enlarge Doug Jones/Staff Photographer

Portland shortstop Iggy Suarez, left, tries to put a tag on Harrisburg’s Luke Montz on Monday night at Hadlock Field. The ball came loose and Montz was safe. Portland ended a seven-game homestand with two wins and five losses. They open a four-game series at Binghamton tonight.

TODAY'S GAME

WHO: Sea Dogs (Felix Doubront 7-5) at Binghamton Mets (Chris Mason 1-1)

WHEN: 7:05 p.m.

PORTLAND — The Portland Sea Dogs boarded a bus late Monday night, beginning a seven-hour trip to Binghamton, N.Y.

That should give them plenty of time to ponder the game that got away.

Portland stranded 11 runners and ran into four outs, as the Harrisburg Senators topped the Sea Dogs 6-4 at Hadlock Field.

Jason Place paced Portland with three RBI, including a two-run homer.

The loss ended a disappointing homestand as the Sea Dogs won only two of seven games here.

Portland (60-66) trails New Britain by 5 1/2 games for the final playoff berth in the Eastern League Northern Division. With 15 games left, Portland's "elimination" number, the combination of New Britain wins and Portland losses, is 11.

Monday marked the return of Kris Johnson to the Sea Dogs. Johnson, 24, a left-handed prospect drafted in the sandwich round in 2006, had struggled most of the season in Triple-A (6.35 ERA).

He gave up nine hits Monday and five runs (four earned) over 5 2/3 innings. Most of the hits were grounders through the infield, or bloops.

"I thought he did a nice job," Portland Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "He pounded the zone and was efficient."

The fifth run was unearned, when catcher Luis Exposito threw the ball back after a pitch and it sailed over Johnson's head, allowing a runner to score from third for a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning.

"He gave away a run there," Beyeler said. "We made some defensive and baserunning mistakes."

In their half of the fifth, the Sea Dogs squandered a chance. With runners on first and second and one out, the Mets brought in reliever Cory Van Allen.

Jon Still doubled to the left- field corner. One run scored and, when Beyeler saw the ball bobbled in left field, he waved Jorge Jimenez home. But the relay throw easily beat Jimenez.

Lars Anderson kept the rally alive with a walk, bringing up the hot Exposito (2 for 4). But on a ball that bounced in the dirt, Still broke for third. Catcher Luke Montz picked up the ball and threw Still out.

In the sixth, Exposito walked and Place crushed a two-run homer to straight center, closing the score to 5-4.

With one out, Matt Sheely walked but was picked off. Van Allen then gave up a single to Daniel Nava (3 for 5) and a walk, before leaving. Van Allen allowed seven of eight batters to reach, but only two scored.

New reliever Atahualpa Severino hit Jimenez to load the bases, but then struck out Still.

Sheely led off the eighth with a walk, stole second and reached third on a groundout. He tried to score on Iggy Suarez's grounder to short and was thrown out. Suarez was then caught stealing.

Leonard Davis' RBI double in the ninth gave Harrisburg a 6-4 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Anderson walked with two outs, but Exposito flew out to the warning track in left center.

NOTES: Monday's paid attendance was 6,314. ... Still's double in the fifth was his 37th, breaking Brandon Moss's franchise record of 36. ... New Britain beat Reading 6-3 for its sixth straight win. The Rock Cats face a tough trip, with three games at division-leading Connecticut and four at third-place Trenton. ... The Thunder (63-64), who lost to New Hampshire on Monday, are 21/2 games ahead of Portland. ... The Sea Dogs helped raise $4, 600 for the Maine Children's Cancer Program at their first Bowl with the Sea Dogs event Monday at the Big 20 Bowling Center in Scarborough.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: kthomas@pressherald.com