READING, Pa. — With things going badly for the Portland Sea Dogs in Reading this week, Manager Arnie Beyeler was happy just to leave town with a lead, rather than with a fourth straight loss.

The Sea Dogs scored four times in the top of the sixth to take a 6-4 lead over the Phillies before lightning and rain halted play and eventually forced suspension of play.

The game will resume during Reading’s visit to Portland June 4-6.

The Sea Dogs (23-22) were reeling on the heels of Reading’s walk-off victory Wednesday night and were looking for anything positive to take home.

“We didn’t lose tonight,” Beyeler said kiddingly.

The Sea Dogs took advantage of some wildness by Reading’s bullpen to score four times in the sixth.

Reliever Tyson Brummett handed over a bases-loaded situation to lefty specialist Matt German with two outs, but German forced in runs by walking Chih-Hsien Chiang and Matt Sheeley.

Nate Spears hit a grounder to the right side that second baseman Ozzie Chavez gloved but couldn’t handle cleanly, the ball trickling into right field for a two-run single.

“We were fortunate to make them throw strikes, and they didn’t,” Beyeler said. “The way we’ve been rolling right here, we’ll take it anyway we can get it.”

The Sea Dogs have lost 6 of 7 on the road, and six straight at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Reading Manager Steve Roadcap, who has watched his team play its best ball of the season this week, felt like a chance for a four-game sweep slipped away.

“No doubt about it,” he said. “We had everything going well; we’re playing well. And (momentum) jumped out of our dugout.”

The Sea Dogs used four doubles to go up 2-0.

Back-to-back doubles by Ray Chang and Luis Exposito made it 1-0 in the first; back-to-back doubles by Jose Iglesias and Chiang made it 2-0 in the second.

The Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on RBI doubles by Tagg Bozied and Matt Rizzotti.

Reading extended the lead to 4-2 in the fifth on an RBI single by Bozied.

“We got the lead and we’re in pretty good position to give ourselves an opportunity to win a ballgame,” Beyeler said. “You can’t feel bad about it. It’s better than the way it was the inning before.”

 

NOTES: Iglesias went 3 for 3 and scored twice. … The Sea Dogs have not had a starter go past six innings since Felix Doubront did it May 18. He since has been promoted to Triple-A. … Wednesday’s 5-3 loss, on Rizzotti’s three-run homer in the ninth, was the first walk-off loss for the Sea Dogs this season. They had been 16-0 when leading after eight innings.