The Harrisburg Senators are rolling into Game 4 at FNB Field with the series already tilted their way. They’ve won two straight to grab a 2-1 lead over the Reading Fightin Phils, and they’ve also taken control of the season series, 6-3.
Harrisburg sits three games behind Erie in the Eastern League’s Southwest Division standings, and with a win tonight - plus a Chesapeake loss - the Senators could move within a half-game of second place. Reading, meanwhile, comes in a game back of Portland in the Northeast Division standings.
Tonight’s pitching matchup puts Washington Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin back on the mound for his second rehab outing with Harrisburg. He’s working back from a shoulder injury, and his first appearance in town five days ago was sharp: 4 2/3 innings, one hit allowed, five strikeouts.
Across his two rehab appearances, opposing hitters are batting .067 against him. The expectation is that Irvin will be stretched out to somewhere in the 55-70 pitch range.
Reading will answer with Adam Seminaris, who has been one of the hotter arms in the mix lately. He’s won five of his last six starts and has gone fewer than five innings only once in that stretch.
In his last outing against Altoona, he gave up eight hits but limited the damage to two runs and still came away with the win. That makes him a tricky assignment for a Senators lineup that has found its rhythm over the last two games.
The atmosphere should match the moment. It’s Friday night baseball and fireworks on City Island, with a local opponent and a Major League rehab start adding even more energy around the ballpark. First pitch is set for 7 o’clock, and the Reading lineup is set with Bryan Rincon at shortstop, Pedro Leon in center, Raylin Heredia in right, Alex Binelas at first, Aroon Escobar at second, Luke Ritter at third, Kehden Hettiger at designated hitter, Riley Tirotta in left and Jordan Dissin behind the plate.
Harrisburg is coming off back-to-back dominant nights, and the offense did its part again after putting up 11 hits last night to follow Wednesday afternoon’s 15-hit outburst. That’s 26 hits over the last two games, and the Senators are looking for that kind of production to keep showing up.
The lineup had plenty of contributors, but Caleb Farmer was the headline act, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and three RBIs. Cortland Lawson added three hits, a run scored and two RBIs, while six other Harrisburg hitters picked up one hit apiece.
Ethan Petry was the only Senator who didn’t record a hit for the second night in a row.
The pitching was just as clean. Starter Issac Lyon worked seven innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out five.
Chance Huff and Connor Van Scoyoc handled the bullpen work, and Lyon picked up his third win in his last four tries as he continues to establish himself in the rotation. The end result was a 10-0 win over Reading, Harrisburg’s second straight 10-run victory against the Fightin Phils.
Game 5 is set for tomorrow evening at FNB Field, with the Senators turning to Josh Randall after his strong four-inning relief outing on Sunday afternoon. Reading will counter with Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Gage Wood, setting up another pitching matchup that should draw plenty of attention on City Island. First pitch is scheduled for 6 o’clock.
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