(Harrisburg, PA) – The Reading Fightin’ Phils (16-11, 46-50) defeated the Harrisburg Senators (14-11, 48-46) by a final score of 6-2 on Sunday afternoon.
The Senators sent their right-hander Yoel Tejada Jr. (WSH’s No. 16 prospect) to the mound to make his first career start at Double-A, while Reading’s Braydon Tucker returned from the 7-day injured list to make his first start since July 10th against Somerset. Both starters would begin their afternoon with quick first innings, each collecting a strikeout.
Reading’s Luke Ritter led off the top of the third with a single. Tejada Jr. followed up, issuing a five-pitch walk to third baseman Raider Tello. Bryan Rincon (PHI’s No. 16 prospect) then dug in to launch a three-run blast off the Senators’ ribbon board, handing the Fightins a three-run lead. This was Rincon’s 16th long ball of the season and his third just the past two days, as he homered twice in Saturday’s contest.
Harrisburg would answer back in the bottom of the fourth. Tucker issued a leadoff walk to Devin Fitz-Gerald before surrendering an RBI double to Brandon Boissiere, putting the Senators’ first run of the day on the board. Two batters later, Sam Brown would rip a double of his own to bring home Boissiere and cut Reading’s lead down to a run. Brown would be Tucker’s final batter of the afternoon. The right-hander finished his day tossing 3.1 innings, surrendering a pair of runs on both the doubles within the frame. He issued two walks and struck out four.
25-year-old Reese Dutton entered the game in relief of Tucker to make his Double-A debut. Dutton was promoted to Reading on Saturday, following a first half where he posted a 3.39 ERA in just over 82 innings pitched with High-A Jersey Shore. He would use nine pitches to retire his first two hitters and strand Brown at second base to end the frame. Dutton returned back out to pitch a scoreless fifth, picking his first punchout in process.
Tejada Jr. was lifted from the game ahead of the sixth inning, finishing his outing with five frames of three-run ball. He surrendered five total hits while issuing four walks and striking five. Righty Kyle Luckham replaced Tejada Jr. for the sixth and recorded his first out on just one pitch. The Fightins then strung together a trio of singles off the bats of Kehden Hettiger, Luke Ritter, and Raider Tello, the latter being for an RBI knock to make it a 4-2 game. Two hitters later, Pedro Leon connected on Reading’s fourth single of the frame, this one scoring Ritter and extending their lead to 5-2.
Reading kept the momentum rolling into the seventh with an Alex Binelas leadoff single. This was immediately followed by a double from Aroon Escobar (PHI’s No. 5 prospect). The next batter, Caleb Ricketts, was struck by a pitch from Luckham to load the bases. Following a Kehden Hettiger strikeout, Luke Ritter would drive in the run from the third with a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Reading’s sixth and final run of the day. Dutton would toss up another zero in the bottom of the inning, this being his final frame of the afternoon. Dutton finished with 3.2 scoreless innings, surrendering a pair of hits. He walked two and struck out a trio of Senators.
Evan Gates threw a scoreless eighth inning before handing the ball off to Estibenzon Jimenez in the ninth. Gates picked up a strikeout in his lone inning, while Jimenez punched out two, including freezing Sam Petersen for a called strike three for the final out.
Dutton (1-0) earned the first career Double-A win for Reading, while Tejada Jr. (0-1) picked up his first loss of the year for Harrisburg.
The Fightin Phils return home from Tuesday, July 28, through Sunday, August 2, against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Tuesday is a 12 PM Camp Kid Day Game, then Wednesday through Friday all feature postgame fireworks. Wednesday's show is sponsored by Beneficial Society Victory Emmanuel II, Thursday's by Riverfront Federal Credit Union, and Friday by Tompkins. Saturday is a Harry Potter-themed Carpenter MEGA Blast Fireworks, thanks to International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 429. The series ends Sunday with a R-Phils Mascot Band T-Shirt Celebrating 25 Seasons of the Mascot Band for the first 2,000 kids, sponsored by Ron Procopio Custom Guitars, Asher's Chocolate Co., Reading Fire Department Paramedics and Berks County Department of Agriculture/Bountiful Berks.