Four Trends from Reading's Series win at Richmond

(Reading, PA) — The Reading Fightin Phils ended the month of June and began the second half of the 2025 season in Richmond. Reading won four-of-six games over the Flying Squirrels and two straight over the weekend

Here are four intriguing trends that stick out from the Fightin Phils series against Richmond:

Felix Flexes

Outfielder Felix Reyes has found his groove in Reading, consistently slotting into the meat of the order as a power bat to drive in runs. The success continued in Richmond as Reyes recorded a 1.032 OPS and seven hits in 19 at-bats.

He began the series with an off-day on June 24 and recorded zero hits in four at-bats on June 25. Though, two singles helped the Fightin Phils do just enough to beat the Squirrels 1-0 on June 26 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Reyes then flexed his muscles the following night with three hits and two runs scored. He was just a triple shy of the cycle, tallying seven total bases and six across his first two at-bats. The three-hit day also raised his batting average to .320. Reyes rounded out the series with a double in Saturday’s win and a single and run scored in Sunday’s.

The 24-year-old finished the month of June with an impressive .324 batting average and .980 OPS. His .919 OPS on the season ranks first among all Fightin Phils with at least 100 at-bats, while his eight home runs are the most on the team. Reyes is evolving into one of Reading’s most prolific power hitters halfway through the season. He proved it further to begin the second half in Richmond.

Spectacular Starters

The Fightin Phils' starting pitching put on an excellent display in Richmond, combining for 30.2 innings of work and just 11 earned runs. Philadelphia Phillies’ No. 11 prospect Jean Cabrera pitched both the series opener and finale, allowing three earned runs in 11.0 innings.

Cabrera was sharp in his starts, using his off-speed to keep the Squirrels off the base paths and force soft contact. His 2.45 ERA and .195 batting average against on the week reduced his season ERA to 3.78 and his BAA to .204. Both performances resulted in wins for both Cabrera and Reading.

In opener roles, Griff McGarry and Koyo Aoyagi each went 4.0 innings and turned the game over to the bullpen. McGarry allowed three runs while Aoyagi — who made his first appearance for Reading after spending most of the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley — allowed zero hits or runs but walked four batters. Chuck King pitched 6.0 innings and allowed three runs, while Estibenzon Jimenez gave up two solo home runs in 5.2 innings in a win.

Reading’s pitchers overall on the week allowed Richmond to hit just .207 with 39 hits and 20 runs. The Fightin Phils continue to mix and match their starters as multiple injuries have occurred, but found the right combination against the Squirrels.

Campbell Starts Strong

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired outfielder Dylan Campbell from the Los Angeles Dodgers in January for international pool money, which was used to pay for the signing of Roki Sasaki from Japan. Campbell was selected in the supplemental fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Texas.

Campbell was assigned to High-A Jersey Shore to start 2025, where he did just enough to earn a promotion in late June to Double-A. In his first series with Reading, he batted .313 with five hits and four runs scored.

He bounced around the bottom half of the Fightin Phils order in Richmond but found benefit from a simple, contact hitting approach. Campbell recorded at least one hit in all five games against the Squirrels and also tallied four walks in the first three games. His best day at the plate came in the series finale, where he ripped a double in the fourth inning to score Reyes and take a 2-0 lead. The two-bagger increased Reading’s win probability to 75.4%.

Combined with his numbers from the BlueClaws, Campbell is batting .227 with a .702 OPS through 229 at-bats. His rapid progression with the Fightin Phils, however, shows a lot of room for improvement at just 22 years old.

Saving The Day

Reading’s small margin of victories throughout the week forced its bullpen to be extremely reliable. The Fightin Phils won all four games by three runs or fewer, and a combined eight runs. With the totals, they recorded a save in each game as Tommy McCollum recorded two and Andrew Bechtold and Andrew Walling each recorded one.

The squad’s bullpen did fall into some trouble. In Reading’s loss on June 25, it allowed three runs in the bottom of the eighth to flip a 4-3 advantage into a 6-4 deficit. On June 27, a walk-off three-run home run broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the ninth. Outside of the two blunders, the Fightin Phils secured four victories each in save opportunities.

McCollum entered for the four-out save in the series opener and allowed no hits to seal the deal. In a tight 1-0 game on June 26, Walling struck out two and left the tying run on third base. McCollum held down the final two innings in Saturday’s two-run win and Bechtold recorded four outs Sunday to close the door.

Reading’s bullpen impressed throughout the week as Mitch Neunborn pitched 4.0 scoreless innings and McCollum did the same in 3.1 innings, emerging as a strong suit of the roster entering July.

The Fightin Phils return to the field on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the Somerset Patriots. Pregame radio coverage is underway at 6:45 p.m. on the Reading Fightin Phils Radio Network. A video stream is available via MiLB TV or the Bally Live App.

The Fightin Phils return home from Tuesday, July 1, through Thursday, July 3, against the Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. On Tuesday, the first 1,500 adults (21 & older) receive a Yuengling R-Phils T-Shirt. Wednesday is a Tribute to Disney Princesses where fans can come to the game dressed as their favorite Disney princess. The homestand ends Thursday with a Stars and Stripes Celebration and a Carpenter MEGA Blast, the largest fireworks show in stadium history, presented by The Pennsylvania Lottery. Tickets are available at rphils.com/tickets, by calling 610-370-BALL or at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.

The 2025 R-Phils season is presented by Pepsi. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter @ReadingFightins, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Instagram @Fightins.