READING, Pa. — Portland Sea Dogs second baseman Sean Coyle said he doesn’t pay much attention to the names among the leaders in the Eastern League’s offensive statistics.

He should, because pretty soon his name will be at or near the top of the batting, slugging and on-base percentage charts.

The 22-year-old former second-round pick continued his assault on Reading pitching Sunday with a triple, a double, a single and five RBI as the Sea Dogs pounded the Fightin Phils 13-9 to complete a four-game sweep.

The Sea Dogs (54-27) had 13 hits. Portland compiled 45 hits and 36 runs in the series.

Backup catcher Matt Spring hit a pair of homers in the first three innings and drove in five runs. Derrik Gibson had two hits, two walks and scored three runs.

“We’ve got a lot of guys swinging it really well,” said Coyle.

Advertisement

Gibson, who went 7 for 13 and scored 10 times in the series, is batting .402 in June with a 1.058 OPS. Shortstop Deven Marrero, who had the winning homer in the ninth inning Saturday, is batting .368 this month with a .993 OPS.

Coyle boosted his batting average to .363, going 8 for 15 with 10 RBI and six runs scored in the series. That average would be tops in the league if he had enough plate appearances to qualify, but he doesn’t yet because he spent three weeks on the disabled list with a finger injury.

He’s been a terror since coming back, batting .385 with seven homers and 28 RBI in 34 games.

“I’m pretty relaxed at the plate,” said Coyle. “I feel like I’m having consistent swings and getting a good pitch to hit and just putting easy swings on ’em.

“I’m maturing as a player, starting to be able to read my swings, assess my swings and then make adjustments, mid-AB and midgame. That’s been big for me.”

The Sea Dogs wasted little time setting the tone in what would be a franchise-record 12th straight loss for the Phils (33-45), scoring five times in the first inning.

Advertisement

Coyle drove home Gibson with a triple, Stefan Welch followed with an RBI single, and two batters later Spring pounded a three-run homer.

Spring’s two-run shot in the third, his sixth of the season, made it 7-2.

Coyle delivered a three-run double in a five-run fourth as Portland took a 12-5 lead.

The Phils kept chipping away, getting a season-high five homers. Jake Fox and Kelly Dugan both homered twice and Edgard Duran had one.

“They did a good job of not giving up and trying to stay in the ballgame, putting good ABs together and putting up some runs, but we didn’t get comfortable and we just kept at it,” said Coyle

Portland starter Mike McCarthy (7-3) got the win despite allowing six hits and seven runs over five innings.

NOTES: The Sea Dogs had never swept a four-game series in Reading; their lone sweep came in three games last year, April 30-May 2. … Gibson (.393) and Marrero (.390) entered the game with the highest June batting averages in minor league baseball. … Portland hadn’t allowed more than three homers in a game this season before Sunday.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.