The overall results were discouraging, but Portland Sea Dogs pitchers put in some encouraging performances Saturday afternoon.

Dedgar Jimenez allowed two runs over seven innings. Travis Lakins recovered from a tough start to retire eight straight. And new reliever Josh Taylor threw two perfect innings with four strikeouts.

For the record, the Reading Fightin Phils swept Portland 3-2 and 6-3 at Hadlock Field.

Reading won the first game in extra innings, scoring the winner in the eighth (minor league doubleheaders are seven innings).

The Phils (19-27) have won three straight over Portland (16-31).

The Sea Dogs managed nine hits for the two games. Josh Ockimey was 2 for 5 with a walk, extending his hitting streak to seven games, and on-base streak to 21 games. Catcher Jhon Nunez was 2 for 3 in the second game with two RBI.

Jimenez, 22, has been up and down with a 5.23 ERA, but five outings of two earned runs or less. On Saturday, Jimenez was not especially sharp, allowing seven hits and a rare three walks, but he contained the damage.

In the second game, the box score will show that Lakins gave up four runs. It won’t show how he rebounded – a term that can be applied to his career. This was Lakins’ sixth start. He’s been limited to three or less innings in each, as he recovers from another stress fracture in his elbow.

“Same injury, back-to-back years,” said Lakins, who is being brought back carefully.

Lakins, considered the 10th-best Red Sox pitching prospect by milb.com, did not get out of the third inning in his previous two starts. It looked doubtful Saturday. Malquin Canelo led off with a home run. Four of the next five batters reached, and Reading led 4-0. But Lakins retired the final eight batters he faced, recording four of his five strikeouts.

“My fastball was not commanding well and I had to go to something else,” Lakins said. “My cutter was really good today and my curveball was really good, and that got me through three innings.

Taylor followed Lakins, making his third appearance since arriving from the Diamondbacks organization (as the player to be named later in the Deven Marrero trade).

Taylor, a lefty, showed a 95 mph fastball – with command. He needed only 20 pitches – 17 for strikes – to retire six batters.

In the first game, the Sea Dogs rallied for a run in the seventh to tie the game. Ockimey walked. Jeremy Rivera ran for him. He reached second on a sacrifice bunt, and third base on a fly out, and scored on a wild pitch.

Then the new minor league rule was put in use – with every extra inning beginning with a runner on second base.

The Phils got their runner in with two hits, the second a Zach Green RBI single. Green homered earlier.

In the bottom of the eighth, with Nick Lovullo on second base, Danny Mars walked. Chad De La Guerra struck out, Jantzen Witte flied out to right field, and Jeremy Rivera ended the game with a groundout.

The announced paid attendance was 5,080.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-7411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: @ClearTheBases