PORTLAND – More timely hitting and solid defense offset a shaky start as the Portland Sea Dogs are 2-0 to start the Eastern League season for the first time since 2001.

The Dogs rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the first inning behind a gutsy effort on the mound by starter Jon Lester and lights-out shutout work by the bullpen (Phil Devey, Manny Delcarmen, Marc Deschenes, and Cla Meredith) and beat the Norwich Navigators 7-3 on a crisp, clear Friday night at Hadlock Field.

Jared Sandberg, the nephew of Chicago Cubs All-Star second baseman Ryne Sandberg, had another big night with a single and a two-run home run – his third homer in two games – and second baseman Dustin Pedroia was 3-for-4 with three singles, two RBIs, and two runs scored.

First baseman Mike O’Keefe delivered a pair of two-out RBI singles to score the tying and go-ahead runs in the third and seventh innings, respectively.

“The first one was on a fastball and the second was a change,” O’Keefe said. “We may not have the big innings with five or six runs, but it’s all about timely hitting in this game.”

The Dogs have scored nine of their 11 runs this season with two outs.

The Navigators took a 3-0 lead early on back-to-back home runs by Dan Ortmeier and Tyler Von Schell in the first inning. Ortmeier belted the first pitch he saw from Lester to dead center with Brian Buscher at first courtesy of a two-out walk. Von Schell then hit the next pitch to right-center.

“I just had to shake it off. It’s a whole other level up here,” said the 6-foot-4 lefthanded Lester. “Last year, if I gave up a hit, I’d be shaken after that, but now I know you’ve just got to get the next guy. It was mostly pitch selection. In the first, I wasn’t busting guys in enough, so I started getting guys out-in and then we started going with the soft stuff and it really helped.”

Lester, who had given up only two homers in 90 1/3 innings of work for Sarasota (Fla.) last season, lasted four innings and threw 52 of 79 pitches for strikes before leaving with the score tied 3-3.

“These guys are on limited pitch counts early, but we’ll extend those as we get into the latter part of April and May,” Sea Dogs manager Todd Claus explained. “I was really impressed with how he regrouped and composed himself. To put up three zeros after that I thought was a tremendous effort. It showed a lot character and I was proud of him.”

Portland got two runs back quickly off the hot bat of third baseman Sandberg, who homered twice Thursday night. With two outs and Pedroia on first base after a wall ball single, Sandberg ripped a 2-1 fastball 410 feet over the right-center field wall. The tying run came in the third as Pedroia led off with a single, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on O’Keefe’s two-out single to shallow right.

The Dogs took a 5-3 lead in the seventh thanks to a leadoff double by Sheldon Fulse, a one-out sacrifice fly by Pedroia, and three straight singles by Hanley Ramirez, Sandberg, and O’Keefe.

The two insurance runs came courtesy of Brandon Moss’ leadoff double in the eighth, an Al Concepcion walk, Fulse’s RBI groundout, and Pedroia’s two-out RBI single to right.

Delcarmen earned the win with an inning of one-hit relief and Meredith earned his second save in as many nights with a flyball out with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth and a 1-2-3 ninth.

SEA DOGS 7, NAVIGATORS 3

Norwich (0-2) Portland (2-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Lewis, cf 5 0 3 0 Durbin, cf 4 0 0

Labarbera, 2b 3 0 0 0 Pedroia, 2b 4 2

Buscher, dh 4 1 0 0 Ramirez, ss 5 1 0

Ortmeier, rf 4 1 1 2 Sandberg, 3b 4 1 2

Von Schell, 1b 4 1 1 1 O’Keefe, 1b 4 2

Valderrama, lf 4 0 2 0 West, dh 3 0

Benavidez, 3b 4 0 1 0 Moss, rf 3 0

Cordido, 3b 0 0 0 0 Concepcion, c 3 1 0

Lunsford, c 3 0 0 0 Fulse, lf 4 1 1

Hutting, ss 4 0 1 0

Totals 35 3 9 3 Totals 34 7 12 7

Norwich 300 000 000 – 3

Portland 201 000 22x – 7

E-Devey; LOB-Norwich 9, Portland 8; 2B-Valderrama 2, Moss, Fulse; HR-Ortmeier (1), Von Schell (1), Sandberg (3); S-LaBarbera, Durbin; SF-Pedroia

Norwich IP H R ER BB SO

Burres 4 6 3 2 1 3

Threets 2 0 0 0 1 1

Montes (L, 0-1) 1 5 4 4 1 0

Pannone 1 1 0 0 0 0

Portland IP H R ER BB SO

Lester 4 5 3 3 1 7

Devey 2 1 0 0 0 1

Delcarmen (W, 1-0) 1 1 0 0 1 1

Deschenes 2/3 2 0 0 1 0

Meredith (S, 2) 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 1

BK-Montes; PB-Lunsford, Concepcion; T-2:43; ATT-3,665