When Renaissance poet Francis Quarles wrote “Let all thy joys be as the month of May,” he was referring to a bride, but even the most blushing May bride would have difficulty matching the kind of month Jeremy Owens has had.

The past 26 days have been beyond fortuitous for the Portland Sea Dogs’ center fielder.

He was named the Eastern League’s player of the week last week after batting an astounding .522 with three home runs, 11 RBIs, and six stolen bases.

The 26-year-old Tennessee native’s batting average isn’t the only thing that’s been rising lately. After hitting his eighth home run of the season Thursday night, Owens collected $350 in gift cards for himself and a fan courtesy of Old Navy stores.

Whenever a Sea Dogs player homers in the bottom of the fourth inning of any home game, both that player and a fan win the Old Navy jackpot. Each Sea Dogs player is randomly assigned a seat location before every home game. Whoever happens to be sitting in the seat location assigned to a Sea Dogs player who homers also wins.

The jackpot, which depends on how many home games have gone by without a Portland home run in the fourth, starts at $25 and increases $25 each day without a home run.

“I can’t believe it. It’s been a good month,” Owens said in a classic understatement.

This is the second time Owens has cashed in with Old Navy as he won a $250 jackpot on April 28. He has two of the three Old Navy payoff home runs hit this season.

If that wasn’t already enough to make May Owens’ favorite month this year, he also split a $1,900 payoff two weeks ago after hitting a home run that hit the Sullivan Tire sign above the left field fence.

All that … And he still has four days left before this month is even over.

Lumberjack ax 7 p.m. game times

Bangor Lumberjacks manager Kash Beauchamp doesn’t like errors much, and he doesn’t have much use for excuses either.

And now that the Northeast League’s newest team has switched the starting times for all night games from 7 to 7:15 p.m., the old “I lost it in the sun” alibi will mean even less.

The Lumberjacks will start all Monday-Saturday games 15 minutes later to lessen the extreme glare in left field coming from the setting sun.

Players and coaches discovered the problem during their first night practice at the University of Maine’s Mahaney Diamond last week.

“The sun … was a major issue and for safety and performance issues, we felt that moving the start time was the best solution,” said Curt Jacey, Bangor’s general manager.

The Lumberjacks will play their first home game Friday night against New Jersey. The American Red Cross is sponsoring a postgame fireworks show.

Unless otherwise noted, Bangor’s Sunday home games will start at 2 p.m.

Hop on the bus Gus

Portland Sea Dogs players are travelling in style on their road trips this year.

The freshly painted team bus provided and operated by Lewiston’s Northeast Charter & Tours is adorned with team colors (navy blue and red) and logos for the first time in the franchise’s 10-year history. The 57-seat motorcoach’s new artwork was done by Sign Solutions of Portland.

Wes Perkins, the team’s driver for the last four years, was at the wheel as the new bus’ maiden voyage began Monday night. The Sea Dogs hit the road for a three-game series in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday-Thursday. From there, Portland will also visit Binghamton, N.Y., and Altoona, Pa., on the nine-game, nine-day road trip.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or aneff@bangordailynews.net