July 13: Reading 5, Harrisburg 3

Mike Stutes: Gave up just one run in 5 1/3 innings to get the win and also doubled and drove in two runs.

Harrisburg, PA -- The Reading Phillies took advantage of three Harrisburg Senator errors, scoring four unearned runs in a 5-3 victory in the finale of a four-game series on Monday afternoon at Metro Bank Park.

With a pair of runners both due to errors and one out in the top of the sixth inning, Ozzie Chavez doubled to left-center field scoring Jeremy Slayden giving the R-Phils the early 1-0 lead. Starting pitcher Mike Stutes then helped himself out by knocking a two-run double over the head of Michael Daniel in left-center field making it 3-0 Phillies.

Harrisburg made it very interesting in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the R-Phils ahead 4-1, the Senators plated a pair of runs to narrow the gap to 4-3. Mike Zagurski then took over the bases loaded and one out and got out of trouble without allowing a run to score. 

The Phillies tacked on a run in the top of the ninth and Zagurski worked a perfect bottom of the inning to record his sixth save.

Stutes (6-5) went 5 1/3 innings and earned the win, allowing just one run on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

The Reading Phillies will take two days off for the Eastern League All-Star break before getting back to action on Thursday, July 16. Left-hander Yohan Flande (0-1, 7.07) will get the start for the Phillies in the opener of a four-game series with the New Britain Rock Cats. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium

July 12: Harrisburg 10, Reading 3

Kevin Mahar: Went 2-for-5 with two runs driven in.

Harrisburg, PA -- For the second straight game, the Harrisburg Senators used a five-run inning to pull away from the Reading Phillies as the Sens knocked off the R-Phils 10-3 on Sunday afternoon at Metro Bank Park.

For the second straight day the Phillies (50-38) jumped on the board first with a first inning run. With Quintin Berry at third and two out, Kevin Mahar drove him in with a base hit to left field giving Reading the early 1-0 lead.

The Senators (38-50) answered in a big way in the bottom of the second against R-Phils' starter Vance Worley. With runners at the corners and no outs, Edgardo Baez blooped a single into right field, scoring Marvin Lowrance and tying the game 1-1. Javi Herrera singled to left to load the bases with no outs. After a line-out to first by Matt Chico, Michael Daniel cleared the bases with a three-run triple to left-center field, putting Harrisburg up 4-1. A RBI infield single from Ian Desmond made it a five-run second for the Senators and gave the club a 5-1 lead.

Ahead 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Harrisburg put the game away with a four-run frame. With two on and no outs, Herrera doubled to left scoring both runners and making it 8-2 Senators. After a sacrifice bunt from Adrian Alaniz, Worley's day came to a close. Left-hander Jason Mackintosh gave up a RBI base hit to Daniel, his fourth run driven in of the contest, and Harrisburg extended the advantage to 9-2. Guzman chipped in a RBI single expanding the lead to 10-2.

Mahar drove in Reading's third run with a bases-loaded, one-out single off of Alaniz in the top of the seventh. Clint Everts replaced Alaniz with the bags full and one down and got Neil Sellers to hit a come-backer to the mound to start a 1-2-3 double play ending the threat.

Sellers went 0-for-3 with a walk, ending his hit streak at 14 games.

Worley (6-6) lasted 5 1/3 innings and allowed a career-high nine runs while matching a career-high by giving up 11 hits. 

Chico (1-2) had his longest start with the Senators, going five full innings and giving up just one run on three hits to get the win.

Reading and Harrisburg will play the finale of the series on Monday afternoon as right-hander Mike Stutes (5-5, 4.26) gets the nod for the R-Phils opposite right-hander Erik Arnesen (5-2, 3.70). First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

July 11: Harrisburg 5, Reading 4

Brian Stavisky: Went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and three runs driven in.

Harrisburg, PA -- The Harrisburg Senators scored five runs in the first inning and held on the rest of the way to take game two of a four-game series with the Reading Phillies 5-4 on Saturday night at Metro Bank Park.

The Phillies (50-37) actually got the scoring started in the top of the first inning against right-hander Brad Meyers, who was making his Double-A debut in the contest with the Senators. With runners at the corners and one out, Brian Stavisky doubled over the head of right fielder Marvin Lowrance giving the R-Phils a 1-0 lead. Reading could not add to the lead, however, as the club stranded runners at second and third.

Harrisburg (37-50) answered in the bottom of the first inning off of spot-starter Tyson Brummett. Michael Daniel, Ian Desmond, and Dmitri Young led off the inning with three consecutive hits to load the bases. Joel Guzman followed by doubling down the left-field line, scoring a pair of runs and giving the Senators a 2-1 lead. Lowrance drove in a run two pitches later with a sacrifice fly to center field increasing the advantage to 3-1. After getting Ofilio Castro to ground out to second, Bill Rhinehart hit a two-run homer to deep right-center field on the first pitch to him from Brummett making it 5-1 Harrisburg after an inning.

Reading battled back in the sixth as Stavisky struck again, this time with a two-run homer that just cleared the fence in left to pull the R-Phils within a pair at 5-3. 

The Phillies got another run in the top of the seventh as Gus Milner reached base with two-outs on a pinch-hit walk. He then moved first to third on a base hit to center field off of the bat of Quintin Berry, and scored on a wild pitch let go by Carlos Martinez, trimming the Reading deficit to just a run at 5-4. 

That would be as close as the club would get as the Phillies left the tying run in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings.

Even though he lost his scoreless-innings streak at 21 1/3 innings almost as soon as the game started, Meyers (1-0) got the win allowing just one run on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks in five innings.

Brummett (3-9), getting the start in place of Kyle Drabek who was placed on the Temporary Inactive List due to his participation in the All-Star Futures Game, took the loss after getting charged with five runs on five hits with a strikeout and no walks over just two innings.

Neil Sellers extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a base hit to left-center with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. 

The contest was twice delayed by weather, for 47 minutes by rain in the top of the third inning and for 19 minutes by lightning in the middle of the sixth.

Reading and Harrisburg will play game three of the series on Sunday afternoon as right-hander Vance Worley (6-5, 3.75) gets the nod for the R-Phils opposite left-hander Matt Chico (0-2, 5.56). First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

July 10: Reading 10, Harrisburg 2

Alex Concepcion: Tossed four scoreless innings of relief to earn his second win.

Harrisburg, PA -- The Reading Phillies exploded for nine runs over the seventh and eighth innings and blew open a tight contest in a 10-2 win over the Harrisburg Senators on Friday night at Metro Bank Park.

Harrisburg (36-50) scored first in the game on a two-out, RBI double from Joel Guzman off of Reading starter Yohan Flande giving the Senators a 1-0 lead.

Flande departed after two innings, charged with a run on three hits with a strikeout and a walk. Alex Concepcion (2-2) took over for Flande in third inning and tossed four scoreless frames, limiting the Senators to just two hits.

Meanwhile, the offense finally got going against Luis Atilano (4-5) in the top of the sixth inning. Jeremy Slayden tied the game at 1-1 with a two-out RBI base hit to left-center. 

The Phillies (50-36) would then pull away in the top of the seventh inning. With the bases and loaded and no outs, Justin Jones got a strikeout of Carlos Leon on a pitch in the dirt, but the ball got far enough away from catcher Luke Montz to enable Ozzie Chavez to score from third giving the R-Phils a 2-1 lead. Kevin Mahar added a pinch-hit two-run double with the bags full and Slayden drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to put Reading out in front 5-1.

The R-Phils poured it on in the top of the eight inning as the club sent 10 men to the plate in a five-run frame highlighted by RBI doubles from Brad Harman and Michael Taylor and RBI base hits from Mahar and Neil Sellers.

With the win, the Phillies clinched the season-series from the Senators and improved to 3-1 on the current seven-game road trip.

Reading and Harrisburg will play game two of the series on Saturday night as right-hander Tyson Brummett (3-8, 4.62) gets the nod for the R-Phils opposite right-hander Brad Meyers who will be making his Double-A debut with the Senators. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.