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Jill Brady/Staff Photographer
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Jill Brady/Staff PhotographerTODAY'S GAME
WHO: Sea Dogs (Kris Johnson 0-0) vs. Harrisburg Senators (Erik Anderson 7-5)
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Hadlock Field
TICKETS: About 1,500 available
PORTLAND — During times like these a player can press, try to do too much.
The Portland Sea Dogs are hanging on in a chase for the playoffs, but they had lost four straight games.
Jorge Jimenez, the Sea Dogs' leading hitter all season (.287), wants desperately to help his team.
On Sunday, he did. Jimenez grounded a single down the right-field line to score Iggy Suarez in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 3-2 win over Harrisburg at Hadlock Field.
With the victory, the Sea Dogs (60-65) snapped their skid and remain 4 1/2 games behind New Britain (65-61) for a playoff berth in the Eastern League Northern Division.
Harrisburg (60-65) has its own slim playoff hopes, and is 6 1/2 games out of a spot in the Southern Division.
The Sea Dogs trailed most of Sunday's game until Luis Exposito cleared the left-field wall for a solo home run in the seventh inning, tying the game 2-2.
In the 10th, Suarez led off and was hit in the arm by Justin Jones (4-12). Matt Sheely sacrificed Suarez to second with a bunt to the pitcher.
After Daniel Nava was intentionally walked, Ryan Khoury hit a soft grounder to short, too slow for a double play but enough to get an out at second.
With two outs and runners on first and third, Jimenez came up. He had grounded to short in the previous inning.
"In that last at-bat, I tried to do too much," Jimenez said. "I just had to use my hands.
"So that's what I did. And I got a breaking ball."
Jimenez slapped a slider past the first baseman and was soon crowded by his teammates.
Bryce Cox (1-5) picked up his first win with 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief. He capped a shutout performance by the bullpen, following Tommy Hottovy (two innings) and Andrew Dobies (1 2/3).
"They did a great job coming in," Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "And sooner or later, we were due to get someone across the plate."
The Sea Dogs had trouble generating much against Senators starter Aaron Thompson, who struck out 11 in six innings.
Thompson, 22, was a Florida Marlins first-round draft choice in 2005, one pick ahead of Jacoby Ellsbury, and given a $1.2 million bonus. He moved slowly in the system and was dealt on the July 31 trading deadline to Washington for first baseman Nick Johnson.
In the second inning, Thompson gave up back-to-back, one-out singles to Lars Anderson and Exposito. Anderson reached third on Exposito's hit to right. Jason Place scored Anderson with a sacrifice fly, tying the game 1-1.
Portland starter Blake Maxwell allowed one more run in the third but shut down the Senators in the next two innings.
Exposito swatted a curveball from reliever Adrian Alaniz in the seventh. It was Exposito's second home run since joining the Sea Dogs on Aug. 5.
NOTES: The paid attendance was 6,555 ...
Starter Jarod Plummer, who left his start early on Saturday, has been diagnosed with a strained rib cage muscle. He will miss at least one start. Unless Portland receives another pitcher, reliever Ryne Miller is on option to replace Plummer. On Saturday, former Sea Dogs pitcher Adam Mills pitched seven shutout innings (three hits) for Pawtucket. ...
New Britain beat Reading 5-4 to remain in second place in the Eastern League Northern Division. ...
The Maine Red Claws, the new pro basketball team in Portland, unveiled their new mascot Sunday at Hadlock: Crusher, an energetic lobster.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:
kthomas@pressherald.com
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