Sea Dogs nip Defenders behind Bates homer

Portland’s Aaron Bates only was 1-for-4 Friday night against the Connecticut Defenders. But the “1” was significant.

Bates crushed a two-run, 410-foot homer to dead center in the fifth that capped a rally and helped give the Sea Dogs a 7-5 victory.

Earlier, Connecticut nipped Portland, 1-0, in the completion of a game that was suspended with one out in the bottom of the fourth due to rain on Thursday (the start was delayed 1:48 by rain).

Even though Mike James relieved Kris Johnson on Friday, Johnson (7-7) was charged with the loss because, according to baseball scoring rules, the batter (Carlos Sosa) James inherited had an advantage in the count (2-1).

Sosa walked, stole second and after Simon Klink walked, Dave Maroul singled to load the bases. Antoan Richardson then lofted a sacrifice fly to center that scored the game’s lone run.

Portland’s split, combined with Binghamton’s 4-2 loss to New Hampshire, increased the Sea Dogs’ lead over the Mets to 1 ½ games in the race for the Northern Division’s second playoff berth.

Bates was mired in a 6-for-34 (.176) slump when he homered to give Portland a 6-5 lead.

“I thought we did a nice job tonight of battling back,” Manager Arnie Beyeler said. “ ‘Batesy’ got the big hit. He battled back and drove the ball.

“We got a couple of big hits and took advantage of an error.”

Connecticut led 5-2 when Jorge Jimenez began the fifth with a double off Garrett Broshius (12-8) and Zach Daeges reached on an infield hit. Mark Wagner lined an RBI single to right and Daeges scored when the ball eluded Sosa for a two-base error.

After Lars Anderson fanned, Bates hit his eighth homer.

Portland made it 7-5 in the sixth when Anderson drew a bases-loaded walk.

Even though the Sea Dogs are 4-7 in their last 11 games, Beyeler didn’t feel the win was of major importance.

“We still have 30 games left,” he said. “We lost two games coming in. It doesn’t do any good to win one here and one there. We go sweep Trenton and then we go home and get swept by them.

“The young guys are going to play. They’re here to develop and are going to have good nights and bad nights. Other guys have to keep rolling and pick guys up.”

Portland jumped on Broshius when Argenis Diaz belted his first Double-A homer, a two-run shot to left with one out in the second. The homer was Diaz’s first in 316 at-bats between Lancaster and Portland. But Connecticut roughed up Dave Gassner (5-5) for four runs on five hits in the bottom of the frame.

The key hits were an RBI double by Simon Klink, an RBI single by Dave Maroul and a two-run double by Ryan Rohlinger that kissed off the glove of center-fielder Josh Reddick.

Connecticut upped its lead to 5-2 when Mike Mooney homered in the third. But, after Portland regained the lead, Gassner blanked the Defenders over the next two innings.

Daniel Bard then tossed two innings of one-hit, three-strikeout relief for his third save.