Kevin McAvoy continued his string of strong starts, but it wasn’t enough in the Portland Sea Dogs’ 2-0 loss Wednesday night to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before 4,816 at Hadlock Field.

McAvoy (3-6) and Jon Harris (4-8) were locked in a pitchers’ duel, but the Fisher Cats brought across two runs (one earned) in the eighth inning.

Harris held the Sea Dogs to three hits over seven innings, and the Fisher Cats’ bullpen did the rest.

The Sea Dogs haven’t scored a run in 19 consecutive innings.

Sea Dogs starter Kevin McAvoy allowed two runs, one earned, in 7 1/3 innings Wednesday night and took the loss. He is 3-6.

McAvoy got into trouble in the eighth. After Derrick Loveless’ leadoff infield single, Jonathan Davis bunted. McAvoy threw the ball into right field. Loveless scored and Davis went to third, then scored on a sacrifice fly.

McAvoy then gave up a single and was lifted. He ended up allowing seven hits. In his past three starts he’s allowed two earned runs over 191/3 innings.

Neither starter walked a batter.

The Sea Dogs’ best chance came in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs on an error, single and hit batter. But Michael Chavis flied out to the catcher in foul territory.

In the ninth inning, New Hampshire closer Andrew Case gave up a two-out single to Chavis. Henry Urrutia then hit a line drive to the gap in left-center, but Davis, the center fielder, made his second diving catch of the night. Case notched his fourth save.

Sea Dogs starter Kevin McAvoy leaves the field after being replaced with one out in the eighth inning.

Red Sox utility player Brock Holt made a rehab appearance with the Sea Dogs, playing third base and going 1 for 3.

Holt is scheduled to play again for the Sea Dogs (37-43) on Thursday against New Hampshire (34-50) at 7 p.m.

NOTES: In one of the more beautiful first pitches at Hadlock, Addy Madsen, 6, stepped to the mound. A survivor of leukemia, in remission for two years, Addy, from Raymond, had received a stem cell transplant from an Arkansas man named Brad Meyers. After Addy threw her pitch, the catcher approached and took off his mask. It was Meyers, 26, who flew in to surprise her. It was the first time they had met. As Meyers hugged Addy and her family, the Hadlock crowd gave them a standing ovation.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: @ClearTheBases