The Bum(garner)'s rush!

Ah, Memorial Day weekend - the official unofficial start of the summer! Is there a better way to kick it off than by catching a game at your favorite ballpark? Nope!

So, we were back at Portland, Maine's Hadlock Field to watch the Sea Dogs take on (who else?) the Connecticut Defenders for a Double-A Eastern League Saturday afternoon game. Due to scheduling peculiarities, we've seen quite a bit of the Defenders so far this season at Hadlock. They're normally a team we like to root for, but not when they're playing our Sea Dogs!

Anyone who was rooting for the Defenders this day had plenty to cheer about, however, as they scored a convincing 12-1 victory over the Dogs.

Despite that offensive display, the story of the game was the sensational performance by Defenders starter Madison Bumgarner, the 19 year-old southpaw who ranks as the number one prospect in the Giants system. He's the goods, all right!

Bumgarner came into the game sporting a .750 ERA to go along with his 2-0 Double-A record. Six shutout innings later found him 3-0 with a .500 ERA. Only two hits and one walk allowed plus ten strikeouts equals a good day at the office!

Facing this kid was bad enough, but nothing went the Sea Dogs' way at all, as the score indicates. Even their lone run was scored in a wacky manner: Zach Borowiak led off the bottom of the eighth with a double. Two outs later, he was still at second when a passed ball allowed him to take third. Then a wild pitch let him in. But that was way too little, way too late.

Despite the score, we had a good time. Our seats were in the front row, right behind home plate. That gave us a good look at Bumgarner in action. We'll have a good story when he's starring for the Giants in the National League.

And that might be soon!

Rockin' the 'Cats

We were back up in Portland, ME this Saturday to see our Sea Dogs host the New Britain Rock Cats for some Double-A Eastern League action.

A nice day for a still early season game found the 'Dogs edging the 'Cats 8-7. The Rock Cats scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to make things squirm-inducing for the Hadlock Field crowd, but they finally ran out of outs just in time!

The starter for the Sea Dogs was Jarod Plummer, a big righty with whom we weren't familiar. He was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent during the last off-season, as opposed to having been drafted by the Sox as most of the Sea Dogs were.

Plummer didn't figure in the decision, as the win was notched by reliever Richie Lentz, a Red Sox draftee who had been promoted to the Sea Dogs last year after starting that season with the High-A Lancaster JetHawks.

Prior to the start of this season, the Red Sox moved their High-A team from Lancaster, CA to the more convenient Salem, VA. Salem's prior team had been called the Avalanche, but the current club goes by the Salem Red Sox.

Recently called up from Salem to Portland was outfielder Matt Sheely, who's filling in for injured centerfielder Josh Reddick.

With Reddick out and Iggy Suarez in Triple-A Pawtucket, the Sea Dogs lineup looked a bit different, especially since first baseman Lars Anderson had the day off.

We did get a chance to talk to Lars, however, as he manned the autograph table before the game. He's the Sox' top prospect, so plenty of people had plenty of things for him to sign. At right, he signs a ball for J. (Note J's "playoff" beard. Go, Bruins!)

Anderson's predecessor at first base and now left fielder Aaron Bates (below) was the DH and h'd pretty well indeed, going 3-for-4 on the afternoon, which raised his average to a robust .359. That average leads the team and ranks high among all Eastern League batters.

So, another fun time with the Sea Dogs. It's about time for us to see them on the road...

Brave new world

Were were back at McCoy Stadium this Saturday to see Pawtucket Red Sox host their newest International League rivals, the Gwinnett Braves.

This Triple-A version of the Braves found a new home in Gwinnett, GA after having called Richmond, VA their home since 1966. That's quite a long time, especially for the IL, where teams seem to change locations and/or affiliations fairly often.

Whatever the Braves' reason for moving, Richmond's loss is Gwinnett's game, as who wouldn't want a minor league team nearby?

There had been a fair amount of rain in the area during the week and the forecast didn't sound brilliant for Saturday, but the weather was actually quite nice for the game. It was cool at the start, got a little warmer as the game went on. It did start to rain, but not until we were already on our way back home. Talk about good timing!

As for the game itself, the Paw Sox pretty much had their way. Right fielder Chris Carter (at left) hit a home run in the second inning to give them a lead they never relinquished. The seven runs put up in the third was all they need for an 8-5 victory.

Enrique Gonzalez, whom we had seen in the stands charting pitches on our last trip to McCoy, was the starter and picked up the win.

The save was notched by fireballer Daniel Bard. As noted before, this kid can throw! Who else could throw a fastball registering 97 on the pitch speed, then reverse it on the next pitch for a 79 mph change-up, with the same motion? Take that, Lars!

We had good seats at this game as well, so we were eager to see if we could spot another Paw Sox pitcher in the stands. Very recognizable to us was Michael Bowden, the previous night's starter.

He was busy charting pitches, but you couldn't blame him if he was a bit distracted at times, as right behind him among the wives and girlfriends (W.A.G.s, if you will) of the Paw Sox was the fiancee of fellow pitcher Clay Buchholz. And who's that? Lindsay Clubine, number 26 herself from TV's Deal or No Deal!

Not all the familiar faces were in the stands. Some were on the field too. We were glad to see Iggy Suarez playing third base. Iggy had recently received his first Triple-A call-up (from the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs) and we were hoping to see him in action. He picked up his first Triple-A hit during the game and added a second base knock for a 2-4 afternoon. Good job!

On a rehab stint from the Red Sox was Mark Kotsay, who served as DH. Nothing against the guy, and we do appreciate that he was also once a Sea Dog back when they were a Florida Marlins affiliate, but we like seeing "our" players better. Still, he got a nice ovation from the fans, due to his name recognition.

But you can bet we cheered louder for Iggy! Meanwhile, another former (and most likely future) Paw Sox was having the time of his life with the Red Sox. Jonathan Van Every, the onetime Cleveland farmhand, made a great diving catch against his former employers in Wednesday's Red Sox/Indians game, then hit a home run in the tenth inning for the winning run in a 6-5 Sox win.

What a game, but what could he do for an encore? How about pitch? The next night, the Sox were on the bad end of a 13-0 margin in Tampa. The bullpen was getting roughed up and another arm was needed. Leave it to "Lefty" Van Every to finish the game. He does it all!

No matter what happens to J-V-E in the future, he'll have some great stories to tell about his time in the Show!

And who could ask for anything more?

Back to the minors

Well, after the exciting Red Sox game on Saturday afternoon, it was back to the minors for us as we made like Gus Cantrell and headed to Hadlock Field to catch the Portland Sea Dogs in some Double-A Eastern League action.

Their opponents were once again the Connecticut Defenders, same as the last time we were there two weeks ago.

The Defenders had the upper hand that day, but maybe the Sea Dogs would prevail this time.

After the crazy 16-11 slugfest we witnessed at Fenway Park the day before, we figured things would have to be a bit calmer. Not so fast, however, as this contest was settled by a score of 20-15!

The Sea Dogs rapped out a franchise record 23 hits, so they must have been the winners, right? Nope, as those hits only resulted in the 15 runs. The Defenders were much more efficient, needing only 20 hits to get their 20 runs.

The game was about as wacky as the final score indicates. Despite the 15 runs, the 'Dogs only scored in two innings, tallying five in the second and a whopping ten in the sixth. The ten-spot put "us" up 15-12, but Connecticut scored seven in the eighth (after having racked up eight in the third) plus one in the ninth to win the game.

Despite the outcome, we had a fun time. It's always good to see Slugger the Sea Dog in action, and we enjoyed seeing the lighthouse rise out of centerfield when Josh Reddick hit a home run.

The hitters on both teams enjoyed themselves as well. The pitchers all probably would rather forget the whole thing!

Also on the plus side for us was the weather was much warmer this time around, so we were able enjoy our favorite Hadlock snack - Sea Dog biscuits!

Some former Sea Dogs were also having a good time with their current teams: Justin Masterson, for example, started for the Red Sox against the Yankees Sunday night and picked up the win.

Hot pitching prospect Michael Bowden was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket for the game and chipped in with two no-hit innings. Recent call-up Hunter Jones also pitched well.

Biggest news of all was Jacoby Ellsbury's straight steal of home. An exciting play you don't see very often. And the exclamation point on the Sox' sweep of those you-know-what Yankees!

Missing from the Sea Dogs lineup was fan-favorite and infield fixture Iggy Suarez. The news was good, however - he was finally called up to Triple-A! Maybe only temporarily as Gil Velazquez was sent down from the Red Sox to make room for the returning Julio Lugo. But good for Iggy!

We also enjoyed catching the highlights of the Texas-Baltimore game, as another former Sea Dog standout, outfielder David Murphy, gunned down a runner at the plate and hit his first home run of the season. That's showing off all the skills!

Murphy was traded to Texas in one of our least favorite deals ever, the one thta brought the underachieving Eric Gagne to Boston. Also departing the Sox in that deal was southpaw Kason Gabbard. Good news is that the Sox have reacquired Gabby and assigned him to Pawtucket.

We were also glad to see Jonathan Van Every added right back to the Red Sox roster after completing a rehab stint at Pawtucket. Van Every wasn't a Sea Dog, but we remember him from his Double-A days with the Akron Aeros. We always like to see a longtime minor leaguer make the big club, just as Sea Dog Jeff Bailey had a couple of days before.

So many former Sea Dogs are now with the Red Sox that they don't have enough room for all their "shirts" at Hadlock Field.

But, they'd better make room for the next one soon!

The show!

We continued our move up through the Red Sox system this Saturday. After having visited the Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A) and Pawtucket Red Sox (Triple-A) over the last two weekends, we ventured to Fenway Park to see the Boston Red Sox take on the New York Yankees. Early season or not, a Red Sox-Yankees series seems like the playoffs. Excitement is in the air, and the games dominate the sports coverage.

The first game of the series on Friday night was an extra-inning affair, with the Red Sox prevailing on Kevin Youkilis's walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh. This was made possible by Jason Bay's two-run, two-out, game-tying homer off Mariano Rivera in the ninth. Exciting stuff, with the good guys grabbing a 5-4 win for their eighth in a row.

We were present for Saturday's game, which pitted former Marlins teammates Josh Beckett (Sox) and A.J. Burnett (Yankees) against each other in what was thought to be a potential pitchers' duel. But with a final score of 16-11, there was no such duel in sight!

The Yankees took a quick two-run lead in the first inning and actually built their cushion to 6-0 by the time they finished their half of the fourth.

How did Mr. Burnett handle such prosperity? Well, the Sox grabbed five runs in the bottom of the fourth (including a grand slam from Jason Varitek) and tacked on three more in the fifth (including a Jacoby Ellsbury solo shot) to erase the deficit and take an 8-0 lead.

Good, right? Well, not so good when the bad guys put up a pair on former Sox star Johnny Damon's homer in the sixth to tie it up again (That'll teach the Fenway crowd to boo their former idol!). But the Sox added a run in the bottom of the frame to take a one run lead. Will this lead hold up?

Not so much, as a costly error by Gold Glove second baseman Dustin Pedroia allowed the Evil Empire to take a 10-9 lead. OK, this game is officially wacky now!

No more fooling around for the Sox now, however, as Mike Lowell's three-run shot put the Sox ahead to stay. Four more runs in the eighth against one Yankee run adds up to the 16-11 final score. The dust had settled and the Sox found themselves with their ninth consecutive victory and a chance to sweep their rivals on Sunday.

How did that game go? Very well indeed, as former Sea Dogs Justin Masterson with the win and Jacoby Ellsbury with a straight steal of home (first Red Sox to do so since Billy Hatcher oh so long ago) had their way. Ten in a row for the Sox, who now stand at 12-6, a long way from the 2-6 of a scant couple of weeks ago!

So, some crazy baseball action all around. But how was our experience at Saturday's game? Also crazy!

It was a beautiful day in Massachusetts with record-setting (or at least tying) temperatures and low humidity. This after unseasonably cold temperatures during the week. And with the game time set for 4:00 PM due to the Fox telecast, the hour and weather couldn't be beat.

We arrived at the park (not always easy) in plenty of time to grab some hot dogs and sodas and head to our seats for the pre-game ceremonies.

Some fun stuff there, with Wally the Green Monster sporting a Hawaiian shirt in honor of the balmy temperatures.

Daisuke Matusuzaka received his World Baseball Classic MVP trophy before the game. Well-deserved, but did his heroics in that tournament result in Dice-K's current trip to the disabled list? That's another discussion...

The Sox also honored Arthur Giddon (dubbed "Big Pappy" for the occasion), a local, soon-to-be 100 year old fan who had once been a bat boy for the old Boston Braves in the '20s. And there was a ceremonial first pitch from Jamaican Olympic star Usain Bolt. He was billed as "the world's fastest man," but has he met Jacoby?

As noted previously, the atmosphere at Fenway was at a fever pitch, as they say. Plenty of Yankees fans in attendance, but they can't out-scream Red Sox fans. And scream they did. A lot.

Everything that happened or didn't happen got a response. What makes the crowd yell so much? Well, let's just say that the Sox will not go broke based on the sales of adult beverages!

We had a good time, but a trip to Fenway always reminds us why we like minor league baseball so much!

Following the minor league teams in the Red Sox system gives us an appreciation of the current Sox players who have worked their way up. We had seen Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Youkilis many times as Spinners, Sea Dogs and/or PawSox back in the day. It's great to see them doing so well with the big club.

Also appearing in Saturday's game were pitchers Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon, both of whom we have followed through the minors.

Coincidentally, both starting pitchers Beckett and Burnett were once Sea Dogs, back when the Portland squad was the Double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

So, you never know if someone you see in the minors now will be starring in the majors someday!

Movin' on up!

After last week's game at the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, we worked our way up to Triple-A this Saturday, as we visited McCoy Stadium to see the Pawtucket Red Sox host the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

It was a pleasant day for a ballgame, especially considering it's still early in the season. Good game too, as the Paw Sox scored a pair of runs in the first inning and never looked back en route to a 5-2 win.

The Paw Sox played well enough, but their efforts were helped mightily by the Iron Pigs, who gave up eight walks and committed three errors on the day. The Pigs were sloppy indeed!

Since we had come from Double-A to Triple-A, it was fun to see several former Sea Dogs take the field for the Paw Sox.

Jeff Natale was back in action at first base. He had a good day at the plate, with a couple of hits and two RBI, as well as a good day in the field, making a nifty unassisted double play on a liner to first. At right, he steps to the plate in the bottom of the first before picking up a base knock to left field.

Catcher Dusty Brown was behind the plate for the start of the game, but his day was cut short when he was ejected in the bottom of the second for arguing a called third strike. The umpire had a short fuse, running him right away. Dusty made sure to get his money's worth before leaving the field, however!

The third former Sea Dog to play in the field was "scrappy" centerfielder Sean Danielson. Jeff Bailey was also in the lineup, leading off at DH.

Former Sea Dog pitcher Jose Vaquedano picked up the win, relieving (non-Sea Dog) starter Marcus McBeth, and fireballer Daniel Bard closed it out, hitting 99 on the radar a couple of times.

And speaking of former Sea Dogs, we always enjoy seeing former Portland and current Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. RJ always seems to enjoy his job!

Did we mention we had great seats for the game? We had picked them up last December when we went to the Paw Sox Christmas party, at which we met Jeff Natale. (Very nice guy!)

The seats were so good that we were amongst some scouts and pitchers armed with radar guns. To the side of us were Pawtucket's Charlie Zink and Enrique Gonzales (Friday's and Sunday's starters respectively). Lehigh Valley's Justin Lehr (Sunday's starter) was behind us. They kept busy charting pitches throughout the game.

We've always enjoyed that aspect of minor league baseball. It's hard to imagine Josh Beckett, say, sitting amongst the fans at Fenway Park to chart pitches!

We also enjoy the sometimes less formal atmosphere of the minor leagues. For this game, the Paw Sox were celebrating the birthday of mascot Paws. The guest list included several other local mascots, including fellow Paw Sox polar bear Sox, the Red Sox' Wally the Green Monster, the Ram from URI, the Providence College Friar, the Dunkin' Donuts coffee and doughnut (whom we also met at McCoy during the off-season), plus our AHL pals Finz (Worcester Sharks) and Samboni (Providence Bruins). Very fun to see them all cavorting on the field!

Also fun is the chance to eat some tasty hot dogs and enjoy ice cream served in a mini-helmet.

So, good game plus good weather plus good eats equals good time!

Next weekend, we plan to move up even further. Stay tuned!

We let the 'Dogs out!

Well, the calendar has indicated that it's been Spring for the last couple of weeks, but you'd never know it by the weather in New England. So, how does one get the ol' spring fever when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate? Why, a trip to your favorite ballpark, of course!

Our favorite minor league team, the Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A affiliate of your Boston Red Sox), just started their season last Thursday night. It's a little far for us to travel up to Maine on a "school night," but we made sure to be there at Hadlock Field on Saturday to see the team in action during the opening homestand.

The forecast wasn't great (cold and rainy), but we figured we could at least hang around the park no matter what happened. The rain held off, however, so the game went on as scheduled. Good thing too, as we had great seats right behind home plate and if the game had been postponed, we might not have been able to get such good seats for a later game.

The Sea Dogs hosted the Connecticut Defenders, a team we enjoy rooting for when we visit them at their home in Norwich, but when they're playing the 'Dogs, we don't want to see them do too well.

But, the Defenders did very well, pulling ahead in the fourth inning, on their way to an eventual 10-4 victory. Starter Travis Beazley took the loss. He pitched pretty well for a while, but seemed to run out of steam after a while, as happens early in the season. Both teams used four pitchers apiece over the nine innings.

So, the game didn't go nearly as well as we would have liked, but we still had a lot of fun.

Things got started with a stop at the autograph table. An hour or so before the start of each home game, a Sea Dog comes out to sign autographs and chat with the fans. As a result, we like to get there early.

Saturday's player was infielder Zach Borowiak. He's making a comeback this year after having retired following the 2007 season, during which he had made it up to Triple-A Pawtucket. He's back in the Red Sox fold, assigned to the Sea Dogs for now.

We had a nice little chat with him, saying how we were glad to see him back. He said he was glad to be back!

He was nice enough to pose for a photo with us. He was ready for the cold weather with the "Elmer Fudd" style Sea Dogs cap!

That particular cap is just one of the many new items to be found at the souvenir shop. We saw some good stuff, as well as plenty of stuff we've picked up in the past!

Although "we" wound up losing the game, it was still a lot of fun to see this year's team. There are a number of players who had been there at least part of last season, including hot prospects Lars Anderson (first base) and Josh Reddick (centerfield), both of whom were promoted to Double-A in 2008. How long they'll stay for 2009 remains to be seen.

Josh had the offensive highlight of the day with his second home run in as many games. Power's only part of his game, however, as he seems to do everything well.

Also returning to the Sea Dogs roster are catcher Mark Wagner, outfielder Bubba Bell, and infielders Ryan Khoury and Iggy Suarez, all of whom we've had the pleasure to meet. Nice guys all!

Iggy's back for his fourth season in Portland, so he knows how cold it gets up there in April. He was prepared, wearing a red ski mask that made him look a bit like Spider-Man. Only when he came to bat and pulled the mask down a little could we tell it was really him!

The picture at left shows Iggy along with Argenis Diaz (shortstop) and the rest of the starting infield listening to the national anthem with Beazley.

Making a position change this year is Aaron Bates. He vacated first base to make room for Lars and has switched to left field. He didn't look bad out there, covering a fair amount of ground. We met him at last year's "Field of Dreams" promotion, which was a lot of fun.

We weren't as familiar with most of the Defenders, although we see quite a bit of the team during the course of a season, either at their home games on when they're on the road against other Eastern League teams.

It seems as if most of last year's team has moved up to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies or even all the way to the San Francisco Giants.

We look forward to seeing the Defenders at Dodd Stadium soon. And if they're not playing the Sea Dogs, we'll be cheering for 'em!