Phils resign Romero

The Phillies have signed left-handed reliever J.C. Romero to a 1- year deal for 2011. This will probably effect leftys Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona in their quest to make the team. With the strong starting rotation in place in Philadelphia, the odds of the need for another lefty out of the pen seems to be lessened. Once again, it will all come down to performances in spring training and injuries that may or may not occur.

Sanchez, Flande move on

Jesus Sanchez has signed a minor league deal with the Brewers and Yohan Flande with the Braves. Good luck to both, and I will keep my eyes open to see where they land.

Markum trade could open door for Drabek

The Milwaukee Brewers made a splash this week trading for Zack Grienke from Kansas City and Shawn Markum from Toronto. One interesting by-product of this deal is the opening of a spot in the Toronto rotation, which Kyle Drabek will get an opportunity to compete for.

Kyle, who was the Eastern League pitcher of the year in 2010, was very impressive in September for the Jays, and the departure of Markum signals a willingness on the team's part to allow Drabek to make the 2011 team.

Nats sign Bis

Joe Bisenius has signed with the Washington National's system for the 2011 season. "Bis" made 5 appearances for the Nats in September and showed enough to get another look in spring training.

Mets claim Q

The New York Mets selected Quintin Berry from the Padres in the Rule 5 draft this morning, but before I get too excited, I am reminded they selected Carlos Monasterios last year, and traded him just hours later.

Sanchez and Flande released

Yesterday, the Phillies released Jesus Sanchez, who was the only starter to pitch in the Lakewood rotation for the entire 2009 championship season (winning game 2 of the Championship Series), and was the last of the players that the Phillies got for Bobby Abreu.

Also let go was Yohan Flande, a lefty who pitched in the future stars game in 2009 in the midst of a fine season at Clearwater, but apparently 10-8, 4.38 with Reading last year was not good enough.

The reason given was to free up spots on the 40-man roster. Either or both players could be resigned to minor league deals, of course....

1 signed, 1 on the market

Former BlueClaw R. J. Swindle was signed as a free agent by Tampa yesterday, returning to Rays organization where he was for a mere 2 weeks in 2010. R.J. has pitched for the Phillies and Brewers in the majors, and belonged to both the Tampa and Cleveland systems last year.

Taylor Buchholz, who was claimed on waivers by Boston a few weeks ago, was non-tendered by the Sox and has chosen free agency. Taylor has missed most of the last 2 seasons with injuries, but is said to be healthy (as healthy as anyone can be after 2 years of inactivity) and is hoping for a spring training invitation.

skippers named

Ryne Sandberg has been named manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the 2011 season. Mark Parent (who led Lakewood the the 2010 S.A.L. title) will move up to Reading and Dusty Wathan (2009 Lakewood skipper) will stay at Clearwater for a second season. Chris Truby, who managed at Williamsport in 2010, will take over the helm in Lakewood, and Greg Legg and Steve Schrenk will return to the 'Claws.

5 added to 40-man roster

The Phillies added 5 players to the 40-man roster, 4 former BlueClaws and 1 possible 2011 Lakewood player. Justin De Fratus, Freddy Galvis, Harold Garcia and Matt Rizzotti were all added to the roster along with infielder Cesar Hernandez, who spent 2010 with Williamsport and is a likely candidate for the 'Claws this coming summer. The moves are in preparation for the rule 5 draft coming up in a few weeks. Notables not included, and therefore exposed to the draft and available to other teams are Joe Savery, D'Arby Myers, and Tuffy Gosewisch.

Other HomeSiders on the Phillies 40-man roster are Antonio Bastardo, Sergio Escalona, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, Scott Mathieson, Drew Naylor, Jesus Sanchez, Vance Worley, Mike Zagurski, Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown.

Original BlueClaw Taylor Buchholz was claimed by the Red Sox on waivers, from Toronto.

3 titles in 5 years

BlueClaws celebrate their 3rd SAL title in 5 years Saturday at First Energy Park!

9th time the charm!!

Thanks to 3 home runs and 7 RBI by Shin-Soo Choo and a single, and a double and 3 more RBI by Lou Marson, the Indians defeated the Royals 11-4 Friday night as Carlos Carrasco recorded his first major league win. Carlos gave up 3 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings, walking just 1 and striking out 6 in his 9th major league start over the last 2 Septembers. This year in 4 outings, Carrasco has posted an impressive 2.70 ERA in 26.2 big league frames and hopes to compete for a rotation spot in 2011. I think he will get 2, maybe 3, more starts this year for the Indians.

In Lakewood Friday night, Jeremy Barnes had a walk off single in the bottom of the 9th to give the Lakewood BlueClaws a 2-1 win in game 3 of the SAL Championship Series. The BlueClaws lead the best of 5 series, 2 games to 1, with game 4 Saturday at 4:05. Game 5, if necessary, will follow about 30 minutes later. With 1 win today, Lakewood would win back-to-back titles and 3 in the last 5 years.

and the winner is.....

Jay Happ had a rough start to his game (home run-double-home run-single to the first 4 hitters) but got no decision, Gavin Floyd looked good until the 5th when he allowed a 3-run homer (he is 0-4 against Minnesota, 10-9 against the rest of the league), and Kyle Drabek looked cool and calm in his major league debut but lost 3-1 due to lack of support, but the HomeSider who managed a major league win last night was Matt Maloney in relief for the Reds as Cincinnati expanded their lead over the St Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.

For Maloney, it was his first major league victory of 2010, and the 3rd of his career.

more history today

Today Gavin Floyd will take to the hill in a big game for the White Sox as they try to catch the Twins in the AL Central, Jay Happ will face the Brewers for Houston, and Kyle Drabek will make his major league debut for Toronto against the Orioles.

This marks the first time 3 former BlueClaws will make major league starts on the same day, and none of them is pitching for the Phillies. It has been 10 years and, with the Phillies trading like a day-trader on Wall street, former BlueClaws are popping up on rosters all over the majors!

Speaking of the BlueClaws, emotion ran high last night in Greenville, as the 'Claws evened the SAL Championship Series at a game each with a 6-1 win over the Drive that featured a bench clearing brawl after Derrick Gibson of the Drive tried to bowl over Sebastian Valle at home plate in the bottom of the 5th inning. He was out and then the talking began, the benches cleared, and 2 players from each team were ejected. So this sets up an emotional Game 3 tomorrow here in Lakewood. The remainder of the series will be in First Energy Park Thursday, Friday and, if necessary, Saturday.

playoffs are here

With Travis d'Arnaud and Anthony Gose both on the DL, the Dunedin Blue Jays were shut out on 3 hits by Tampa in game 1 of the FSL playoffs last night. The pair were the catalyst in the BlueClaws playoff run in 2009.

Speaking of the BlueClaws, Lakewood opens defense of their SAL title with game 1 of their best of 3 series tonight in Hickory. Trevor May will take the hill for the 'Claws.

In Trenton tonight, the Thunder will face Eastern League pitcher of the year Kyle Drabek (14-9) and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in game 1 of the best of 5 series for the a berth in the EL championship series.

Out west, Adrian Cardenas and Mike Taylor and the rest of the Sacramento River Cats will face Andy Baldwin and Tacoma in the opening game of their best of 5 series in the PCL semifinals.

Kennelly big game not enough

My HomeSider of the day for Sunday is Tim Kennelley. Tim was 3 for 4 on Sunday, including a double, his 3rd home run, and 5 RBI in the Thresher's 8-7 loss to Daytona. On the year, Kennelley is hitting .253 in 65 games for Clearwater with 34 RBI. He has struck out only 32 times in 225 at bats this year, his second year in the FSL. Tim hit .303 in 76 games for Clearwater before finishing 2009 in Reading (.256 in 37 games).

How about that game in Philadelphia Sunday! Cole Hamels got the best of Matt Maloney, 1-0 as the Phils completed their sweep of the first place Reds. Maloney (0-2) went 6 in his second major league start this year, and gave up just 1 run on 4 hits and a walk, but Hamels (7-7) could not be beat. Cool Cole threw shut out ball for 7.2 innings, yielding just 6 hits and 3 walks in a classic "bend but don't break" performance. It was his first win since June 13.

All the reports I see about Domonic Brown say that his removal from yesterday's "Future Stars Game" in Anaheim was purely precautionary. Reports say Dom "tweaked" his hamstring. I await the good news that Domonic will be in Lehigh Valley's lineup when they resume play Thursday night in Louisville.

HomeSiders face off!

In the first ever match-up of former BlueClaws starters in the major leagues, Matt Maloney (0-1) will face Cole Hamels (6-7) as the Reds and Phillies wrap up their 4-game series Sunday afternoon at Citizen's Bank Park going in to the All-Star break.

Saturday's HomeSider of the day has to be Gavin Floyd. Gavin won again for the white hot White Sox, beating the Royals, 5-1. Gavin went 7.2, giving up just 1 run. In his last 7 starts, Floyd has averaged over 7 innings per start, while posting a 1.25 ERA and improving to 5-7 after a rough start (2-6, ERA 6+)

Yanks call up Golson

With Curtis Granderson put on the 15-day DL by the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers have called up former BlueClaw Greg Golson. "Golie" made his debut last night as a defensive replacement and made a nice catch against the wall to help the Yanks beat the Orioles, 4-1.

Speaking of former Lakewood speedsters, Anthony Gose stole 3 more bases (he is 10 for 15) last night in Brevard County, helping Clearwater to an 8-4 win over the Manatees. Hietor Correa improved to 4-0, going 5 innings and allowing 4 runs, all unearned. Matt Rizzotti continues to make his case for a promotion, banging out 3 more hits to up his average to .381. Surely they can use his bat in Reading!

Donald hot

Jason Donald has been very hot for the last week for the Columbus Clippers, going 12 for 23 (.522) in the last 8 games. Overall "J.D." is hitting .333 for the Indians affiliate, who will be in the area to take on both Lehigh Valley and Scranton over the next week.

Among the former BlueClaws taking the hill tonight; Gavin Floyd for the White Sox, Cole Hamels for the Phillies, and Hietor Correa for Clearwater.

On a personal note, for those of you who have been asking why I have not been posting as often, the answer is 2-fold. First, my life has gotten exceptionally busy and I do not find myself with the time that is required to do this. Second, when I started this, it was because the BlueClaws were really not doing anything like it. Now they have an excellent alumni report and the BlueClaws blog does a great job staying on top of things. Also, Greg Giambarrese gives a nightly report during the game broadcast. So I will try to fill in the gaps if I notice they miss anything.

Monaterios makes 1st start

After making 7 relief appearances and apparently impressing Joe Torre enough, Carlos Monasterios was rewarded with his first major league start against the Pirates last night at Dodger Stadium. On a limited pitch count to build up his arm strength, Carlos threw 4 inning (73 pitches), yielding just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, leaving the game with a 4-1 advantage. It seems he has earned another start, maybe Thursday against Milwaukee.

The Baltimore Orioles have called up Alfredo Simon, and he has made 3 appearances this week, throwing 3 scoreless frames and recording 2 saves, 1 against the Yankees Tuesday and another one against Boston last night.

Oh, the pitching!!

Some very good pitching by former BlueClaws Saturday, but we must start in the nation's capital where Carlos Monasterios registered his first major league win in the Dodger's 13-inning win over the Nationals. "Monte" entered the game in the 11th, threw 2.2 scoreless innings of relief and was rewarded with the victory when the Dodgers tallied in the 13th. Carlos allowed just 2 hits, NO walks and struck out 2. It was the 6th appearances for Monasterios; in all he has worked 8.2 innings, surrendering just 2 earned runs on 9 hits and 3 walks, and 4 Ks, posting an impressive 2.08 ERA!

In Toledo, Carlos Carrasco was also sharp. Carrasco recorded a win, throwing 7 strong innings against the Mud Hens in the Clipper's 7-1 win. Carlos allowed 1 run on 6 hits and just 1 walk, striking out 4 and lowering his ERA to a very respectable 2.59. Jason Donald (.306) had an RBI double in the game. In Binghamton, Kyle Drabek won his 3rd game of the year as New Hampshire topped the Mets, 5-1. Drabek pitched for 5.2 innings, allowing only 2 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7, and is now 3-1, 3.80 on the year for the Toronto affiliate.

In Reading, the combination of Vance Worley (6 IP, 1 earned run, 8 Ks), Mike Stutes (2 IP, 1 hit, WIN) and Sergio Escalona (1-2-3 9th, save #3) led the R-Phils to a 3-2 win over Richmond, while in Dunedin, Austin Hyatt (3-1, 1.99; 6 IP, 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks, 7Ks), Tyson Brummett (2 IP 1 run on 1 hit) and Chris Kissock (1-2-3 9th) helped the Threshers to a 9-2 win over the Jays. D'Arby Myers and Troy Hanzawa had 2 hits each for Clearwater.

In Houston, Jason Jaramillo (.286) smacked his first home run of the season for the Pirates, but the Astros won for the 7th time in the last 8 games, 5-2. Michael Bourn (.321) had a hit and a walk and scored a run for Houston.

Brown back, goes deep

Domonic Brown returned to the Reading lineup Friday night after sitting out a week, and belted his first home run of the season in Reading's 5-3 loss to Richmond. Mike Spidale also homered for the R-Phils, who fell to 6-9 on the year. Drew Naylor (1-2, 4.86) took the loss, giving up 5 runs in his 5 innings of work after Phillies starter Joe Blanton went the first 3 and Brad Lidge threw the 4th.

In Lakeland, Matt Rizzotti had 4 hits, raising his early season average to .360, and Derrick Mitchell homered and drove in 3 runs as the Threshers topped the Flying Tigers, 8-4. Hietor Correa improved to 3-0 with 7 strong innings, and Jon Velasquez tossed the final 2 frames. Anthony Gose stole 2 more bases, giving him a total of 6 so far. The Threshers stay in first place with a 10-6 mark.

In Toledo, Jason Donald had 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 RBI as the Columbus Clippers beat the Mud Hens, 6-2. "JD" is hitting .310 for the Clippers. In Scranton, Scott Mathieson's comeback continues on track as he threw another scoreless inning for the IronPigs in their 6-3 loss to the Yankees. In 6 outings totaling 8.2 innings, Mathieson has allowed just 1 run on 5 hits, posting an impressive 1.04 ERA.

The news was not so good for former BlueClaw aces in the majors Friday night as both Cole Hamels and Gavin Floyd struggled. Hamels was pinned with his second loss in Arizona, while Floyd escaped with no decision in his winless April.

Overbeck HR gives win to De Fratus

Cody Overbeck belted his 3rd home run of the year leading off the bottom of the 9th inning last night, giving the Clearwater Threshers a 3-2 win over Lakeland. The Threshers had tied the game at 2 in the 5th, on RBI hits by Derek Mitchell (single, SB, scored 1 and knocked in another) and Anthony Gose (2 for 4 including 2 out RBI double to tie game). J.C Ramirez, obtained in the Cliff Lee trade, threw 7 good innings, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8. Justin De Fratus came on to retire 6 of 7 hitters (3 Ks, 1 walk) and picked up the win when Overbeck went deep. Clearwater is now 9-6, tied with Dunedin for first place.

Day game alert

Reading's game a 10:30 AM start, Flande taking on Strasburg. Of course, if you prefer to listen to (or watch on MILB.TV) Matt Maloney pitch for Louisville, that one starts @ 11:00.

Blanton sharp, Claws win 4th straight

Phillies starter Joe Blanton pitched 2 innings in Lakewood last night, retiring all 6 hitters he faced using just 13 total pitches, and the Lakewood BlueClaws got their first walk-off win of 2010 when Jonathan Villar's infield single scored Adam Buschini with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Villar is leading the team with a .356 average. Anthony Hewitt is hot on his trail, rapping out 3 hits yesterday to move up to .354. Jeremy Barnes and Leandro Castro had 2 hits apiece and Lakewood improved to 8-5 on the year. The pitching was good; after Blanton, Chad Poe threw a 1-2-3 3rd inning before giving the ball to the scheduled starter, Matthew Way. Way battled through 6 innings, in and out of trouble, giving up 3 runs, but only 1 earned, on 6 hits and walk, striking out 5 in the process. Justin Zeid came on for the the 10th and 11th, and his 2 scoreless innings were rewarded with the victory.

Both Clearwater and Reading were shut out yesterday. For the Threshers, Korby Mintkin was the only one to reach base, popping their only 2 hits and a working a walk. For the R-Phils, Freddy Galvis had 3 of their 5 total hits. Trevor May and Mike Cisco were the victims of non-support.

In Norfolk, Alfredo Simon made his 3rd rehab start for the Tides and continued his impressive comeback from surgery. Simon went 7 inning against Gwinnett, allowing just 2 runs, only 1 earned, on 6 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 5 and although he lost the 2-1 decision, in 3 starts he has pitched 16 innings, posting a 1.69 ERA.

Late win for Baldwin

Andrew Baldwin came into a game in the 6th inning for Tacoma last night, and retired all 7 hitters he faced. In the meantime, the Rainiers scored 4 runs and Baldwin was the winning pitcher in Tacoma's 5-4 victory in Salt Lake City. It was the first win for Baldwin, who has been struggling so far this year.

Mike Cisco (1-0) going for Reading in Harrisburg Tuesday, and Alfredo Simon (1-0) will get the start for Norfolk against Gwinnett.

Golson propels Scranton

Greg Golson was 3 for 4 and a walk, scored 2 runs, drove in 1 and stole a base as Scranton broke open a close game with 5 in the 9th to top Buffalo, 7-2. Golson singled, stole second and scored the run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the top of the 8th, then walked and scored again in the 5-run rally in the 9th. Greg is off to a .324 start for his new team!

Travis d'Arnaud has been named Florida State League Player of the week. Starting the season on a 9-game hitting streak, Travis is hitting .425, with 3 doubles, 3 homers and 10 RBI. John Mayberry has won the same honor in the International League, playing for Lehigh Valley. Mayberry was 11 for 21 (that's .524!) with 4 doubles and a home run for the IronPigs.

Carlos Carrasco threw 4 shut out innings before running into trouble in the 5th in Louisville. Carlos gave up 3 runs (only 2 earned) on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7 and was the losing pitcher as the Bats went on beat the Clippers, 8-2. In Manchester, New Hampshire, Kyle Drabek fought his way through 5 innings to notch a 5-4 victory over Trenton Monday. Kyle gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks (too many) to improve to 2-1 on the year.

In Tampa, the Threshers split a doubleheader with the Yankees, losing 3-1 in the early game, but coming back to gain the split with a 5-1 triumph in the nightcap. Jon Velasquez was the hard luck loser in game 1, tossing 3 innings in the spot start and allowing just 1 run. A big, bases clearing double by Troy Hanzawa was the big blow in the second game as the Thresher scored 4 runs in the top of the 6th to break a 1-1 tie. D'Arby Myers, Steve Susdorf, Fidel Hernadez and Korby Mintkin all had 2 hits for Clearwater. The Threshers are now 8-4 and in first place by 1.5 games over Lakeland in FSL North, and have an early game today. Trevor May will go today, having been pushed back a day due to the rain out last week.

The Lakewood BlueClaws parlayed 5 hits (2 by Jonathan Villar) into a 5-0 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers Monday, taking the series 3-1. 6 great innings by Jarred Cosart improved his record to 3-0, 2.65. Cosart gave up just 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10. An inning of scoreless relief each from Like Wertz, Jordan Ellis and Jacob Diekman and the BlueClaws have now tossed 25 consecutive scoreless innings. They will entrust this streak to Phillies' starter Joe Blanton tonight for 2 innings, or 30 pitches, before Matthew Way will take over.

Velasquez to start for Threshers

Jon Velasquez is starting the first game of the doubleheader for Clearwater today. Jon was 9-2 in 15 appearances, 11 starts, for Lakewood last year.

JJ leads Pirates to win

Jason Jaramillo, making just his second start of the year Sunday, had 2 hits including a 3-run double in the Pirates' 5 run 4th leading the Pirates to a 5-3 win and a sweep over the Reds in Pittsburgh Sunday.

The news was not so good in Philadelphia , where Cole Hamels was outdueled by the Marlin's Nate Robertson in Florida's 2-0 win over the Phillies. Hamels (2-1, 3.86) threw a strong 8 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits, NO walks and 8 Ks as the Phillies dropped their first series of the season. Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the Indians completed the sweep of the White Sox, battering Gavin Floyd for 7 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, the big righthander never recording an out in the 2nd inning. It was as tough an outing as Floyd has had in years, as Gavin fell to 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in 3 starts in 2010. OUCH!

In Lakewood Sunday, Nick Hernandez won his 3rd start in a row, tossing 8 shut out innings against Greensboro. The BlueClaws ace lefty gave up just 3 hits, NO walks, and struck out 9 to power the the Claws to the 10-0 victory. Two reserves, Stephen Batts and Alan Schoenberger had 3 hits and 3 runs scored each, Schoenberger driving in a run with each hit. In Richmond, Vance Worley won his first game, as the Reading Phillies gained a split of their 4-game set with Flying Squirrels with a 5-2 win. The news out of Reading is Quintin Berry has an undisclosed infection in his system and has been sent to Clearwater as the organization tries to diagnose and treat him. With Domonic Brown also out this week with a concussion, Reading finds itself a little short handed. Note to the Phillies: Steve Susdorf should be in Reading anyway...how about it?

Travis d'Arnaud had 2 more hits Saturday for Dunedin, raising his average to .425 with 10 RBI, and on Sunday in Reno, Michael Taylor had a hit and a walk and stole 3 bases, but Sacramento lost to the Aces, 10-7.

My calender shows Carlos Carrasco scheduled tonight in Louisville, Jarred Cosart for Lakewood, Austin Hyatt and Trevor May in the doubleheader for Clearwater, and Phillippe Aumont for Reading, as the R-Phils open a series in Harrisburg.

Brown update

It turns out Domonic Brown bumped his head in a collision with first baseman Tagg Bozied as they both pursued a pop up in the bottom of the second inning. Dom left the field under his own power, the diagnosis is "a mild concussion" which, with the Phillies, means a least a week. The 22-year old is hitting .323 with 4 doubles, 3 RBI and a stolen base in his first 9 games of the year.

some of this week's highlights

On Thursday in Louisville, Matt Maloney won his 2nd consecutive start in the Bat's 4-2 win over Indianapolis. Maloney went 6, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7 to go to 2-0, 2.31. Back on Tuesday, Carlos Carrasco went 6.2 innings against Louisville, allowing 3 runs (only 1 earned) on 4 hits and 5 walks. The Bats won the game 4-3 in 10 innings. Also on Tuesday, in Toronto Gavin Floyd had the misfortune of matching up with Ricky Romero of the Jays. Romero allowed just 1 hit in 8 innings and bested Floyd and the Sox 4-2. Gavin went 6, allowing 4 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks, losing his first decision of the year. On Wednesday night, Domonic Brown had 2 hits to lead Reading over former teammate Kyle Drabek and the R-Phils rallied for 4 in the bottom of the 6th for a 7-3 win over New Hampshire.

Jason Donald has had a good opening week, and is hitting .357 for Columbus in 7 games so far, but hottest of all is Travis d'Arnaud. Travis is off to a 15 for 35 start (that's .429) with 2 doubles, 3 homers and 8 RBI in just 8 games so far.

In another interesting note, Domonic Brown left the Reading game in Richmond last night after only 1 at bat. I am looking around for the reason. In that game , Reading wasted a second consecutive great performance from Yohan Flande. Flande has pitched twice now, a total of 12 innings and has allowed NO earned runs. He did absorb the loss yesterday, as the Flying Squirrels (with a logo that looks like "Rocky, the flying squirrel" from the old cartoons!) scored 2 UNearned runs to edge Reading, 2-1.

In Clearwtaer last night, Joel Naughton had 3 hit including a double and 2 RBI, and Steve Susdorf belted a home run, driving in 3 runs as the Threshers beat Lakeland, 10-4. The victory went to J.C. Ramirez, who came over to the Phillies in the Cliff Lee deal. D'Arby Myers had a hit and 2 stolen bases and Anthony Gose drove in 2 runs and nailed a runner at home to prevent another run.

Monday notes

Monday's biggest impression on me comes from Hagerstown where Anthony Hewitt belted a home run and 2 doubles, helping Lakewood to a 7-4 win over the Suns to improve to 3-2 on the year. The Brooklyn native, who will turn 21 later this month, is off the a .500 start, going 7 for his first 14, including 2 doubles, 2 HR, and 5 RBI. Jiwan James, who just turned 21 last weekend, also had 3 hits and is hitting .435 (10 for 23, 2 doubles, a triple, a HR and 5 RBI. The young guns continue their series in Hagerstown tonight, Nicholas Hernandez looks for his 2nd win.

Domonic Brown had a single, a double, a run scored and 2 RBI as Reading edged New Hampshire, 4-3 to improve to 4-1 in the season's first week. Drew Naylor was the starter and winner, going 6 innings, and allowing just 3 runs on 4 hits, NO walks, 2 Ks. Matt German (4 outs, 3K), Mike Schwimer (4 outs) and Sergio Escalona (final out, 2nd save) finished it off. Vance Worley gets the ball tonight.

Clearwater defeated Tampa, 4-3, to go to 4-1 on the year and jump the Yankees into first. Matt Rizzotti (.500), Brian Gump and D'Arby Myers all had 2 hits, and Anthony Gose had a triple, an RBI, 2 runs scored and stole his 3rd base. After Brad Lidge allowed a run on 2 hits in the 1st inning, Hietor Correa made his debut, and got the win, pitching 3 strong innings, before yielding a couple of runs in the 5th. Jon Velasquez threw 3 shut out innings, and Chris Kissock tossed a 1-2-3 9th to record the save. Austin Hyatt will go tonight.

In Daytona, Travis d'Arnaud had 3 hits and then a sac fly to drive in the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th as Dunedin edged Daytona 4-2. Travis is hitting .350 for the first 5 games.

Jason Donald had 2 hits and a walk, as the Columbus Clippers beat Louisville, 5-3. Donald is off to a 7 for 16 start (that's .438). Speaking of Columbus, Carlos Carrasco will look for win #2 tonight.

Lehigh Valley's 3-run 9th inning rally came up 1 short against Pawtucket, falling 6-5 to the Red Sox. Andrew Carpenter was hit hard, absorbing the loss by giving up 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in just 3.1 innings. Alex Concepcion, on the other hand, threw 2 more scoreless frames and is unscored upon in 2 of 3 outings so far.

The news is mixed out of Scranton, also. Greg Golson had 2 hits (and his 2nd SB), including an RBI single in the Yankees' 2 run 4th, and Scranton scored in the 11th to beat Rochester 6-5. Zack Segovia did not fare well, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in just 1 inning. That makes 2 rough outings in a row for Zack.

In Tacoma, Andy Baldwin went 5 innings against Sacramento, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, NO walks, striking out 4 and left the game with a 7-2 lead. It was not to be as the River Cats rallied for a 10-7 victory. Michael Taylor (.300) was 0 for 5 for the Cats, but did drive in a run.

The Cardinals and Adam Wainwright shut out the Astros on 7 hits Monday, but Michael Bourn (.346) had 2 of the hits, and stole his first base of 2010.

Gavin Floyd will start tonight for the White Sox in Toronto.

The lasting impression I will take out of First Energy Stadium after Saturday's game was of Mike Cisco. Cisco won his season debut last night, throwing 6 strong innings, and after he retired the side in the 6th using just 5 pitches, I was hoping to see him come back for the 7th. In the end, Cisco allowed just 1 run on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 2. Chance Chapman came on and worked into and out of trouble in the 7th and left with 2 out and 2 on in the 8th. Matt German recorded that out, and Mike Schwimer threw a 1-2-3 9th in a 4-1 R-Phils win.

Mike Spidale (4 for 7, 5 RBI) had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Domonic Brown added a hit to the 15-hit barrage. Third-baseman Brandon Pinckney had 3 hits and an RBI.

I also saw that Matt Maloney won his season debut for Louisville Saturday night, throwing 5.2 strong innings in Toledo. Matt gave up just 1 run on 6 hits, NO walks, and struck out 8 in Louisville's 7-1 victory.

Gose steals #1

Anthony Gose had 3 hits including a triple, and stole his first base of the season, reaching second base before the throw from former teammate Travis d'Arnaud, and the Threshers made it 2 in a row over Dunedin, winning 3-0 on Friday in Clearwater. Trevor May was great, tossing 6 shut out innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 10! Tyler Cloyd threw a scoreless 7th and Justin De Fratus notched the save, recording the last 6 outs.

In Asheville, Jarred Cosart was also impressive, throwing 5 scoreless innings before tiring in the 6th, but still posted the victory as the BlueClaws prevailed again 9-3. Leandro Castro led the attack, with 2 singles, a triple, a run scored and an RBI. Jiwan James had a triple, a home run, and 2 RBI, and Anthony Hewitt had 2 hits, including his first homer, and also drove in a pair. Domingo Santana and Jeremy Barnes also had 2 hits apiece.

In Reading, Mike Spidale had had 2 hits and drove in 3 runs to lead Reading to a 7-5 win over Portland. Mike Stutes recorded the win out of the bullpen and Sergio Escalona picked up the save. In Syracuse, Scott Mathieson threw 2 scoreless innings in the IronPigs 5-4 loss to the Chiefs. In Columbus, Jason Donald had a single, 2 doubles, scored twice and drove in a run in the Clippers' 14-12 loss to Indianapolis. In Oregon, Mike Taylor had his 2nd 2-hit game for the River Cats as Sacramento beat Portland, 10-5. In Scranton, Greg Golson had a walk and a single, stole a base and scored 2 runs, but Buffalo defeated the Yankees, 7-6 by scoring 2 runs off Zack Segovia in the 8th inning.

In another note, Jesus Mechan was released by the Indians, and signed by the Blue Jays, and went 3 for 3 Thursday night in his debut for Las Vegas.

I am running out the door, and will be Baseballtown tonight for the R-Phils game.

perfect 10's

Both the Lakewood BlueClaws and Clearwater Threshers racked up 10 runs on opening night, and both squad took road victories as a reward.

The BlueClaws started early, riding the wave of an 8-run top of the first inning to a 10-7 win over Asheville. Nicholas Hernandez was the starter and winning pitcher, going 6 innings, and while allowing 6 runs, only 2 were earned. He had NO walks (a stat I absolutely love) and struck out 8. Siuman Lebron was impressive, striking out 3 in 2 innings, and Eric Massingham recorded the final 3 outs. Jeremy Barnes had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and scored 2 runs, and Darin Ruf was 2 for 3, including a 3-run homer in the 8 run explosion, and an RBI double in the 9th. Jiwan James had a single, a double, 2 RBI and scored a run, Jonathan Villar added 2 singles, a stolen base, and 2 runs scored, and Adam Buschini chipped in with a double, 3 walks, a stolen base and a run scored.

The BlueClaws had 12 hits, but the Threshers tallied 16 in their 10-2 trouncing of the Dunedin Blue Jays. Leading the attack was Matt Rizzotti, who was 3 for 4 with a walk, a home run, and 3 runs scored. Troy Hanzawa also had 3 hits, including a double, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. Brian Gump (single, double, 2 RBI), Steve Susdorf (2 hits, 2 walks), Jim Murphy (2 singles, RBI, run), and Fidel Hernandez (single, double, 4 RBI) all added to the relentless attack.

Lost in the noise of the hitting, was a nice effort from Austin Hyatt. After allowing Phillies J.C. Romero to throw the first inning, Hyatt settled in to toss 6 strong frames. 2 runs on just 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 7. The only damage was done by Travis d'Arnaud, who hit a 2-run shot off Hyatt in the Dunedin 7th. Tyson Brummett, also on a rehab assignment, threw the final 2 innings without incident.

Drabek wins debut

Kyle Drabek won his debut for New Hampshire in Connecticut Thursday night, going 5 innings and giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 8, as the Fisher Cats defeated New Britain, 5-4. This sets Kyle up for a showdown Tuesday night in Reading against his former team.

Speaking of Reading, the Portland Sea Dogs ruined the opener in Baseballtown, pounding the R-Phils, 10-5. Vance Worley was cruising early, but could not survive the 5th inning. In the end, Vance gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in just 4.1 frames. Matt German (.2 IP, 2 R), Mike Schwimer ( 2 IP, 1 R), and BJ Rosenberg ( 1 IP, 3 R) also struggled before Chance Chapman restored order in the 9th. Freddy Galvis and Tuffy Gosewisch had 2 hits each for Reading.

Also in the Eastern League, Mike Dubee threw a 1-2-3 inning for Altoona, as the Curve beat Harrisburg, 5-1.

Carrasco wins

In Columbus, Ohio, Carlos Carrasco battled his way through 5.2 innings against Indianapolis, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8 to get the victory in the Clippers' 17-4 opening night win. Jason Donald had a double and a walk in 5 plate appearances and scored 2 runs. Top Indian's prospect, catcher Carlos Santana, had 4 hits including a double, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI. Greg Golson made his debut with Scranton, going 0 for 4 in the Yankees 1-0 win over Buffalo. Michael Taylor had a single and a triple for Sacramento as the River Cats won their opener in Portland, 6-2. Andy Baldwin threw 3 scoreless innings in relief for Tacoma, allowing just 1 hit and NO walks, striking out 2. Colorado Springs won the game, 2-0.

In a game that saw the lead change hands 4 different times, the Syracuse Chiefs tallied 2 in the bottom of the 9th for an 8-7 win over the IronPigs. Alex Concepcion threw a perfect 2 innings to keep Lehigh Valley in contention through the middle innings. Mike Zagurski was not so fortunate. Zag faced 3 hitters, starting off with a K, but then allowing a hit before plunking Pete Orr. Both of these runners scored.

In the majors...

Kyle Kendrick made his first start in Miami Thursday and made it through 4 innings, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits, NO walks, striking out 2. Antonio Bastardo appeared in his 3rd straight game, recording 2 outs this time. For the series, Bastardo faced 7 hitters; 5 outs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 Ks. Ryan Howard (6 for 15, .400 series) had 2 more hits and a walk, and drove in his 6th run of the young season.

Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh, the Dodgers took an 8-1 advantage into the bottom of the 8th when Carlos Monasterios got his second call in 3 games. Carlos got his 3 outs, sandwiched around a single and a double and his first major league run against him. He has faced 8 hitters, recording 6 outs, and allowing 1 run on the the 2 hits, picking up 1 strike out. Also in this game, Jason Jaramillo made his first appearance (0 for 1) of the season for the Pirates.

In Chicago, the Indians took an extra inning win from the White Sox, the Tribe winning in 12, 5-3. Gavin Floyd started and went 6 innings for the Sox. Gavin gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, notching 7 strike outs along the way. Lou Marson was 0 for 4 for Cleveland, a tough 0 for 7 start.

Wednesday's notes

Cole Hamels toughed out his first win of the year, making it through 5 innings in the Phillies' 8-4 win over the Nationals. Cole allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 5. Ryan Howard belted his 2nd home run in as many games, this one was deep into the DC night!! Antonio Bastardo, who struggled Monday, retired the only hitter he faced, before turning it over to Ryan Madson for the final 4 outs. Carlos Ruiz had 2 more hits and another walk, and has reached base in 7 of his first 10 plate appearances.

The Giants completed their sweep of the Astros, the combination of Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain proving too much this week. Houston's Michael Bourn had a single and an RBI Wednesday, but finished the series just 2 for 12, with 4 strike outs. The Astros will have Thursday off, and await the arrival of the Phillies for Friday's game. Philadelphia is sending Kyle Kendrick in the series finale in Washington (4:30 game) before heading to Texas. Joining Kendrick in the spotlight tonight is Gavin Floyd, making his season debut against Lou Marson and the Cleveland Indians.

Carlos Carrasco will get the opening night assignment for the Columbus Clippers, and Kyle Drabek will receive the same honor for New Hampshire.

Nicholas Hernandez will get the ball for Lakewood, as the defending SAL champs open their 2010 campaign in Asheville tonight. Vance Worley has the ball in Reading tonight, but I still have no word who will start for Clearwater. Speaking of Clearwater, when they come to bat in Dunedin tonight, Travis d'Arnaud will be the catcher for the Blue Jays.

Tejeda roughed up

The Royals were leading the Tigers 4-2 Monday in the top of the 6th inning with no outs and 2 men on base when they went to Robinson Tejeda for relief. Robinson faced 4 hitters, allowing 3 hits, and each of those runners scored. He did pick up 1 strike out but suffered the blown save and the loss in Detroit's 8-4 win over KC.

In Houston, 2-time defending Cy Young winner Tim Lincicum and the Giants defeated Roy Oswalt 5-2. Michael Bourn was 1 for 4 in the game.

In another note, the Blue Jays have assigned Kyle Drabek to AA-New Hampshire in the Eastern League.

The Clearwater roster has also been released, consisting on mainly former BlueClaws. You can see the list on their website, although I was surprised to see Steve Susdorf there after he played most of the second half of 2009 with Reading.

Monasterios makes debut

Carlos Monasterios made his major league debut this afternoon in Pittsburgh. With the Dodgers trailing 8-2 going to the bottom of the 6th, manager Joe Torre called Carlos into the game, and he promptly got 3 outs, throwing just 8 pitches, 6 for strikes. The Pirates won the game, 11-5, and another former BlueClaw hits the big time!

The Phillies manhandled the Nationals, 11-1 behind Roy Halladay. Ryan Howard had 2 hits, including a 2-run homer, Carlos Ruiz had a hit and 3 walks, and scored 2 runs. Antonio Bastardo recorded 2 outs, walking 1 and striking out 1. Cole Hamels will make his season debut in game #2, which is Wednesday.

Lou Marson was 0 for 3 for Cleveland, and the Indians went down, 6-0, to the White Sox and Mark Buerle. Gavin Floyd will make his first start for the ChiSox Thursday night.

2010 Claws

The BlueClaws have released their roster and it contains some returnees. Pitcher Matthew Way will lead the group of 4 hurlers returning to Lakewood. Other familiar faces joining Way on the staff will be Jacob Diekman, Jordan Ellis and Luke Wertz. Catcher Sebastian Valle will be back along with Kyle Lafrenz. Infielder Alan Schoenberger and outfielders Leandro Castro and Zack Collier will also be back. (Collier will start the season on the DL.) It is another young team, much like the one that won the 2009 championship last season, with outfielder Domingo Santana becoming the youngest player ever for Lakewood. The team begins the season Thursday night in Asheville, North Carolina.

Lehigh Valley and Reading rosters released

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have released their opening day roster and it includes former BlueClaw pitchers Alex Concepcion, Scott Mathieson, and Mike Zagurski. Also named to the team is Joe Savery, who I mention because he is one of the players who never played at Lakewood, but went directly to Clearwater.

Reading's roster has many Lakewood alumni, including outfielders Quintin Berry, Domonic Brown and Mike Spidale, infielder Freddy Galvis, catcher Tuffy Gosewisch, and pitchers Chance Chapman, Mike Cisco, Sergio Escalona, Matt German, Drew Naylor, B.J. Rosenberg, Mike Stutes, and Vance Worley. Add to the mix Yohan Flande and Mike Schwimer, who are in the same category with Savery.

I am looking for more.

Monasterios makes Dodgers

The Dodgers announced Saturday that Carlos Monasterios has made the team. Carlos, who is 24 years old, has only made 2 minor league appearances above A-ball, but posted a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings covering 9 games for the Dodgers this spring.

a few assignments

Let me locate a few more of our favorites for you.

I found 2 of our guys playing in the Mexican League, which started play 2 weeks ago. Chris Roberson, off a good winter league season and Caribbean World Series, has got off to hot start with Monterrey. In just 14 games, "Robey" has 24 hits, including 8 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, 11 RBI and 3 steals, posting an impressive .393 average and a .456 on base percentage.

Original BlueClaw Yoel Hernandez is also out of the gate fast. Yoel has already been in 11 of 14 games for Oaxaca, throwing for 3 consecutive days two different times already. 1 run, 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 K's, in 12.1 innings of work....0.73 ERA. A native of Venezuela, Yoel will be 30 years old this month.

Word from the west coast is that the Athletics are hoping to have Josh Outman back by mid-season. This will make 2010 a rebuilding year for Josh, who missed most of 2009 after a promising start.

The Cleveland Indians have announced that Lou Marson will indeed be the starting catcher on opening day. The Tribe has also optioned Carlos Carrasco to Columbus where he will start the season in the Clipper's rotation, and be teammates with Jason Donald. With Matt Maloney retuning to Louisville, we could get an International League showdown between 2 of our 2006 BlueClaw champions.

With the injuries to Joe Blanton, J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge, it appears Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer will both be in the rotation to start the year for the Phillies. Look for Andrew Carpenter to fill the roster spot and work out of the pen.

Five HomeSiders released

The Phillies released 11 players yesterday, including 5 former BlueClaws. Joe Bisenius, Freddy Ballestas, Ryan Bergh, Jeremy Hamilton, and Gus Milner were all let go.

I have to hand it to MLBN..I saw Carlos Monasterios pitch for the Dodgers, Carlos Carrasco pitch for the Indians, Zack Segovia pitch for the Yankees, and Gavin Floyd pitch for the White Sox in the last week. I also caught one of Matt Maloney's games earlier in the month.

If Kyle Kendrick wins the final spot in the rotation, the Phillies will have 3 former BlueClaws in the rotation for the first time to start a season. Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ are already there.

It also looks as if Antonio Bastardo will be on the opening day roster.

Michael Bourn returned to the Houston line up Saturday, after missing over a week with mild right oblique strain. Bourn hit .285 in 157 games for the Astros last year and was the NL stolen base champion with 61.

As of now, there is no reason not to think Jason Jaramillo will return to the Pirates for another major league season behind Ryan Doumit.

It appears Adrian Cardenas and Michael Taylor will be teammates for the Sacramento River Cats in the PCL, and Greg Golson and Zack Segovia will likely be together at Scranton. Jason Donald will open the season in Columbus. If I had to guess, I would say Kyle Drabek opens the season in AAA-Las Vegas, and Travis d'Arnuad will start at AA-New Hampshire.

A quick note about my lack of coverage of spring training...I have been unable to get down to Clearwater this month which has taken me out of the loop as far as the cuts and who is playing for which squad at this time, but when the rosters are finalized, both in the Phillies system and for our boys around baseball, I will locate everyone and let you know where they are playing at the start of the 2010 season.

The BlueClaws are opening with 8 games on the road, but I will be in Reading for 2 games April 10 and 11.

Bastardo wins job; Durant to go under knife

With Mike Zagurski getting reassigned to minor league camp, it appears that Antonio Bastardo has made the team. The Phillies now have 12 healthy pitchers in camp and, barring any trades, it seems the staff for opening day has been set.

In an unrelated note, Mike Durant will have back surgery and will be out indefinitely. We wish him all the best for a quick recovery.

Segovia invited to Yankees camp

Zack Segovia has been invited to spring training by the Yankees. He will join Greg Golson, who has been placed on 40-man roster by the defending world champions. It will be a crowded camp for New York as they extended invitations to 20 non-roster players on Tuesday.

Quartet of HomeSiders participate in Caribbean Series

A total of 4 HomeSiders competed in the Caribbean Series this past week on Margarita Island in Venezuela. The series was captured by the Dominican champions, the Leones de Escogido, who won 5 of their 6 games in the double round robin format. The Leones were the only team in the 4 team field not to have a former BlueClaw on their roster.

Yoel Hernandez pitched for Caracas, making 2 appearances and recording 5 outs after allowing a home run to the first hitter he faced, 42-year old Vinny Castilla. Yoel has spent the last 2 summers pitching in the Mexican League.

Chris Roberson, who was let go by the Diamondbacks over the winter, made a good showing, hitting .333 with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored, a stolen base and some fine outfield play, including 2 assists in the opening game for Hermosillo. The performance should serve as a good audition and hopefully will get Roberson an invitation to a major league camp next month.

Randy Ruiz (in the center of the above picture) had a fine series for Mayaguez, the Puerto Rican representatives. Randy hit .364 with a home run, 4 RBI and a .440 on base percentage. The Bronx native will now go the Dunedin for spring training with the Blue Jays. Andy Baldwin made a start for Mayaguez, going 4.2 innings Friday, allowing just 1 earned run on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2 against the Dominican team in the only game that that the DR lost in the series. Andy will head to Arizona to Mariner's camp in his bid for a spot on the Seattle roster.

Now that the Super Bowl has been played (congratulations to the New Orleans Saints), we can start to focus on spring training. If only I wasn't buried under 16 inches of snow!!

Roberson scores lone run in clincher

Chris Roberson tripled and scored the only run in the deciding game of the Mexican championship for Hermosillo and will play for the squad in the Caribbean Series which starts Tuesday in Venezuela.

Yankees acquire Golson

After trading off Melky Cabrera and top prospect Austin Jackson this off season, the Yankees have acquired Greg Golson from the Texas Rangers, and will bring him to major league camp to compete for a spot on the 25-man roster. With Xavier Nady signing with the Cubs, and Johnny Damon apparently too expensive, Golson will have a good opportunity to earn a spot with the World Series champions. Here on the Jersey shore, the Yankees games are all televised locally, and if he does not make the team, he will be assigned to Scranton. Golson played parts of 2 seasons (05 & 06) for the BlueClaws.

Phillies take care of business

The Phillies have signed all their arbitration eligible players, completing the task by signing Carlos Ruiz to a 3-year, $8.8 million deal, with a club option for the 4th year. Ruiz, a native of Panama and an original BlueClaw, turned 31 this week.

With the trading of both Lou Marson and Travis d'Arnaud in the last 6 months, it appears the Phillies will rely on Ruiz for the foreseeable future. Speaking of Marson, the Cleveland Indians have said they will give Lou a shot at the full time position in Cleveland and they expect him to win the job. The top prospect in the Indians' system is catcher Carlos Santana. Santana is recovering from hand surgery and is scheduled to start the season at AAA Columbus. This will allow Lou to show what he can do at the major league level, much like the opportunity Jason Jaramillo got when Ryan Doumit was injured for Pittsburgh last year. Jaramillo was the Pirates regular catcher for 2 months and got 206 at bats in 63 games for the Pirates, posting a .252 batting average in his rookie year.

Bourn avoids arbitration

Michael Bourn has avoided an arbitration hearing, resigning with Houston for this season for 2.4 million. Mike hit .285 and led the National League with 61 stolen bases in 2009!

Happy New Year

Happy 2010 everyone!!

Some interesting comings and goings since I last posted, but with the season quickly closing in on us, here are some notes about our boys you may have missed.

The Phillies have released Luis Arzeno, Rob Roth, Dan Brauer, Esmelvin Jimenez, Brendan Akashian, Vladimir de los Santos and T.J. Warren.

Fidel Hernandez, Alex Concepcion, and Mike Spidale have been resigned for this year.

Taylor Buchholz, who missed all of 2009, has been resigned by the Rockies for $1.05 million for this year.

Mike Taylor and Adrian Cardenas have been invited to major league camp by the Athletics, joining Josh Outman .

Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson and Jason Donald are on the Indians 40-man roster.

Kyle Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud, and Jesus Merchan have been invited to camp by the Blue Jays, joining Randy Ruiz there.

Alfredo Simon will try a comeback with Baltimore, Robinson Tejeda will vie for a spot in the Royal's rotation, and Matt Maloney will be given a chance for a spot in Cincinnati.

Jason Jaramillo will return to Pittsburgh, Gavin Floyd will be in the ChiSox rotation, and Michael Bourn is still with Houston ( so is Brett Myers!)

As the hot stove heats up, I will try to stay on top of things.

One more note, best wishes to Quintin Berry, who will be married this month!! Good luck, Q!!