enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

In the sun and before the fun of playing a regular-season game at Fenway Park, Luis Exposito and the rest of the Portland Sea Dogs got into the swing of things during batting practice. Portland beat Bowie, 3-2.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Dustin Richardson didn’t mind signing autographs before the game at Fenway Park. Fact is, he wouldn’t mind doing it more often at Fenway. A lot more often.

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Just another day at … wait, that’s not Hadlock Field. Slugger, the mascot for the Portland Sea Dogs, joined the rest of the team Saturday on their excursion to Fenway Park in Boston. While the team supplied the entertainment on the field, the mascot did his bit on the dugout.

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Jason Place drove in all three runs for the Sea Dogs in the 3-2 victory against Bowie, and received a welcome after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Second baseman Ryan Khoury of the Portland Sea Dogs dives in vain to try and catch a bloop single to right field in the ninth inning.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Luis Exposito, left, hugs reliever Dustin Richardson after Richardson recorded the final out at Fenway Park for the save against Bowie.

TODAY'S GAME

WHO: Bowie Baysox (Ryohei Tanaka 2-1) at Portland Sea Dogs (Jarod Plummer 7-6)

WHEN: 1 p.m.

WHERE: Hadlock Field

BOSTON — From the first loud pop, when the ball pounded into Luis Exposito's catcher's mitt, followed by the crowd's roaring approval, the game felt different.

This was a regular-season Eastern League game on a hot August afternoon, but the players knew better. Playing in front of about 30,000 fans at Fenway Park, the minor leaguers soaked in the experience at the annual Future at Fenway doubleheader.

Jason Place poked a two-run shot over the Green Monster in the second inning and added a third RBI to pace the Portland Sea Dogs to a 3-2 victory against the Bowie BaySox. In the second game, Norfolk beat Pawtucket 7-3 in a Triple-A game.

Place's winning RBI came the hard way. With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Bowie reliever Ryan Ouellette drilled Place in the ribs with a 95 mph fastball.

"Oh, that felt real good," Place said sarcastically. He did say the feeling after his home run was too hard too describe.

Fenway can do that to you.

Felix Doubront, 21, the Red Sox prized left-handed pitching prospect, came out with a little extra on his fastball, hitting 94 mph, striking out the first four.

"Maybe Fenway and a few fans can get you going," Exposito said. "He was overpowering with his fastball."

With Junichi Tazawa pitching for Boston, Doubront is the only pitcher on the 40-man roster who hasn't reached the majors. Pitching in Boston seemed to make him hungry.

"I was excited," Doubront said. "My fastball felt great. I was working hard every pitch."

Doubront also got some swings and misses on his curve and change-up. He walked his first batters in the fourth, and gave up a leadoff single in the fifth, followed by Adam Donachie's home run to make it 2-2.

"We saw a guy come out real aggressive, throw the ball real well and it took a little bit out of him," Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler.

But Doubront responded by getting two strikeouts and a groundout to end the inning.

"Good to see him keep his edge," pitching coach Mike Cather said.

Exposito got Portland going with a single in the second inning. With two outs, Place crushed a 2-0 90 mph fastball from starter Steve Johnson.

"I worked to get my pitch and boom, it happened," Place said.

Ouellette relieved Johnson in the sixth and allowed the first three batters to reach – Daniel Nava (walk), Exposito (single) and Yamaico Navarro (single).

Place never got a chance to work the count. Ouellette hit him with the first pitch.

The lead was safe. Ryne Miller (1-1) and Dustin Richardson (third save) both pitched two innings of one-hit scoreless ball.

NOTES: First baseman Lars Anderson felt his troublesome hamstring tighten and left after the fourth inning. ... Portland (55-57) has won five straight for the first time this season. ... Today's 1 p.m. game at Hadlock is a sellout. Returned season tickets may be available at the box office, starting at 9 a.m.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com