The Portland Sea Dogs returned to Hadlock Field Friday night after a miserable road trip in which they lost seven straight games, four without scoring a run.

So who was on the Hadlock mound to welcome them home?

Reading’s unbeaten Ben Lively, the Eastern League strikeout leader and reigning Pitcher of the Week.

Not surprisingly, things didn’t go well for the Dogs. They lost 14-3 and remain in the EL cellar with a 6-16 record.

One bright spot was the rehab appearance of Red Sox reliever Carson Smith, who retired the only two batters he faced in the sixth.

“He threw the ball extremely well,” said Sea Dogs Manager Carlos Febles. “We wanted him to come out of the bullpen and get two outs and that was it.”

Acquired in a December trade with Seattle, the 26-year-old Smith has been in Fort Myers since straining his forearm in spring training. He threw 12 pitches Friday night, striking out one batter and inducing a ground ball to short.

Smith is expected to pitch again Saturday and, if all goes well, could join the Red Sox in time for a series against the White Sox in Chicago that begins Tuesday.

Smith’s strikeout victim was Rhys Hoskins, who had singled, doubled and homered in his previous at-bats against Sea Dogs starter Aaron Wilkerson (1-1), driving in four runs. Hoskins added a sacrifice fly in the ninth and has hit in 16 straight games after a slow start adjusting to Double A.

“I see why he’s in the big leagues for sure,” said Hoskins of Smith. “He’s got kind of a funky delivery, he throws from a low three-quarters slot, he’s got good sink and a good slider.”

Wilkerson, who rejoined the team after a spot start in Pawtucket, yielded eight hits and three walks before leaving with one out in the fourth. His ERA rose from 0.54 to 2.70.

Roman Quinn and Angelo Mora each had three hits for Reading (14-7), managed for the fifth consecutive year by former Sea Dogs catcher Dusty Wathan.

Mora left the game after being hit with a pitch by Luis Ysla in the ninth with Reading ahead 14-1, prompting a warning to both benches. When Reading reliever Jeremy Bleich sailed his second pitch behind Cole Sturgeon, both Bleich and Wathan were ejected.

Mora had doubled off Ysla in the eighth, the second of seven hits allowed by the Sea Dogs left-hander in the final two innings, and then backed away from the plate twice after Ysla came inside in the ninth.

“I don’t know what that’s about,” said Wathan. “It’s a disappointing situation whenever that happens, but it’s part of the game. You just hate to see anybody get hurt.”

Wathan said he pointed out to home plate umpire Erich Bacchus that Ysla had attempted to hit Mora more than once earlier in the at-bat.

“And then it takes for him to get hit in the ribs for us to get a warning,” Wathan said. “You either let it go a little longer or you do it a little earlier, one of the two.”

The Sea Dogs scored twice in the ninth off Miguel Nunez, who replaced Bleich and, like many of the pitchers in the 40-degree weather who combined for 20 walks, had control problems. Aneury Tavarez singled home two runs.

Portland’s first run came in the fourth after Reading had opened a 6-0 lead. Tavarez walked and scored on a one-out double by Jordan Betts, the only hit of Portland’s seven to go for extra bases.

Lively departed after five innings. He walked four, gave up four hits and struck out three to raise his total to 30 in five starts.

“He was up in the zone a little bit,” Wathan said. “He’s thrown better this year but I know it was cold out there and a lot of the guys were having trouble getting a grip on the ball.”

NOTES: Smith is the 41st major leaguer to rehab with the Sea Dogs. For the Mariners last season, Smith recorded 13 saves with a 2.31 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 70 relief appearances. … Attendance was announced as 5,010. … Heri Quevedo (0-2, 5.02 ERA) was released after just four appearances, including one start. … Rob Wort relieved Smith and struck out six of the nine batters he faced, four on called third strikes.

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