (0-1), after Chris Duffy
belted a double off of the Hadlock Field "Green Monster",
Jeff Keppinger ended a 2-for-33 slump by ripping a go-ahead RBI
single into right field that plated Duffy with the winning run.
Jeff Miller closed out an impressive night for the Curve pitching
staff by striking out two batters in the bottom of the 10th to
collect his sixth save.
Curve starter Mike Connolly, Brady Borner and Miller combined
to hold Portland to just two hits, and no hits in the final 8-2/3
innings of the game.
The trio also combined to retire 18 consecutive batters between
the fourth and 10th innings.
Borner (5-4), who tossed two perfect innings in the eighth and
ninth, earned the win in his return to the Curve after being away
from the team for a week to welcome the birth of his son Drew
back at his home in Omaha, Nebraska.
Connolly, who was taken off the hook for a tough-luck loss by
Doumit in the ninth, earned a no-decision after yielding just
two hits and one run - a first-inning solo home run by Mike Lockwood
- over seven innings of work.
The left-hander walked one and struck out five and has now struck
out 41 batters and walked just six over his last seven starts,
during which he's 3-0.
Josh Bonifay (2-for-4) produced the Curve's lone multi-hit game
and improved to 15-for-29 (.517) over his last eight games.
With the win, Altoona (53-34) once again equaled the club-record
for most games above the .500 mark (19).
The Curve also remains six games ahead of second-place Bowie in
the Eastern League's Southern Division.
Portland, which is now winless in five games against Altoona this
season, drops to 40-47 on the season.
In game two of the series Saturday evening, the Curve will send
right-hander Neal McDade (2-0, 3.20) to the mound against Portland
righty Ryan Cameron (1-2, 4.46).
Gametime is set for 6:00.