Kelly Shoppach, who is hitting 120 points higher at home, belts
a two-run homer in the eighth inning.
PORTLAND – What do you do to entertain 6,975 fans when you have 45 minutes to kill before it will be dark enough for the anticipated post-game fireworks display?
That was the task, albeit a bit more pleasant one, that the Portland Sea Dogs’ staff faced thanks to Kelly Shoppach.
Shoppach’s two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the difference as the Sea Dogs edged the Akron Aeros 6-5 at sold-out Hadlock Field Tuesday night.
The problem was that the blast came with the sky still lit by the twilight.
But against the league-leading Aeros, you take it when you can get it.
“They don’t give you much to sit down and get comfortable about,” said Portland manager Ron Johnson. “I feel fortunate.”
Akron made things interesting in the top of the ninth against closer Anastacio Martinez.
Tyler Minges doubled before Alex Requena hit a line drive up the middle that had center field written all over it. But shortstop Jim Goelz made a lunging grab for the first out of the inning.
“I just stuck my glove out,” said Goelz. “Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to catch it. It stuck in the last two inches of my glove.”
The importance of the play was magnified when Joe Inglett followed with a single to put runners at the corners.
Minges scored on a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game.
A wild pitch and a walk put runners at the corners again before Martinez struck out Ryan Church looking to record his 10th save.
Despite the long half inning, an ice cream eating contest and a piano concert from Slugger were necessary to fill the gap until the pyrotechnics began.
The Aeros had some early fireworks of their own from unlikely sources.
Inglett drove the third pitch of the game from Tim Kester over the wall in center field for his first home run of the season.
The Sea Dogs answered with four straight hits to start the bottom of the inning against Kyle Evans.
Goelz and Justin Headley both singled. Kevin Youkilis doubled home Goelz, and Shoppach followed with a two-run double off the left-field wall against his former Baylor University teammate.
“He’s a lot different hitter than he was in college,” said Evans. “He hits the ball better to all different parts of the park.”
Akron scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to tie it, with Requena hitting his first home run leading off the third.
Evans retired 17 of the next 19 batters before Portland scratched out another run in the sixth.
Tony Schrager’s single scored Sean McGowan, who had doubled with two outs.
“He shut us right down,” Johnson said of Evans. “I started to worry it was going to be one of those situations where you score in the first inning and the guy settles down and stifles you.”
The Aeros tied it in the seventh on two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a ground out.
Kester (4-4), who has pitched well only to come away with a loss or no-decision on numerous occasions, left after the top of the eighth.
He gave up 10 hits while walking one and striking out five.
Ryan Larson (0-4) walked Youkilis to start the bottom of the eighth and quickly fell behind in the count to Shoppach, who drilled a fastball over the wall in straightaway center field.
It was Shoppach’s fifth home run, all of which have come at Hadlock Field.
After going 4-for-28 on the Sea Dogs’ recently completed road trip, Shoppach is 5-for-8 in the first two games of the homestand.
He’s hitting .342 at home compared to .222 on the road.
“Maybe I’ll just stay here,” joked Shoppach. “I don’t need to travel.”
Sea Dogs notes: Pitcher Chris Elmore has been placed on the disabled list with a sore elbow. Right-hander Eric Glaser was returned from Triple-A Pawtucket and will likely start one of the games of Friday night’s doubleheader against Altoona….Josh Stevens (7-4, 3.17 ERA) opposes Akron’s Oscar Alvarez (0-0, 4.05) in the series finale tonight at 7 p.m.
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