The Result
Phillies - 8 to 7

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
13 wins - 20 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing rightfield
Batting #3

At the end of the Game
1 hit from 2 at-bats - home run, 3 x RBI's, 2 x runs scored, 3 x walks

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runners at second and third base - none down
Ball - fast ball - up and away
Ball - high and away
"...and there it goes!!!"
HOME RUN
......and 3 x RBI's (click here for all the home run details)
And here is what the game commentator said -
"a towering three run shot by Roneberg"
"a no-doubter over the 'VIP' sign in right-centrefield"
"that was all on it's own merits as there is no wind assistance at Hadlock Field tonight"
"went over the three levels of signage plus the 'VIP' sign"
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Ball - high
Foul ball - back
Ball - low
Ball - away
Ball low
Walk
Went to second base on a ground out
Scored on a hit
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at third base - two down
Called strike
Ball - outside
Ball - outside
Ball - way outside
Ball - way outside again
Walk
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Ball - low and inside
Foul ball - off the end of the bat and down the third base line
Ball - outside
Popped-up down the leftfield line and the fielder came in to make the catch
Out F7
Fifth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - two down
"...and Roneberg is going to get a free pass here and you can't really blame the Phillies"
Intentional walk
Left stranded at the end of the innings

Hitting Streak
The hit in Brett's first at-bat extended his hitting streak, and the commentator gave the following details and information
(1) The streak has now reached 17 games
(2) It is the 6th longest in Sea Dogs history
(3) It is the longest by a Sea Dog player since 1998
AND
(4) At 17 games, it is the longest 'active' hitting streak in all of professional baseball - both the Majors and the Minors - at the present time!!!
(5) It is the longest streak in the Eastern League this season
(6) There has been a 19 game streak in the Major Leagues earlier this year

Heard during the game
N/A

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports
Dogs end up in a fog

With the boss in town, watching and taking notes, the Portland Sea Dogs made it look easy early.

Portland took a 5-0 lead and Abe Alvarez had a no-hitter through four innings.

"We were cruising there for a while," Sea Dogs catcher Jeff Bailey said.

But the cruise stopped when the Reading Phillies began coming back on a chilly, foggy Friday night.

Reading scored two runs in the ninth inning to cap its rally, in an 8-7 win over the Sea Dogs, before 5,957 at Hadlock Field.

Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein was in attendance, eyeing his prospects, especially his 2003 second-round draft pick, Alvarez, the touted left-hander.

Alvarez pitched no-hit ball for four innings, before allowing four hits and five runs (four earned) in the next two frames.

"He was just mixing it up a lot," said Bailey, as Alvarez struck out six with his blend of fastballs, change-ups and curves.

After Alvarez, Portland Manager Ron Johnson rolled out three relievers, as the fog rolled in, trying to contain the Phillies (12-21).

With Portland up 7-6, Joe Nelson (2-2) started the ninth with a walk to Scott Youngbauer.
Danny Gonzalez then dropped a bunt to third baseman John Hattig.
Hattig tried to make the play at second, but his throw was just off the glove of shortstop Kenny Perez.
Youngbauer went to third, and Gonzalez ended up on second.
Jim Deschaine tied the game with his sacrifice fly to left.
With two outs, John Castellano doubled in the winning run, with a liner to right field.

The Sea Dogs (13-20) slowly shuffled back to the locker room, as Johnson vowed that his last-place team would improve.

"We are going to deal with this," he said.
"We're going to get it right. We're going to find a way to turn it around. I really believe we will."

Johnson can take solace that his team is hitting the ball, especially against Reading starter Gavin Floyd, who entered the game with a 0.93 ERA.
Floyd is the No. 2 Phillies prospect, according to Baseball America, and received a $4.2-million signing bonus as the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft.

After seven Floyd pitches Friday, Portland led 3-0.
Jesus Medrano led off with a single off the Monster.
Raul Nieves doubled down the right-field line.
And Brett Roneberg cleared the bases with a towering shot in the trees beyond the right-field wall.

"When we were able to come out and do what we did against him, I was ecstatic," Johnson said.
"It was unfortunate to have that type of effort and not hold on to win."

Roneberg, who extended his hitting streak to 17 games, was one of the offensive standouts.
He walked three times, once intentionally.

Mike O'Keefe went 4 for 5 and Medrano, Nieves and Bailey all recorded two-hit games.

In the third inning, Floyd walked the first two batters.
They scored on RBI hits by Hattig and Bailey for a 5-0 lead.

Castellano led off the Reading fifth by reaching on Hattig's error at third base.
Kurt Keene then broke up the no-hitter with an infield single up the middle.
Miguel Quintana's two-run triple and a groundout RBI made it 5-3.

Portland scored two in the fifth on O'Keefe's RBI single and a throwing error.

Alvarez gave up a two-run homer to Keene over the Monster in the sixth.

Reading scored in the seventh on a walk and two singles, off reliever Colin Young, to close to 7-6.

Then came the ninth and the Sea Dogs hung their heads.

"That was a tough one to take," Johnson said.

Eastern League Game Summary - Reading at Portland

John Castellano's two-out double in the top of the ninth inning rallied the Reading Phillies to an 8-7 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs Friday night.

Martire Franco earned the win with two innings of shutout relief to raise his record to 3-2, and Eude Brito closed out the game to record his second save.

Joe Nelson took the loss and dropped to 2-2.

Portland would jump on Phillies ace and the league's ERA leader, Gavin Floyd (0.93), for five runs and seven hits in four innings of work.

Brett Roneberg gave the Sea Dogs an early 3-0 lead with a three-run homer in the first inning, his seventh of the season.

They tacked on two more in the third to take a 5-0 lead.

The Phillies cut into that lead with three runs in the fifth, keyed by Miguel Quintana's two-run triple.

The Sea Dogs came right back with two of their own in their half, but the Phillies would return the favor in the sixth on a two-run homer by Kurt Keene, his fourth of the year.

The Phillies would pull to within a run in the seventh on Jim Deshaine's RBI single before pulling the game out in the ninth.

Reading improves to 12-21, while Portland suffered their third straight loss and fell to 13-20.

PORTLAND FAILS TO HOLD 5-RUN LEAD, LOSES 8-7
Reading Scored 2 Unearned Runs in 9th to Shock Sea Dogs

John Castellano's RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning scored the winning run, capping a five-run comeback as Reading stunned the Portland Sea Dogs, 8-7 Friday night before 5,957 fans at Hadlock Field.

Portland led 5-0 after three innings on a Brett Roneberg's three-run homer in the first inning and two runs in the third inning.

Roneberg's home run extended his hit streak to 17 games.

But Reading scored eight runs in the final five frames, helped out by four Sea Dog walk and two errors - which led to three unearned runs.

In the ninth, closer Joe Nelson walked Scott Youngbauer to start the inning.
Kenny Perez then dropped a throw to second base on a bunt attempt, and runners were at second and third base.
A sacrifice fly by Jim Deschaine set up Castellano's game-winner.

Mike O'Keefe went 4-for-5 with an RBI to pace the Sea Dogs offense.

The Sea Dogs continue the series Saturday afternoon.