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Phillies Minor League Report: Jesse Biddle has rough outing for Reading

Jesse Biddle. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)
Jesse Biddle. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)Read more

Here's a rundown on how the Phillies' minor league teams fared on Friday, May 9:

Lehigh Valley IronPigs – Triple A

Despite five runs batted in from catcher Sebastian Valle, the IronPigs were narrowly defeated by the Gwinnett Braves, 9-8, Friday at Coca-Cola Field in Allentown.

The IronPigs entered the eighth inning leading the Braves by a score of 8-6, but the Lehigh Valley bullpen let up three runs during the final two innings, which gave Gwinnett the win and ended Lehigh Valley's brief two-game winning streak.

The debuting Ken Giles impressed fans by showcasing velocity in his fastball, but gave up the first run in the Gwinnett rally. Giles was on the mound for only one frame and gave up only one hit.

The next two runs came off Seth Rosin during the ninth inning. Starter Greg Smith posted a rocky outing, giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two home runs during five innings of work. The Braves recorded 11 hits total and plated nine runs despite going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

The Lehigh Valley bats matched Gwinnett with 11 hits, eight of which came courtesy of second baseman Tyler Henson, third baseman Maikel Franco, right fielder Leandro Castro and Valle, who all recorded two hits apiece.

Besides Valle's five RBI, Castro drove in two runs while drove in one.

The IronPigs will try to make up for their series-opening loss at 6:35 p.m. Saturday. Barry Enright (0-2, 5.22 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for Lehigh Valley.

Reading Fightin Phils – Double A

A rough outing from pitcher Jesse Biddle contributed to the Fightin Phils losing their fourth game in five days, 8-2, to the Trenton Thunder at Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton, N.J.

Biddle tossed 5 1/3 innings where he allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks. However, he did manage toe strikeout six batters. The loss for Biddle dropped his record to 3-4.

The Fightin Phils struggled from the plate as well, as they only recorded six hits and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Since defeating the Harrisburg Senators, 15-2, back on May 4, the Fightin Phils have plated more than three runs only once — an 8-3 win over the Portland Sea Dogs May 7.

On the bright side, six different players recorded all six of Reading's hits. Third baseman Cesar Hernandez and first baseball Brock Stassi drove in the only runs for the Fightin Phils.

The Fightin Phils will attempt to shake off their recent rut when they at 7:05 p.m. Saturday against the Thunder. Mike Nesseth (0-2, 10.80) is scheduled to start for Reading.

Clearwater Threshers – Class A-Advanced

A seventh-inning solo homer from shortstop KC Serna lifted the Threshers to a 2-1 victory over the Dunedin Blue Jays Friday at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Florida.

The Threshers entered the frame tied with the Blue Jays at 2. After Nick Ferdinand struck out, Serna picked a very good time to hit his first home run of the season. It was also Serna's (1-for-4)

After Serna gave Clearwater the lead on the offensive end, Jeb Stefan and Jordan Guth secured the win for the team on the mound. Stefan tossed 2 1/3 innings where he gave up one hit and struck out two batters. His efforts earned him the win. Guth picked up his first save of the season as well.

Despite only plating two runs, the Threshers recorded 11 hits. Leading the way was center fielder Peter Lavin, as he finished 3-for-4. Left fielder Darin Ruf, first baseman Art Charles and second baseman Anthony Phillips all recorded two hits apiece.

Starting pitcher Luis Paulino posted a strong outing, as he surrendered only one run on two hits in five innings of action.

The Threshers will try to even up their four-game series at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Bright House Field in Clearwater. Ethan Stewart (2-2, 3.23 ERA) will take the hill for Clearwater.

Lakewood BlueClaws – Class A

The BlueClaws held a 2-0 lead over the Kannapolis Intimidators in the bottom of the fourth inning Friday, but the game was called due to fog at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood Township, N.J.

Since it was the teams' last meeting during the first half of the season, and the game wasn't official at the time of the stoppage, the game will not be made up and none of the statistics from it will count.

This is the second time a BlueClaws game was called due to fog. The previous occurrence was back on June 13, 2009.

The BlueClaws are scheduled to be back in action at 7:05 p.m. Saturday when they face the Delmarva Shorebirds at Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Md. Alejandro Arteaga is scheduled to start for Lakewood.