READING, Pa. — Despite opening with three straight losses, including a sloppy 9-4 setback Friday night to the Reading Phillies, Portland Sea Dogs Manager Kevin Boles remains upbeat.

“Our guys competed well tonight,” Boles said after watching his team commit four errors and letting a 4-0 lead slip away.

“Our guys fought. We’ll keep working; we’ll stay positive and keep working. That’s what we’re going to do.”

The Sea Dogs, who were swept in a doubleheader to open the season Thursday, got a three-run double from J.C. Linares to take a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

They managed three more singles.

The Sea Dogs (0-3), who are 38-57 lifetime at Reading, jumped on Trevor May, the No. 1 prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization, for three hits and four runs in the second, and Manager Dusty Wathan had a pitcher warming up.

Reading tied it with a four-run second off starter Brock Huntzinger.

“It looked like he was a little up in the zone in the second inning,” said Boles.

Huntzinger lasted just three innings, allowing seven hits and five runs, four earned.

Huntzinger, a former third-round pick of the Boston Red Sox, made 25 starts for the Sea Dogs last season, including three rough outings against the Phillies.

He was 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA in three starts against Reading last season.

Huntzinger gave up run-scoring singles to Jiwan James and Troy Hanzawa, and a triple to Tyson Gillies in allowing the Phillies back in the game in the second.

Huntzinger dropped Cesar Hernandez’s two-out pop-up for an error that allowed the tying run to score.

“Momentum’s big,” Boles said. “We had it, then they got it back.”

The Phillies pulled ahead with single runs in each of the next five innings.

James gave the Phillies a 9-4 lead in the seventh with a towering solo homer to right.

Leandro Castro had three hits and scored three runs for the Phillies, and Tim Kennelly drove in three runs with a groundout, single and sacrifice fly.

Reynaldo Rodriguez had two singles and two walks for the Sea Dogs.

May came to Reading after striking out 208 batters in 1511/3 innings last season at Class A Clearwater.

He was making his first Double-A start.

NOTES: The Sea Dogs lost their first four games in Reading last season, extending their losing streak to 11 at FirstEnergy Stadium. They rebounded to win five of their last seven games to finish 8-9. Oscar Tejeda, a member of the Red Sox’s 40-man roster, made his first professional start in the outfield Thursday in Game 2 of the doubleheader. His previous 513 appearances came as an infielder or as a designated hitter. He was back in left field on Friday.

 

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