The Result
Rock Cats - 5 to 3

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
54 wins - 60 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing rightfield
Batting #5

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 4 at-bats - single, double, 1 x RBI, 1 x strike out

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike
Called strike - fast ball - "right down the middle"
Ball - fast ball - outside
Foul ball - "Brett reached out and fouled it away"
Foul ball - pulled down the first base line
Ball - outside
Foul ball - fast ball - down the leftfield line
Foul ball - breaking ball - "and that is pulled just foul over the first base bag"
Called strike - "a beautiful breaking ball and Roneberg knew it"
Strike out
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led of the innings
Ball - low
Ball - outside
Called strike - on the outside corner
Foul ball - back
"A 'big chopper' back to the mound which is fielded by the pitcher"
Out 1-to-3
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at third base - two down
Foul ball - up and out of play to the left side
Called strike - "and that was right in there"
Foul ball - fast ball - over the screen
Foul ball - out to the left
Ball - curve ball - low
Base hit to left-centrefield
Single
......and 1 x RBI
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Called strike - "and that was right in there"
"And that is driven into the gap in right-centrefield and goes all the way to the wall"
Double
Left stranded at the end of the innings

Heard during the game
(1) After Brett's third at-bat, the commentator said "that is Brett's sixty-eighth run-driven-in for the season and that leads the Sea Dogs"

(2) Following Brett's double in his fourth at-bat, the commentator said "Roneberg is having a fine series with five hits and six runs-driven-in" (three games)

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports

Sea Dogs earn a split (Game One and Game Two)

The road that brought left-hander Greg Montalbano back to the mound at New Britain Stadium was fraught with the peril that no pitcher should have to endure.
Montalbano, a native of Worcester, Mass., was diagnosed with arm injuries as well as testicular cancer during his college days at Northeastern.
A rotator cuff injury shelved him for the entire 2002 season.
Off-season shoulder surgery sidetracked him for most of this season.

So while three-plus solid innings may not be the stuff of lifelong memories, Montalbano placed great significance in setting the tone for the Sea Dogs' 2-1 victory over the New Britain Rock Cats in the first game of Saturday's day-night double- header.

The Sea Dogs (54-60), who dropped the nightcap 5-3, maintain a one-half game lead over New Britain (53-60) in the race to last place in the Northern Division.

"To me, there's first place and everybody else just loses," Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson said.
We've got some young players here and it's a day-to-day thing.
You try to develop consistency and we've scuffled with that.
That's all we're looking at through the last three weeks.
I think it's very doubtful we're going to be in the playoff picture so let's put the focus on development and get these guys prepared for next year."

Johnson was pleased with the way the Sea Dogs played and the way they handled a long day of baseball that stretched over more than nine hours.

"I was real proud of the way they battled back (from a 4-0 deficit) in the second game," he said.
"We're not talking about major-league guys who develop more of an ability to turn it on and turn it off."

Montalbano, on a 45-pitch limit in his first Double-A start of the season, allowed no runs, three hits, walked one and struck out one in 3-1/3 innings.

He gave way to Bo Donaldson (2-3), who carried the shutout into the eighth.

"I've definitely had some things thrown at me but hopefully everything's behind me," Montalbano said.
"My arm feels great. I would have liked to thrown a few more strikes but the guys played great behind me."

Marc Deschenes gave up a run in the ninth but recorded the final five outs to notch his fourth save.

The three Portland pitchers combined on a seven-hitter in which the Rock Cats twice had leadoff doubles and couldn't score.

Hanley Ramirez started the game against Jon Pridie (3-6) with a single and stole second.
Stefan Baillie poked a two-out RBI single.

In the second inning, Joe Kilburg (2 for 4) blasted a one-out triple and scored on Clint Chauncey's sacrifice fly.

Pridie allowed just three hits after the second inning and struck out 11 in seven innings.

In the second game, Boof Bonser (8-9) pitched into the eighth inning and got home runs from Kevin West and Garrett Jones as the Rock Cats gained a split.

Bobby Korecky pitched the final 1-2/3 innings for his 20th save.

Perez and Brett Roneberg had two hits each for the Sea Dogs.

Abe Alvarez (9-8) allowed three runs (two earned) and five hits in five innings.

Eastern League Game Summary - Portland at New Britain

Garrett Jones's solo home run in the sixth inning was the difference in the New Britain Rock Cats' 5-3 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Saturday night.

Portland won the first game, 2-1.

Luis Maza gave the Rock Cats a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning with a two-run single to right center field.

It was Jones's home run, however, that provided the eventual game-winning run.

Portland cut the lead down to a run with and RBI single off the bat of Brett Roneberg in the seventh and RBI by Hanley Ramirez and Mike Lockwood in the eighth, but that is as close as they would come.

New Britain added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of Kevin West's solo homer.

Boof Bonser (8-9) held the Sea Dogs to three runs - two earned - on six hits in 7-1/3rd innings and picked up the win.
He struck out four and did not issue a walk.

Bobby Korecky tossed 1-2/3rd innings in relief and chalked up his 20th save of the year.

Abe Alvarez (9-8) lasted five innings and suffered the loss.

ROCK CATS SPLIT DAY/NIGHT DOUBLEHEADER
WEST BREAKS HOME RUN RECORD, CATS WIN BEFORE SELLOUT CROWD

In the nightcap of Saturday's day/night doubleheader, the Rock Cats won 5-3 before a sellout crowd of 6,574.

The 13th sellout crowd of the 2004 season witnessed Kevin West's solo home run in the eighth inning that set a new record for franchise homers.
It was his 23rd of the year and 37th in two seasons with the Rock Cats.

Boof Bonser (8-9) tossed 7-1/3 solid innings (3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 4 K, 0 BB) to pick up the win.

Luis Maza was 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Garrett Jones added a solo home run, his 21st of the year.

Bobby Korecky notched his 20th save with 1-2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Olympics
More players are heading to Portland
Not only do minor-league rosters expand by one player (to 24) on Aug. 10, but that is also the date that outfielder Brett Roneberg leaves to play for Australia in the Summer Olympics.
He will return around Aug. 25.