The Result
Navigators - 10 to 4

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
46 wins - 52 losses

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

......played the first five innings only

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 2 at-bats - 1 x GIDP

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Ball - change-up - low
Called strike - fast ball - on the inside corner
A 'chopper' towards the middle of the diamond which was misplayed by the Navigators shortstop and rolled into centrefield - "and the scorers are giving the shortstop 'a very tough' error"
At first base - E6
Went to second base on a wild pitch
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Ball - low and away
Ball - low
"And that is a tailored-made double-play hit right at the Navigators second-baseman"
Out 4-to-6-to-3 double play

Heard during the game
(1) After Brett hit into the double-play in his second at-bat, the commentator said "Roneberg has now hit into eighteen double-plays, and that is a Sea Dogs franchise record ...... and he is also by far leading the Eastern League"

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports
Sea Dogs end trip with whimper

The length of Joe Rogers' stay in a game is at the mercy of how well his knuckleball dances through the strike zone.
Thursday night, Rogers' knuckler didn't dance, and the Portland Sea Dogs' pitcher didn't last.

Rogers, taking the place of originally scheduled starter Abe Alvarez, was rocked for seven runs in the second inning of an ugly 10-4 thumping at the hands of the Norwich Navigators before 2,382 at Dodd Stadium.

Adding to the insult, the Sea Dogs will return home from their eight-game trip with a 4-4 split, but residing alone in the Eastern League's Northern Division cellar after New Britain's 3-0 win over Harrisburg earlier in the day.

Rogers (0-2), who was summoned from Sarasota for the third time this season after Alvarez was called up by Boston to make his first big-league start, was plucky but not lucky.

"It was unfortunate for Joe," said Portland Manager Ron Johnson.
"Because if we catch the ball behind him in that second inning, he probably goes deeper into the game."

Instead, he'll return to Class A Sarasota today to make room for Alvarez, who was optioned back to Portland.

Rogers was nicked for an unearned run in the first, then lived through a nightmarish second that went on for 49 pitches and nearly 30 minutes.
Norwich sent 11 men to the plate, with the first seven reaching safely.
All of those runners eventually scored.

Rogers found himself in a bases-loaded jam without a ball leaving the infield.
That set the table for Julian Benavidez, the Navigators' No. 9 hitter, who promptly clubbed a three-run triple to the center-field gap.

Rogers' outing only got worse from there.
He gave up four more hits and a walk and uncorked a wild pitch.
By the time he got Angel Chavez on an inning-ending fly ball, Portland was behind 8-0.

"We had a ground ball to third and a tailor made double-play ball and couldn't execute either one of them," Johnson said.
"We should have been looking at two outs and nobody on.
(Shoot), they didn't hit that many balls hard off him."

Portland batters didn't hit much of anything, at least not while the outcome was still in doubt.

Navigators' starter Pat Misch (5-3), who won the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week award last week, held the Dogs hitless through the first three innings and allowed just two hits and a run over the first six.

He tired in the seventh, when the Dogs cut the margin to 10-3 on Kenny Perez's two-run single.

Mike Lockwood capped the scoring with a solo shot (his fifth) in the eighth off Scott Munter.

Home cookin'

It has been said a knuckleball pitcher can put a hitter in a funk for days.
Try telling that to the Norwich Navigators.

For the second time this year the Navigators squared off against a knuckler, but there was a twist to it Thursday - this one was a lefty.
But that hardly mattered as Norwich slapped Portland's Joe Rogers around for eight runs - five earned - on seven hits in four innings en route to a 10-4 win over the Sea Dogs before an announced crowd of 2,382 at Dodd Stadium.

The win gave Norwich (52-44) a 6-2 record on the eight-game homestand.

Julian Benavidez finished one hit short of the cycle, needing a home run in his final at-bat of the game.
It was obvious he knew what was at stake in the at-bat as he swung ferociously through a couple of offerings from Mark Deschenes.
Benavidez eventually flied out to left.
It was by far his best game since arriving from Single-A San Jose June 25.

"He's swung the bat very competitively up here," manager Shane Turner said.
"He's worked really hard with (hitting coach) Roger (LaFrancois) in the cage to tighten up his mechanics and give himself a chance and put himself in a position to where if they leave the ball over the middle of the plate, he can do something."

Norwich last faced a knuckler May 1 in Portland in the form of the more conventional righthanded Charlie Zink.
The Navigators touched up Zink for seven runs, four earned, on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings.

Rogers (0-2) was called up from Single-A Sarasota to take the place of Abe Alvarez, who started for the Boston Red Sox in the first game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles.

Norwich scored an unearned run in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead, but it got progressively worse for Rogers in the second.
Rogers fell behind hitters constantly and loaded the bases with none out on a hit, error and hit batsman.
Benavidez then cleared the bases with a triple up the alley in right-centerfield to give Norwich a 4-0 lead.
Rogers didn't record an out until the eighth man came to bat in the inning and even then a run scored as Mike Cervenak's sacrifice fly made it 6-0.
When it was all said and down, Norwich had an 8-0 lead.

"The big thing (with knuckleballers) is that you don't change your swing or approach," Turner said.
You just look for a ball up in the zone.
You try to stay off the balls that are down and I think we did a good job of that.
"We forced him because we laid off the bad pitches and got ahead . . . and he had to throw strikes."

Rogers was sent back to Sarasota after game while Alvarez will meet the Sea Dogs back in Portland today.

Pat Misch (5-3) received an unusual amount of run support for the second straight start.
The lefthander was on the winning side of an 11-0 win over Bowie last Friday as he went the distance.
Misch was not as sharp this time around, but limited the Sea Dogs to three runs on six hits in seven innings.

Turning point
Julian Benavidez cleared the bases in the second inning with a triple to the alley in right-centerfield.
Norwich sent 11 men to the plate in the inning and took an 8-1 lead.

Quotable
"He's swung the bat very competitively up here.
He's worked really hard with (hitting coach) Roger (LaFrancois) in the cage to tighten up his mechanics and give himself a chance and put himself in a position to where if they leave the ball over the middle of the plate, he can do something." - Norwich manager Shane Turner on Julian Benavidez.

Gators Win Third Game In A Row

Julian Benavidez's three-run triple in the second inning sparked the Norwich Navigators to a 10-4 win over the Portland Sea Dogs Thursday in the Eastern League.

It was Norwich's third straight win and allowed the Navigators (52-44) to pull within one game of second-place New Hampshire in the Northern Division playoff race.

Kenny Perez drove in three runs on two hits for Portland (46-52).

Pat Misch (5-3) picked up his second straight win.
He allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings with five strikeouts and no walks.

PORTLAND LOSES THIRD STRAIGHT, 10-4 AT NORWICH
Sea Dogs Finish 4-4 Road Trip

Pat Misch allowed three runs in seven innings for his fifth win and Julian Benavidez finished with a triple, double, single and three RBI as the Norwich Navigators beat the Portland Sea Dogs, 10-4 Thursday night.

Kenny Perez went 2-for-4 with three RBI for the Sea Dogs and Mike Lockwood added his fifth home run.

Joe Rogers, called up earlier in the day to replace Abe Alvarez, was touched for eight runs (five earned) in four inning.
Rogers entered the game having not allowed a run in 13.2 innings.

Rogers was called up after Alvarez was promoted to start the opening game of a doubleheader for the Red Sox.

Eastern League Game Summary - Portland at Norwich

Julian Benavidez went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored as the Norwich Navigators beat the Portland Sea Dogs, 10-4, in an Eastern League Northern Division game Thursday night.

With its third consecutive victory, Norwich improved to 52-44 while Portland, losers of three straight, fell to 46-52.

Already leading 1-0, Norwich blew the game open in a seven-run second inning, which Benavidez started with a bases-clearing triple.

Derin McMains had three hits, one RBI and scored two runs and Justin Knoedler went 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored.

Starting pitcher Patrick Misch improved to 5-3 with the victory.
He allowed three runs on six hits and struck out five in seven innings.

Losing pitcher Joe Rogers (0-2) was touched for eight runs - five earned - on seven hits in four innings.

Portland got two hits and three RBI from Kenny Perez.

Portland and Norwich are scheduled to play again Friday night in Portland.

NAVIGATORS ROLL OUT OF TOWN
Seven-run second inning leads Norwich to 10-4 win

The Navigators won their third game in a row, ending a successful eight-game home stand with their sixth win of that stretch, beating Portland 10-4.

Julian Benavidez’s three-run triple was the big hit in a seven-run second inning in which 11 ‘Gators came to the plate.

He finished a homerun short of the cycle, going 3-5 with two runs.

Pat Misch earned the win, stifling the Sea Dogs until through six until running into trouble in the seventh.
He gave up two hits and a run through six before Portland got to him with four straight singles to start the inning.
He pitched through the seventh, finishing with no walks and six strikeouts in seven innings.

Derin McMains and Justin Knoedler each had three hits.