After tying the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Portland Sea Dogs gave up three runs in the top of the ninth and lost to the Reading Fightin Phils, 5-2, in an Eastern League game Saturday at Hadlock field in Portland.
The Sea Dogs have dropped three straight and trail the Fightin Phils by 3 1/2 games in the Eastern League’s Northeast Division second-half standings. Binghamton and Somerset, who both won on Saturday, moved a game ahead of Portland.
Sea Dogs reliever Reidis Sena retired the first batter he faced in the ninth, then walked two straight and gave up an RBI single to Raider Tello. Pedro Leon hit a slow roller off the bag at third to score another run and Raylin Heredia singled to make it 5-2.
The Sea Dogs tied the game in an RBI single by Mason White in the eighth.
Reading went up 1-0 in the first on Bryan Rincon’s 20th home run of the season.
Tello hit a long drive to center to lead off the top of the third, but Portland’s Will Turner climbed the wall to rob the home run.
Justin Gonzalez reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the third and scored on a ground out by Johanfran Garcia as Portland tied it.
Tello gave Reading a 2-1 lead in the seventh with an RBI single.
Portland wasted a solid start by Michael Sansone, who allowed a run on two hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked three.
Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, who has played three games with the Sea Dogs since starting his rehab assignment on Tuesday, was not in the lineup Saturday.