The Portland Sea Dogs faced two of the Philadelphia Phillies’ top pitching prospects and came away with a doubleheader split Saturday against the Reading Fightin Phils to start the season at Hadlock Field.
Portland won the first game 4-2 and lost the second, 9-0.
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WHO: Reading Fightin Phils (Eflin) at Portland Sea Dogs (Augliera)
WHEN: 1 p.m. Sunday
In the first game, Keury De La Cruz swatted a three-run homer in the first inning on a change-up from Aaron Nola, the Phillies’ first-round (seventh overall) draft pick last year.
De La Cruz took advantage of a 20 mph wind blowing to right field, lofting a fly ball into the pavilion. De La Cruz, 23, hit seven home runs for Portland last year in 70 games.
Mike Miller added an RBI single in the second, part of his 4-for-5 day.
Sea Dogs starting pitcher Luis Diaz pitched four innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out two. Diaz occasionally struggled with command, especially with his curveball, which he has been working on.
“It’s coming,” Diaz said. “It was the first start. Not good. Not bad.”
Jonathan Aro (1-0) got the win with three innings of scoreless relief.
In the second game, Phils left-hander Jesse Biddle (2010 first-rounder) shut out Portland on two hits over five innings. Two relievers finished the job.
Miller got the only hits for Portland.
Sea Dogs starter Justin Haley pitched two scoreless innings but didn’t get out of the third inning. He began the third by walking two batters and allowing a bunt single to load the bases.
Three hits followed, and a hit batter and an error – totaling four runs, three earned.
“Just a bad inning. Sometimes that happens,” said Haley.
Reliever Kyle Martin, in his first season in Portland, followed Haley and scorched through 22/3 innings: one hit, no walks and six strikeouts.
But the Phils piled on with five runs, three earned against reliever Pat Light in the seventh.
NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 4,612. … The teams will meet again at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hadlock … To get the Sea Dogs’ roster down to the required 25, catcher Tim Roberson was put on the disabled list. … In Pawtucket, former Sea Dogs catcher Matt Spring was also put on the disabled list. … Outfielder Shannon Wilkerson, who played three years in Portland, was released by the Red Sox last week.
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