The R-Phils returned to First Energy Stadium beaten and battered after a 1-6 roadtrip Friday night, and proceeded to lose the first game of the homestand as well, giving them a 1-5 week since my last roundup. Domonic Brown returned to the lineup and homered, but Tyson Gillies is still out with a hand injury (thumb) and Michael Spidale is battling a sore foot. BJRosenberg remains on the DL with a right lat strain, as does Quentin Berry with an infection.
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Reading Weekly Report
After a busy first week (and a fraction), the RPhils stand a 5-4 in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League, 1.5 games behind division leader Trenton. The RPhils had a 4-game winning streak over the first weekend of the season, but have lost far more than they’ve won outside the streak. They are winless on the road, at 0-2. Reading is 4th in the league in BA at .247, with their .659 OPS being 8th in the league, so they really have not been hitting. Their 36 runs scored is, however, tied for 6th in the league, basically dead-center.
The pitching has been a little below league average, with a team ERA of 3.87, but, looking at the peripheral stats, they’re not even that good. Their problem has been walks, as they lead the league with 36 so far while being last in the league with strikeouts, whiffing only 43. They’ve also given up 9 HRs, tied for the most in the league. Honestly, given the talent on this team, the pitching should improve.
Reading struggles in opener
The first batter on the prospect-laden Red Sox farm club, the Portland Sea Dogs, clearly was privy to the theme for opening night. Ryan Kalish hammered a Vance Worley mistake deep into RF, over the wall. That would be the first of four home runs by the Dogs, the second of which was a game-changing 3-run bomb deep into the left field night by Luis Esposito, changing a 3-2 lead into a 5-3 deficit, and coming off Matt German, a reliever who projects to play an important role for Reading this year.
Worley, beginning his second year in AA, settled down nicely to throw three very good innings after his rocky first, but gave way to German after allowing two hits in the fifth, which he entered with a 2-run lead.
The game was never really close afterward. Continue reading Reading struggles in opener
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