Sea Dogs Game Notes: May 17th at Altoona

Altoona, PA - The Portland Sea Dogs open up a four-game series against the Altoona Curve (Pirates affiliate) on Thursday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field...Portland split a four-game set with Reading to start the trip, but Portland was the home team for one of the losses (game moved to Reading from Maine due to an April 29th postponement)...These two teams have not played a four-game series in Altoona since 2004.

Thursday's Game Notes
STAYING IN PA: The Portland Sea Dogs open up a four-game series against the Altoona Curve (Pirates affiliate) on Thursday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field...Portland split a four-game set with Reading to start the trip, but Portland was the home team for one of the losses (game moved to Reading from Maine due to an April 29th postponement)...These two teams have not played a four-game series in Altoona since 2004.
13 PROVED TO BE LUCKY: Portland picked up 13 hits for the fourth time since May 10th and defeated the Fightin Phils, 8-2 on Wednesday morning at FirstEnergy Stadium...The 'Dogs took advantage of a first-inning error and scored four unearned runs off losing pitcher Elniery García (0-4)...Tate Matheny delivered an RBI single and Austin Rei hit a three-run homer (HR in back-to-back games)...Jantzen Witte went 3-for-4 with a solo-homer in the third...Kyle Hart worked five innings on two hits and two runs to notch his second win of the season.
HITTING HAS BEEN UNREAL: On May 8th, the Sea Dogs were ninth in the Eastern League in team batting average at .231...They enter tonight's game hitting .257 (second in the E.L.) and rank fifth in the league in runs scored at 165...Portland is hitting .321 (108-for-336) with 11 homers and 64 runs scored over their last 10 games - eight runs in three straight games and at least seven in eight of last 10.  
WE THINK HE'S ADJUSTRED: Since being assigned to Portland from Triple-A Pawtucket, Witte is hitting .550 (11-for-20), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 2B in five games...The Texas native spent 2015-16 with the Sea Dogs, but all of last year with the PawSox.
NEW GUYS RECAP: Tony Renda was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent earlier this month and is hitting .397 (27-for-68), HR, 7 RBI, 7 2B in 17 games...Renda had an 11-game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday, but has a multi-hit game in five of his last six.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT: Portland and Altoona only play two series each season...The two teams meet in Maine on August 17-19 during a three-team, eight-game homestand for the Sea Dogs...Last year, the two teams split six games, with the home team taking both series.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION: Follow the Sea Dogs on Twitter: @PortlandSeaDogs or @seadogsradio...Connect on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat...Media requests to Mike Antonellis at 207-874-9300 or [email protected].