Sea Dogs’ losing skid turned season around

Ask Portland Sea Dogs manager Todd Claus what the turning point in the 2006 season was for his club, and he’ll have a surprising answer.

“It was after our 10-game losing streak,” Claus said without hesitation Monday afternoon, while waiting for the team’s air flight to Ohio for the Eastern League championship series against the Akron Aeros. “When we lost Spann and Jimenez at the same time, we were kind of wondering what would happen next.”

What happened next was a 14 wins in the final 28 regular season games and a second straight berth in the E.L. playoffs despite going 2-4 in the final six games. Not that impressive, but not bad either, considering the losses of infielders and top hitters Chad Spann and Luis Jimenez for a significant period of time.

“It was similar to losing to Ortiz and Ramirez,” said Claus. “Boston had it even worse and I don’t know if we could have survived the equivalent blows that Boston took, but we had guys keeping each other up and picking up the slack.”

It was that mindset that allowed the team to turn its streak – 10 straight losses from July 29 through Aug. 8 – into a rallying point.

And now the defending northern division champs find themselves in the Eastern League title series for the second consecutive year in a rematch with southern division champ Akron. The Dogs don’t view this series, which begins in Akron today at 7:05 p.m., as a chance for payback, however.

“I don’t think Akron has anything to do with it. We didn’t have a preference who we played. It doesn’t matter,” Claus said. “We’re very loose and the chemistry right now is sort of indescribable. Guys are very close and we’re just letting it all hang out. We’re having a lot of fun, which is great this time of the year.”

Four players remain on Portland’s roster who played in last year’s series, but team MVP Brandon Moss, fellow outfielder Chris Durbin, catcher Alberto Concepcion, Jr., and righthanded reliever Edgar Martinez are not using Akron’s 3-1 series win as motivation.

“Those guys don’t even talk about last year, to be honest,” Claus said. “They’re living in the moment right now. Moss just goes out there and plays, Concepcion’s quiet, Martinez is going about his business and Durbin is the same way.”

When asked how a team finishing the regular season 72-67 could get back to the title series after dropping the opening playoff game against Trenton, Claus simply says it has to do with character and personality.

“We have a great mix of personalities. It’s what every coach likes to see and strives to get is to get everybody on the same page and have everybody contribute,” said Claus. “It’s easy for me right now. I can just sit back and watch and manage the game because there’s a complete trust with these guys.”

That mix and its accompanying success has much to do with the unique blend of veterans and rookies, and the way those veterans go about their business. It has had an effect not just on the young guys, but at least one “older” guy as well.

“I have learned that it’s okay to get close to your players. I’ve done that this year and it’s paid dividends,” Claus said. “I think with the guys who have children and are married, they have real-life problems and there’s a lot more to baseball going on in these lives who have off-field issues every day. They need guys to talk to and get advice from and we’ve gotten closer because of that.”

One of those guys, infielder Jeremy West, helped snap that 10-game slide when he hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth in Portland’s 5-4 win over Harrisburg. He and fellow seasoned veterans Moss and Durbin have been key in the postseason, combining to hit .303 (13-for-43) with five RBIs. Moss has been particularly big with four RBIs and two home runs, the second of which came in the 10th inning of Portland’s 4-3 win in game four against Trenton Saturday.

“Everything pretty much came together for us at home and everyone on our team had something to do with all those wins,” Claus said.

No matter how the series ends, Claus will be sad to see the season end, even after “the grind” of a 143-game season.

“Absolutely, it will be tough to see this season end,” he said. “I feel really good about this season and the way it’s played. I can’t ask for anything more. Win or lose, I’m going to be very proud of this team.”

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