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A top pitching prospect has just enough to help the Phillies squeeze out a 4-3 victory over Portland.

By RICH SCARCELLA, Special to the Press Herald July 28, 2009

READING, Pa. — The Portland Sea Dogs refused to serve as props in the Kyle Drabek Show.

Despite a 4-3 loss Monday night at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Sea Dogs hit the Philadelphia Phillies' top pitching prospect hard. Although Drabek posted his seventh win in eight Double-A decisions, four of Portland's seven hits against him went for extra bases.

"That's baseball," Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "We squared some balls up.

"It was exciting to see him pitch. We were looking forward to seeing him throw. Our guys stepped up and played a pretty good ballgame."

With scouts from Toronto and Cleveland watching Drabek, Portland's Ryan Kalish belted a home run onto the roof of the pool pavilion beyond the right-field fence with one out in the first inning. It was only the fourth homer Drabek has allowed this season.

"When he threw strikes, we hit him," Beyeler said. "He tried to establish his fastball early. We're a fastball-hitting team. He brought out the curveball about the third inning.

"We swung the bat well. He pitched well. He got the outs. That's what it's all about."

Drabek, the Phillies' No. 1 pick in 2006, wasn't as dominant as last week at Altoona when he limited the Curve to two runs on six hits in eight innings in his only Double-A road start.

When Drabek left Monday's game with a 4-2 lead after striking out five and walking none, so did the Toronto scouts. He showed why the Blue Jays insist he be part of a trade for Roy Halladay, one of the best pitchers in the major leagues.

The Phillies have refused to part with him.

"It's real nice knowing they like me here," Drabek said. "I like being here."

Reading answered in the second against left-hander Felix Doubront when Gus Milner beat out an infield single to score Kevin Mahar, who led off with a walk. The Phillies added a run in the third when Jeremy Slayden snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a double that scored Tim Kennelly.

The Sea Dogs tied it in the fifth inning when Yamaico Navarro tripled to left-center field and scored on Reid Engel's grounder to first.

The Phillies regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Kennelly walked and scored on Slayden's second double.

Doubront was coming off a seven-inning shutout against New Britain, the first of his career, when he struck out a season-high 10 and walked none. He allowed three or fewer earned runs for the 17th time in 19 outings, but he left after five innings trailing, 3-2.

He suffered his first loss since May 5, allowing three runs, four hits and four walks.

"Felix didn't do what we needed him to do tonight," Beyeler said. "He was getting into some deep counts. He didn't look very aggressive on the mound.

"He kept us in the game. He made some pitches. He didn't make the big pitch when he needed to make them."

The Phillies added a run in the seventh when Neil Sellers doubled off the wall in left-center, scoring Kennelly.

The Sea Dogs scored a run in the eighth off reliever Jason Mackintosh and had the bases loaded with two outs. But reliever Francisco Butto got Navarro to pop out, ending the threat.