Friday, July 31, 2009

Clippers top Pigs in 10

The Columbus Clippers scored in the 10th inning to give themselves a 5-4 win in Allentown on Thursday. With former IronPigs Jason Donald and Lou Marson both in the starting line-up for Columbus, it was easy to have mixed emotions. Forget that, I was rooting for my guys!! Jason and Lou each had a single and a walk, Lou scoring a run in their first win with their new team.

Drew Carpenter went the first 5 for Lehigh Valley and gave up just 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks. Francisco Butto suffered through 1.2 inning, giving up 3 runs, and despite 2 shut out frames from Alex Concepcion, the IronPigs 7-game home winning streak was over.

Michael Taylor had a single and a double and continues to adjust to his new league.

In case you missed it, tonight Pedro Martinez for the Pigs v Carlos Carrasco for Columbus.

Byrd unflappable

Darren Byrd quietly continues to impress, throwing 8 shut out innings against the Miracle in Clearwater's 2-0 win. Byrd (4-3) has now thrown 19 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. Freddy Galvis' 2-out, 2-run single in the bottom of the 8th was the game winner.

Not to be outdone, Vance Worley led the Reading Phillies to a 2-0 win over Portland in Baseballtown. Worley improved to 7-8, 5.11 on the year by tossing 6 shut out innings allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks. Scott Mathieson (6 up, 6 down, 3K) continues his comeback, and combined with Sergio Escalona (3 up, 3 down, 2K, save #11) to throw perfect relief. Jeremy Slayden (.298) had a single and his 9th home run to lead the Reading attack. Quintin Berry had a single, a walk, and stole his Eastern League leading 38th base.

Floyd unlucky

In Chicago Thursday night, Gavin Floyd shook off a 66-minute rain delay at the start of the game and then threw 7.2 innings, allowing the Yankees just 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10 in the process. He left the game with a 2-1 advantage, but it evaporated when Nick Swisher homered off of Thornton with 2 out in the 9th. Floyd stays at 8-6 for the year.

In Portland, Randy Ruiz belted his 23rd home run, a 2-run shot in the 3rd inning of Las Vegas' 6-1 win over the Beavers. Randy has a Pacific Coast League-leading 93 RBI, and his .322 average is good for 8th in the league. Kevin Howard (.295) had a double, a walk, and scored a run for the 51s.

In Mobile, Brian Schlitter recorded the last 5 outs of the game to notch his 14th save of the year for the Tennessee Smokies in their 5-2 win over the Bay Bears. In Altoona, Mike Dubee pitched a scoreless inning in Altoona's 2-1 win in the first game of a doubleheader against Binghamton. For Dubee, it was his 4th "hold" in 15 appearances covering 20.2 innings of work, since his promotion from Lynchburg. He is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA and a save.

My apologies- I overlooked the promotion of Zack Segovia early this month from Harrisburg to Syracuse. Zack has been in 10 games at Syracuse, pitching 11 innings and giving up just 1 run on 8 hits. He has walked 3 and struck out 14, posting a 0.82 ERA. I also missed that Ron "Bear" Hill was released by the Marlins.

Speaking of the Marlins, they continue the transformation of Brett Harker to the rotation. Brett is getting stretched out and is going longer and getting results. He is 4-2 with a 2.73 for Jupiter in 19 appearances, 11 of those starts.

TONIGHT IN ALLENTOWN

Pedro Martinez will start for the IronPigs and Carlos Carrasco will make his debut for the Clippers against his former teammates!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Marson, Donald in line up tonight

Lou Marson and Jason Donald are both in the line up tonight for Columbus against Lehigh Valley, and will get to face Drew Carpenter!!

R-Phils, Threshers win

Reading has seen an influx of players the last few days. Mike Spidale has been reassigned from Lehigh Valley, Scott Mathieson has made the step up from Clearwater on his rehab journey, replacing Jason Mackintosh, who went on the DL, and with Kevin Nelson going up to AAA to take Lou Marson's roster spot with the IronPigs, Orlando Guevara has joined the team.

There was also a game last night and Reading hung on for a 6-5 win over Portland. Mike Stutes was the starter and battled his way through 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, receiving no decision. Chance Chapman got the victory, and is now 5-1 and seems to have settled in. Sergio Escalona got 5 outs, recording a "hold", and Mike Zagurski got his 8th save, despite giving up a 2-run homer to Portland's Jon Still in the 9th.

Brian Staviski (.273) had a double, 2 home runs, a walk, 2 RBI, and scored 4 runs to lead the Phillies. Reading is 57-46, tied for a playoff spot with Erie, half a game ahead of Bowie.

In Clearwater, the Threshers defeated the Mets, 4-3 behind 8 strong innings from Drew Naylor. Drew picked up his 6th win of the year, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, all the runs scoring on 2 home runs, and struck out 9 on the day. The Threshers had 7 hits from 7 different players, with Steve Susdorf's 8th inning single bringing home Arlon Quiroz with the game winning run.

Clearwater is now 17-14 in the second half (49-48 overall), 4.5 games behind Tampa.

Despite home runs from Travis d'Arnaud and Anthony Gose, and another good outing from Jesus Sanchez, the Lakewood BlueClaws dropped the finale of their road trip, 6-5 to Greenville after having established a 5-1 advantage. Sanchez was excellent for 5, but ran into trouble in the 6th and was eventually charged with 3 runs. Jordan Ellis had a rough go of it, allowing 3 runs in just 1.2 innings of work to suffer his 2nd defeat of the year. Harold Garcia had 2 hits for the BlueClaws, and stole his 32nd base. Gose stole his 57th, and is poised to break the record on the upcoming 9-game home stand!!

Lakewood is now 18-15 in the second half, in the middle of a free-for-all in the Northern Division in which 7 teams are within 3 games of each other, and will have an off-day today, opening a series with Hickory on Friday.

the morning after...............

I have had some time to think this over and here are the points that come to my mind.

1-The HomeSide wishes the 4 traded players nothing but the best, and will continue to root for them as Indians. Carlos Carrasco and Lou Marson were part of our 2006 BlueClaws championship, Jason Donald played here for 8 weeks at the start of 2007, but in the end, was part of Clearwater's championship team. Jason Knapp has given me many thrills this season. He tied the BlueClaws record when he struck out 14 against Lake County on April 21, and has become more consistent as the year went on. He has been assigned to Lake County, but has not been activated. He has some shoulder soreness in his pitching shoulder, which is reasonably. It has been a long season for a young arm.

To all 4 of these young men, thank you for the opportunity to see you play, and for playing hard when I did. Now, the opportunity is yours. Go get them, boys!!!

2-This is probably a good deal for Carrasco, Donald and Marson, who could all get September call-ups (Carlos and Lou have been put on the 40-man roster), and should all 3 get a long look in March in spring training.

3-This is definitely a good deal for the Phillies. They have put themselves in a good position to make a run at back-to-back titles, something not done by a National League team since the Big Red Machine in 75 and 76. A franchise does not often get this chance, and it is worth the price when you are there. To accomplish this, and NOT give up Happ, Drabek or Brown, gets a thumbs up here.

4-This is a good deal for the HomeSide. The Indians have teams in the Eastern League and the International League, so their affiliates are easy to go to see. (Toronto's AAA team is in Las Vegas) We have also now infiltrated another organization. Another management team to acquaint ourselves with in an attempt to understand the game plan they ascribe to.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

done deal

The deal is done. The Phillies have traded Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Lou Marson and Jason Knapp to the Cleveland Indians for Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco.

Carrasco, Marson and Donald could all be in uniform for their new team Thursday, because the team is the Columbus Clippers, currently in Allentown playing the IronPigs. And if Jason Knapp is assigned to the Lake County Captains, he could start against Lakewood on the next home stand.

Tribe wants Knapp

According to Ken Rosenthal on FoxSports, Jason Knapp is the centerpiece of a deal with the Indians for Cliff Lee. The deal for Halladay looking dead, the Phillies have been toying with an offer of Knapp, Carrasco, Marson, and Donald to the Indians for Lee.

Carrasco scratched

Carlos Carrasco has been scratched from his scheduled start in the 11:00 AM game at Coca Cola Park in Lehigh Valley. Neither Jason Donald or Lou Marson is in the line-up either. Could this mean we will get a trade announcement? Cliff Lee of Cleveland is the lastest hot topic.

Jake Woods, who threw 3 innings Saturday, is getting the spot start.

Cisco shines

Another fine pitching performance to report from Clearwater, where Mike Cisco threw a brilliant 7 innings yielding just 2 hits, NO walks, and no runs, striking out 8. Cisco is now 7-3, 3.31 since starting his season late. There was much breath-holding in the 9th as Carlos Monasterios gave up 3 runs, but did not break, and the Threshers took a 4-3 win over St Lucie.

Dominic Brown (.310) and Cody Overbeck (double, RBI) had 2 hits each for the Threshers, and Javis Diaz stole 2 more bases, giving him 22 on the year.

Clearwater seems to have righted the ship, improving to 16-14 in the second half, 4.5 games behind first-place Tampa.

In Greenville, it was a day game on a hot day!! The Drive defeated the BlueClaws 8-1, roughing up Freddy Ballestas and Eryk McConnell for all 8 runs over 6 innings. Lakewood got 3 hits and 2 steals from T.J. Warren and Travis d'Arnaud broke a 2 for 17 stretch with 2 singles in 3 at bats. Lakewood is now 5-2 on this trip and will try to win the series tonight. Jesus Sanchez (7-5) gets the ball.

Savery loses 3rd straight

After a 12-1 first half that resulted in a start in the Eastern League All-Star Game, Joe Savery has now lost 3 straight starts in the second half, the latest a 12-1 defeat at the hands of the Portland Sea Dogs in Reading Tuesday. It was not as bad as it sounds for Joe, who only gave up 3 runs over 5 innings before the defense imploded. Half of the 12 runs were UNearned.

Neil Sellers had 3 hits for Reading, Tim Kennelly had a hit and threw out a runner on the bases, and Quintin Berry had a hit and stole #37.

Reading is now 56-46, and 1 game out of a playoff spot. It will be exciting in Baseballtown for the rest of the summer.

Donald returns

Jason Donald played his first game since June 11 Tuesday night in Allentown and smacked a single and a double in the IronPigs' 4-2 win over Columbus. The Toronto Blue Jays did have a scout in the stands watching the IronPigs, presumably to see how Donald looked and to get another peek at Michael Taylor, who they are still considering taking in any deal for Roy Halladay. Taylor was 0 for 2, with a walk and a hit by pitch. Lou Marson (.294) also had a single and scored a run for Lehigh. Lou has been hot since coming off the DL. Alex Concepcion made his 2nd appearance for the Pigs, picking up a "hold" , despite allowing a run on 3 hits over 2 innings.

The IronPigs are 50-53 on the year, and 6.5 games out of the wild card playoff spot.

Bourn sparks 'Stros

Michael Bourn had 3 singles and a walk and scored 3 runs as the Astros ended the Cubs 5-game winning streak with an 11-6 win at Wrigley Field Tuesday night. Mike is hitting .288 with a league leading 37 steals.

In the meantime, since the Pirates have activated Ryan Doumit off the DL, Jason Jaramillo has not seen the light of day. JJ has not played since July 7, after playing 45 games in the first half for the Pirates. Jason is hitting . 255 with 11 doubles, 3 home runs and 19 RBI in his rookie season.

R.J. Swindle got into Milwaukee's game Monday night, allowing a run over 2 innings of work. RJ has been spectacular in AAA, posting a 1.03 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP for the Nashville Sounds. He has struggled a little in the National League, this is his 3rd call-up this year.

In Phoenix Tuesday, Cole Hamels continues his return to form, throwing 8 great innings at the Diamondbacks. Cole gave up just 1 run on 4 hits, NO walks, striking out 9 in the process. And the way Brad Lidge gave the entire dugout frayed nerves, allowing a 2 runs, maybe manager Charlie Manuel lets Cole finish his own games from now on!! Lidge gave up 2 runs, and Philadelphia won, 4-3. For Lidge, it was save #20, but his ERA is still 7.11 for the year.

Hamels improves to 7-5 on the year.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Cloyd, De Fratus, and Drabek

If Monday night is any indication, Kyle Drabek should not be traded. I know it is only AA, but the more they showcase him, the more the Phillies should say, NO WAY. Another solid 7 innings in Baseballtown for Drabek, 2 runs, 7 hits, NO walks, 5 Ks, to improve to 7-1 with Reading, 11-2 overall this year. I remember Kyle when he was here (with Lakewood) 2 years ago, and when I see him now, he is much more mature, both physically and mentally.

Jeremy Slayden had 2 doubles and 2 RBI, and Neil Sellers and Kevin Nelson added 2 hits each as the R-Phils beat Portland, 4-3. Gus Milner added a hit and an RBI, and Chance Chapman notched his first Reading save!

Tyler Cloyd picked up the game started Pedro Martinez Sunday, and got through 5.2 more innings. He allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits, 1 walk to win his 2nd straight start by the score of 4-2 over the St Lucie Mets, in the first game of a doubleheader. Edgar Garcia started the 2nd game and pitched well for 3 innings before running out of gas. He pitched to 2 hitters in the 4th, both of whom reached base, and eventually scored. The staff will try to stretch Edgar out a little longer the next time out.

Dominic Brown was the hitting star once again. Dominic (.305) had 2 hits, including a home run, in EACH game, and has come off the DL with a vengeance!! He scored 4 times on Monday, exactly half of Clearwater's runs in their sweep. Steve Susdorf (.403) was 4 for 6 and a walk, knocking in 2 runs. Matt Rizzotti (.248) had a single, 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 3 RBI.

Justin De Fratus won his 2nd straight start also on Monday, defeating the Greenville Drive, 3-1. Justin went a strong 7, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, winning his 5th decision of the year. Jordan Ellis and B.J. Rosenberg threw a scoreless inning each to finish it off! (24.1 innings in a row for BJ)

The BlueClaws scored all their runs on a home run by Jim Murphy in the second, and a 2-run home shot by Travis d'Arnaud in the third. It was the 11th home run of the year for each, and they remain tied for the team lead. Travis leads the RBI race 55-50 over Jim.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Brummett bumped; Garcia sighted

Tyson Brummett has been reassigned to Lehigh Valley and will start tonight's game for the IronPigs in Gwinnett. Tim Hudson of Atlanta is also in Gwinnett tonight and will start for the Braves. Brummett has been called in to make Kyle Kendrick's scheduled start, with Kyle being called up to Philadelphia over the weekend.

Edgar Garcia has made an appearance in Clearwater. Papaerwork problems solved, Edgar has arrived and will go in the second game of tonight's doubleheader in Clearwater. There was apparently a discrepency in Edgar's date of birth on his papers. At least he still has the same name!!

Sunday's best

Could it be that one of the reasons the Phillies are throwing around names like Carrasco, Happ, and Drabek in the trade talks is because they have a sleeper? Yohan Flande, no secret to the HomeSide, won his first game for Reading Sunday with 6.1 shut out innings against Bowie. Flande, who won 7 games for Clearwater before being promoted, allowed just 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7 in Reading's 2-0 win over the BaySox. Sergio Escalona and Mike Zagurski got 4 outs each to complete the whitewash. Jeremy Slayden and Gus Milner picked up the RBIs for the R-Phils. Quintin Berry had 2 of the 5 Reading hits, and stole #36.

Down in South Carolina, the BlueClaws made it 4 out of 5 on the road trip with a 5-2 win over the Drive in Greenville. Trevor May is getting better and better, this time going 5 innings and allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks, striking out 9 to improve to 2-1, 2.88 for the season in his 8 games with the 'Claws. Ryan Bergh gave up the runs in his inning, although 1 of 2 was unearned, but Jacob Diekman and B.J. Rosenberg both threw scoreless relief. For Rosenberg, he is up to 23.1 innings having not allowed an earned run.

Jim Murphy (.288, 10th HR, 2 singles, 2 runs, RBI), Vladimir De Los Santos (3 singles, run, RBI) and Troy Hanzawa (.291, 2 singles, double, run, RBI) had 3 hits each for Lakewood and no one else got any!! Usually that is not good enough to win, but this team is finding ways to get the job done.

The Threshers were rained out after Pedro Martinez started for them Sunday against St Lucie. Pedro got out of the first inning unscathed and got the first out in the second before the game was called. The teams will try to make it up before tonight's regular game.

Randy Ruiz (.326) had a single, a double and a walk and 2 RBI (that's 91) for Las Vegas in their 14-9 loss to Tacoma. Elizardo Ramirez went 7 strong innings in Oklahoma City, leading the RedHawks to a n 11-1 win over Nashville. "Easy" is now 7-7 on the year, with a 4.08 ERA.

Swindel back in the majors

The Milwaukee Brewers called up R.J. Swindel for the third time this year today. He has pitched 2.2 innings in 3 games, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Jays turn down Phillies counter-offer

It appears the Phillies will part with J.A. Happ OR Kyle Drabek, but not both. The Blue Jays asked for Happ, Drabek and Dominic Brown. Today the Phillies countered, offering Happ, Carlos Carrasco, Michael Taylor AND Jason Donald.

The Jays said no,thank you!!

Talks are ongoing.

Kendrick, Concepcion up, Escalona, Carpenter down

With Clay Condrey being placed on the 15-day DL, the Phillies have brought up Kyle Kendrick to take his place on the roster. Drew Carpenter has been sent back to the IronPigs with reliever Steven Register getting the call-up. Also Alex Concepcion has been promoted to Lehigh Valley and Sergio Escalona has been reassigned to Reading.

The IronPigs scored 3 in the 10th on Saturday to take an 8-5 win over the Braves in Gwinnett. Concepcion made his AAA debut as Lehigh had a "bullpen" game. Alex came into the game in the 4th inning and went 3 frames, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk, striking out 3. Pat Overholt followed, throwing a scoreless inning, striking out 2 in the process.

As for Reading, in a game mercifully shortened by lightning, the BaySox pounded Vance Worley for 9 runs in 3.1 innings en route to a 12-2 win. Newly acquired Tristan Crawford came next, and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits in just 2.1 innings, before Escalona came on for the last out before the weather ended the game. The R-Phils got just 4 hits, one was a double by Brad Harman.

The Threshers did get 6 hits, but wasted a great effort from Jon Velasquez, losing to Port Charlotte, 2-1. Jon went 6 innings, and gave up just 2 UNearned runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, and although he fell to 1-3 with Clearwater, his ERA is a sparkling 2.08. Chris Kissock threw the final 2 innings, retiring all 6 hitters he faced, 4 by K.

The BlueClaws lost the finale of their series in Asheville, 9-3 as the Tourists avoided the sweep. Heitor Correa (7-4) struggled some, but was the victim of some bad defense, also. Correa went 6, and gave up 9 hits and 3 walks (too many base runners) and was charged with 6 run, only 3 of which were earned. The offense managed just 6 hits, 2 by Troy Hanzawa, and Lakewood will try to right the ship in Greenville this afternoon. The Anthony Gose stolen base watch remains at 56.

The Crosscutters complete the offensively inept day in the system, losing 4-0 to Mahoning Valley. Leandro Castro (.300) had 2 of the 7 Williamsport hits. Matthew Way took the loss, in his first less-than-impressive game giving up 4 runs (3 earned)on 9 hits and 3 walks in just 5 IP. Way is now 2-2, 1.71 for the season.

In Oklahoma City, Greg Golson had an RBI triple and scored a run in his only at bat, as the Nashville Sounds defeated the RedHawks, 8-5. R.J. Swindel (3-1, 1.03) was the winning pitcher despite blowing his 4th save of the season. In San Antonio, Matt Spencer (.296) had 3 doubles, including the game winner, and 2 RBI as the Midland Rock Hounds beat the Missions, 5-4 in 11 innings. Adrian Cardenas (.346) had 1 for 6 for Midland.

I will be away from the computer today, attending the Gold Cup Final at Giants Stadium between USA and Mexico.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Lets redefine untouchable.....

Apparently, the combination of Happ, Drabek and Brown is not touchable. The Phillies turned down the Blue Jays offer today, but the teams continue to talk. Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald and Mike Taylor are also being discussed.

Phillies making a bid for Jay's Halladay

The Phillies appear to be the front runner in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. Looking to add Halladay to Cole Hamels and create what would be the best lefty-righty, 1-2 punch in baseball, nobody in the Phillies system seems to be untouchable. Last night, the Jays were asking for J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek, and either Dominic Brown or Michael Taylor. I do not believe the Yankees, who are also interested, can match the quality of of the Philly Pharmhands.

Byrd, Stutes sharp

Both Clearwater and Reading bounced back with wins on Friday, the Threshers topping the Stone Crabs, 2-0 behind 5 shut out frames from Darren Byrd. Byrd has been getting it together lately, despite being moved in and out of the rotation depending on injuries and player moves. Darren is now 3-3, and has not allowed an earned run in his last 2 starts, 11 innings. Carlos Monasterios pitched 2 clean innings, Scott Mathieson added a shut out frame (picking up 3 Ks), and Mike Schwimer finished it off with his 11th save. Cody Overbeck and Fidel Hernandez had the RBIs with 2 hits each.

In Bowie, Mike Stutes went 7.1 innings in the R-Phils 7-1 win over the BaySox. Mike gave up 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out 8 to improve to 8-5, 3.71 for the year. Kevin Mahar (.323) and Neil Sellers (.325) had 3 hits apiece for Reading and Quintin Berry (.275) added 2 of his own to lead the Reading attack.

Myers, Claws still hot

The Lakewood BlueClaws won their 3rd straight on this road trip with an 8-1 pounding of the Tourists Friday night. Once again, D'Arby Myers led the offense, with a single, a double, a triple and a stolen base. D'Arby is 8 for 12 in the 3 games on the trip so far, is 10 for his last 16, and 16 for 40 (that's .400) in his last 10 starts.

Harold Garcia, Jeremy Hamilton, Moose Mattair and Troy Hanzawa all had a pair of hits, and it seems Jesus Sanchez has had a pitcher inside of him all along. Now 6-1 in his last 8 starts, and 7-5, 3.51 overall, Sanchez has blossomed into a force in this rotation and, along with Correa, May, and De Fratus(the last time) makes Lakewood not miss Jon Velasquez and Tyler Cloyd so much.

Lakewood is now 58-38 overall and 16-12 in the second half, trailing Kannapolis by just 1.5 games in their bid to win BOTH halves.

The Anthony Gose countdown is getting close. Anthony had 1 hit Friday, driving in 2 runs, and stole 2 more bases, giving him 56 on the year. It looks like Chris Roberson's 6-year old record of 59 could fall in Greenville, South Carolina this week.

Speaking of Roberson, he had a hit (.298) for Reno in their 8-2 win in Fresno Friday, stealing his 18th base in the process. In Tacoma, Randy Ruiz (.325, RBI #89) and Kevin Howard (.304, 2 doubles, 2 runs, RBI) had 2 hits each, but the 51s lost to the Rainiers, 8-4.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Hamels back on winning side

The Phillies continued their winning ways Thursday with a 9-4 win over San Diego in a make up of an earlier rain out. Cole Hamels pitched his way to his 6th win of the year, going a strong 7, and giving up all 3 of his runs in the 4th inning. Carlos Ruiz belted his 5th home run of the year and Ryan Howard picked up RBI #70. Recently promoted Drew Carpenter came in for the 8th inning, and gave up a run on 3 hits, recording just 1 out.

In Charlotte, Michael Taylor had 3 hits, including his 2nd home run for the IronPigs, and Lou Marson (.302) added a double as Lehigh Valley beat the Knights, 4-3. In New Orleans, Greg Golson (.272) had 2 hits and 2 steals (only 12 for "Golie"), as the RedHawks topped the Zephyrs, 7-6 in 12 innings.

Reading managed just 6 hits in their 8-0 loss to Altoona and Clearwater could only get 4 hits in their 4-1 loss to Charlotte.

The BlueClaws kept their winning streak going with a 6-4 win in Asheville. Troy Hanzawa smacked a 3-run homer and Anthony Gose and D'Arby Myers had 3 hits and a stolen base each. For Gose, it was #54, as for D'Arby, his hot hitting gets better everyday. Myers is 5 for his last 8, 8 for his last 16 and is hitting .378 over the last 10 games. Freddy Ballestas got his first win of the year for Lakewood, going 5.2 innings, and giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. B.J. Rosenberg recorded his 16th save with 2 more scoreless innings. "Rosie" has now not given up an earned run in 21.1 innings of work, dating back to May 31.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Of note from Wednesday

Michael Bourn had a hit and a walk, scored a run and stole his 36th base to help Houston to a 4-3 win over St. Louis. Mike is 36 for 44 (.818 success rate) this year, and 96 for 117 (.821) for his career.

The Charlotte Knights defeated Kyle Kendrick and the IronPigs, 5-3 in North Carolina. Kyle went 7.1 innings, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits, NO walks, and fell to 6-6, 3.58 on the year. Mike Spidale (.301) had 2 hits for Lehigh Valley. In Las Vegas, Kevin Howard (9th) and Randy Ruiz (22nd) both homered for the 51s, and Homie's came with 2 on in the bottom of the 9th to give the 51s a come-from-behind, 10-8 win over Colorado Springs. Ruiz now has 88 RBI for Vegas.

Kyle Drabek gave Reading 8 solid innings in Altoona, as the R-Phils topped the Curve, 7-2. Drabek (6-1, 3.12 with Reading, 10-2, 2.80 overall) allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7 along the way. Alex Concepcion threw a 1-2-3 9th. Kevin Mahar had 3 hits to lead the Reading, attack, Brian Sellers had 2 hits, including his 10th home run, and Quintin Berry had a walk and stole #35.

The Charlotte Stone Crabs beat the Threshers 4-2 on Wednesday despite a great effort from Mike Cisco. Cisco allowed 4 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings and saw his record fall to 6-3, 3.66 for the year. Scott Mathieson continues his rehab comeback with a scoreless frame in the 8th. Scott threw 6 innings in the GCL and now 4 innings for Clearwater, in 7 appearances and so far, just 6 hits and 3 walks, NO runs. Matt Rizzotti had a double and his 9th home run for Clearwater.

Travis d'Arnaud's hot bat continues to lead the BlueClaw's attack, as Lakewood opened their 8-game road trip with a 6-2 over the Tourists. Travis had 2 hits, including his 10th home run, and 2 walks and is 24 for 57 (.421) in current 12-game hitting streak. Harold Garcia (.299, single, double, run, RBI), Travis Mattair (.244, 2 singles, walk, run), Troy Hanzawa (.278), Vladimir De Los Santos (2 singles, RBI) and D'Arby Myers, (.251, 2 hits, 2 runs, stolen base) all contributed 2 hits to the attack. Justin De Fratus made his best showing since being put into the rotation, going a solid 7.2 innings, giving up 2 runs, just 1 earned on 5 hits, NO walks, and 7 strike outs to improve to 4-3 on the year. The new and improved Jacob Diekman got the last 4 outs, striking out 3 of the 5 hitters he faced to notch his first save.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Tops from Tuesday-

HomeSide achievements from Tuesday include,

1- Michael Bourn, .285, 2 singles, walk, 3 runs scored, 35th stolen base for the Astros in Houston's 11-6 win over St Louis.

2- Matt Maloney, 7 IP, 2 runs, 7 hits, NO walks, 6 strike outs picks up the win in Louisville's 5-2 win over Buffalo. Matt is now 7-6, 2.51 for Cincinnati's top affiliate.

3- Greg Golson, .275, 2 hits and a run scored for Oklahoma City as the RedHawks beat New Orleans, 9-6.

4 Randy Ruiz, .323, 2 2-run home runs(21), 4 RBI (85) for Las Vegas, but Colorado Springs wins 11-6.

5-Mike Dubee entered the game for Altoona against Reading, and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in 1 inning of work. Prior to Tuesday, he had allowed just 2 runs in the previous 14 innings since joining the Curve.

6- Steve Susdorf, a 4-for-4 performance, raising his average to .414 since his promotion to Clearwater. Tyler Cloyd (1-3) won for the first time since being moved up throwing 5.1 innings and giving up just 1 run. Carlos Monasterios (2.2 hitless innings) and Mike Schwimer (struck out all 3 hitters he faced, 10th save) were excellent in relief.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Monday's best performances

Here are a few notes I noticed from Monday's action-

Gavin Floyd picked up his 8th win of the year, with a 7-inning stint for the White Sox against the Rays. Gavin allowed only 3 hits, all solo home runs, and walked just 2, sweating out the last 6 outs shared by 3 relievers. At 8-6, 4.40, Floyd is having a good follow up to last year's 17 wins.

In Lakewood, Trevor May was good for a solid 6. 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 7 Ks. The BlueClaws lost, 5-2 in 11 innings in the finale of the home stand. Anthony Gose had 2 more hits, a walk, and stole 3 more bases (total of 53), moving him ever-closer to the team mark of 59. The team heads for Asheville, North Carolina for the next 4 games beginning Wednesday night.

In Clearwater, Jon Velasquez also pitched well enough to win, but suffered a 3-2 loss instead to the Sarasota Reds. Jon went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, and is now 1-2, 2.70 since his promotion. Walter Tejeda and Chris Kissock pitched scoreless relief. Dominic Brown had 3 hits, a total of 7 in his 4 games back from the DL, and Javis Diaz stole his 20th base.

Quintin Berry (.276) had 2 hits, and stole 2 more bases giving him 34 on the year, in Reading's 8-2 loss to Altoona, and Greg Golson (.272) had 2 hits and scored a run for Oklahoma City in their 3-1 win over New Orleans.

I also have to mention Brian Mazone, who threw 6 shut out innings for Lehigh Valley last night. Mazone won 9 games for the IronPigs last year, and is still seeking his first victory in 4 starts for Lehigh this summer.

roster moves

T.J. Warren has joined Lakewood, with Zack Collier being reassigned to Williamsport.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Sunday's hurlers sparkle!!

Anyone who reads this regularly knows I will always come back to my mantra: "It is all about the pitching!!" On Sunday it started at the top and went right down the whole chain.

In Miami, J.A. Happ went for 7 shut out innings, allowing just 5 hits and 1 walk, and improved his rookie-of-the-year-wothy numbers to 7-0, 2.68 for the season and the Phillies won for the 8th straight game, 5-0 over Florida.

In Allentown, Andrew Carpenter also turned in 7 solid frames of work, giving up only 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He received no decision for his work, lowering his ERA to 2.75 and keeping his record at 8-2. The IronPigs improved to .500 at 47-47 when David Newhan doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th, and are within striking distance of a wild card playoff spot in the International League. Lou Marson (.302) had a double, and scored a run for Lehigh.

In Reading, it was Mike Stutes (7-5) on display for the Phillies and 5.1 shut out innings was the result. When Alex Concepcion took over and finished with a strong 3.2 inning, save-earning performance, Reading had itself a 9-1 win. Kevin Mahar (10th), Jeremy Salyden (8th), and Tim Kennelly (2nd HR in 3 games with Reading) all went deep for the R-Phils and Neil Sellers (.317) had 4 hits.

The news was also good from Clearwater. Darren Byrd (2-3) went 6 strong innings, combining with Santo Hernandez and Scott Mathieson to blank Sarasota, 4-0. Outfielder Arlon Quiroz (.228) had 3 hits and stole his 15th base to lead the offense. Dominic Brown (2 more hits, 5 for 12 in 3 games since returning), Derrick Mitchell (double, HR #7), and Luis Arzeno (.231, 2 singles, 2 runs) with 2 hits each. There are now too many outfielders in Clearwater.

Back to our pitching, it was Hietor Correa's turn in Lakewood and big right-hander picked up his 7th win of the year, pushing his way through 5.1 innings allowing only 3 earned runs. He got some bad breaks, a couple of balls that could have/should have been turned into outs produced some unearned runs against, but Ryan Bergh stopped the bleeding and B.J. Rosenberg picked up his 15th save, as Lakewood (55-37) notched a 6-5 victory over Lexington. Travis d'Arnaud had 2 more hits, he is on an 11-game streak now, and is 16 for 38 (.421) over the last 8, hitting .342 since June 13. D'Arby Myers continues to be hot, picking up 2 more hits to raise his average to .245 by hitting .324 in his last 10 games!! Jeremy Hamilton reached base all 4 times at bat, with 3 walks and a hit, scored twice and drove in a run.

Finally, in Lowell, Joshua Zeid threw 5 good innings for Williamsport in the Cutters 8-1 win over the Spinners. Josh allowed only 1 run on 3 hits, and 3 walks, and is now 2-2, 2.93 for Williamsport. Sean Grieve (1 IP) and Austin Hyatt (3 IP, 5th save) threw scoreless relief. Anthony Hewitt shows some more signs of life: a single, a triple, 3 RBI, stolen base #6, and David Doss had a single and a double and is 4 for 12 (.333) the last 4 games.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

hot hitting Garcia leads Lakewood to win

Harold Garcia es en fuego!! The hard hitting second baseman pounded out 4 more hits yesterday to lead the BlueClaws to an 8-2 thrashing of Lexington. In his current 9-game hitting streak, Garcia is 19 for 41, that's .463, and every ball is hit hard. Even the one he broke his bat on Saturday was hit hard!!! He is IN THE ZONE....he also stole his 30th base, which is good for 4th in the league.

Travis d'Arnaud is on a 10-game hitting streak, where he is 17 for 45 (.378), and is hitting .336 since June 13th. Jeremy Hamilton is also hot, going 7 for 13 with 5 runs scored and 7 RBI in the last 4 games.

How about Jesus Sanchez!! Here is a guy getting better and better every time out. Saturday he tossed 7.1 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, and keeping the pitch count down. The effort earned him his 6th win of the year, lowering his ERA to 3.79. Eryk McConnell got the last 2 outs in the 8th, and B.J. Rosenberg finished it off. While it was not a save opportunity for Rosenberg, he has now thrown 18.1 consecutive innings with out allowing an earned run.

Reds edge Threshers, Galvis and Brown return

The Sarasota Reds scored 2 runs in the top of the 12th inning to take a 4-3 win over Clearwater Saturday night. The game was highlighted by the return of Freddy Galvis and Dominic Brown to the Thresher's line up. Galvis celebrated with a single and a double, and Brown had a single and an RBI. Steve Susdorf (.414, 2 singles, run), Joel Naughton (2 singles, 2 RBI) , and Matt Rizzotti (.243, single, double, run) all had 2 hits for Clearwater.

Drew Naylor started and threw well. In 7 innings, Drew allowed just 2 runs, only 1 earned, on 6 hits, NO walks, and left the game in a 2-2 tie. Carlos Monasterios logged 2 scoreless innings, and Michael Schwimer struck out 5 of the 6 hitters he faced, before Chris Kissock (1-5, 3.48) gave up the winning runs in the 12th.

Savery falls

The New Britain Rock Cats pounded Joe Savery and the Reading Phillies 11-3 Saturday night in Baseballtown. Savery, 12-2, struggled through 5 innings, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits and 5 walks, and actually, it could have gone worse. Angel Castro was also hit hard (1.2 IP, 4 runs, 5 hits, 3 walks), and the offense got only 6 hits. Kevin Mahar (.318, single, home run) and Brad Harman (single, double, run) had 2 hits each for Reading.

Pigs sweep!!

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs won both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Rochester. In the late game Carlos Carrasco (6-8) threw 5 shut out innings before giving up 3 runs on 2 home runs in the 6th, but still was the winning pitcher in the Pigs' 6-3 victory. Michael Taylor had a single, a walk, a 2-run homer and stole a base for Lehigh.

The Pigs had won the opener, 7-5, behind Gustavo Chacin (4-3). Chacin went 5.1, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, getting just enough done to get the win. Lou Marson had a single, a walk and scored a run for the IronPigs.

In Sacramento Saturday, Chris Roberson had 3 hits, including a double, raising his average to .310 for Reno, but the Aces lost to the River Cats, 5-2. In Las Vegas, Kevin Howard hit his 8th home run of the season, and Randy Ruiz (.327) had 3 more hits, driving in 2 more runs (that's 80 RBI) as the 51s beat Tacoma 6-5. In San Antonio, Adrian Cardenas (.353) had 2 more hits and scored a run, and teammate and former Clearwater Thresher Matt Spencer (.273)added 3 hits, including a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI, but the Missions still beat the Rock Hounds, 8-6.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Mathieson taking steps.....

After 6 innings of GCL ball, Scott Mathieson pitched 2 scoreless innings for Clearwater Friday night, and may be back in the picture at a higher level sometime soon.

odds and ends....

Between my service being down and my real job keeping my busy, a lot has happened since last we spoke. Rather than catch up with everything, here are some points of interest from the last few days.

Ryan Howard hit his 200th career home run, achieving this feat in just 658 games, making him the fastest ever to 200. Ryan is set up now for his "annual second half run" in which he compiles the big numbers and carries the team for a month or so on his back!!

Michael Taylor has been given his well-earned promotion to AAA-Lehigh Valley. Mike hit .333 for Reading during the first half, hitting 15 homers, driving in 65 runs, and stealing 18 bases for good measure!! Tuffy Gosewisch has been placed on the DL in Reading and Tim Kennelly has been promoted from Clearwater to catch some games (and maybe get some more of Taylor's ABs). Kennelly made his Reading debut Friday night, and hit a home run in Reading's 6-4 loss to New Britain. Kyle Drabek suffered the loss, his first after 5 wins with the R-Phils. Jeremy Slayden continues to pound Eastern League pitching, getting a double and a home run (his 7th since arriving in Reading), raising his average to .375 Now, if the Phillies just promote Slay back to the Pigs, they can play Taylor, Spidale, and Slayden everyday, and see what that could produce!!

Until then, Slayden stays with Berry and Milner in the Reading outfield. This could all get stirred up some more, as Freddy Galvis and Dominic Brown have been spotted playing in GCL games, getting their batting eyes back in preparation for a return to the Clearwater Threshers. They have both now been activated to the roster and are eligible to play tonight. Julian Sampson and Jesus Villegas have been put on the DL, but there are still too many outfielders there.

A word or two about the home team, the BlueClaws. While it has not been showing up in the win column at the same rate it did during the first half, there are certainly bright spots with this team. Offensively, there are getting contributions from everywhere. Gose, Garcia, d'Arnaud, Murphy and Hanzawa have all been very hot, and Mattair, Collier, Myers, Hamilton and DeLosSantos have all had big hits and/or defensive plays when called upon. The new delivery of Jacob Diekman has been the big surprise. The lanky lefty has completely changed his delivery and has been terrific since he started using it in games. Jason Knapp has been disabled with "shoulder soreness" and will miss a few starts, but Jesus Sanchez, Heitor Correa and Trevor May have all showed that they are comfortable pitching at this level and could give this team the foundation to make a run at the second half. Now if Justin De Fratus could only find his rhythm, we could be in business!!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Threshers, Claws win

In Clearwater, Tim Kennelly (.304) and Steve Susdorf (.413) had 2 hits each, and Jon Velasquez won his first game for the Threshers, 6-1 over Brevard County. Velasquez went 5.1 innings, allowing 1 run on just 4 hits. He did walk 4 and strike out 7, lowering his Clearwater ERA to 1.93. Chris Kissock, rehabbing Clay Condrey, and Santo Hernandez pitched scoreless relief to put the victory away. Mike Durant, Matt Rizzotti, Kennelly and Susdorf each had a double and an RBI in the game as the Threshers improve to 10-7 in the second half.

In Lakewood Wednesday afternoon, the BlueClaws rallied for 3 in the bottom of the 9th inning, to take an exciting 4-3 win away from the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Trevor May gave it all he had, completing 5 innings, and pitching to 3 hitters in the 6th. May was charged with 3 runs, only 2 earned, on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. I have to say, Trevor looks more comfortable every time out. How about Jordan Ellis? Ellis comes into the game in the 6th inning, with the bases loaded and nobody out, and retires the side with just 1 run scoring. Then he threw 2 more scoreless to keep us in the contest. B.J. Rosenberg came in for the 9th, and was the winner when Anthony Gose singled in Moose Mattair with the winning run. Moose had singled in Travis d'Arnaud earlier in the inning. d'Arnaud (single, double, run), Gose (2 singles, RBI, steal #49) and Jeremy Hamilton (2 hits, including big single in game winning rally) all had 2 hits for Lakewood. Harold Garcia's 7th home run of the year in the 6th inning, started the comeback for the BlueClaws, who trailed 3-0 after 5.5 innings.

Savery starts, Worley wins!!

The Reading Phillies made a major impact in the eastern League All-Star game in Trenton Wednesday night. Joe Savery, 12-1 for the R-Phils, was honored with the starting assignment, and threw a scoreless 1st inning. Vance Worley, who came into the game with the scored tied at 3-3 and tossed a scoreless 7th frame, was awarded the victory when the South team scored the go-ahead run in the 8th inning. Michael Taylor, who walked and scored a run in the South's 3-run 3rd inning, singled in the final run in the 9th as the South took the contest, 5-3. Quintin Berry had a walk and a single in 2 plate appearances, and stole a base for good measure!! Neil Sellers struck out in his only 2 at bats.

International League wins, 6-5

The International League won the annual AAA All-Star game Wednesday night in Portland, edging out the Pacific Coast League team 6-5. Andrew Carpenter struck out all 3 hitters he faced (one of which was Randy Ruiz) and was awarded the win. Ruiz was 0 for 2 before being replaced. IronPigs Andy Tracy and Mike Cervenak were a combined 0 for 5. R.J. Swindel threw a scoreless 7th inning for the PCL side, allowing just 1 hit, and striking out 1 hitter.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

in the system...

Lou Marson remains hot. Lou is hitting .472, that is 17 for 36, the last 10 games. Over the nagging injuries, and rust he incurred sitting on the Phillies bench most of the spring, Marson has returned to form, hitting .302 for the IronPigs now that the playing time has become regular.

Interesting to me that when Raul Ibanez was activated by the Phillies, they responded by keeping John Mayberry with the big team, and waiving Chris Coste. This makes Paul Bako the current back up to Carlos Ruiz, and makes Marson's September call-up a no-brainer.

Carlos Carrasco (5-8) gets the start Sunday for Lehigh Valley.

Reading's highlights were another good effort from Joe Savery, who is now 12-1 for Reading and surely has earned the start in next Wednesday's All-Star game in Trenton. Vance Worley (6-5) goes Sunday and Mike Stutes (5-5) gets the nod Monday.

Jeremy Slayden is tearing up the Eastern League, did we knew this would happen, didn't we? "Slay" has 25 hits in his 25 games, is hitting .375 with 4 doubles, 5 homers and 20 RBI. Is there any doubt he belongs back in AAA, playing!! Especially if Mayberry stays with the big club. Michael Taylor is also worth of a promotion. Mike has 15 home runs, 65 RBI, a .337 batting average, and 17 steals on top of that!! Oo yeah, the catalyst is up to his old tricks....Quintin Berry is back on a hot streak, igniting the Reading offense. "Q" is 14 for 39 (.359) the last 9 games, and has 32 stolen bases in 39 attempts to lead the Eastern League.

In Daytona Saturday night, the Threshers finally got in another game and Mike Cisco continued his great 2009 campaign going to 6-1, 2.48 for the year in Clearwater's 5-3 win. Cisco went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs, just 1 earned, on 6 hits and a walk, before Carlos Monasterios went 2 perfect frames and Mike Schwimer recorded the save (his 9th) despite giving up 1 run. Mike Durant had a double and a home run (dinger #10), and Joel Naughton added 2 hits of his own as the Threshers improved to 9-6 in the second half.

looking around........

Michael Bourn is back on track. The Astros' center fielder is 7 for 16 (.438) the last 4 games, with 2 triples, a home run, 5 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. Mike is hitting .290 and his 32 steals, in 40 attempts, leads the National League.

Ryan Doumit has been activated by the Pirates. This is of note because it will signal the end of regular playing time for Jason Jaramillo. Jaramillo has done well, hitting .255 in 45 games in the first half. "JJ" has had 11 doubles, 3 home runs, 19 RBI and 16 walks (against just 23 strike outs). Doumit should play most of the time now, which was the original plan for the season, but lets see if manager John Russell gets Jaramillo a few more "earned" at bats.

The Phillies won a thriller Saturday, scoring 5 runs in the 9th inning to edge the Pirates, 8-7. Ryan Howard had 3 hits, including a game-tying 3-run monster home run with 1 down in the 9th to tie the game. It was #22 for the big man, who dove in his 64th, 65th and 66th runs with the shot. Ryan also walked twice and was on base all 5 at bats. I almost forgot, he stole a base, too!!! Cole Hamels pitched the first 6 innings. allowing 5 runs on 7 hits, NO walks, striking out 6, and received no decision.

Saturday in Minnesota, Gavin Floyd threw 7.2 innings, keeping the White Sox in the game, and notched the victory when Chicago prevailed, 8-7. Gavin (7-6, 4.44) allowed 5 runs on 8 hits, NO walks, and struck out 7. Floyd seems to have regained the form that helped him to 17 wins last year.

Greg Golson went 10 for 20 over a 5-game stretch ending in the first game Saturday, before absorbing the 0 for 4 in the second game. Greg is hitting .275 in AAA-Oklahoma City, with 29 RBI, and 10 stolen bases for the Texas affiliate.

Lets go back to Thursday night in Reno, where Kevin Howard had 3 hits, including his 7th home run, and a walk, as Las Vegas topped Reno, 5-4 in 10 innings. For Howard, it was his second straight 3-hit game, and he got 2 more Friday, and 2 more Saturday, and is currently on an 8-game hitting streak to the tune of a 14 for 34 (.412). Kevin is now hitting .333 since joining the 51s. Howard and Randy Ruiz (.323) give Las Vegas a "clawesome" 1-2 punch!!

In the meantime, Chris Roberson is not to be outdone. "Robey" also homered Thursday night, the got 2 more hits Friday and tacked on another Saturday. Chris is 16 for 37 (.432) over HIS 8-game hitting streak, with 6 doubles, a home run, 10 RBI and 4 stolen bases. Overall, Roberson is hitting .306 with 20 doubles, 7 triples, 7 homers, 48 RBI and 16 stolen bases for the Diamondback's affiliate.

Going 1 better, Adrian Cardenas has a NINE-game hitting streak going for Midland. Adrian is 14 for 35 (.400) with 4 doubles and 5 RBI, and is hitting .352 for the Rock Hounds.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Claws win wild one

The Lakewood BlueClaws scored 3 runs in the 9th inning for a 9-6 win over the Kannapolis Intimidators Wednesday night. The win moves Lakewood's overall record to 50-32 on the season, and 8-6 in the second half.

Lakewood got out to a 6-0 advantage behind Heitor Correa, who was sailing along for 6 innings. Jim Murphy had 3 walks and 2 hits, including his team leading 9th home run, driving in 2 more, and scoring 4 times. Travis Mattair, Zack Collier and Troy Hanzawa added 2 hits each for Lakewood.

Correa cruised through the first 6, but the first 4 hitters he faced reached base in the 7th inning, and the big Brazilian had run out of gas. All 4 hitters scored, and 2 more as well against Freddy Ballestas, and before the 7th inning was over, Kannapolis had tied the game at 6-6. this set the stage for the 9th inning rally, with Collier getting the clincher, a 2-run single to give Lakewood the final margin of victory. B.J. Rosenberg pitched the final 2 innings and recorded the victory, his 6th of the year.

late last night......

Andrew Baldwin's tough season continues last night in Tacoma, as the Portland Beavers topped the Rainiers, 7-1. Baldwin went 6 inning, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, to fall to 5-7, 4.93 for the year.

In Reno, Kevin Howard (.286) had a walk, 2 doubles and his 6th home run of the season, scoring 3 runs and driving in 3 to help Las Vegas to a 12-9 win over the Aces. Chris Roberson had 2 doubles, and 2 RBI for Reno, lifting his average to .302.

Hot Marson paces Pigs

Lou Marson had 3 more hits Tuesday night, including a double, scored twice and drove in 3 runs to pace the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to a 12-0 win over Pawtucket. Lou is now on a 9-game hitting streak, going 15 for 32 (.469) over the stretch. Drew Carpenter won his 8th game of the year, by tossing 7 sparkling innings, allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk, picking up 9 strike outs. Drew now has a splendid 2.85 ERA. Sergio Escalona threw a scoreless 9th, throwing 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes.

Akron's Josh Tomlin shut out Reading on 3 hits over 7 innings, as the Aeros topped the Phillies, 4-0. Mike Stutes started for Reading and took the loss, giving up the 4 runs, only 1 of which was earned, on 5 hits over 6 innings. Tyson Brummett and Chance Chapman threw an inning of scoreless ball each.

Bourn sparks 'Stros to win

Michael Bourn had a single, a triple, 2 walks, scored 2 runs and stole his 28th base of the year, to spark the Houston Astros to a 5-0 victory over Pittsburgh Wednesday afternoon. Mike broke out of a 6 for 39 funk with the effort to raise his average to .286.

Ryan Howard had an RBI single, that makes 63 for the big man, as the Phillies made it 5 out of 6 with a 3-2 win over the Reds in Philadelphia.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Ryno goes deep;Cutters, R-Phils, Claws all win

J.A. Happ gave the Phillies 7 good innings Tuesday, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, NO walks, striking out 7 and receiving no decision in the Phillies 4-3 loss to the Reds. Ryan Howard had 2 walks and his 21st home run of the year, knocking in run #62, and Carlos Ruiz had a walk and a triple. Brad Lidge (0-4, 7.12) gave up the winning run in the 9th inning.

In Jamestown, struggling Anthony Hewitt (.186) had 2 hits, including the game winning home run in the 10th inning, as Williamsport defeated the Jammers, 1-0. The Crosscutters got shut out pitching from Nicholas Hernandez (6IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 1.96), Spencer Arroyo (2 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 3.24) and Justin Long (2 IP, 1 hit, 4 walks, 0.97, WIN). Shortstop Evan Porter (.263) had 3 hits for Williamsport.

Carlos Carrasco had a wild night, throwing 86 pitches, only 47 for strikes. Although he only gave up 3 hits, he was undone by 6 walks and a hit batsman to give up 6 runs in just 4 innings, and the IronPigs lost to Clay Buchholz and Pawtucket, 6-2. Carlos is now 5-8 for the year. Raul Ibanez had a walk and a hit for Lehigh Valley. Drew Carpenter (7-2) will go for the Pigs tonight.

Michael Taylor and Quintin Berry had 3 hits each as Reading defeated Akron, 11-7 Tuesday. Taylor, hitting .345, had 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 3 stolen bases, and Berry (.277) had 3 singles and a walk, scored 4 times, and stole his 30th. Jeremy Slayden had 2 more hits, including his 5th homer, and Brad Harman got into the act with 2 hits of his own. Vance Worley (6-5) started and picked up the win, despite allowing 11 hits in 5.1 innings, before Alex Concepcion took over. Alex gave up 1 run on 3 hits in 2.2 innings of work, and Mike Zagurski allowed a 2-run home run to Nick Weglarz (his 13th) in the 9th. Reading is 48-35 and in second place, 6 games back of Akron. Mike Stutes (5-4) will take on the Aeros tonight.

Clearwater's game was suspended due to rain in Florida.

D'Arby Myers continued his hot hitting, banging out 3 more hits (2 of them doubles) as the BlueClaws pounded the Power, 8-2. D'Arby is smoking hot right now, having reached base 8 of his last 9 at bats. I have to hand it to him, D'Arby has stayed ready to go, and despite not playing over long stretches has remained focused, and is making the most of his opportunity now. He is 10 for 25 (that's .400) in his current 8-game hitting streak. Way to go , D'Arby!! Anthony Gose (.284) and Jim Murphy (.291) both stayed hot with 2 hits each , and Jesus Sanchez recorded his 4th win, going 6 strong innings, and giving up just 1 UNearned run on 4 hits and 2 walks. Jacob Diekman threw 2 perfect innings, and Jared Simon threw the 9th, allowing 1 run on 1 hit. Diekman has now thrown 6.1 scoreless innings in a row over his last 4 appearances.

In Oklahoma City, Greg Golson had 4 hits, including a triple, and scored 3 runs as the RedHawks beat Omaha, 12-2. Elizardo Ramirez went 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, NO walks, to earn his 5th win of the year. In Reno, Chris Roberson had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and stole his 15th base as the Aces beat Sacramento 10-4. O yeah, Homie drove in another run for Las Vegas with his 2 hits. That was #75 for Randy, who is hitting .332!!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Hamels, Phils unleash offense

The Philadelphia Phillies torched the Cincinnati Reds 22-1 Monday night!! No misprint there, 22-1!! Cole Hamels returned to his great form, tossing 7 stress-free innings, allowing 1 run on just 3 hits on NO walks, to improve to 5-5 on the year. Cole even had a 2-RBI double in the Phillies' 10-run 1st inning. Shane Victorino, Greg Dobbs and Chase Utley all homered in that inning, and Hamels never looked back. The Phillies have now won 4 in a row, after losing 14 of 18, and appear to have regained their swagger and their confidence.

In Syracuse, the Chiefs defeated Lehigh Valley, 9-3. Brian Mazzone, who spent all of 2008 with the IronPigs, made his second start since being reacquired and didn't last long. Mazzone did not get out of the 3rd inning, allowing 3 runs (just 1 earned) on 3 hits and a walk, before yielding to Francisco Butto. Butto got the next 7 outs, giving up just 2 hits and a walk (0 runs). Pat Overholt, promoted from Reading last week, allowed a run in an inning, and Sergio Escalona gave up 2 UNearned runs in his inning of work. Lou Marson's hot hitting continues, as Lou (.429 the last 8 games) picked up 2 more hits for the Pigs.

In Reading, the Connecticut Defenders beat the R-Phils, 4-3. Kyle Drabek gave the Phillies 7 strong frames, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, leaving the game in a 2-2 tie. Tyson Brummett (3-8) gave up 2 runs in the 8th and absorbed the loss. Phillies All-Star outfielder Raul Ibanez started and walked and scored a run in 3 at bats for Reading. Ibanez will move over to Lehigh Valley tonight and be in the IronPigs line-up. Brian Staviski (.289) had 3 hits and 2 RBI for the R-Phils, and Quintin Berry had a walk, a hit and stole base #29, relieving Ibanez.

In Clearwater, the Lakeland Flying Tigers took it to the Threshers, 12-0, as the quartet of Drew Naylor (5-7), Dan Brauer, Chris Kissock and Carlos Monasterios all gave up runs. No Clearwater hitter had more than 1 hit.

In Charleston, the West Virginia Power defeated the BlueClaws, 8-4. Once again Jason Knapp pitched well with no result. This time Knapp, winless since early May, went 5 innings, giving up just 1 run on 5 hits, 1 walk, striking out 5 and lowering his ERA to 3.40. Jason left the game in a 1-1 tie. The BlueClaws scored 3 in the 6th to take on 4-1 lead, but Ryan Bergh (2 IP, 4 runs on 5 hits) and Rob Roth (1IP, 3 runs, 3 hits) let it get away. Anthony Gose (16 for 31, .531 in the last 10 games) had 2 more hits for Lakewood and Zack Collier drove in a pair to temporarily give the Claws the advantage.

The Williamsport Crosscutters got another fine performance from Matthew Way as the 22-year old Alaskan threw 6 shut out innings, giving up just 1 hit. Way has now thrown 14 innings for the Cutters, and has surrendered just 1 run. Shortstop Jeremy Barnes (.371) had a grand slam home run and drove in 5, and Alan Schoenberger and Michael Dabbs added 2 hits each for Williamsport, who took the decision 8-1.

In Oklahoma City, Greg Golson snapped out of a 1 for 18 funk with 2 hits, but the RedHawks lost to Omaha 2-0, and in Fresno, Randy "Homie" Ruiz (.331) was 2 for 3, including his 17th home run (RBI #74) to help the 51s defeat the Grizzlies, 6-5.

Monday, July 6, 2009

BlueClaws win nightcap to gain split

After being limited to just 4 hits in a 7-1 loss in the opener of their doubleheader Sunday, the Lakewood BlueClaws rapped out 13 hits en route to a 9-3 win to gain a split. Anthony Gose led the attack with 2 singles, a double, a walk, scoring 2 runs and stealing his 47th base. Travis D'Arnaud, Zack Collier, and Troy Hanzawa all had 2 hits, with Hanzawa hitting his 1st home run! D'Arby Myers had a hit and 3 walks to contribute to the win, and was on base 5 times during the doubleheader.

Freddy Ballestas made the spot start, going 4 innings and allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks. Jared Simon was perfect for 2 frames, recording the win, and Rob Roth gave up a run on 2 hits in his only inning.

Vladimir De Los Santos home run accounted for Lakewood's only tally in the opener. Justin De Fratus' transition back into the rotation continues to be a difficult one, as he gave up 5 runs on 9 hits in just 3 innings of work, walking 1 and hitting 2 more. Jordan Ellis gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in his inning, but Jacob Diekman seems to be getting the hang of his new delivery, tossing 2 scoreless frames.

Susdorf rocks Lakeland

Steve Susdorf had a single, a double and a home run, driving in 3 runs as the Clearwater Threshers topped Lakeland, 10-6 on Sunday. Susdorf is now hitting .434 for the Threshers in 12 games since his promotion. Mike Durant and Fidel Hernandez added 2 hits each for Clearwater, with Fidel scoring 3 times to lift his average to .286.

Mike Cisco improved to 5-1, 2.60 with 5 innings of work, and continues to look sharp since coming off the DL. Santo Hernandez finally gave up a run, 2 in fact, in the 9th inning. They are the first runs allowed by Santo in 6 games since his call-up from Lakewood.

Kendrick, Maloney sharp

Kyle Kendrick threw 8 shut out innings for the IronPigs on Sunday, leading Lehigh Valley to a 2-0 win over Syracuse. Kyle (5-5, 3.46) allowed just 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 3 as the IronPigs improved to 40-43 on the year. Lou Marson had 2 more hits, and is 10 for 25 the last 7 games, raising his average to .273 for the season.

In Indianapolis, Matt Maloney threw the first game of the doubleheader for Louisville, and lost 1-0, despite pitching strong for 5 innings. Matt (5-5, 2.28) surrendered 3 hits and 1 walk, but got no support from his offense. After a rough 3-game stint with the Reds, Maloney seems to have refound his comfort level, and should get another shot at the big time somewhere this year.

In Reno, Chris Roberson was 4 for 5, including 3 doubles, and 4 RBI in the Ace's 13-8 loss to Sacramento. "Robey" has been hot lately, going 9 for his last 22 (.409) over the past 5 games. In Fresno, Randy Ruiz had a double and a walk, and his HomeSide leading 73rd RBI in Las Vegas' 5-4 to the Grizzlies. In Springfield, Adrian Cardenas had another hit for the Midland Rock Hounds in Midland's 7-2 loss. Since going 0 for 2 in the Texas League All-Star Game Wednesday, Adrian is 8 for 17, raising his average to .347 for Midland.

Major League notes

Some quick notes from Sunday's action:

1- Sergio Escalona was returned to Lehigh Valley as the Phillies activated Scott Eyre off of the DL Sunday. Escalona has been called up 6 separate times this season, and can probably get from Philadelphia to Allentown with his eyes closed at this point!!

2- Gio Gonzalez won his first major league game this year, and the 2nd of his career, as Oakland beat Cleveland, 5-2. Gio went 6, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8. Gonzalez is starting because Josh Outman had Tommy John surgery and will miss at least a year of action. Too bad for Josh, who was getting his chance and making the most of it, going 4-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 14 games for the Athletics.

3- Michael Bourn, scheduled to have a day off, got into Houston's game as a pinch runner in the 8th inning and promptly stole his league leading 27th base! (Speed kills!!) Houston beat the Giants, 7-1.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Homie rocks Grizzlies; BlueClaws rained out

In Fresno, Randy Ruiz had a single, a double and his 16th home run of the year, and scored 3 times as the 51s beat Fresno, 14-5. Randy is now hitting .328 with 72 RBI- and played left field yesterday. Kevin Howard (.284) also had 2 hits, including his 5th home run, a 2-run shot in the opening inning, as the 2 former 'Claws continue to lead the Las Vegas attack.

In the meantime, while the weather was nice here in Jersey, the BlueClaws and the Power were rained out in Charleston. The teams will try to play 2 tonight, beginning at 5:00.

Savery wins again

Joe Savery's fine season continues on Saturday, as Reading beat the Connecticut Defenders, 7-5. Savery, now 11-1, 3.34 went 7 innings, and received enough offense to allow 5 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks and still pick up the win. Joe is a prime candidate to start the All-Star game a week from Tuesday in Trenton. Chance Chapman threw a scoreless 8th and Tyson Brummett, now in the pen, tossed a clean 9th to record his first save.

Quintin Berry had a hit and 2 walks, driving in a run, Jermey Slayden (.378) had a walk and a hit and drove in 2, and Michael Taylor (.343, can you say MVP) had another hit and knocked in his 61st run of the season. Reading is now 47-33 for the season. Yohan Flande will start this afternoon for the R-Phils.

In Dunedin, Tyler Cloyd made his 2nd start for the Threshers, and took the loss in an 8-1 Blue Jays win. Tyler, who won 7 games for Lakewood in the first half, went 5.2 inning and gave up 5 runs, only 2 of which were earned, on 8 hits and 3 walks in a game in which the Threshers got just 3 hits. Steve Susdorf, Tim Kennelly ( double) and Jesus Villegas got the hits for Clearwater.

Drew Naylor (5-6) will go tonight against Lakeland.

In State College, the Crosscutters dropped a 5-4 decision to the Spikes. Jeremy Barnes (.355), Sebastian Valle (.385) and Adam Buschini all had 2 hits for Williamsport. Siulman Lebron (3.65 ERA)went 7 strong innings for the Cutters, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4, and Esmelvin Jimenez took the loss, allowing the game winning home run to outfielder Evan Chambers of the Spikes in his 1 inning of work.

In Kansas City, Gavin Floyd took his turn for the White Sox Saturday and lasted just 5.1 innings against the Royals. Gavin allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, to absorb the loss and fall to 6-6 on the year, as Kansas City won, 6-4.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Baldwin falls again

Friday night in Tacoma, Andy Baldwin pitched well, but not well enough to win. Baldwin went 8 innings against Portland and allowed 5 runs, only 3 earned on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6 in Portland's 8-4 win. Andy is now 5-6, with a 4.78 ERA for the Seattle affiliate.

In Las Vegas, Chris Roberson (.290) had 2 more hits, scored a run, and stole his 13th base as the Reno Aces topped the 51s, 3-1. Bobby Korecky recorded his 13th save for the Arizona farm team. Randy Ruiz had 2 more hits for Vegas, knocking in the only run, his 71 RBI.

May, BlueClaws top Grasshoppers

The Lakewood BlueClaws completed their 9-game home stand with a 2-0 win over Greensboro, taking the series 3 games to 1 and improving to 5-4 in the second half (47-30 overall). The story was the pitching of Trevor May, who made his 4th start of the year his best. May went 6 shut out innings, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk to record his first BlueClaw's victory. Rob Roth continued his comeback with a 1-2-3 7th inning and B.J. Rosenberg (1.38 ERA) notched his 13th save.

Coming on the heels of Heitor Correa's 6th win of the year, it appears Lakewood is ready to absorb the loss of 2 of their 5 starters from the first half. The BlueClaws will head to West Virginia to battle the Power (and the toastman) for 4 games beginning Saturday night.

In Reading Friday night, the R-Phils defeated Altoona 4-3 in 11 innings. Mike Stutes started and went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, NO walks, and received no decision. Scott Eyre, Mike Zagurski, Alex Concepcion and Jason Mackintosh all threw scoreless relief. Quintin Berry lead the offense with 3 hits, scored 2 runs and stole 2 more bases to increase his league leading total to 28, as Reading improved to 46-33, 5.5 games behind first place Akron.

Thursday night in Allentown, Carlos Carrasco won again, 5-1 over Syracuse. Carlos is now 5-7, 4.70 on the year after not winning a game for the first 2 months. He is working on a slider, which when added to his fastball, change-up and curve, gives him a formidable arsenal of pitches. Lou Marson had a hit and 2 RBI in support of Carlos. Lou and Carlos have been teammates for 4 years in a row now, and were together for Lakewood's 2006 SAL title, and Clearwater's 2007 FSL crown.

Friday night in Clearwater, the Threshers dropped their 2nd straight after an 8-game winning streak, losing 10-5 to Dunedin. Fidel Hernandez is red hot, going 15 for 44 (.341) over the last 10 games to lift his average to .283 for the year. Julian Sampson absorbed the loss and falls to 1-9, 7.91 on the season. Things do not look bright for Julian if he does not have a drastic turnaround soon, like yesterday!! Tyler Cloyd, who was hit hard in his Clearwater debut last week, will get the ball this afternoon in Dunedin.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

rain in Lakewood (again)

The BlueClaws game was suspended by rain again Wednesday night. Greensboro has a 3-0 lead, and the Claws have Troy Hanzawa on 3rd base, Harold Garcia on 1st and Anthony Gose due to bat with 1 out in the bottom of the 5th inning. The game will resume tonight at 5:00, before the regular game begins.

undefeated Threshers sweep; Homie hot, hot, hot

In Palm Beach, the Threshers won both of their games against the Cardinals Wednesday, 2-1 in the opener and 7-1 in the nightcap. As is evident in the scores, the pitching was once again the story for Clearwater. Drew Naylor dominated the first game, going the distance and allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, NO walks, striking out 6 to improve to 5-6, 4.11 for the year. Mike Cisco (4-1, 2.68) was the story with 5 good strong innings, 1 unearned run, 4 hits, 1 walk. Walter Tejeda got 2 outs before the rain ended the game prematurely.

Tim Kennelly (.314) had 3 hits, including 2 doubles and drove in 4 runs on the night, Mike Durant had an RBI double to drive in the deciding run in game 1, and Matt Rizzotti (.263) had a triple, his 8th home run, scored twice and drove in 2 in the late game. Javis Diaz (.290) had 2 hits in the nightcap and Fidel Hernandez (.280) had 3 hits on the night for Clearwater.

Clearwater is 7-0 in the second half!!

In Las Vegas Wednesday, the 51s defeated Reno 12-6. Randy Ruiz (.322) had 3 doubles (he has 33 2-baggers) and drove in 3 more runs (that's 70 RBI, if you are counting, and I am!). Chris Roberson (.290) was 2 for 4 with a walk, and scored twice for Reno.

Braves rap Hamels, Phillies

When the Phillies give the ball to Cole Hamels, they expect their ace to do great things. But Cole did not make it out of the 5th inning for the 2nd start in a row last night in Atlanta, as the Braves pounded the Phillies 11-1. Hamels completed 4 innings, and pitched to 4 hitters in the 5th, and was charged with 7 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks to fall to 4-5, 4.98 for the year. Suddenly the entire Phillies staff seems reluctant to pitch inside, and unless, or until, they start moving some of these hitter off the plate, the troubles are likely to continue. Maybe the sight of the hated Mets coming into Philadelphia this weekend will get the juices flowing for the defending champs.

Sergio Escalona did pitch a scoreless inning in the 7th, allowing just 1 hit.

J.A. Happ (5-0), fresh off his shut out of the Jays Saturday, will try to get the Fightin' Phils back on track tonight.

In Reading Wednesday night, Scott Eyre started the game for the R-Phils, faced 6 hitters, allowing 3 hits and a walk, and left with the bases still loaded in the first. Kyle Drabek got the final out in the first and went on to throw 6.1 innings, and although he allowed 3 more runs, Reading scored enough for Kyle (5-0, 2.72) to record his 5th straight AA win in Reading's 8-6 win over Altoona. O yeah, Kyle also had 3 hits, scoring a run and driving in another!!

Michael Taylor (.350) had 2 more hits, including his 15th home run, and stole his 14th base, Tuffy Gosewisch had a single and a double, driving in 2, and Kevin Mahar stayed hot (16 of his last 32)with 2 more hits. Michael Dubee recorded 4 outs for Altoona, giving up an unearned run on 2 hits for the Pirate's affiliate.

Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez was in town and was supposed to play a few innings, but management decided to hold it off "for another day or two".

In Pittsburgh, the Cubs beat the Pirates, 4-1. Pittsburgh had only 6 hits, but 2 were by Jason Jaramillo. JJ is hitting .273 in his rookie campaign with the Bucs. In Kansas City, Robinson Tejeda made his 2nd appearance coming off the DL for the Royals. Robinson allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk in 1.2 innings, picking up 2 Ks.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

R-Phils send 4 to Trenton

The Reading Phillies will be represented by 4 players at the Eastern League All-Star Game in Trenton next month. Joe Savery (10-1) and Vance Worley (5-4) have been selected to pitch, while outfielder Michael Taylor (.348, 14 HR, 56 RBI) and third baseman Neil Sellers (.300, 8 HR, 44 RBI) will also play in the game.

Phils tab Lopez to make start Friday

Former major leaguer Rodrigo Lopez will make the start for the Phillies on Friday in place of injured Antonio Bastardo. The announcement ends the speculation, and shoots down my prediction, that Carlos Carrasco would get the shot to make his debut. O, well, the future is still bright for Carlos, and it still could happen this year. Stay tuned...............

Knapp sharp again, Claws win 7-4

Jason Knapp threw another impressive performance Tuesday night, striking out 12 in 5 innings in which he threw over 100 pitches, but once again received no decision, despite leaving the game with 4-1 lead. Jason allowed 1 run on 2 hits, and the run was a result of a disputed (read that:bad) call in the first inning by home plate umpire Mathieu Moisan. With Greensboro's Kevin Mattison on third base, and Jeremy Synan on first, Synan was thrown out stealing second, and Moisan ruled that Mattison scored before Synan was out at second. Clearly, it was the wrong call. It was the only run Knapp would allow, lowering his ERA to 3.50. At one point he struck out the side in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, and his final pitch was 98 MPH!!

Unfortunately for Knapp, Ben Lassiter belted a 3-run home run off Jordan Ellis, who made his 2nd appearance since joining Lakewood, to tie the game at 4-4 and preclude Knapp from recording his first win since May 2. Jordan would pick up the victory when Jim Murphy smacked his 8th home run in the 7th inning, his 2nd in 2 nights, to provide Lakewood with the margin of victory. "Murph" now has 36 RBI and his 2 hits have him back to .300. Harold Garcia (.289, 2 RBI), Travis D'Arnaud (single, double, walk, run), and Vladimir De Los Santos (.300, run) added 2 hits each for the BlueClaws. Anthony Gose added a single, 2 walks, scored a run and threw out a runner at home!

B.J. Rosenberg (1.41 ERA) threw the final 2 innings, striking out 3 to notch his 12th save of the year.

Jesus Sanchez (3-4) will go tonight for Lakewood.

Reading comes from behind

After spotting the Altoona Curve 5 runs in the second inning, the Reading Phillies came back to defeat them 6-5 in 12 innings Tuesday night. Yohan Flande made his debut for Reading and after a shaky inning in which he walked 1, hit a batter and gave up a home run, Flande settled down and did not give up another run through his 6 total innings. In he meantime the offense got into the game, scoring 4 of their own in the bottom of the 3rd.

Overall, Quintin Berry had 3 hits, including a triple, drove in a run, and stole 2 bases, raising his league leading total to 24. Brad Harman, Brian Stavisky and Kevin Mahar added 2 hits each, Mahar the game winning home run in the bottom of the 12th. Mahar is 14 for 28 over the last 6 games.

Jeremy Slayden pinch hit for pitcher Jason Mackintosh in the bottom of the 9th, walked and scored the game tying run, setting up Mahar's heroics.

Alex Concepcion (1.1 IP, 2 hits), Mackintosh (1.2 IP, 3K), Mike Zaguski (1 IP, 3K) and Chance Chapman (2 IP, 3K, win) threw scoreless relief for Reading.

Kyle Drabek will go tonight after Phillies reliever Scott Eyre throws 1 inning on a rehab assignment.

The Clearwater Threshers were rained out in Florida Tuesday.

Outside the system

Greg Golson (.277) had 2 hits, stole his 9th base, and scored 2 runs to help Oklahoma City defeat Nashville Tuesday night in Tennessee.

In Las Vegas, Randy Ruiz drove in his 67th run of the year, as he and Kevin Howard had a hit apiece in the 51s 5-2 loss to Sacramento.

Braves edge Phils

The Braves defeated the Phillies in Atlanta, 5-4 Tuesday night in 10 innings. Ryan Howard had a single and a double, and drove in his 60th run of the year, and John Mayberry hit a pinch hit home run, his 4th in just 38 major league at bats.

Cole Hamels will take the hill tonight for Philadelphia.

In what could have been an audition for a major league start, Kyle Kendrick threw a complete game for the IronPigs Tuesday night in Allentown. Kyle gave up 3 runs, 2 earned on 6 hits and 2 walks, but lost to Norfolk, 3-1 to fall to 4-5 with a respectable 3.77 ERA. Lou Marson had 2 of the Pigs' 5 hits.