Think it was too cold to play baseball today?

The Portland Sea Dogs did in their game this afternoon against the Trenton Thunder.

It was the first time the team ever called off a game because it was too cold.

The Associated Press reported the temperature was 36 degrees.

Hats off to the SeaWolves for playing the last two days in temperatures not much better.

The official reason cited for Saturday’s postponement was unplayable field conditions.

We’ll see how warm things get in Maine for Sunday’s game.

– Rick Green (follow me @ETNrgreen)

The gun debate might be reaching the major leagues.

The Boston Red Sox announced Saturday that outfield prospect Bryce Brentz accidentally shot himself in the leg
last month.

The team said they expect Brentz to be ready to play in spring training.

Brentz was reportedly cleaning the gun when it went off. The bullet passed through Brentz’s leg.

Brentz, 24, a first-round pick in 2010, spent time with Portland last season. He hit .296 with the Sea Dogs. He had 17 home runs and 76 RBIs. He also played five games at Triple-A.

It’s good that he’s not seriously hurt. You could chalk this one up as another one of those weird baseball injuries.

– Rick Green (follow me on Twitter @ETNrgreen)

The Erie SeaWolves released their official 2013 Eastern League schedule before Saturday night’s game against the Altoona Curve at Jerry Uht Park.

Coincidence or not, those teams also will open next season on the same diamond. Erie welcomes the Curve for the first four games of a seven-game homestand, with the opener set for April 4 at 6:35 p.m.

Erie’s full 2013 schedule, with starting times for all games at Uht Park, is listed below.

– Mike Copper

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This is one late season race that no baseball team wants to find itself involved, but that’s where the Erie SeaWolves find themselves going into the waning games of the Eastern League’s 2012 season.

The SeaWolves were nudged nine innings closer to clinching the league’s worst record after Bowie beat them 4-2 Tuesday night at Prince George’s Stadium.

Erie is last in the league’s Western Division at 56-79. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, last in the Eastern Division, were 59-77 after Tuesday’s 9-3 loss to Portland.

– Mike Copper

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Monday was the Erie SeaWolves’ last day off before the end of their 2012 Eastern League season.

The SeaWolves, who were idle over the last two days because of Sunday’s cancelled game against Portland, open a four-game series in Bowie with Tuesday’s 6:05 p.m. doubleheader at Prince George’s Stadium. Erie (53-66) will try to tamper with the Baysox’ bid to clinch the Western Division’s wild-card playoff berth.

Bowie (62-58) goes into the series in second place, eight games behind first-place Akron and 1 1/2 ahead of the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

– Mike Copper

Sunday’s cancelled game at Jerry Uht Park meant the Erie SeaWolves will have more than 48 hours off until they resume their dwindling regular season.

Erie (53-66) was originally scheduled to be idle for a third consecutive Monday. The SeaWolves will then travel to Bowie for the first of two August series against the Baysox (62-58) at Prince George’s Stadium.

The teams’ four-game series begins with Tuesday’s 6:05 p.m. doubleheader. Those two seven-inning games were necessitated by an April 22 rain out in Maryland.

– Mike Copper

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Sunday’s Eastern League game between the Erie SeaWolves and  the Portland Sea Dogs at Jerry Uht Park was called off around 1:10 p.m. because of inclement weather.

The game will not be made up because of the teams’ records and travel distance. Erie was 53-66 in the Eastern League’s Western Division and Portland 55-65 in its Eastern Division.

Fans who had tickets for Sunday’s game can exchange them for a future game.

The SeaWolves are off Monday, and then open a four-game series at Bowie with a Tuesday doubleheader. They return to Jerry Uht Park for a six-game homestand that starts Friday.

– Mike Copper

Jerry Uht Park became Daniel Fields’ field with one swing the bat Saturday night.

Fields led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run, which gave the Erie SeaWolves a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs. Not only was it Erie’s third consecutive victory, but its first walk-off win at home since May 28.

The SeaWolves’ streak is their longest since they ran off five straight victories between June 13-17. They go into Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. series finale with a 53-66 record, while the Sea Dogs are now 55-65.

– Mike Copper

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The Erie SeaWolves and Portland Sea Dogs avoided Friday’s bad weather that passed through Erie County.

The Sea Dogs, though, had no such luck getting out of the way of Erie during the latter’s sixth-inning rally at Jerry Uht Park.

Erie sent 11 batters to the plate that inning, a stretch which resulted in seven runs. James McCann’s two-run, hit-and-run double highlighted the rally for the SeaWolves, who won 9-2 in the teams’ three-game series opener.

It was only the second time that Erie (52-66) won consecutive games since baseball’s all-star break. It also was the first time the SeaWolves won back-to-back at home since July 5-6.

– Mike Copper

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Starting lineups for Friday’s Eastern League game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park:

Portland Sea Dogs (55-63): 1. Jackie Bradley Jr. CF, 2. Peter Hissey LF, 3. Marquez Smith 3B, 4. Bryce Brentz RF, 5. Travis Shaw 1B, 6. Xander Bogaerts SS, 7. Derrik Gibson DH, 8. Christian Vazquez C, 9. Ryan Dent 2B.

Starting pitcher: RH Stolmy Pimentel (4-5, 4.99 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves (51-66): 1. Jamie Johnson CF, 2. Niuman Romero SS, 3. Nick Castellanos DH, 4. Jordan Lennerton 1B, 5. Avisail Garcia RF, 6. Daniel Fields LF, 7. Rawley Bishop 3B, 8. Corey Jones 2B, 9. James McCann C.

Starting pitcher: RH Jared Gayhart (1-2, 4.28 ERA).

– Mike Copper

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