Portland Out Powered by Reading, lose 6-5
July 29, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
(Reading, PA) - Phillies' 1B Brian Stavisky (3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2B, 4 RS) homered twice and 3B Neil Sellers (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) blasted what proved to be the game-winning 2-run homer in the eighth as the Reading Phillies (57-46) defeated the Portland Sea Dogs (50-53) 6-5 on Wednesday night at First Energy Stadium. The Sea Dogs have dropped 2 of 3 in the series and fall a ½ game out of second place (Trenton was postponed).
DH Jon Still (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI) launched a 2-run homer in the top of the ninth inning with 2-outs and established a new franchise record for RBI in July with 28. Still's homer came off LHP Mike Zagurski, who walked two in the ninth but retired SS Iggy Suarez (1-for-4, 2B) on a fly out to end the game.
RHP Chance Chapman (5-1) worked 1.1 innings on two walks to earn the win. LHP Sergio Escalona yielded 1.2 scoreless innings on one hit and two strikeouts to earn the hold. Portland had runners at first and second with nobody out in the eighth but Escalona retired the next three batters to end the threat.
RHP Jarod Plummer's homerless streak ended in the fourth inning when Stavisky led off the frame with a homer to left field. Plummer had not yielded a long ball in his previous five starts (covering 28 IP) and took a no-decision, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 5 IP. Stavisky snapped a 3-3 tie with a lead-off homer off losing pitcher RHP Ryne Miller (0-1) in the sixth inning. Miller retired 6 of 7 batters but suffered his first Double-A loss. In the eighth inning, RHP Bryce Cox retired the first two batters but Stavisky doubled and Sellers homered to right-center field. Cox had not allowed a homer in 42.2 IP on the season.
Portland trailed 2-1 after four innings but scored twice off RHP Mike Stutes (ND, 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO) in the fifth. 2B Ryan Khoury (1-for-4, HR, RBI) led off the inning with a solo-homer to left field. CF Ryan Kalish (1-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 RS) followed with a walk and scored on 3B Jorge Jimenez's (2-for-4, RBI, 2B, BB) double down the right-field line. The Phillies responded in their half of the fifth when 2B Brad Harmon (1-for-3) led off with a double and scored on C Tim Kennelly's (1-for-3, RBI) double to shallow right.
The Sea Dogs made it three straight games by scoring in the first inning and took a 1-0 lead. Kalish extended his hitting streak to 10-games with a double to right-centerfield and scored on a wild pitch. Reading tied the game in the second inning on SS Ozzie Chavez's (1-for-3, RBI) run-scoring single to center field.
Portland ends their 4-game series with the Reading Phillies on Thursday night at First Energy Stadium beginning at 7:05 PM. RHP Ryne Lawson will face off against Reading RHP Vance Worley. Catch all the action on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network beginning at 6:35 PM with the Pre-Game Show built by CorrectDeck.
Notes...Still's 28 RBI in July surpassed the mark held by Kevin Millar, who knocked in 26 runs in July, 2007...Portland has been retired in order only twice in the series, reaching base safely in 25 of 27 innings...The Sea Dogs went 0-for-9 with runners-in-scoring position and stranded 11 runners on base...RF Kevin Mahar robbed Kalish of a solo-homer to lead-off the third inning by making a leaping catch over the right-field wall.
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