TODAY'S GAME
WHO: Sea Dogs (Adam Mills 5-5) vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Kenny Rodriguez 1-1)
WHEN: Noon
WHERE: Hadlock Field
TICKETS: About 200 available
PORTLAND — After a game like Sunday's at Hadlock Field, it may be healthier to look for the good than to dwell on the many things that went wrong for the Portland Sea Dogs.
The scoreboard showed little to cheer about for the home team, as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats scored six first-inning runs on their way to an 11-3 rout before a crowd of 7,303.
But now for the good news. Both Lars Anderson and Ryan Kalish continue to rebound from slow starts. Anderson went 2 for 3 and is hitting .317 in his last 39 games. Kalish was 3 for 5 with a home run and is batting .283 since June 1.
Andrew Dobies and newcomer Ryne Miller each pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Dobies walked two but struck out four. Miller, 23, flew in from Class A Salem (Va.), replacing T.J. Large, who was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. He retired all six batters he faced, two by strikeout.
Fans got to cheer the Red Sox highlights on the video board. Not only did Boston win 6-0, but former Sea Dogs player Aaron Bates went 3 for 4 with two doubles.
And, for the nearly sold-out crowd, the sun kept shining on a 75-degree day.
The sun will come out again today as Portland looks to rebound against New Hampshire in a noon game at Hadlock.
Sunday's game fell apart in a hurry. Portland starter Ryne Lawson (1-8) could not locate his sinker, and the Fisher Cats teed off.
Lawson allowed six runs on six hits and a walk in the first, as he needed 43 pitches to get through the inning.
He gave up two more runs in the third inning and was done after 87 pitches.
Arnie Beyeler was concerned about his bullpen being overworked.
"After the first three innings, we were begging not to throw (designated hitter Jon) Still," Beyeler said.
"When (Lawson) is not locating and has to come up belt high because he's behind in the count, his stuff flattens out and he gets whacked. If you don't work ahead in this league, everybody can hit."
Reliever Chad Rhoades gave up three runs in the fourth.
Portland got its runs on RBI singles by Jorge Jimenez in the third and John Otness in the sixth off New Hampshire starter Randy Boone (6-5), and Kalish's blast to right center in the eighth.
Kalish, 21, hit .133 in May after his promotion from Class A. He's turning it around.
"I'm just seeing pitches better and relaxing," Kalish said. "It couldn't get any worse than it was."
Beyeler said Kalish "is a good hitter. He's going to hit. It's just a matter of getting some confidence."
As for Sunday's results, Beyeler also tried to see the bright side.
"We got through the game and didn't get anybody hurt," he said.
NOTES: T.J. Large's promotion to Pawtucket means that he will miss the Eastern League All-Star game Wednesday in Trenton, N.J. A replacement for Large will be named today. Sea Dogs reliever Chris Province (3.29 ERA) is a candidate. To make room for Large in Pawtucket, reliever Randor Bierd was placed on the temporary inactive list. Bierd, 25, came to the Red Sox from Baltimore in a trade for David Pauley. Bierd had a 5.06 ERA. ... While today's game is nearly a sellout, there should be returned season tickets available because of the noon start.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:
kthomas@pressherald.com
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