Castillo selected by Cubs

Former BlueClaw Lendy Castillo was selected by the Cubs in the rule 5 draft this morning in Dallas. Castillo was 4-2 for Lakewood in 2011.

Dusty to Reading

Facebook network is reporting that Dusty Wathan will be managing at Reading in 2012. Wathen managed the BlueClaws to the 2009 championship and has been with Clearwater the past 2 seasons.

Howard has injury repaired; Parent back to the show

Ryan Howard has had successful surgery on his injured Achilles, and is expected to be out until mid-May........According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Mark Parent is going to be named bench coach for the White Sox under new manager Robin Ventura.

Phillies knock out Braves

The Phillies ended the Braves post-season hopes, tying the game in the 9th inning and winning it in the 13th, 4-3, thereby eliminating the Braves from the playoffs, and giving the Cardinals the final spot. St Louis scored 5 in the 1st and pelted the hapless Astros, 8-0 behind Chris Carpenter's 2-hit shut out.

In Atlanta, Ryan Howard had 2 hits and a first inning RBI (finishing with 116 RBI in this "off" season for him), Carlos Ruiz picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly, and a parade of HomeSiders took the mound. Cole Hamels threw 3 innings in relief, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, Vance Worley put up a scoreless frame despite walking 2 and allowing a hit, Mike Stutes threw a 1-2-3 9th and Justin DeFratus picked up his first major league win, making him the 14th different HomeSider to record a win in 2011, for a total of 86 wins this year for former Claws.

Michael Bourn (.294) had 3 hits for the Atlanta, and stole 2 more bases to win his 3rd straight title in that category with 61.

For Philadelphia, it was their 102nd win of the year, a franchise best!

In Baltimore, the Orioles knocked the Red Sox out of the postseason with a 2-run bottom of the 9th inning for a 4-3 win. Alfredo Simon started for Baltimore and looked good early , but allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in just 4.1 innings. The Rays captured the final spot in the playoffs with a huge comeback from down 7-0 to top the Yankees, 8-7 in 12 innings. Greg Golson was 1 for 3 for New York.

In Milwaukee, Jason Jaramillo (.326) finished off a strong September with a hit and an RBI for the Pirates in their 7-3 loss to the Brewers, and in Seattle, Michael Taylor was 1 for 4 for the Athletics in their 2-0 season ending victory over the Mariners. Gio Gonzalez won his 16th game of the year for Oakland, throwing 8 shut out frames, allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks, and striking out 11.

The American League playoffs start Friday with Tampa @ Texas, and Detroit @ New York, while the National League series start Saturday with St. Louis @ Philadelphia and Arizona @ Milwaukee.

wild cards still up for grabs on final day

On the morning of the final day of the regular season, the wild card spots in each league are still undecided.

In Atlanta, the Phillies stopped the Braves, 7-1 while the Cardinals rallied to beat the Astros 13-6 in Houston. Those results leave Atlanta and St Louis in a flat tie with just 1 game left. If they are still tied after today's games, there will be a 1-game playoff in St Louis Thursday.

In the AL, the Rays beat the Yankees, 5-3, and the Red Sox held off the Orioles, 8-7. If these 2 are still tied, their playoff tomorrow will be in St Petersburg.

Carlos Ruiz (.286) had a double and scored a run in the Phillies' victory, with Joe Savery, Antonio Bastardo and Kyle Kendrick throwing an inning each. Michael Bourn had a hit and stole his 59th base for the Braves in the losing effort........In Detroit, the Tigers beat the Indians again, 9-6. Jason Donald (.318) had a hit and a walk, and drove in 2 runs for the Tribe, and Lou Marson (.230) had a single and a walk and scored a run.

Lee notches 17th in final tune up

In Atlanta, the Phillies topped the Braves, 4-2 for win #100 on the season. Ryan Howard (.253)had 2 hits, and Joe Savery and Mike Stutes combined for a scoreless inning, Savery picking up his maiden major league hold, and Stutes his 13th of the season. Michael Bourn (.293) had a walk in 4 plate appearances for the Braves. Atlanta stays 1 game ahead of St Louis, who lost 5-4 in 10 innings to the Astros, with 2 games remaining for the wild card.

In Milwaukee, Jason Jaramillo (.342) had a hit and scored a run for the Pirates, helping Pittsburgh to a 9-8 win over the Brewers.......In Chicago, the White Sox defeated the Blue Jays, 4-3. Kyle Drabek allowed a run on 2 hits and 1 walk in an inning of work for Toronto......In Seattle, the Mariners defeated Oakland, 4-2. Michael Taylor was 0 for 3 for the Athletics and is 5 for 26 (.192) in 10 games since his call up.

Phillies end skid, win #99

The Phillies ended their 8 game losing steak, topping the Mets, 9-4 on Sunday. Ryan Howard had 2 hits, scored a run and drove in #115, although he is still limping around on that bad heel. Carlos Ruiz (.290) was 4 for 4 with a walk, scored once and drove in 2. Antonio Bastardo, who was great for the first 4 and a half months of the season, seems to have hit the wall. Bastardo was knocked around for 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, retiring only 1 hitter. His ERA, down below 1.50 for most of the year, has ballooned to 2.68. Vance Worley came in to bail him out. Vance did allow a run on 2 hits, striking out 3 in just 1.2 innings.

New York and Boston split a pair, with Greg Golson stealing a base after walking in the second game...........In Cleveland, the Twins beat the Indians, 6-4 in 10 innings. Jason Donald (.320) had 2 more hits and a walk for the Tribe, while Lou Marson took an 0 for 4. Donald is showing he is back after an injury riddled early season, and is making a bid to compete for a job in the spring. Go, J.D.!!...............Gavin Floyd pitched well in his final start of the year, going 8 innings for the White Sox against the Royals. Gavin allowed just 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 10 and being saddled with the 2-1 loss. Floyd finishes 2011 with 12-13, 4.37 record.

Phils drop 8th straight

We start today in New York, where the Mets beat the Phillies twice, extending the Phillies' losing streak to a worrisome 8 games. In the opener, Cole Hamels pitched 7 fine innings and had a shut out until Valentino Pascucci, who played for Lehigh Valley at one point, hit a pinch home run with 2 outs in the 7th. Cole allowed just the 1 run on 4 hits, walking 3 and striking out 7, and left the game in a 1-1 tie. Carlos Ruiz (.283) and Ryan Howard had a hit apiece for the Phillies, with Howard driving in the lone run (#114). Brad Lidge was the loser in a 2-1 New York win. The Mets won the nightcap, 6-3, with Kyle Kendrick (1.1 IP, 2 runs, 4 hits), Mike Schwimer (1 IP, 2 Ks), Mike Stutes (2 IP, 2 Ks) and Justin DeFratus (1 IP, 2 Ks) all seeing action. The Phillies will send Roy Halladay to try to right the ship today, as the playoffs approach Friday.

In Washington, the Braves swoon continued with a 4-1 loss to the Nationals. Michael Bourn (.295) had 1 hit for Atlanta, who are 2 games ahead of the Cardinals in the wild card race..........In Cleveland, the Indians took 2 games from Minnesota, 8-2 and 7-6. Jason Donald (.312) played in both games, going 2 for 6 with a walk and a run scored, and Lou Marson (.236) was 1 for 4 in the nightcap, scoring a run and driving in another.............In Pittsburgh, Jason Jaramillo (.364) was 2 for 4 including a double, and drove in a run for the Pirates in their 4-3 win over the Reds.

Naylor, Zagurski gone

On Friday, the Phillies confirmed that they have traded Mike Zagurski to Arizona, and released Drew Naylor outright.

In Detroit, Alfredo Simon settled into a very good outing for the Orioles. Simon allowed 2 runs in the opening inning on a home run by Miguel Cabrera, then threw 7 more innings for the Orioles. In all, Alfredo allowed just 3 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5 in 8 solid innings. He receives no decision in a game won by Detroit, 4-3 in 11 innings.

In Washington, Michael Bourn (.296) had a walk and a hit, scored 2 runs and stole 2 more bases (58) for the Braves in their 7-4 win over the Nationals. Bourn is looking for his 3rd straight stolen base title!!

In Pittsburgh, Jason Jaramillo had a pinch-hit double in the 9th inning to start the game winning rally in a 4-3 win for the Pirates. "J.J." is 12 for 29 (.345) in just 12 games for Pittsburgh this year.......In Cleveland, Lou Marson had a hit in 3 at bats for the Indians, and then was removed for a pinch-hitter in the 9th inning. Carlos Santana hit a pinch home run to give the Indians a 6-5 walk-off win over the Twins......In Los Angeles, Gio Gonzalez won his 15th game of the year for the Athletics, beating the Angels, 3-1.

Ruiz' 3 hits not enough

In Philadelphia, the Nationals took it to the Phillies, 6-1. Carlos Ruiz (.283) was a bright spot, getting 3 hits and driving in the Phillies' run in the 9th inning to avoid the shut out. Joe Savery threw a 1-2-3 9th inning........In New York, the Rays rebounded against the Yankees with a 15-8 victory. Greg Golson played center field and was 0 for 5.

red hot Donald gets 4 hits

There were 2 day games on Tuesday to make up rain outs from earlier this year, and both were started by HomeSiders. In Philadelphia, Kyle Kendrick threw 6 excellent shut out innings against Washington, allowing just 4 hits and NO walks, striking out 4 and leaving the game in a scoreless tie. Mike Schwimer came on in the 7th in allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, the big hit a 3-run homer by Roger Bernadina. In the bottom of the 7th, Raul Ibanez tied it with a 3-run homer of his own. In the 8th, Joe Savery made his debut, allowing 1 hit and recording 1 out, then in the 10th, the Nationals scored the winning run off of Mike Stutes.

In Cleveland, the Indians defeated Gavin Floyd (12-12) and the White Sox, 4-3. Gavin allowed all 4 runs on 7 hits- including 3 Cleveland home runs- in 6.2 innings of work. He struck out 7, including Lou Marson 3 times, and walked nobody. In the night game, Jason Donald (.310) continues his strong September with 4 hits, but the Sox got the split with a 5-4 win. Donald is 7 for his last 9 this week! In the night game in Philly, Justin DeFratus made his 2nd appearance with another scoreless inning as Washington completed the sweep with a 3-0 win over Cliff Lee.

In Toronto, Kyle Drabek was used in relief against the Angels and was hit hard. Kyle gave up 6 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk in just 2 innings in the Angels' 10-6 win..............In Miami, Michael Bourn (.298) had a walk and a hit, drove in a run and scored another and stole his major league leading 56th base of the year for Atlanta in the Braves' 4-0 blanking of the Marlins.......In Oakland, Michael Taylor belted his first major league home run in the Athletics' 7-2 loss to Texas.

The Phillies have announced that after today's start, Vance Worley (11-2) will move to the bullpen in preparation for the playoffs, as the Phillies will not need a fifth starter in the postseason.

Monday in the majors

In Philadelphia, Carlos Ruiz (.280) had 2 hits, including a double, scored a run and drove in another, but the Cardinals beat the Phillies again, 4-3.............In Cleveland, Jason Donald (.288) had 3 singles and scored 2 runs for the Indians, who lost 12-6 to Seattle..............In Miami, Michael Bourn (.298) had a hit and an RBI for the Braves in their 6-5 loss to the Marlins.........In Cincinnati, Jay Happ pitched 6 good innings for the Astros, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 9 and receiving no decision in Houston's 3-2 victory.

De Fratus is #39

Sunday night Justin De Fratus became the 39th former BlueClaw to play in a major league game. Justin threw a scoreless 9th inning in the Phillies' 5-0 loss to St Louis. Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.90) was the starter and victim of the non-support. Cole went 7 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, NO walks, striking out 9.

Matt Maloney was moved up to Sunday when Dontrelle Willis was unable to make his start, and Matt was pounded by Milwaukee to the tune of 7 runs (6 earned) on 9 hits in just 1.2 innings. As good as Maloney has been in AAA, he has still not gotten over the hump at the major league level. Similarly, in Baltimore, Alfredo Simon (4-9) also took his lumps, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits and a walk to the Angels in the Los Angeles' 11-2 win over the Orioles.........In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.299) had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and drove in another, but the Mets beat the Braves, 7-5.......In Minnesota, Lou Marson's good September continued, Lou getting 2 more hits and scoring a run for the Indians in Cleveland's 6-5 win over the Twins.

Phive in a row

The Phillies scored 6 runs in the 8th inning to break open a close game and beat the Cardinals, 9-2, clinching their 5th straight division crown. Mike Stutes (3.77 and rising recently),who appears to be struggling right now, allowed 2 runs on 4 hits in just .2 innings, but recorded his 12th hold. Raul Ibanez hit a grand slam to highlight the big inning, and Jimmy Rollins picked up 4 hits to pace the Phillies offense.

In Oakland, Gio Gonzalez won his 14th game of the year for the Athletics with 7 good innings against Detroit. Gio allowed just 1 run on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4 for his win.

Maloney to start Monday

With Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto unable to make his scheduled start on Monday, the Reds have announced Matt Maloney will take on the Astros in his stead. Maloney was excited about the opportunity and confident to make the most of his 2nd major league start of this season. After starting the season in the Reds bullpen, Matt went to Louisville and compiled a 7-1, 2.99 record as a starter.

Maloney won 16 games for the 2006 BlueClaws, and won the clinching game of both playoff series! No one has won more game for the BlueClaws.

champagne still on ice

First some catch up; I neglected to mention that Ryan Howard's game winning hit on Thursday night gave Mike Schwimer his first major league win.

Friday night, Schwimer took the loss in a 4-2, 11-inning defeat to the Cardinals. Howard sat out again, and once again came through with a pinch hit double with 2-out in the 9th, leading to the tying run scoring. Ryno is now 14 for 32 (that's .438) in his career as a pinch hitter. Vance Worley started and gave the Phillies 6 solid innings, leaving in a 1-1 tie. Antonio Bastardo threw 1 inning and allowed a home run to Yadier Molina, which raised his ERA to 2.10 in his 55 innings this season. The Phillies are 1 win away from clinching their 5th straight NL East title.

The Mets helped the Phillies move closer to that title by slamming the Braves, 12-2. Michael Bourn (.301) had a single and a triple, scored a run , stole his 55th base and threw out a runner at third base for Atlanta..........In Minnesota, Lou Marson (.235) had 2 hits, 2 RBI and stole a base for the Indians in their 7-6 win over the Twins. Lou is 7 for his last 22 (.318) over the last 6 games.

minor league notes

The Columbus Clippers defeated the IronPigs, 4-1 to win their 2nd straight Governor's Cup. Lehigh Vallley managed just 4 hits, 1 by Freddy Galvis, as their most successful season since moving to Allentown concluded. After the game, the Phillies called up Domonic Brown, Justin De Fratus, Joe Savery, Eric Kratz and Brandon Moss. De Fratus will become the 39th former Claw to play in the majors if and when he gets into a game.

Baseball America has named their minor league All-Star team for 2011 and 2 former BlueClaws were honored. Eastern League MVP Travis d'Arnaud and Threhser pitcher Trevor May were both named to the team. Congratulation to both Travis and Trevor.

d'Arnaud and his teammates took a 5-3 game in Richmond Friday night to pull the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to within a game of the Eastern League title. In Sacramento, the Omaha Storm Chasers defeated the River Cats 11-6, completing a sweep of the PCL final.

Ryno gives Phillies sweep

The Phillies moved closer to their destiny Thursday with 2 wins over the Florida Marlins. In the day game, Kyle Kendrick threw 5 solid innings, allowing just 1 run on only 2 hits, NO walks, and 6 Ks to record his 8th win of the season. Mike Stutes was good for 2 scoreless frames, getting credit for his 11th hold, and Antonio Bastardo earned his 17th, despite retiring just 1 of 3 hitters he faced in Philadelphia's 3-1 win. In the night game, Ryan Howard snapped an 0 for 15 skid with a game winning RBI (#113) double to give the Phillies a 2-1 win and a sweep of the day's activities.

The win for Kendrick was #85 for the HomeSide.

In Arlington, Jason Donald (.279) had a double and scored a run, and Lou Marson had a double and 2 RBI for the Indians, but the Texas Rangers took a 7-4 win from Cleveland.

In Allentown, the Columbus Clippers beat the IronPigs, 6-2, to take a 2-1 lead in best of 5 for the Governor's Cup. Freddy Galvis had a single and scored a run, and Domonic Brown had a walk in 4 plate appearances for Lehigh Valley. Chance Chapman had a nightmare, walking all 3 hitters he faced, each of them driving in a runner he inherited. Finally, Mike Zagurski came on to pick up the final out.

Lehigh Valley will try to stay alive and even the series tonight at Coca Cola Park.

In the Eastern League Final, Richmond and New Hampshire have split the first 2 games in Manchester, and will resume in Richmond tonight. Tuesday, the Flying Squirrels took a 10-9 thriller with 2 in the top of the 9th off of Bobby Korecky. Kevin Howard had 2 doubles, a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored, Travis d'Arnaud had a double, 3 walks, a stolen base and scored a run, and Anthony Gose had a walk and scored a run- all in a losing effort for the Fisher Cats. Wednesaday night, the Cats responded with a 7-5 series tying win. Howard had 3 more hits, including 2 more doubles and 2 more RBI, and Gose added a double, a walk, 2 stolen bases, 3 RBI and threw out a runner at second base!

IronPigs even heading home

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs won the opener of the Governor's Cup final Tuesday night night, behind fine pitching by Scott Mathieson. In fact, after Mathieson (5 IP, 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 Ks), Joe Savery, Philippe Aumont and Justin DeFratus all threw scoreless relief, and rode Brandon Moss' 3-run first inning homer to a 5-2 win. Freddy Galvis added 2 hits and stole a base for Lehigh Valley.

Then, last night, the Clippers got even, scoring 4 in the 8th for a 4-1 series leveling win. The teams will move top Allentown this weekend to continue the best-of-5.

In the PCL series, Sacramento went to Omaha and lost both games, duplicating what they did in the opening round when they dropped both games in Reno. Tuesday, the Storm Chasers took a tense, 3-2 win, following it that up with a 15-4 win yesterday. Adrian Cardenas had 3 hits in the second game, including a 2-run home run in the first inning to give the River Cats a short lived lead. The Cats are coming home where they overcame to 0-2 deficit in the prior series.

Happ bests Hamels

In Houston Tuesday, the HomeSide had a matchup of Jay Happ and Cole Hamels, and it was the Astros lefty who came out on top in a 5-2 Astros' win. Happ was still not himself, but he got through 6 innings and allowed just 1 run, 4 hits, 4 walks (again) to improve to 6-15 on the season. Hamels went 5, and gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits and a walk, striking out 6. The Phillies runs came on home runs by Hunter Pence (#20) and Carlos Ruiz (his 9th). Mike Schwimer got through a scoreless inning despite allowing 2 hits and hitting a batter.

The win for Happ was #84 for the HomeSide.

In Baltimore, Alfredo Simon had a good outing, going 6 innings against the surging Rays. Simon allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 9 and receiving no decision in an eventual 5-2 Orioles victory............In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.301) had a hit and an RBI, and stole 2 more bases, increasing his major league leading total to 54, as the Braves stifled the Marlins, 7-1..........In Chicago, Justin Verlander won his 23rd game of the year with a 5-0 blanking of the White Sox. Gavin Floyd (12-11) was the starter and loser for the Sox, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks in 5.1 innings of work against the streaking Tigers..............In Oakland, Michael Taylor had a hit and a walk, and scored a run for the Athletics in their 6-3 loss to the Angels.

slow Monday

Monday in Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.301) had 2 singles and a double and scored a run for the Braves in their 12-inning, 5-4 loss to the Marlins.......In Houston, former Phillie Brett Myers beat the Phillies, 5-1. Carlos Ruiz (.285) had a hit, but Ryan Howard was o for 4.

No other HomeSiders were in action.

weekend notes

I will leave you on your own for most of the major league weekend but here are a few notes: Mike Stutes won his 6th game (#83 for the HomeSide) in relief, Ryan Howard hit his 33rd home run (112 RBI), and Jason Jaramillo had a 2 for 2 appearance for the Pirates, and is 3 for 6 since his recall.

Vance Worley, Matt Maloney and Josh Outman all took losses over the weekend, while Sergio Escalona has been placed on the 60-day DL with an ankle sprain.

Cats bounce Reading; Pigs advance

I have been out of town for my family reunion, but I can catch up quickly.

Friday night in Manchester, led by 3 hits each by Tuffy Gosewisch and Derrick Mitchell, Reading evened their series at a game apiece, with an 11-2 beating of the Fisher Cats. Tuffy had 2 doubles and an RBI, while Mitchell had a single, double, and triple and drove in 5. The scene then shifted to Reading, where New Hampshire won 1-0 on Saturday and eliminated the R-Phils Sunday, 4-2.

On Saturday, Anthony Gose had a walks and stolen base, Kevin Howard had a hit, Travis d'Arnaud had 2 hits and Bobby Korecky closed it out for the Fisher Cats, as the Phillies wasted a fine effort by Austin Hyatt. Hyatt allowed just 1 run on only 3 hits, NO walks and struck out 9, and was a victim of nonsupport, Reading getting just 3 single in the game. Gosewisch homered on Sunday, and hit .357 for the R-Phils in the series, but New Hampshire ended their season, with Korecky saving all 3 of their wins. It was a good year in Reading, but it is the former Phils who will play for the Eastern League title, taking on the Richmond.

The IronPigs won in a walk-off Friday night in Allentown, 3-2 as Freddy Galvis singled and scored the winning run on a Brandon Moss single. Mike Zaguski threw 1.1 scoreless innings, and Justin DeFratus was the winning pitcher, striking out 5 of the 6 hitters he faced. The series then moved to Pawtucket, where Brian Bass threw a complete game 5-hitter, giving up just an UNearned run in the bottom of the 9th of the series clinching 3-1 win. The victory puts Lehigh Valley in their first ever International League Championship series, where they will take on Columbus.

Out west, after dropping the first 2 games of their series in Reno, the Sacramento River Cats won 3 in a row at home to advance to the PCL finals again. The Cats won 5-2 on Friday, 8-2 on Saturday and wrapped it up with a 13-2 laugher Sunday. Adrian Cardenas had 2 hits and a walk, driving in 3 runs in the clincher. Sacramento will play in their 4th Pacific Coast League title series in the last 5 years, taking on Omaha for the championship.

Cole cool again

Cole Hamels threw a complete game 4-hitter to lead the Phillies to a 7-2 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee Thursday night. Cole (14-7, 2.60) was never in trouble, both runs coming on solo home runs, and used just 111 pitches to finish the game. Carlos Ruiz had an RBI double and scored a run for the Phils in their 6-run 6th inning rally.

In Baltimore, Alfredo Simon started for the Orioles and pitched 4 rough innings against the Yankees. Simon gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and 6 walks and received no decision in the Orioles' 5-4 extra inning win.........In New York, Michael Bourn went 1 for 7, with a walk, 2 runs scored, an RBI and his 51st stolen base, as the Braves won both games of a doubleheader from the Mets, 6-5 and 5-1.............In Chicago, Gavin Floyd pitched 5.1 innings for the White Sox, allowing the Indians 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4 and leaving the game in a 1-1 tie. The Sox went to an 8-1 win later.

The win by Hamels was #82 for the HomeSide.

Phormer Phils top Reading

Anthony Gose and Travis d'Arnaud had 2 hits each, including combining for a run in the 1st inning, to help the New Hampshire Fisher Cats beat Reading, 2-0 in the first game of their playoff series. Reading managed just 4 hits on the night, wasting a very good performance by Tyler Cloyd. Tyler scattered 8 hits and 2 walks over 6.2 innings, striking out 8 and keeping the R-Phils in the game. Bobby Korecky threw the 9th inning to pick up the save for New Hampshire. Reading will turn to J.C. Ramirez to try to get even in game 2 tonight.

In Allentown, Freddy Galvis homered and the IronPigs won their first ever playoff game, 4-2 over Pawtucket. Justin DeFratus threw a 1-2-3 9th inning and notched the save. Lehigh Valley will try to make it 2 in a row at Coca Cola Park Friday night.

In Reno, Adrian Cardenas took an 0 for 4 and the Sacramento River Cats dropped a 4-2 decision to the Aces and fell behind 2 games to 0 in the best of 5 series.

Collier suspended

The commisioner's office has suspended Zack Collier for 50 games after testing positve for a banned substance. Collier hit .255 this season for the BlueClaws with 35 stolen bases.

Aces top River Cats

In Reno, the Aces upset the favored Sacramento River Cats, 7-4 in game 1 of their series. Adrian Cardenas had an RBI single for the Cats, who will try to even things Thursday night.

In the other PCL series, the Omaha Storm Chasers took a 3-0 decision in Round Rock, and both series in the International League were rained out, as were the Eastern League games. All 4 of these series will try again Thursday.

Another day, another win in Philly

The weather has not changed this week, and neither have the results in Philadelphia. The Phillies completed the sweep of the Braves with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory that all but sews up another division title for the Fightin' Phils. Carlos Ruiz (.280) had a hit and scored a run for Philadelphia, and Antonio Bastardo (1.66) threw another scoreless inning of relief. Michael Bourn (.298) had a double in 5 at bats, and scored a run for Atlanta.

In Pittsburgh, Jason Jaramillo (.353 in limited action) had a pinch hit single to drive in the winning run for the Pirates in a 5-4 win over the Astros. Here is the scenario: It's a 4-4 game with 2 runners on and J.J. coming up to pinch hit. The Astros call on Sergio Escalona, fresh off the DL. Jaramillo singles to drive in the go ahead run, but the Astros get 2 outs on the play, throwing out Ryan Doumit at home and nipping Jaramillo at second. So Escalona faced 1 hitter, allowed a single and got outs! Jay Happ started the game for Houston and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks, striking out 8 along the way...........In Oakland, Michael Taylor had a single and scored a run for the A's in their 7-0 win over the Royals.......In New York, Greg Golson got into the game and had a hit in 2 at bats for the Yankees, in their 11-inning, 5-4 loss to Baltimore...........In Cleveland, the Tigers completed the sweep of the Indians with an 8-6 win, finishing off a 6-0 stretch against the 2 teams closest to them to put a fork in the AL Central race. Jason Donald (.294) had a hit for Indians. The Indians have announced that Carlos Carrasco will have Tommy John surgery on September 14th, which will wipe out Carlos' 2012 season.

Vance does it again

The Phillies beat the Braves 6-3 while dodging the raindrops in Philadelphia last night. Vance Worley went the first 6 innings, and allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks to improve to 11-1, 2.85 in his outstanding rookie year. Mike Stutes (3.69) notched his 11th hold with 1 inning of work, despite allowing a run. Michael Bourn (.299) had 3 hits (2 off Worley and a double off Stutes), stole his league leading 50th base, and scored a run for Atlanta. Ryan Howard (.254) was 1 for 3 , with a walk and drove in run #108.

The win for Worley was #81 for the HomeSide.

In Oakland, Michael Taylor got his first major league hit, a double, in Oakland's 7-4 loss to the Royals, who beat Gio Gonzalez (12-12).

On the wire this morning, Greg Golson has been recalled by the Yankees, and Sergio Escalona has been activated off the DL by the Astros.

Carrasco

The Cleveland Indians have moved Carlos Carrasco from the 15-day to the 60-day DL, freeing a spot on the 40-man roster. Carlos and the Indians are exploring their options with regards to his elbow inflammation, and surgery is still a possibility.

IronPigs earn first playoff spot

Lehigh Valley beat both the Syracuse Chiefs and mother nature, taking a 4-1 rain shorted season finale to clinch their first ever playoff berth. Brandon Moss had 2 hits, 2 walks, and RBI, and threw out a runner at home, and Nate Bump (5-9) allowed just 1 run on 5 hits in 5 innings.

The IronPigs will play game 1 of the best-of-5 series Wednesday at home against Pawtucket.

R-Phils are in

Matt Rizzotti (.295) had 3 hits and drove in 3 runs (team leading 84) to lead the Reading Phillies into the playoffs with a 6-2 win in Binghamton. Mike Spidale had 2 more hits to finish the regular season at .326, 3rd best in the league! Tyson Brummett came up big, giving Reading 6 solid innings, and giving up just 2 runs on 8 hit, NO walks, and struck out 6 to win his 4th game of the year. Mike Cisco (1.59) threw 2 scoreless frames for his 5th hold.

Tyler Cloyd will get the start in game 1 in Manchester, New Hampshire Wednesday night. The Fisher Cats wrapped up their year with an 8-3 win in Portland. Anthony Gose (.253) had 3 hits (including his 16th home run!), and a walk, scored 3 times and stole base #70. If Reading hopes to win this series, they must keep Gose off the bases, and watch out for league MVP Travis d'Arnaud, who finished at .311, with 21 home runs and 78 RBI.

Howard hits #31

The Phillies are putting an early end to any hopes the Braves may have had to catch them, pounding Atlanta 9-0, behind a complete game shut out by Cliff Lee. For Lee (16-7, 2.47), it was his 6th shut out of the year, the most in the NL since Tim Belcher(!) threw 8 in 1989 for the Dodgers. Ryan Howard (.254) had 2 hits, including his 31st home run (107 RBI), and 2 walks, and Carlos Ruiz (.281) had a hit and 2 RBI. Michael Bourn (.296) was 0 for 4 for Atlanta.

In Cleveland, Jason Donald (.296) had another hit in the Indians' 4-2 loss to Detroit. Donald is .385 over the last 10 games, and appears to be completely healthy.


A final note, the Blue Jays have recalled Kyle Drabek, now that his AAA season has ended.

Sunday's best

The Florida Marlins outlasted the Phillies Sunday afternoon, 5-4 in 14 innings. Ryan Howard (.251) had 2 hits and 3 walks, driving in 2 runs (106), and Carlos Ruiz (.281) added a hit and scored a run. Mike Schwimer allowed a run on a hit and 3 walks in his inning, and Mike Stutes (3.59) threw 2 shut out frames, strikingout 4.................In Kansas City, Lou Marson (.232) had 3 hits and a walk, and scored a run for the Indians in Cleveland's 9-6 win over the Royals. Jason Donald (.291 since recall) had 2 hits, stole a base and drove in a run, to contribute to the Tribe's cause........In Oakland, Josh Outman threw a scoreless inning of relief for the Athletics, in their 8-5 win over the Mariners.

In Syracuse, the IronPigs rallied for 6 runs in the final 3 innings to come from behind to top the Chiefs, 7-4. Scott Mathieson was good, throwing 3 shut out innings before running into trouble in the 4th. In the end, Scott went 4.1 innings, and allowed all 4 runs on 6 hits and 6 walks, and really, it could have been worse. Mike Zagurski (2.65) got the next 5 out (2 walks, 2 Ks), and Joe Savery threw the final 2 innings to notch his 2nd save. A win today, or a loss by Gwinnett, and Lehigh Valley will make the playoffs for the first time! The assignment will go to Nate Bump in the finale.

In Binghamton, Brent Clevlen (.333) had 3 hits, including his 5th home run since joining the team, and Tim Kennelly hit a game winning home run in the 9th inning to give Reading a 5-4 win over the Mets. Austin Hyatt started for the R-Phils, and went 6.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, NO walks, and struck out 6. Jacob Diekman (3.05) got the next 4 outs, and B.J. Rosenberg got the final 4, picking up his 5th win of the year. Reading remains 1 game ahead of New Britain with 1 game left. If the teams end up tied after Monday's game, there will be a 1-game playoff to decide who will face New Hampshire in the Eastern League's Eastern Division playoffs.



In Scranton, the Yankees and the Bisons split a doubleheader. Buffalo won the opener, 5-1, and Scranton came back for a 2-0 win in the nightcap. Greg Golson (.263) had 3 hits in 5 at bat, including a triple and a home run, scored twice and drove in 2 more on a day where runs were hard to come by..............In Colorado Spring, Adrian Cardenas (.315) had 3 hits, stole a base, and scored 2 runs for the River Cats as Sacramento beat the SkySox, 8-7 in 13 innings.........In Chatanooga, Will Savage made just his 2nd relief appearance of the year, throwing 4 innings for the Lookouts, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, NO walks, and 4 Ks. Will picked up a save to go with his 12 wins, and the Lookouts clinched a spot in the Southern League playoffs...........In Tulsa, Edgar Garcia got a rare start for the Naturals, and picked up a win with 5 good innings. Garcia (2-3, 3.47) allowed just 1 runs on 4 hits, NO walks and 3 Ks to lead Northwest Arkansas to the 6-4 win over the Drillers...............In San Antonio, Jarred Cosart was hit hard in his final start for the Hooks. Cosart (1-2, 4.71 since his trade and promotion) allowed 10 runs (9 earned) on 8 hits (4 home runs) and 4 walks in the Hooks' 10-3 loss to the Missions. Jonathan Villar (.231) was 1 for 4 for Corpus Christi.

In Clearwater, 19-year old Gustavo Gonzalez belted a walk-off 3-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Threshers a 5-4 win over Dunedin. Julio Rodriguez finished his season with 5 strong frames, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, and striking out 8. J-Rod ends up 16-7, 2.76 for 2011.

Reading can clinch a spot today

In Binghamton, the Reading Phillies moved a little closer to the playoffs with a 6-5 win over the Mets Saturday. Mike Spidale (.326, 2 RBI), Matt Rizzotti and Derrick Mitchell all had 2 hits for Reading, now leads New Britain (who split 2 games with Trenton) by 1 game with 2 to play. After 3+ shaky inning by Joe Esposito (5 runs, 3 earned, on 8 hits), Chris Kissock came on to settle things down and allow the R-Phils to rally. Kissock earned his 3rd win with 4 shut out innings in which he struck out 6.

In Portland, New Hampshire is tuning up for the playoff, putting an 11-0 beating on the Sea Dogs. Both Kevin Howard and Travis d'Arnaud homered for the Cats. For Travis (.311) it was his 21st home run of the year................In Huntsville, Darren Byrd (2.95) threw 3 innings in relief, and allowed 1 UNearned run on 3 hits, striking out 3 along the way in for the Stars in their 6-5 loss to Mobile..............In San Antonio, Jonathan Villar had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, for Corpus Christi in their 11-1 loss to the Missions. Josh Zeid threw 2 perfect innings to finish it for the Hooks.........In Lancaster, Jonathan Singleton had 2 RBI with 2 sac flies, and also walked 2 time in the JetHawks' 11-3 win over Lake Elsinore. Singleton is hitting .339 since being traded.

Jonathan Pettibone had his final start of the year shortened to 2 innings by a rain delay. "Bone" finishes 10-11 with a nice 2.96 ERA on the year. Juan Sosa came on and threw 4 good innings, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk. The listless Threshers lost 6-2, with D'Arby Myers getting 2 of their 5 hits on the night. It has been hard for Myers to get playing time again this year, but he has remained ready and has played well when called upon.

Lisalberto Bonilla threw 5 shut out innings in his final game of the season, allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks. Mike McGuire gave up the lead late and the Claws lost, 6-5. Zack Collier (.254) was 3 for 3 with a sacrifice, and stole his 34th base, and Cameron Rupp had 2 hits, including his 4th home run of the year, driving in all 5 runs for Lakewood.

Pigs thisclose!

In Allentown, the IronPigs took a big step towards their first playoff berth in team history with a 3-0 win over Buffalo in the final home game of the regular season. Justin DeFratus pitched the 9th inning, recording his 7th save. With Gwinnett splitting a doubleheader with Charlotte, the IronPigs have a 1 game advantage with 2 games to go.

In Rochester, Andy Baldwin ended a long winless drought with 8 good innings for the Red Wings in their 6-3 win over Syracuse. Baldwin (7-13, 5.51) allowed 3 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks, winning for just 2nd time since July 16............In Colorado Springs, Adrian Cardenas (.313) had 2 singles, a double, 2 walks, and scored 4 runs for the playoff-bound River Cats in a 16-4 thrashing of the SkySox. Jesus Merchan (.303) had a single, a double and a triple for Colorado Springs....................In Indianapolis, Quintin Berry got his first AAA hit, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs for Louisville, but the Bats dropped an 8-7 decision to the Indians. (sounds like a Mudcats game!).............In Pawtucket, Greg Golson had a hit and a walk, drove in a run and scored another one, but the Yankees lost to the Sox, 12-7..............In Las Vegas, Kyle Drabek pitched 7 innings for the 51s without walking a batter, a major step in the right direction for him. Kyle gave up 6 runs on 8 hits, but squeaked out the win in an 11-8 slugfest!..............

3 strikes

3 HomeSiders started major league game on Saturday, all 3 were handed leads, and none of them recorded wins in an amazing day of comebacks across the country. Chronologically, here we go now:

In Detriot, the Chicago White gave Gavin Floyd an 8-1 win in the top of the 5th inning, but Gavin struggled to fininsh the bottom half. The Tigers began their comeback with 3 in the 5th, and Gavin was done- 5 IP, 4 runs, 4 hits, NO walks, 4 Ks and an 8-4 lead. Detroit then scored 1 in the 7th, 1 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th on home runs by Ryan Rayburn and Miguel Cabrera for a 9-8 win.

In St.Pete, the Baltimore Orioles gave Alfredo Simon a 2-run lead before he ever went out to the mound, only to give the 2 runs back to the Rays in bottom of the inning. It was all downhill from there, as Tampa took a 6-3 win. Simon went 5 innings, 6 runs, 7 hits and 4 walks to slip to 4-8, 4.64 for Baltimore this year.

In Miami, the Phillies gave Cole Hamels a 3-0 advantage, and Cole left after 7 with a 4-3 lead. Antonio Bastardo was the losing pitcher, his first loss of the season. Bastardo (6-1, 1.69) walked both hitters he faced to start the 8th inning. Of course, David Herndon let them score, along with 3 more to give the Marlins an 8-4 win. Carlos Ruiz had 2 more hit and scored 2 runs. Chooch is hitting .341 since July 30, raising his season average to .281.

Before the game, the Phillies recalled Mike Schwimer from Lehigh Valley.

R-Phils, Pigs still alive!

In Binghamton, Mike Spidale (.325) had 2 hits, including his 5th home run of the season, and the R-Phils topped the Mets, 4-2. J.C. Ramirez (11-13, 4.50) threw 6.1 shut out innings for Reading, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6 to gain the victory. With Trenton beating New Britain, Reading is now a half game in front of the Rock Cats for the final playoff spot.

In Allentown, the IronPigs took a 2-1 decision from Buffalo to keep their playoff hopes alive. Lehigh Valley is a half game ahead of Gwinnett, who was rained out Friday.


The Dunedin Blue Jays eliminated the Threshers from the playoffs with a doubleheader sweep Friday night over Clearwater. The Jays won 4-1, and 4-2, ending the Clearwater hopes for post season play. In The opener, Clearwater got just 4 hits, 2 by Jeremy Barnes (.266), who drove in the lone run. David Buchanan was the losing pitcher, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, without recording an out in the 4th. Trevor May allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, on 2 hits and 4 walks over 4 innings in the second game. Darin Ruf (.308) had 2 doubles in that game.

In Hagerstown, Cameron Rupp (.270) had 2 doubles and 3 RBI, but Lakewood lost to the Suns, 6-5. Miguel Alverez also had 2 hits for the Claws in a game that saw Phillies' Joe Blanton throw the first inning.


In Portland, the Sea Dogs beat New Hampshire, 6-5. Kevin Howard had 2 hits for the Fisher Cats, and Anhony Gose had a hit and stole base #69. It looks like Gose will come up a little short of the 76 he stole for Lakewood in 2009. Travis d'Arnaud (.313) added a double and a walk to the New Hampshire cause..........In Lexington, Domingo Santana had a double and a walk, scoring a run and driving in another one as the Legends beat Savannah, 7-3.............In Indianapolis, Quintin Berry made his AAA debut, going 0 for 4 for Louisville in the Bats' 5-2 win over the Indians. Mike Costanzo had 2 hits, including a double and an RBI for the Bats.......In Memphis, the RedBirds beat Nashville, 7-5. Zack Segovia threw a scoreless inning for the Sounds.........In Iowa City, the Omaha Storm Chasers blasted the Cubs, 15-5. Robinson Tejeda threw a scoreless frame for Omaha.............In Colorado Springs, Adrian Cardenas (.309) had 2 hits for Sacramento, helping the River Cats overcome the SkySox, 12-7.

Bourn swipes 2 more, Donald goes deep for Tribe

In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.300) had 2 hits and a walk, drove in a run, scored another one, and stole 2 more bases for a major league leading total of 49. The Dodgers rallied for 5 in the 7th for an 8-6 victory..............In Kansas City, Jason Donald (.296) had 2 hits, including his first home run this year, to help the Indians to a 5-4 win over the Royals to stay 5.5 games in back of the surging Tigers..........In Miami, the Phillies beat the Marlins, 5-3. Carlos Ruiz (.279) had a hit and 2 walks and Mike Stutes (3.73, 2 hitters, 2 outs) and Antonio Bastardo (1.35, 3 hitters, 3 outs) each recorded a hold............Late last night in Oakland, Michael Taylor made his major league debut for the Athletics, going 0 for 3 with a walk in the A's 9-2 win over Seattle. Taylor becomes the 38th former BlueClaw to make it to the major leagues.


The Phillies placed Drew Carpeneter on waivers and he was immediately claimed by San Diego.

Taylor to the show

The Oakland Athletics have called up Michael Taylor from Sacramento. Taylor hit .272 with 16 home run and 64 RBI in 93 games with the first place River Cats.

Q moves up

The Reds have moved Quintin Berry up from AA Carolina to AAA Louisville for the final weekend.

Claypool and Cloyd

The Lakewood BlueClaws single season home record will remain at 22, as Jim Murphy had his hand broken in his final at bat Tuesday night and will not play again this season. "Murph" tied Juan Richardson's 2001 mark on August 8, but failed to hit another one. Lakewood began their final series with a 10-1 win in Hagerstown Thursday, improving to 35-30 in the second half (68-65 overall). Carlos Alonso (329) had 3 more hit, including a double and 3 RBI to pace the 16-hit attack. Jeff Lanning played first base, and he did his best Murphy imitation, hitting a home run in the 9th inning (his 5th of the year)- 1 of his 3 hits in the game. Anthony Hewitt (2 doubles), Zack Collier and Cameron Rupp all chipped in with 2 hits each, and Garrett Claypool came off the DL to throw 6 shut out innings (3 hits, NO walks) and record his 5th win. Chase Johnson and Ryan Duke (also fresh off the DL) finished it up.

The Threshers game in Dunedin was postponed, and they will try to play 2 tonight with Clearwater's playoff hopes squarely on the line. Clearwater needs to win 3 of the last 4 to make the playoffs.

Tyler Cloyd (6-3, 2.78) pitched 6.2 splendid innings in a pressure packed situation as the Reading Phillies beat the Aeros, 6-1 in Akron. Cloyd, who has been fantastic since joining the R-Phils, allowed just 1 run on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5. B.J. Rosenberg got the final 7 outs to get his 2nd save. Troy Hanzawa got his first 2 hits since his promotion and scored 2 runs, and Mike Spidale (.324) and Matt Rizzotti (.291) were among other with 2 hits, as Reading kept pace with New Britain, who won in Richmond, 8-0. The Rock Cats remain a half game ahead of the Phillies in the race for the final playoff spot. Reading wraps up with 4 games in Binghamton, New Britain goes home to face Trenton for 5 in 4 days.


In Lexington, Domingo Santana had 2 more hits for the Legends and drove in 3 runs (52), but Lexington lost to Savannah, 6-5. Domingo is hitting .397 in 14 games with the Legends................In Lancaster, Jonathan Singleton had 2 hits and scored 2 runs to help the JetHawks to a 6-2 win over Visalia. Jonathan is hitting .342 in 31 games with Lancaster.........In Trenton, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats shut out the Thunder, 2-0. Anthony Gose drove in 1 of the runs (his 56th RBI), and Bobby Korecky struck out 2 of 3 hitters to record his 12th save...........In Sacramento, Michael Taylor's 16th home run, a 3-run shot in the 3rd inning, got the River Cats off to an early lead, and the cruised to a 7-1 win over Las Vegas.

J.J. recalled, Ryno belts #30

The first note of interest this morning is that the Pirates have recalled Jason Jaramillo from AAA Indianapolis. They used him as a pinch hitter Thursday afternoon against the Dodgers, and he grounded out...............In Cleveland, Gio Gonzalez helped the Ath;etics salvage a game in their finale against the Indians, throwing 7 shut out innings, and giving up just 4 hits and 4 walks, to notch his 12th win of the year in the A's 7-0 win. The Indians got just 5 hits altogether, 2 by Lou Marson and 1 by Jason Doanld...............In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.299) had a hit and a walk, as the Braves beat the Nationals, 5-2...........In Cincinnati, Vance Worley improved his mark to 10-1 on the year with 6 solid innings against the Reds to give the Phillies a sweep of their 4-game set. Vance tired in the 7th, facing 3 hitters and not retiring anyone before coming out. Antonio Bastardo (1.38) retired all 5 hitters he faced, striking out 3 of them, for his 15th hold of they year. Ryan Howard (.250) had 2 more hits, including his 30th home run (and 104th RBI) to begin his September. Ryan has typically heated up in the final month of the season.

The win by Vance Worley gives the HomeSide a total of 80 major league wins this year!

and so it begins

Matt Maloney has been recalled by the Cincinnati Reds, the first of quite a few I imagine we will get as the rosters are all expanded.

on the brink for the final weekend

This season, and the playoff spots for the post season, are all coming right down to the end:


In Viera, the Threshers and the Manatees split a doubleheader, with Clearwater winning the opener, 2-0 behind Brody Colvin. Colvin (3-8, 4.71) came within 1 out of a complete game, throwing 6.2 innings of shut out ball, scattering 6 hits and 2 walks. Jiwan James (.270) had 2 hits and stole his 30th base, and Cesar Hernandez (.270) added 2 hits, and drove in a run. The other RBI went to team leader Darrin Ruf, his 81st. In game 2, Clearwater got just 2 hits and lost, 4-2. With Dunedin winning their game, 7-2 over Lakeland, the Threshers are now 1.5 games out. Clearwater will need to win 3 of the final 4 games to pass the Blue Jays, as the teams match up for the final 4 games starting tonight.

In Akron, home runs by Matt Rizzotti (#24) and Derrick Mitchell (19) helped Reading to an early 5-1 lead over the Aeros, but the home team came back, eventually winning 6-5 in the 13th inning. Tyson Brummett pitched the first 7 innings, and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits, leaving with a 2-run lead. Les Walrond gave up the tying runs in his inning, before Mike Cisco came on for 3 excellent frames of 1-hit ball. Jacob Diekman got through the 12th before getting into trouble in the 13th. New Britain also lost, so the Rock Cats stay a half game ahead of the Phillies for the final spot.

In Lehigh Valley, the IronPigs dropped their 4th straight, this time 6-2 to Scranton. The IronPigs' slide finds them 2 games behind Pawtucket, and in a 3-team fight for the wild card with Gwinnett and Indianapolis, who has won 4 in a row to get back in it. While it seemed very unlikely all year long, the truth is Lehigh Valley could miss the playoffs!





In Lancaster, the JetHawks split a doubleheader with Visalia. The JetHawks took the opener behind 2 hits and an RBI by Jonathan Singleton, 3-2. Singleton (.336 since being traded) walked 3 times in the second game, a 12-3 Visalia victory.............In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Villar (.229 since promotion, .240 overall) had 2 hits and stole his 14th base for the Hooks (34th overall), who lost to Frisco, 6-5................In Trenton, Anthony Gose walked, stole 2 bases (# 67 & 68) and scored a run for New Hampshire, but the Thunder won the game, 7-2.

HAPPiness is a win for J.A.

Jay Happ won his first major league game since July 19, throwing 7 shut out innings against the Pirates, as the Astros completed the sweep of Pittsburgh, 2-0. Jay (5-15) allowed just 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6 to end the drought and even his career mark at 24-24.........In Cleveland, the Indians got a much needed win with a 4-3, 16-inning victory over the A's. Tied at 3 going to the 15th, Oakland turned to Josh Outman. Outman allowed a lead-off double by Jason Donald, J.D.'s second hit of the game, but got out of the inning unscored upon. The Indians got to him for the winning run an inning later, dropping him to 3-4 on the season............In Cincinnati, Carlos Ruiz, having another of his late season hitting streaks, had 3 hits to help Cliff Lee win his 15th game, 3-0 over the Reds. Ruiz is now hitting .278, and Ryan Howard dove in his 103rd run.

The win by Happ was the 79th for the HomeSide!

Riz, J-Rod & Maloney

In Akron, Matt Rizzotti hit 2 home runs (22 & 23), and Steve Singleton had 3 hits and 2 RBI as the Reading Phillies beat the Aeros, 7-1. Austin Hyatt (12-6, 3.77) was the winning pitcher, throwing 6 good innings and allowing just 1 run on 7 hits, striking out 8. Jacob Diekman, B.J. Rosenberg and Justin Friend threw a scoreless frame each. In Trenton, Kevin Howard had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Anthony Gose had a hit and stole his 66th base of the year as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats edged the Thunder, 3-2...............In Allentown, the Scranton Yanks outlasted the IronPigs, 4-1 in 14 innings. Greg Golson (.263) had a hit and a walk and stole his 14th base for Scranton. Freddy Galvis (.324) had 3 more hits for Lehigh Valley. (He could certainly be a September call-up after the playoffs are over.) Justin DeFratus struck out 4 hitters in 2 innings but gave up the tying run in the 9th inning and Mike Zagurski threw 3 scoreless frames (1 hit, 1 walk, 4 Ks).


The Threshers wasted another prime performance by Julio Rodriguez Tuesday, losing to the Manatees, 1-0. Julio (16-7, 2.73) allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks, striking out 10 in his 6 shut out innings. The Threshers (34-29) are 1 game behind Dunedin and just a half-game ahead of Tampa.


In Louisville, Matt Maloney was awesome, throwing 8 solid innings against Columbus and giving up just 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk, to improve to 7-1, 2.99 for the Bats.............In Corpus Christi, Jarred Cosart got his first win for the Hooks, with 5 very good innings against Frisco. Cosart allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5 as the Hooks beat the RoughRiders, 7-1. Jarred has made 6 starts for the Astros affiliate, and has given up just 10 runs in 32.1 innings of work for a 2.78 ERA since his trade and promotion. Jonathan Villar had a walk and scored a run in the game for Corpus Christi..............In Jackson, Jesus Sanchez picked up a win in relief for Huntsville. Jesus (4-7) entered the game in the 5th inning and began by stranding that runner. In all, he pitched 3.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk, both run scoring on solo home runs. The Stars scored 4 in the 8th to top the Generals, 6-3................In Montgomery, Quintin Berry (.297) had a hit and 2 walks, and scored a run for the Mudcats in Carolina's 7-3 win over the Biscuits............In Indianapolis, Jason Jaramillo (.276) had 2 hits and a walk, and scored a run for the Indians in their 12-inning, 5-4 win over Toledo............In Omaha, Round Rock defeated the Storm Chasers, 3-2. Robinson Tejeda pitched 2.2 innings for Omaha, giving up 1 run.

Ryno powers Phils to win

Ryan Howard hit 2 home runs (28 & 29), and drove in 3 runs (102) to lead the Phillies to a 9-0 victory over the Reds in Cincinnati. Carlos Ruiz added a hit, a walk, and scored a run and Mike Schwimer threw a scoreless inning of relief. After the game, Schwimer was sent back to Lehigh Valley........In Cleveland, the Indians beat the Athletics, 6-2. Jason Donald and Lou Marson had a hit apiece for the Tribe..............In Atlanta, the Nationals were all over the Braves, 9-2. Michael Bourn (.301) had 1 hit and added an outfield assist, doubling a runner off at first base. It was the 4th assist of the year for Mike.

some good, some not so good

In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Villar had 3 hits, a walk, stole 2 bases, drove in a run, and scored 3 times out of the lead-off spot as the Hooks manhandled the Missions, 8-3. On the front page of milb.com, there is a link for a video of Villar's home run on Sunday...............After a string of 9.2 scoreless innings over 5 appearances, Edgar Garcia had a rough time Monday. Garcia (1-3, 3.73) was stretched to 4 innings, and allowed 8 runs, 5 earned, on 6 hits-4 home runs- and 2 walks, and was the losing pitcher in the Naturals' wild 13-9, 10-inning loss to Tulsa...............In Mobile, the Bay Bears beat Will Savage and the Lookouts by the score of 4-2. Savage (12-6, 3.93) gave up 4 runs on 8 hits, the big blow a 3-run home run by Mobile's Ryan Wheeler. Will also walked 3 and threw 2 wild pitches, very unlike him...................In Jackson, Darren Byrd (3.10) threw 2 perfect innings for Huntsville, striking out 3 of his 6 hitters to record his 5th hold, in the Stars' 6-4 win over the Generals........In Charleston, Domingo Santana hit his 12th home run of the year, his 5th in 12 games with the Legends, but Lexington lost to West Virginia, 17-9. Santana is 18 for 50, that's .360 since the trade.


In Trenton, Travis d'Arnaud (.315) had 3 hits, including his 20th home run, and drove in 5 runs (76), to lead the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to a 10-4 win over the Thunder. Travis is having an MVP caliber season, in the top 6 in batting average, home runs and RBI in the league!!

Not sure if I mentioned: Joe Bisenius on the DL for Charlotte......Troy Hanzawa promoted from Clearwater to Reading over the weekend.........Bobby Korecky promoted to Las Vegas from New Hampshire.


In Scranton, the Yankees and Pawtucket split a doubleheader. Greg Golson (.264) was 2 for 5 with a walk, and scored a run for the Yankees...............In Allentown, the Syracuse Chiefs shut out the IronPigs in BOTH games of their doubleheader. In the opener, with Lehigh Valley managing just 2 hits, Scott Mathieson (2-2, 3.00) started and allowed Syracuse 4 runs on 8 hits over 5 innings. In the nightcap, the IronPigs got 6 hits, 1 a double by Freddy Galvis (.313). Andrew Carpenter (1.79) threw 2 scoreless innings of relief............In Akron, Reading dropped a 6-4 decision to the Aeros. Tuffy Gosewisch (.258) had 2 hits for Reading, and Derrick Mitchell drove in 3 runs, to take over the team lead with 76, 1 ahead of Matt Rizzotti.........In Clearwater, Jonathan Pettibone (10-10, 2.94) threw a great game for the Threshers, going 6 innings, allowing 2 runs, 1 earned, on just 2 hits and 1 walk, as the Threshers pounded Lakeland, 9-3. Brandon Tripp (.354) had 3 hits to lead the shark attack, and Darin Ruf drove in his 80th run of the season. The win is the 5th in a row for the Threshers and they now trail Dunedin by just 1.5 games. Don't forget the 2 teams play each other the final 4 game series of the season!!


In Sacramento, Kyle Drabek's season of frustration continues to deteriorate. Kyle (4-4, 7.41 in AAA) made the start for Las Vegas and was battered to the tune of 9 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks in just 3 innings of work in the River Cats' 13-1 win over the 51s. It is hard to believe this is the same guy who won 4 games for Toronto this past spring. Michael Taylor had a hit, an RBI and scored a run for the Cats.

Hamels returns strong

Monday in Cincinnati, Cole Hamels came off the DL and threw 6 fine innings against the Reds in the Phillies' 3-2 win. Cole allowed just 1 run on only 2 hits, striking out 7 for no decision. The win went to Antonio Bastardo (6-0, 1.42) who struck out 3 of the 4 hitters he faced in his inning. Mike Stutes also pitched , allowing a run on 3 hits in his inning, notching his 8th hold.

In Baltimore, the Yankees beat Alfredo Simon and the Orioles, also by a 3-2 margin. Simon (4-7, 4.26) pitched well, going 7 innings and giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. If he could have 1 pitch back, it would be the 2-run home run by Nick Swisher in the 4th frame.

The win by Bastardo was the 78th for the HomeSide.

Cardenas, Singleton stay hot

In Nashville, Zack Segovia threw 2 scoreless innings to finish up the Sounds' 7-5 loss to Memphis. Zack (4.04) allowed 1 hit and 1 walk.............In Fresno, Adrian Cardenas (.312) had 3 hits, including a double and scored a run for Sacramento in the River Cats' 6-4 win over the Grizzlies. Michael Taylor (.278) added a hit, his 14th stolen base and also scored a run for the Cats..............In Corpus Christi, the San Antonio Missions romped over the Hooks, 13-1. The lone run for the Hooks came on Jonathan Villar's home run in the 8th inning. It was the 14th home run of the year for Villar, and the 10th since his promotion. Josh Zeid continues to struggle to adjust to the Texas League, allowing 2 runs on 2 dingers in 2 innings, his ERA ballooning to 9.49 since joining the Astros............In Lake Elsinore, Jonathan Singleton continues to rake, belting 2 more hits, driving in a run and scoring 2 as the Lancaster JetHawks beat the Storm, 9-4. Singleton is hitting .343 since his trade, and an impressive .299 with 60 RBI overall with Clearwater and Lancaster........In Clearwater, Darin Ruf (.316) hit his 17th home run and the Threshers took a 4-3, 10-inning win from Lakeland. That is 4 wins in a row for Clearwater (33-28 in the second half, 72-58 overall) who still trail Dunedin by 2.5 games

Gavin in a groove

Sunday in Seattle, Gavin Floyd dominated the Mariners for 7 shut out innings, before tiring in the 8th as the White Sox won 9-3. In all Floyd (12-10, 4.36) went 7.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, NO walks(1 plunk), and struck out 6 as the Sox gained a game on the first place Tigers. The Cleveland Indians are falling out of it, losing to Kansas City 2-1. Jason Donald (.283 since recall) was 1 for 3 in that game. The Sox are 6 games behind Detroit, and the Tribe is 6.5 games back.

The win for Floyd was #77 for the HomeSide.

good night, Irene

As Irene pounded the east coast and forced cancellations galore, there was some baseball Saturday.........

In Boston Saturday, the A's and Red Sox dodged the hurricane and managed to play 2 games, with the Sox winning both. Josh Outman pitched 4 innings in relief after a rain delay in the second game, and allowed just 1 UNearned run on 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7 of his 12 outs in Boston's 4-0 win..............In Cleveland, Jason Donald (.280) had 3 hits and scored a run as the Indians scored an 8-7, come from behind win over the Royals.

In Louisville, Domonic Brown (.278) had 4 hits as Lehigh Valley took a 5-4 win from the Bats. Mike Zagurski (4-0, 2.90) was the winning pitcher and Justin DeFratus struck out the side in the 9th inning to get his 6th save. The IronPigs (76-60) trail Pawtucket by 1 game with 8 games left and will send Scott Mathieson to the mound today against Syracuse. The Cheifs beat Andy Baldwin and the Red Wings behind Steven Strasburg, 4-3. Baldwin (6-13, 5.64) went 6 good innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6. Strasburg struck out 7 in 5 innings, giving the Red Wings 1 run on 2 hits.

In Reading, the R-Phils and Portland split a doubleheader, Reading taking the first game, 6-2 and the Sea Dogs coming back for a 4-2 win in the late game. Red hot Mike Spidale (.330) was 6 for 7 on the day, and is 15 for his last 28 (that's .536) in the last 7 games. Derrick Mitchell (.262) had 3 hits and 4 RBI (73) on the day. J.C. Ramirez won his 10th game, and B.J. Rosenberg recorded his 1st save of the year. Reading stays a half game behind New Britain for the last spot in the Eastern League playoffs.

In Clearwater, the Threshers exploded for 14 runs on 23 hits for an easy 14-5 win over Lakeland. Cyle Hankerd had 4 hits, including 2 home runs, and drove in 5 runs, and Alan Schoenberger, Torre Langley and Darin Ruf (.316, 2 doubles, RBI # 73) added 3 hits apiece to back David Buchanan, who won his 3rd game for Clearwater, and is 14-6 overall this year. The Threshers have now won 3 in a row and pull to within 2.5 games of fist place Dunedin.

In Fresno, Michael Taylor (.280) hit 2 home run (15) and drove in 3 runs (60) for Sacramento, helping the River Cats beat the Grizzlies, 5-4................Jason Jaramillo (.278) is off the DL, and had a hit and a walk for Indianapolis, but the Indians lost in Columbus, 4-3................In Colorado Springs, Jesus Merchan (.294) had a hit, scored a run and drove in 2 more to help the Sky Sox beat Tacoma, 8-5...............In Manchester, the Harrisburg Senators edged the Fisher Cats, 2-1. Anthony Gose (.254) had a double, a walk, stole base #65, and scored the lone run for the Cats, who have lost 4 in a row and have let both New Britain and Reading back in the hunt.................In Lake Elsinore, the Storm beat the Lancaster JetHawks, 1-0. Jonathan Singleton (.337 since trade) had 2 of Lancaster's 5 hits on the day.......Domingo Santana had a single, a double, and 2 RBI for Lexington in the Legends' 11-3 win in West Virginia.

season winding down.....

In Louisville, the Bats beat the IronPigs, 7-4. Freddy Galvis had 2 more hits for Lehigh Valley and is up to .330 since his promotion from Reading. The book on Galvis is he is major league ready defensively, and if he can hit, he will be a major leaguer. Freddy, who won't be 22 until after the season, has had a break out season at the plate, hitting .282 overall in 128 games with Reading and Lehigh Valley.

In Reading, the R-Phils wasted a good effort from Tyler Cloyd, who went 7 solid innings, and gave up just 2 runs on 9 hits, NO walks, striking out 7, but Portland rallied for 2 in the 9th for a devastating 4-3 Sea Dogs win. Mike Spidale (.321) had 2 more hits and a walk for reading, who are now tied with New Britain for the final playoff spot, 3.5 games behind New Hampshire. The Fisher Cats dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Harrisburg, including being no-hit in the opener. In the nightcap, Anthony Gose hit his 15th home run of the year, and Bobby Korecky (3-3, 2.70) was the losing pitcher.

In Clearwater, Darin Ruf (.313) belted a double, his 16th home run (77 RBI) and walked twice as the Threshers came from behind for an 8-6 win over Lakeland. Jiwan James (2 singles, walk, 2 steals (27), RBI, 2 runs), Troy Hanzawa and Cesar Hernandez also had 2 hits for Clearwater.


In Colorado Springs, Jesus Merchan (.294) had 2 hits and a walk, and scored a run for the Sky Sox, who lost to Tacoma, 12-10............In Montgomery, Quintin Berry (.302) had 3 walks and scored 2 runs for the Mudcats, who lost to the Biscuits 12-9.................In Jackson, Darren Byrd struck out 3 of the 5 hitters he faced, recorded the final 5 outs of the Stars' 10-2 loss to the Generals.............In Midland, the Rockhounds took a pair from Corpus Christi, 2-1, and 3-2. Jonathan Villar was 2 for 6 on the day, and Josh Zeid threw 2 innings in the second game, allowing 2 runs, 1 earned on 1 hit and 1 walk.

recalls begin

In the last few days, the Astros have recalled Jay Happ and the Athletics have recalled Josh Outman from AAA. Happ started against the Giants in San Francisco last night and threw 6 solid innings, allowing 2 run, just 1 earned on only 4 hits, but he still walked 4. The Giants won the game, 2-1, and Happ slipped to 4-15 on the season.

In Philadelphia, Ryan Howard belted his 27th home run, a 3-run shot (99 RBI), but the Phillies dropped a 6-5 decision to the Marlins. Carlos Ruiz' (.271) hitting streak was stopped, and Mike Stutes (3.67) struck out 3 of the 4 hitters he faced, throwing a scoreless inning of relief.........In Cleveland, Lou Marson had 2 walks, and threw out a runner at third base in the Indians' 2-1 win over Kansas City..........In New York, Chris Capuano struck out Michael Bourn 4 times, in his complete game, 2-hit shut out of the Braves............

J-Rod wins 16th

Before I get to Thursday's games, I failed to mention Jarred Cosart yesterday. Jarred pitched 6 strong innings for Corpus Christi, and gave up just 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks. He received no decision in the Hooks' 3-2 loss to the home standing Midland Rockhounds. Cosart is 0-1 in 5 starts for the Hooks, with a nice 2.96 ERA since the trade. It was also a promotion, so he is experiencing that adjustment at the same time. He was the opening night starter for the Threshers, and won 9 games for Clearwater.

In Salisbury Thursday night, Zack Collier had 4 hits to lead the BlueClaws to a 9-4 win over the Shorebirds, completing a 4-game sweep and extending the current winning streak to 5 (9-1 in last 10). Anthony Hewitt had 2 hits, including his 14th home run, and 2 walks, and drove in 3 runs as the Claws find themselves 1 game behind Hickory, and 2 games in back of Kannapolis with 10 to play. Tonight, weather permitting, the Crawdads and BlueClaws will start a 5-game series in Lakewood. Lendy Castillo (4-2) will make the start for Lakewood, stepping in for Garrett Claypool, who was placed on the DL.

In Clearwater, Julio Rodriguez won his 16th game of the year, throwing 7 shut out innings against Brevard County in a 2-0 Threshers' victory. "J-Rod" allowed just 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8. Juan Sosa threw a 1-2-3 8th inning, striking out 2 and recording his 3rd hold with Clearwater since being promoted. Cesar Hernandez was 3 for 3 and scored both runs for the Threshers, who trail first place Dunedin by 3.5 games.

In Reading, the Portland Sea Dogs defeated the Phillies, 8-4. Tyson Brummett (3-8, 4.69) started and made it through 5 innings, giving up 5 runs on 9 hits and a walk, striking out 6. Chris Kissock (5.42) gave up 2 runs in his 2 innings, and Jacob Diekman (2.90) threw a scoreless 9th. Tim Kennelly led the attack with 3 hits, while Tuffy Gosewisch (2 doubles, 2 RBI) and Matt Rizzotti (.291) added 2 hit each. The loss, combined with New Britain's 11-8 win in Trenton, moves the Rock Cats to within a game of Reading for the final spot in the playoffs.

In Louisville, Matt Maloney was good enough to beat his former team, as the Bats took a 6-5 decision from the IronPigs. Maloney (6-1, 3.19) went 6 innings for the Bats, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 10 hits, NO walks and 4 strike outs. Could he have another shot at the Reds' rotation come September?



In Lexington, Domingo Santana hit his 4th home run with the Legends, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 8th to tie their game at 3-3. The Legends won in 10 innings. Santana has hit all 4 home runs in the last 6 games, and is hitting .361 since joining Lexington............In Zebulon, Quintin Berry's hitting streak was ended by his manager. Not only did he not start Berry with a 15-game hitting streak going, he used him as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning. "Q" walked, and the hitting streak is history! O yea, the Mudcats lost 5-3, to Jacksonville............In Huntsville, Jesus Sanchez' difficult season continued for the Stars. Jesus started against Birmingham and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits over 6 innings. He walked 3 and struck out 3 and is 3-7, 4.91 this year for the Stars...............In Manchester, Anthony Gose had 2 hits and 3 stolen bases (64), and Kevin Howard (.318) added 2 hits and drove in a run, but the Fisher Cats lost to Harrisburg, 6-4 in 10 innings.................In New Orleans, Robinson Tejeda pitched 2 innings for Omaha, and gave up 2 runs without allowing a hit. Robinson walked 2 hitters, and was charged with the 2 runs in the Zephyrs' 8-2 win over the Storm Chasers. Then, in Nashville, Zack Segovia gave up 2 runs on just 1 hit (2 walks) in 1 inning as Nashville lost to Memphis, 9-6...........In Colorado Springs, Jesus Merchan (.291) had 3 hits and drove in 2 runs for the Sky Sox in their 11-7 win over Tacoma.

Chooch gets 2 more!

In Philadelphia, Kyle Kendrick allowed 6 runs (just 2 earned) on 7 hits and 1 walk, in just 4 innings of work in the Phillies' 7-4 loss to the Mets. Antonio Bastardo (1.45) had another scoreless inning, even walking 2 hitters. Carlos Ruiz (.275) had another 2-hit game, making it 5 straight with 2 hits, and is getting hot at the right time! Mike Schwimer allowed a run on 2 walks and a hit in his inning.........In Cleveland, Jason Donald had 2 hits for the Indians, who took a 9-2 beating from the Mariners.

The Houston Astros have placed Sergio Escalona on the 15-day DL, retroactive to August 22, with left elbow tendinitis .

Jesse Biddle won his 7th game of the year for Lakewood, throwing 5 1-hit innings for the BlueClaws in their 5-1 win over the Shorebirds. Hector Neris followed Biddle with 3 innings on no-hit (1 walk) baseball himself!! Carlos Alonso (.322) had a double and a 2-run home run, Anthony Hewitt added 2 hits and an RBI, and Jim Murphy drove in his team-leading 76th run. The BlueClaws (32-26 in the second half) have won 4 in a row, and 8 of 10, but are still 3 games behind Kannapolis with 11 to play.

In Clearwater, Jonathan Pettibone was great again (7 IP, 1 run, 3 hits, NO walks, 5KS), but the Threshers came up short in a 2-1 loss to Brevard County. With Dunedin winning again, Clearwater is 4 games back with 14 to play.

In New Britain, Mike Spidale (.321) and Matt Rizzotti (.290) had 2 hits each, as Reading defeated the Rock Cats, 4-2. Mike Cisco (8-0, 1.63) picked up the win in relief, with 3.1 innings of no-hit ball (2 walks). Chris Kissock recorded the final 2 outs for his first save. Reading (67-63) now leads New Britain by 2 games for the final playoff spot. The R-Phils have won 7 of 10, and trail first place New Hampshire by 4 games. The Fisher Cats bombed Trenton 16-3 last night. Anthony Gose (.253) had 2 singles, a triple, a walk, stole a base (#61), scored 2 runs and drove in 2. Travis d'Arnaud (.321) added 2 hits, including his 19th home run of the year, scoring 2 runs and driving in 2 (71). It is shaping up as a tasty playoff series , and I hope we get it!!

In Louisville, Freddy Galvis (.325) had 3 hits, including a double, and scored a run for the IronPigs in their 6-5 win over the Bats. Domonic Brown added an RBI double to the cause, and Justin DeFratus picked up his 5th save, throwing a 1-2-3 9th inning (2 Ks).



In Zebulon, Quintin Berry (.304) extended his hitting streak to 15 games on Wednesday, with a hit and a walk, and scored a run in the Mudcats' 2-1 win over Jacksonville..................In Salt Lake City, Kyle Drabek looked a little better, throwing 6.2 innings for Las Vegas, and allowing just 1 run. He did give up 8 hits and 3 walks, but seemed to make the big pitch when he needed to. For Kyle, it was his 4th win for the 51s, and it lowers his AAA ERA to 6.51................In Fresno, Adrian Cardenas (.315) had 2 hits, stole a base (#10) and scored 2 runs for Sacramento, but the River Cats were beat by the Grizzlies, 14-6.

Worley & Simon excellent

Vance Worley won his 9th game of the season in Philadelphia Tuesday, defeating the Mets, 9-4. Worley went 7 strong innings, and after working of of serious trouble in each of the first 2 frames, settled down to allow just 1 run on 5 hits and a walk. Vance (9-1, 2.65) struck out 9 Mets, and if it were not for Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel, would have be in the running for rookie of the year. Mike Stutes (3.75) threw the final 2 innings, and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits including a home to Lucas Duda. John Mayberry hit his 12th home run, his 2nd in 2 night, and Ben Francisco added 3 hits for the Phillies.

Even better than Vance, Alfredo Simon threw 8 strong innings in Minnesota, leading the Orioles to an 8-1 win over the Twins. Simon (4-6, 4.30) allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk, and struck out 8 for Baltimore.

The 2 wins make a total of 76 for the HomeSide.

In Cleveland, the Indians and Mainers split a doubleheader. The Indians scored 3 in the 9th to take the open, 7-5, but the Mariners came back for a 12-7 win in the nightcap. Both Jason Donald and Lou Marson drove in a run in the second game for Cleveland........In Chicago, Michael Bourn (.302) had a hit and stole 2 more bases to increase his major league leading total to 47, as the Braves edged the Cubs, 5-4.

Marson's 3 hits not enough for Tribe

In Cleveland, Lou Marson had 3 hits and drove in a run for the Indians, but the Mariners topped Cleveland, 3-2. The Indians have now lost 4 in a row, and are 5.5 games behind the surging Tigers.............In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.302) was 1 for 4 as the Braves shut out the Cubs, 3-0 behind Jair Jurrjens, solidifying their hold on the wild card lead.............In Philadelphia, Carlos Ruiz (.273) had his 3rd consecutive 2-hit game, driving in 2 runs in the Phillies' 10-0 beating of the Mets. Cliff Lee won his 14th game, and John Mayberry and Hunter Pence homered.


In Salisbury, the BlueClaws defeated the Shorebirds, 4-2. Carlos Alonoso (.327, double RBI) , Zack Collier ( single, double, walk, 2 RBI, stole home!) and Anthony Hewitt (2 stolen bases for team leading 34) had 2 hits each for Lakewood. Lisalberto Bonilla went 6 solid innings, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk to improve to 4-4, 2.83 on the season. Lendy Castillo surrendered an UNearned run on 1 hit in 2 innings, and Ryan Duke and Jay Johnson finished it off. The BlueClaws are now 30-26 in the second half, 4 games behind Kannapolis, with 13 games left.

In New Britain, Reading won their 5th straight game, 7-3 over the Rock Cats. The R-Phils scored 4 in the top of the 1st and never looked back. Tuffy Gosewisch (.261, single, double, RBI), Mike Spidale (.317), Matt Rizzotti (single, double, RBI # 72), and Brent Clevlen all had 2 hits for Reading, who have pulled tho within 3 game of first place New Hampshire, who dropped their 4th game in a row. Anthony Gose hit his 14th home run for the Fisher Cats, who were 4-3 losers at home to Trenton. Trenton trails Reading by 1.5 games for the final playoff spot.

In Lexington, Domingo Santana hit his 9th home run of the year, a 2-run shot, in the Legends' 5-4 loss to Asheville..............In Zebulon, Quintin Berry (.301) extended his hitting streak to 13 games in a row with a hit and an RBI for Carolina, but the Mudcats lost to the Suns, 8-4...........In Huntsville, the Stars were edged out 3-2 by the Barons. Darren Byrd (3.30) threw 3 solid innings in relief, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 3 for Huntsville.............In Colorado Springs, Jesus Merchan did not start for the SkySox, but came on later, and had a walk and scored a run in the 3-run 10th inning rally to give the Sox a 9-7 win over Salt Lake...............In Tucson, Josh Outman won his 8th game for Sacramento with 5 good inning, allowing just 1 earned run (4 overall) on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7 in the River Cats' 11-9 win over the Padres. Adrian Cardenas (.313) had a single, a double, drove in a run and scored 2 more, and Michael Taylor added a hit, a walk, a stole base, and an RBI for Sacramento.

some Sunday notes

Quintin Berry (.302) extended his hitting streak to 12 games, picking up 2 of the Mudcats' 5 hits on the day. "Q" was the difference, or as I like to call him "The Catalyst". On base 3 different times, he stole 4 bases (38) and scored the only 2 runs in a 2-0 Carolina win over Jacksonville.


In Iowa City, Jay Happ threw 7 1-hit innings for the Oklahoma City RedHawks to record to 4-0 victory. Jay walked 3 and struck out 6, and has walked 3 in each of his 3 starts with Oklahoma City.

In Tucson, Michael Taylor (.277) had a single, a double, scored a run and drove in another, and Adrian Cardenas (.312) had a hit and a walk, scored a run and drove in 2 for Sacramento in the River Cat's 11-6 win over the Padres.

Cloyd fans 10 as R-Phils sweep

Tyler Cloyd struck out 10 hitters in 7 shut out innings for the Reading Phillies on Sunday, and the R-Phils won a game in which they got just 3 hits, 3-1 over Altoona. Cloyd (5-3, 2.90 for Reading) is coming into his own with Reading, handling the mid-season promotion from Clearwater to rise to the challenge. He allowed just 4 hits and 1 walk on Sunday, and got full value for his team's 3 hits. Home runs by Carlos Rivero (#15) and Brent Clevlen (his 4th in 17 games with the team) accounted for all the runs.

Reading is now 65-62, 1 game ahead of New Britain, who just took 3 in a row from first place New Hampshire. The Phillies are in New Britain for a huge 3-game set starting Monday night.

13 wins for Buchanan

David Buchanan tossed 6 strong innings, winning his 2nd game for the Threshers as Clearwater defeated the Flying Tigers, 7-1 in Lakeland Sunday. Buchanan (2-1 for Clearwater, 13-6 overall) allowed just 1 run on 7 hits and 1 walk, striking out five in the process. David has been very good all year, walking just 38 hitters in over 148 innings pitched. Eric Pettis, Andy Loomis and Juan Sosa each threw a shut out inning. Red hot Brandon Tripp (.340) had 3 more hits, including 2 doubles and 2 RBI. (He is just too good for that league-move 'em up!). Cyle Hankerd and Cesar Hernandez also had 3 hits each.

The Threshers are in 3rd place, trailing fist place Dunedin by 3.5, and 2nd place Tampa by 2 games, with 14 games to play. Clearwater plays Dunedin in the final 4 games.