Sea Dogs’ starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz throws against Binghamton on Friday at Hadlock Field. (Ben McCanna/Press Herald Photo).
PORTLAND — Drew Pomeranz believes he’s ready for Boston. His teammates for one game, the Portland Sea Dogs, shared in his success Friday night with a 4-2 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies before a sold-out home opener crowd of 7,368 at Hadlock Field.
Pomeranz, the Red Sox veteran left-hander, started on a rehab assignment and got the win with 5 1/3 innings pitched, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out four.
“All my pitches felt good,” Pomeranz said. “Just focused on going out there and getting ready to go back up.”
Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback, started in left field for Binghamton and went 1 for 4.
Against Pomeranz, Tebow struck out and grounded into a double play.
“It was fun,” Pomeranz said about facing Tebow. “Go out there and attack him like any left-handed hitter.”
Portland’s left-handed leadoff hitter, Cole Sturgeon, paced Portland with two RBI – a first-inning home run against Andrew Church (0-1) and a second-inning sacrifice fly.
“I had a good spring training and I’m just trying to carry it over,” said Sturgeon, who is batting .321 with two homers.
Sturgeon, who ran down some hard shots to right field, was part of an outfield defense that shined.
Left fielder Danny Mars fielded Tebow’s single down the left-field line in the seventh and threw him out when Tebow went for a double.
“It wasn’t hit all that hard,” Mars said. “I figured he might be going and I charged it hard … I’m a big fan of his but it had to happen.”
Center fielder Tate Matheny made the play of the night in the ninth, sprinting for a dying fly ball in left-center and diving, fully extended, for the catch.
Painful?
“It hurts a lot less when you catch it,” Matheny said. “I felt like I had a good jump on it. Just black out after that and do whatever you can.”
That brought applause from Darren Fenster, in his home debut as the Sea Dogs’ manager.
“Outstanding defense,” he said. “The outfield was really impressive across the board.
“I think we’ll do a good job of catching the baseball and that helps with our approach on the mound – in terms of going after hitters, knowing we’re going to take care of the baseball.”
It helps having a pitcher like Pomeranz.
“He gets that glove-side fastball working and it’s tough to hit,” catcher Austin Rei said. “Then, obviously, he has a big-league curveball. That thing has some sharp bite to it.”
Pomeranz was sharper than his first rehab start Sunday in Pawtucket, when he gave up two runs on two hits and six walks, striking out one, throwing 47 of his 85 pitches for strikes.
On Friday, Pomeranz threw 53 of 86 pitches for strikes.
“Definitely an improvement,” Pomeranz said. “I was a little more aggressive.”
His fastball topped out at 90 mph and he used his curveball more (17), but still less than usual. The only damage done was a two-run homer in the third by Mets prospect Peter Alonso on a 3-2 fastball down the middle.
“I don’t want to walk a guy. I was just trying to throw him a strike,” Pomeranz said. “A different situation, maybe I throw him a curveball or something else.”
Trey Ball (2 2/3 innings, two hits) and Trevor Kelley (1-2-3 ninth) finished it for the Sea Dogs.
Sea Dogs’ Esteban Quiroz tags out former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow at second on Friday against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Fiekd in Portland. (Ben McCanna/Press Herald Photo).
Sea Dogs’ starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz throws against Binghamton on Friday at Hadlock Field. (Ben McCanna/Press Herald Photo).
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