Wood Fans Six In Fightins’ 2-1 Defeat

BOX SCORE

(Portland, ME) - The Reading Fightin Phils (20-23) dropped a 2-1 pitcher’s duel to the Portland Sea Dogs (21-21) at Hadlock Field on Friday night.

Philadelphia Phillies’ no. 2 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) Gage Wood made his Double-A debut in the outing, logging six strikeouts over three frames of work. This is Reading’s fourth consecutive loss, tying a season-high from when they started the 2026 campaign out at 0-4.

Red Sox top prospect Franklin Arias (9) got the party started, slugging a solo home run to center field off of Wood. This gave the Sea Dogs a 1-0 advantage through the first half frame.

Wood ended up striking out a pair of hitters to finish out the first, and he would do the exact same in the second and third innings. The 2025 first round pick finished his outing at 56 pitches, as his fastball lived between 95-96 miles per hour.

Arias (10) struck again in the fifth inning, this time pelting a long ball off of Jack Dallas. This solo shot, Arias’ second of the evening, doubled Portland’s lead to 2-0 after five frames.

The Fightin Phils snapped a 19-inning scoreless streak in the top of the seventh, thanks to an extra base hit and some productive hitting to follow. Bryson Ware, pinch-hitting for Bryan Rincon, swatted his first triple of the season off of Portland reliever Caleb Bolden. Aroon Escobar followed up with an RBI groundout, driving in his 26th run of the season.

Alex Binelas drew a walk in the top of the ninth, but Reading would strand its seventh runner of the evening en route to the defeat.

John Holobetz (2-3) earned the win, as he tossed six shutout innings with six strikeouts. This was the third time this season that Holobetz went at least six frames. It was his first shutout start since his 2026 debut back on April 4.

Wood (0-1) got the loss despite turning in an impressive debut line. The 22-year-old righty spun three innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits while striking out six hitters. The Arkansas alum now has 46 strikeouts over just 29.1 innings pitched between time at Low-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading.

Reidis Sena (3) got the save, working around a one-out walk to set the Fightins bats down.

With the loss, the Fightin Phils find themselves at fifth place in the Eastern League-Northeast Standings. The Sea Dogs hold the third place spot, as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats continue to lead the way with the first half of the Double-A season concluding on June 26.

The Fightin Phils return to the field on Saturday against the Portland Sea Dogs, Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, at 1 p.m. LHP Adam Seminaris is set to start for Reading, and he will go opposite RHP Jedixson Perez for Portland. A video stream is available via MiLB TV or the Bally Live App.

The Fightin Phils return home from Tuesday, May 26, through Sunday, May 31, against the Harrisburg Senators, Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Tuesday and Wednesday are both Education Day Games, presented by Baseballtown Charities and MLB Play Ball. On Thursday, the first 2,000 kids (12 & under) receive a Hersheypark Admission Ticker. Friday features fireworks, thanks to Vertex Mechanical. Saturday showcases a Mega Blast Fireworks show, sponsored by Countryside, as well as an appearance from Joey Chestnut. The series ends on Sunday with an R-Phils 6-7 T-Shirt, thanks to Custom T-Shirts Ink.

Tickets to all games are available at rphils.com/tickets, by calling 610-370-BALL, or in-person at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.

The 2026 R-Phils season is presented by Pepsi. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter @ReadingFightins, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Instagram @Fightins.