PORTLAND — Seth Lugo, Beck Wheeler, Dario Alvarez, Akeel Morris and Jon Velasquez combined for a shutout as the Binghamton Mets beat the Sea Dogs 3-0 in front of a sellout crowd at Hadlock Field on a hot and steamy Sunday afternoon in Portland.
Binghamton (46-42) has won all nine games it has played at Hadlock Field in 2015 and 11 straight dating back to the 2014 Eastern Division Championship Series.
Lugo (4-4) worked five scoreless and allowed four hits while walking two and striking out six. Beck Wheeler allowed a leadoff double in the sixth, but retired the next three batters he faced to end the Sea Dogs’ threat. Dario Alvarez followed up with a scoreless seventh, Akeel Morris pitched a perfect eighth, and Jon Velasquez closed out the ninth to pick up his 11th save of the season.
The Mets got on the board in the top of the second inning when Aderlin Rodriguez sent the first pitch he saw from Luis Diaz (1-8) over the wall in left-center field for his 10th home run of the season. Binghamton added two more runs in the third on an RBI single by Josh Rodriguez and a wild pitch from Diaz, scoring L.J. Mazzilli.
Diaz still managed a quality start in the loss, going six innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits while walking four and striking out five. Diaz has four quality starts in his last five outings. Madison Younginer and Robby Scott combined to work three scoreless innings in relief for Portland (32-58).
The series concludes on Monday with the final game for both teams before the All-Star Break. First pitch is scheduled for noon. Mike Augliera (2-12, 5.56) makes the start for the Sea Dogs against Gabriel Ynoa (5-6, 4.06).
On Saturday night, Joe Benson and Dustin Lawley hit back-to-back home runs in the first and paced Binghamton Mets to a 6-1 win over Portland at Hadlock Field.
With two on and two out in the top of the first, Joe Benson — who had just been signed by the Mets and added to the Binghamton roster — hit a three-run home run over the “Monster” off Danny Rosenbaum (L, 0-1) to give Binghamton a 3-0 lead. Dustin Lawley immediately followed up with a solo shot.
Rosenbaum lasted just an inning in his Sea Dogs debut after being transferred from Class A Lowell. He allowed four earned runs on two hits, walking three and striking out one.
Robert Gsellman (3-5) picked up the win in seven strong innings for Binghamton (45-42), allowing one earned run on six hits and striking out two. Dario Alvarez worked a scoreless eighth and Josh Smoker closed the game with a scoreless ninth.
Keury De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with a triple and a run scored for the Sea Dogs (32-56). Sam Travis went 2-for-4 and has now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games.