Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Memorial Day Highlights

Memorial Day featured a 5-4 win for the Phillies in our nation's capial. Ryan Howard belted his 12th home run, and drove in 2 on the day (42 RBI), Domonic Brown had an RBI (4) single, and Carlos Ruiz had a single and a double and scored a run. Antonio Bastardo used 2 pitches to retire 1 hitter, and was replaced! For his effort, Bastardo was awarded a "hold", his 3rd this year.

The Phillies have sent Vance Worley back to Lehigh Valley and brought back Mike Zagurski. I also noticed that the Pirates have placed Ryan Doumit on the DL, and am hopeful Jason Jaramillo will get recalled.

In the game I mentioned earlier-in which Sergio Escalona was awarded a victory in the Astros 12-7 win over the Cubs- Michael Bourn (.271) had 2 singles and a triple, and he stole base #19.......In Seattle, the Mariners topped the Orioles, 4-3. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, with the bases loaded and 1 out, the Orioles called on Alfredo Simon to bail out Jake Arrieta. Alfredo struck out Carlos Peguero and Chone Figgins to strand the runners, and then pitched 3 more scoreless frames to keep Baltimore in the game. Overall 3.2 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 4 Ks in an excellent outing for Simon.

In Durham, R.J.Swindel was in the right place at the right time, entering the game to strike out the only hitter he faced, and watching as the Bulls rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th en route to a 7-4 win over Columbus, with Swindel notching his 2nd win of the year.........In Reno, the Sacramento River Cats collected 19 hits in a 16-5 beating of the Aces. Adrian Cardenas (.339) had 2 hits and a walk, scored 2 runs and drove in 2 more........In Gwinnett, the IronPigs put a 10-2 beating on the Braves. Drew Carpenter (4-0, 2.23) was the winning pitcher, throwing 3 innings of relief, 1 run, 3 hits, NO walks, 6 Ks. Chance Chapman also was effective for 2 innings, just 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 Ks.

In Jacksonville, Quintin Berry (.324) followed up his 3 hit-2 walk-2 stolen base performance on Sunday with 2 more hits on Monday in the Mudcats' 8-0 win over the Suns.........In Birmingham, Will Savage threw a good game,but was just out-pitched in a 4-1 Barons win over the Lookouts. Will went 6.1 innings, 4 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, and 4 Ks, and is now 5-2, 3.58 on the year for Chattanooga..........In Manchester, Anthony Gose hit his 4th home run and drove in 3 runs for the Fisher Cats as New Hampshire beat New Britain 7-6. Gose also reached base on an error and scored a run in the 9th inning, an inning which saw New Hampshire come from behind 6-2, scoring 5 times to win it! New Hampshire has now won 7 in a row and has a 3 game lead over Trenton. Reading is 7.5 back, keeping pace with a 7-4 win in Erie. Mike Spidale (.319) and Derrick Mitchell (.255) had 2 hits each for Reading, with Mitchell driving in 2 runs (31). Tyson Brummett (1.78) threw 3 shut out innings of relief (3 hits, NO walks, 4 Ks) for a hold, but Jacob Diekman gave up 2 runs on 2 hits in his inning.

The starting pitching continues to be the story for the BlueClaws and Garrett Claypool did not disappoint on Monday. Claypool was great again, going 7 strong shut out innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 7 Ks. No decision but his ERA down to 2.00. Jim Murphy's RBI single in the bottom of the 8th turns out to be the game winner, as the 3-2 win is the 11th in the last 12 game for the Claws. Lakewood is now in 4th place, 3.5 games out of first with 19 to play.

quick note

I am running out the door for work, but a quick mention of 2 of our Houston Astros. On Sunday , Jay Happ threw 6 strong innings and left the game with a 2-1 lead, which the bullpen lost. The big news here is Happ's first major league home run! It would have been a game winner if the pen could have saved it.

On Monday, Sergio Escalona threw a scoreless inning in a 6-6 tie, and when the Astros scored in the following frame, Sergio picked up his first win of the year. Sergio becomes the 12th former Claw to post a major league win this year, and it is the 34th win for HomeSiders overall.

more later....................

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Buchanan, Santana lead Claws to win

Domingo Santana had 4 hits, and David Buchanan pitched another fine game as the SAL leader in wins (7) and ERA (1.97) went 7 strong inning and gave up just 1 UNearned run on only 4 hits and 1 walk, while the Lakewood offense, led by Santana, pounded Greensboro 13-1. Lakewood is now 25-23, and has won 9 of the last 10. Everyone in Lakewood's line-up had a hit, including Shane Victorino, who had an RBI single and a bases loaded walk to drive in 2 runs, and Jim Murphy, who went deep for the 3rd game in a row. Murph, who is already the BlueClaws all time home run leader, has hit 13 this year, and is on a pace to break Juan Richardson's single season BlueClaw mark of 22 set in our inaugural season of 2001.

In Fort Myers, Troy Hanzawa tripled in 3 runs , and then Jonathan Singleton homered to cap a 5-run 9th inning rally to give the Threshers a 7-2 win over the Miracle. Sebastian Valle had 3 hits, including a double, and drove in both of the Thresher's earlier runs. Joe Savery and Leandro Castro each had 2 hits, and D'Arby Myers had a key single in the middle of the 5 run rally. Trevor May started for the Threshers and again only went 5 innings, because he is walking too many men and getting his pitch count very high very early. Trevor walked 5 and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 7. Both runs came on home runs, so if he doesn't walk so many, he can stay in the game and give himself a better chance to win. The bright side in none of the walks preceded the home runs. Eric Pettis came on and threw 2 more scoreless innings, running his streak to 13 consecutive scoreless innings since his promotion (only 8 hits and 2 walks, with 11 Ks). Ebelin Lugo also tossed 2 scoreless innings of relief, and picked up his 2nd win when the team came up big in the 9th. Clearwater, 31-18, remains 6.5 games behind red hot Daytona, who have won 11 straight and are 38-12.

In Erie, Matt Rizzotti (.331) doubled home 2 runs in the 8th inning to give the Reading Phillies a 2-1 win over the Sea Wolves, ending Reading's 5 game losing streak. Mike Spidale (.305) also had 2 hits for Reading, who got a very good start from J.C. Ramirez. Ramirez allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks over 6. Jacob Diekman came on in the 7th, because Mark Parent is a very brave man. He survived this time however, as Diekman faced 4 hitters, 2 Ks, a walk and a plunk, and the hook. Justin De Fratus came on, stranded those 2 runners and threw 2.1 inning of near perfect relief (he also plunked 1) to pick up his 3rd win of the year.

Reading is now 25-22 in 4th place and just 6.5 behind front running New Hampshire. The Fisher Cats won again Saturday, as Anthony Gose hit his 3rd home run for New Hampshire in their 4-0 win over New Britain. Gose also walked and was hit by a pitch, stealing his 21st base of the year (in 26 tries). Travis d'Arnuad (.333) had his 8 game hitting streaked snapped as he was 0 for 2 with 2 walks. Also in the Eastern League, in Binghamton, Mike Dubee pitched the final 2 innings of Altoona's 10-6 win over the Mets and recorded his 3rd save of the season for the Curve.

In Zebulon, Joe Bisenius started a game for the Birmingham Barons against the Mudcats. "Bis" went 3.2 innings as the White Sox affiliate begins to stretch him out a bit. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6 and throwing 35 of his 60 pitches for strikes. He received no decision, as Quintin Berry and the Mudcats captured a 7-3 win. Berry (.301) had a single and a triple, scoring a run and knocking 1 in.........In New Orleans, Jesus Merchan walked and scored the winning run in the 8th inning of New Orlean's 5-4 win over Albuquerque. Jesus (.235) also had a single for the Zephyrs..........In Nashville, the Sounds took an 8-3 win from Oklahoma City, with Zack Segovia throwing a scoreless 9th inning to wrap it up for Nashville. Zack pitched himself into and out of trouble, walking 1 and allowing 2 hits, but posting the zero.........In Buffalo, Yohan Flande started the 2nd game of a doubleheader for the Gwinnett Braves, and allowed 3 run, 2 earned on 4 hits and a walk over 4 innings of work and was the losing pitcher in the Bisons' 3-1 win over the Braves. It drops Flande to 2-1, 4.29 on the season.

In Allentown, the IronPigs took a 4-3 win from Rochester. Michael Schwimer (1.95) and Mike Zagurski (1.88) each threw a perfect inning, with Schwimer getting credit for a hold (#6) and Zagurski picking up his 9th save. The Pigs have won 3 in a row, and 8 of 10 and are a franchise best 30-18, leading the North division by 4 games over the Scranton Yankees.


In Pittsfield, Jeremy Slayden had a single, a walk and his 1st home run of the year for New Jersey, but the Jackals lost to the Colonials, 4-3...........In Newark, Jon Velasquez made his debut for Rockland and the Bears jumped all over him. The Bronx native was rocked for 9 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in just 3 innings of work in Newark's 16-4 trouncing of the Boulders.

3 starts, 3 wins

It was a big day for the HomeSide Saturday, grabbing 3 wins with 3 assigned starts. Because I usually go chronologically, I will reverse myself and start with the late game first:

In Oakland, Josh Outman made his 2nd start for the A's since his return, and was strong for 6 innings against the Orioles. Fighting with his control, Josh walked 5 but only allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and managed to minimize the damage each time he got into a jam. Outman was the winning pitcher in Oakland's 4-2 victory, his first since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2009.

In New York, the win goes to Cole Hamels, his 7th of the season, as Philadelphia beat the Mets, 5-2. Cool Cole continues to be fantastic (I predict he will win a career high in games this season) allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits over 7 innings- NO walks, 10 Ks!- lowering his ERA to 3.01. Ryan Howard had a double and 2 RBI (40), and Domonic Brown was 2 for 4 (6 for his last 10), a single and a double.

In St Pete, Carlos Carrasco won his 3rd consecutive start, and his 4th overall in the Indian's 7-3 win over the Rays. Carlos is on a good roll, and went a strong 6 innings yesterday in a game that was close as long as he was in it. Carrasco allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, NO walks, and struck out 4, leaving the game with a 3-2 lead.

The 3 wins make a total of 33 major league wins for former Claws this year.

We had a chance at a fourth as the White Sox and Blue Jays went extra innings and the Sox called on Gavin Floyd to pitch in the 14th inning. Gavin gave up the game winning home run to Cory Patterson and the Jays took a 9-8 decision. I do not think this appearance will effect Gavin's turn to pitch Monday, having only thrown 15 pitches Saturday, but we will wait and see if he gets pushed back a day.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Red hot d'Arnaud smokes another one

In Manchester, Travis d'Arnaud hit a 3-run home run, one his 2 hits on the night, to help lead the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to a 15-3 win over New Britain. For Travis, it was his 4th home run of the season. He is also on a red hot 8-game hitting streak, going 16 for 29 over the 8 games. That's .552 if you are counting, and I am!


In Pawtucket, Jason Jaramillo had a single and scored a run, completing a 5-run 9th inning rally to help Indianapolis to a 6-3 win over the Sox.........In Allentown, the IronPigs won again, this time topping Rochester, 10-2. Drew Carpenter, Mike Schwimer, and Chance Chapman threw an inning each, Chapman was charged with an UNearned run.

In Lakewood, Mario Hollands threw 7 shut out innings, and Geancarlo Mendez and Jim Murphy each hit home runs, as the BlueClaws took a 3-0 decision from Greensboro. Hollands was the story, as the starting staff of the Claws continues to pitch great ball on this home stand. Mario allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks and was never really in trouble, as the Lakewood ace picked up his 4th win of the year. Lisalberto Bonilla pitched 2 perfect innings to record the save. The BlueClaws are only 4.5 games off the lead in the division, but they are in 6th place. They do have the advantage of a schedule that would allow them to make a move if they continue to play well. Lakewood has won 8 of their last 9.

Finally, in Erie, the Sea Wolves beat Reading, 11-7 in a game shortened to 5 innings by the rain. Steve Susdorf (.330) had a double and a home run (#4), and Freddy Galvis, Cody Overbeck and Derrick Mitchell also had 2 hits apiece. It was not a good night for either pitcher. Josh Zeid did not make it out of the 3rd inning and was charged with 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Chris Kissock also gave up 5 runs on 6 hits in just 2 innings. Both of these guys have got to get right soon. With the draft right around the corner, there will by an influx of players, and some jobs will be taken.

One more note, as I mentioned yesterday, Jeremy Slayden is now with the independent team, the New Jersey Jackals. As that league gets started playing this week, I found 2 more of our boys listed on rosters. Julian Sampson is with the Brockton Rox, and Jon Velasquez with the Rockland Boulders. Slayden is 1 for 8 in the Jackals first 2 games, and neither Sampson nor Velasquez has pitched yet.

Brown, Bastardo help Phillies to win

In New York, the Phillies rallied for 3 in the 9th inning to top the Mets, 6-4. I must start off with Domonic Brown, who pinch hit a single in the 8th inning and then scored the tying run, and had another single in the 3-run rally to win it. After a 1 for 14 start (which is deceiving because he hit some balls hard with no result), Brown is now 4 for his last 6 and could start to force his way into the line up. (For good measure, he also stole a base) Good timing, too, with Shane Victorino beginning rehab with 2 games in Lakewood this weekend, and then in Reading when the R-Phils return home Tuesday, the Phillies will have to make a decision on an outfielder. Mike Stutes had given up a run in the 7th to give the Mets the lead and set up the dramatic finish. For Stutes (2.53), it was the first run he has allowed in 8 appearances, covering 6 innings back to May 8. Antonio Bastardo's outstanding season continued, as he threw another scoreless frame in the 8th, and was the winning pitcher when the Phillies rallied in the 9th. Bastardo is now 3-0 on the year with a 1.42 ERA. He has allowed just 3 earned runs in 20 appearances. Over 19 innings, Antonio has yielded just 10 hits, walking 9 and striking out 26!

It was the 30th win by former BlueClaws in the majors this year.

In Toronto, Kyle Drabek pitched well, but came up 1 out short of a victory in the Blue Jays' 4-2 win over the White Sox. Drabek went 6.2 innings, and gave up just 2 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks, striking out 4 and coming out of a 2-2 tie. The Jays scored immediately afterward in the bottom of the 7th, but Kyle received no decision.........In Houston, Sergio Escalona made what is becoming his regular cameo appearance for the Astros, facing 2 hitters, and giving up a hit. That runner ended up scoring and Sergio was charged with the run in the Diamondback's 7-6 come-from-behind win. Michael Bourn had a big game; 2 singles and a double, 2 runs scored and 3 more driven in. Bourn is hitting .274 for Houston........In Oakland, Alfredo Simon came into a 2-2 game with bases loaded and 1 out in the 5th inning for the Orioles and struck out 2 hitters in a row to retire the side! Then he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits in the next inning and was charged with loss in the Athletics' 6-2 win over Baltimore.

It is a HomeSide tripleheader today as Carlos Carrasco will face the Rays @ 4:00, Cole Hamels will take on the Mets @ 7:00, and Josh Outman will make the start against the Orioles @ 10:00.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Taylor, Villar, Murphy go deep

In Sacramento Thursday, Michael Taylor was 3 for 5, including his 1st home run of the year, driving in 4 runs in the River Cat's 7-2 win over New Orleans. Michael is hitting .377 with 11 RBI in 12 games so far for Sacramento. Adrian Cardenas (.351) added 2 more hits for the Cats...........In Lancaster, the JetHawks bounced back from their 25-9 loss on Wednesday, exacting a measure of revenge on the Quakes with 13-4 win. Jonathan Villar (.272) had 3 hits, a single, a double and his 3rd home run of the year for Lancaster. Villar has now homered on consecutive days...............In Zebulon, the Birmingham Barons beat the Mudcats, 8-2. Quintin Berry had a double, an RBI, and an outfield assist to nail a baserunner at third base!

In Allentown, the IronPigs got 3 runs in the first inning off Andy Baldwin, and it was enough to take Lehigh Valley to a 3-2 victory. After allowing the 3 runs on 2 home runs in the first, Baldwin settled in and threw 6 good innings for Rochester, not allowing any more runs to score and keeping the Red Wings in the game. Scott Mathieson recorded 5 outs to notch a "hold", and Mike Zagurski threw a scoreless 9th to pick up his 8th save.

In Portland, Travis d'Arnaud (.330) had 2 hits, 2 walks and scored 2 runs in New Hampshire's 13-4 win over the Sea Dogs. Anthony Gose added 2 walks and a run scored to the Fisher Cats' cause........In Reading, the R-Phils lost again to the Thunder, who seem to have their number so far this year. On Thursday, B. J. Rosenberg made his 2nd start since replacing Chris Kissock in the rotation and threw a good 5 innings, 2 runs, only 1 earned on 5 hits and NO walks, striking out 5. Jacob Diekman had another disaster, allowing a hit, 3 walks, and a plunk, while picking up just 2 outs. Tyson Brummett (1.97) had to come on to bail Diek out, and Brummett put in 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Reading collected just 5 hits, scored their only run in the bottom of the 9th, and left the bases loaded, giving Trenton the 3-1 win.

The BlueClaws have come home and split the first 2 games of their series with Greensboro. Both Garrett Claypool and Ervis Manzanillo had excellent starts, with Claypool receiving no decision after 7 good inning Wednesday and Manzanillo getting the win in Thursday's 7-6 victory. Zack Collier had 4 hits for the BlueClaws and Jim Murphy hit his 11th home run and drove in 5 of Lakewood's 7 runs.

"Bone" in the zone

Jonathan Pettibone's great 2011 continued Thursday night in Fort Myers with 7 shut out innings against the Miracle. "Bone" allowed just 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6 to improve to 5-3 with a splendid 1.75 ERA on the year. Derrick Loop (0.74) pitched 2 shut out innings of relief to pick up his 3rd save as the Threshers shut out the Miracle, 5-0.

D'Arby Myers came into the game in the 8th inning as a pinch runner, and scored the run that gave Clearwater a 2-0 advantage. Then he stayed in the game and hit a 2-run home run in the 9th. Once again, D'Arby is struggling to get playing time, but staying ready and producing when called upon. His preparation and determination are to be applauded. Troy Hanzawa also homered in the 9th, 1 of his 2 hits on the day, and Jiwan James, Leandro Castro and Sebastian Valle all had 2 hits for the Threshers.

Phils bop Reds

In Philadelphia, Ryan Howard's drought is long gone, the big first baseman has now hit in 8 straight games, getting an RBI-double and 2 walks in the Phillies'10-4 win over the Reds Thursday. The RBI was #38 for Ryan. Domonic Brown had a single, a double and a walk, and the hits are starting to drop for Dom, who has been hitting the ball hard since his return with little to show for before yesterday. Hopefully, the floodgates have opened.............In Chicago, the Cubs pounded the Mets, 9-3, but Taylor Buchholz (2.19) did pitch and he retired both hitters he faced.

The Royals have designated Robinson Tejeda for assignment.

Jeremy Slayden has signed with the independent New Jersey Jackals, and was 1 for 4 and scored a run Thursday night in the Jackals opening game in Pittsfield, an 8-4 win for New Jersey.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Maloney disabled

The Reds have placed Matt Maloney on the 15-day DL with a "strained left oblique". This drops the current number of HomeSiders active in the major leagues to 19.

Villar slams, Berry & Gose keep stealing

In Sacramento, the River Cats defeated New Orleans, 10-4. Michael Taylor (.354) had 2 hits and scored 2 runs for the Cats.......In Lancaster, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes battered the Lancaster JetHawks, 25-9!! Jonathan Villar hit a grand slam home run in the losing cause for Lancaster................In Chattanooga, Will Savage bounced back for a nice effort against Huntsville, going 6 good inning (4 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks, 3.31 ERA) and picking up his 5th win of the season for the Lookouts. Yes Will, I am still watching from here. Keep up the good work!.............In Zebulon, Quintin Berry had a single, a double, 2 RBI and a run scored for Carolina in the Mudcats' 5-4 loss to Birmingham. Berry (.300) also stole his 10th base, and was caught for the first time. Hey- 10 for 11 ain't bad at all. Go, Q!

Over in the Eastern League, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats took a 2-1 decision from the home Portland Sea Dogs. Travis d'Arnaud (.333) ws 1 for 4, and Anthony Gose had 2 walks, and 2 stolen bases to give him 20 on the year. Remember, Gose stole 76 here in Lakewood in 2009. Bobby Korecky (1.13) recorded a "hold" with a 1-2-3 inning featuring 2 Ks........In Reading, the Trenton Thunder continue to be a thorn in Reading's side, this time coming from behind to beat the R-Phils 4-3 in 10 innings. Derrick Mitchell (.246, single 2-run home run), Freddy Galvis (.247) and Mike Spidale (.303, RBI) all had 2 hits for Reading. Tyson Brummett threw a scoreless 7th, and Justin De Fratus was 1 out away from a victory when he allowed the game tying home run to Damon Sublett. It was Sublett's first hit of the year in 12 at bats. Trenton then went on the win it against Phillippe Aumont in tghe 10th.

In Jupiter, the Threshers took a 5-1 game behind solid pitching from Jarred Cosart. Cosart (5-3, 2.97) went 5.2 innings, and allowed just 1 UNearned run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 9 for Clearwater. Tyler Cloyd retired 7 hitters, giving up just 1 hit and got credit for a hold. Jordan Whatcott pitched a 1-2-3 9th. Leandro Castro (.273)had a single, a triple and a home run (#6) , scoring twice and driving 2 home. Joe Savery (.331) also had 3 hits, and picked up 2 RBI

late night in Philly

The overall story is the Phillies beat the Reds, 5-4 in 19 innings Wednesday night. Here are the details pertaining to the HomeSiders. First, Mike Stutes relieved Roy Halladay in the 8th inning and struck out the side, giving up 1 hit. Then, in the top of the 10th, Antonio Bastardo gave up a home run to Jay Bruce to give the Reds a 4-3 lead. It was only the 3rd run allowed by Bastardo in 18 innings so far. In the bottom half, Ryan Howard belted his 11th home run of the year, tying the game at 4-4, and sending it deep into the night. Howard had 2 hits and 2 walks on the night, Domonic Brown entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning (and got 5 plate appearances), going 0 for 4 with a walk, and Carlos Ruiz was 1 for 7 with a walk and a run scored. Kyle Kendrick bailed out Bastardo, and struck out both batters he faced.

Great game by Gavin Floyd in Texas, but he was out-dueled by C.J. Wilson and the Rangers, 2-1. Gavin worked 7+ innings, and allowed 2 runs (only 1 earned), on just 3 and 1 walk, but came up on the losing end. Floyd is now 5-4, 3.61 for the Sox.............In Houston, Michael Bourn led off the bottom of the 1st with his 1st home run of the season, and Houston went on to beat the Dodgers, 2-1........In Baltimore, Robinson Tejeda made his 2nd appearance since returning from the DL, and allowed a home run to Mark Reynolds of the Orioles in Baltimore's 9-1 win over the Royals. Tejeda has given up a run in each of his innings since coming back........In Cleveland, the Red Sox cooled off the Indians 14-2. Lou Marson was 0 for 4 for the Indians, and has not had a hit since May 7, going 0 for 12.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

losses across the board

In Allentown, the Gwinnett Braves swept a doubleheader from the IronPigs. The Braves won the opener, 6-3. Chance Chapman pitched the last 2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk. Chance has made 10 appearances for Lehigh Valley, posting a 2-2, 4.95 mark for the first place Pigs. The Braves completed the sweep with a 2-hit 7-0 beating in game 2. Drew Carpenter (2.22) retired all 6 hitters he faced, striking out 3 of them, before Mike Schwimer (2.10) allowed a run on 3 hits in his 2 innings of work. The IronPigs are now 27-18, still 3 games ahead of the Yankees.

In Reading, the R-Phils managed just 6 hits in their 5-2 loss to Trenton. Cody Overbeck had the only 2-hit game, and his 2 run home run accounted for all the Reading scoring on the day. For Cody, it was his league leading 13th dinger, and his 35 RBI is also tops in the Eastern League. Austin Hyatt was the starter and loser for Reading. Hyatt went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks, striking out 8, and is now 5-3, 4.31 for the year. Chris Kissock, who has pitched himself out of the rotation, came on in the 6th and tossed 2 innings, giving up a run on 3 hits. Jordan Ellis gave up a run in his inning, and his ERA ballooned to 9.75. Ouch!! Jacob Diekman was the only one not to give up a run in his inning. Reading is 24-19, and slips past Trenton into 4th place, only 3.5 behind first place New Hampshire.

In Jupiter, the day after a 23-inning, 5 hour and 35 minute marathon, the Threshers found only 4 hits in a 2-1 loss to the Hammerheads. Darin Ruf (who pitched 2 scoreless innings in the aforementioned 23-inning affair) and Jeremy Barnes each had a double and a walk, and the RBI went to D'Arby Myers. Once again, Julio Rodriguez was up to the task, throwing 6 strong innings, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, keeping Clearwater in the game. The Threshers are 28-18, in second place, 6 games behind Daytona.

Another HomeSider, another win!

Once again, there was a problem with the site's server, keeping me off most of the day yesterday. But quickly, after Cole Hamels won game #28 for the HomeSide Monday, Tuesday presented several opportunities before we got one late. There were 3 chances in the Phillies game alone, with Vance Worley, Mike Stutes and Antonio Bastardo all leaving the game with the score tied, but Ryan Madson lost it in the 9th.

In Houston, Jay Happ allowed 5 runs, but 4 of them were unearned on just 3 hits in 5 innings of work and the Astros lost to the Dodgers, 5-4. Happ has pitched well for Houston, posting a 3-6 record for the 18-31 'Stros. Sergio Escalona entered the game and struck out both hitters he faced, in what has become his role.

The win went to Alfredo Simon, who made his debut for the Orioles in the top of the 9th inning of the game which Kansas City was leading 3-2. Simon threw a 1-2-3 inning and picked up the win when Adam Jones hit a 2-run walk off home run completing the 3-run rally to give the Orioles, and Simon, a 5-3 win.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Claws win 6th straight

After dropping the first game of their 7 game road trip, the BlueClaws won the last 2 in Maryland and enjoyed a 4-game sweep of the Power in West Virginia. Lakewood won 6-5 on getaway day, the highlight being back-to-back home runs in the 8th inning by Mike Dabbs and Anthony Hewitt. For Hewitt, it was his 6th of the year (all in the month of May), and was part of a 3-hit game. He has had multi-hits games in 3 of the last 4, and stole 2 more bases yesterday for a total of 14. Aaron Altherr (single, double, 2 RBI) and Alan Schoenberger had 2 hits each to aid the offense. Lisalberto Bonilla continues to pitch well for Lakewood, giving the team 3 innings of relif, allowing just 1 run on 1 hit and striking out 4, lowering his ERA to 1.47. The win went to Juan Sosa, who blew the save and was in the right place when the Claws scored the game winner, and big ups to Jay Johnson, who had to come in for the last out to strike out Justin Howard with the tying run on second.

Monday, May 23, 2011

2 more call ups

Today the Cincinnati Reds have recalled Matt Maloney from Louisville, and the Oakland A's have called up Josh Outman from Sacramento. There are now 20 HomeSiders currently active on major league rosters.

Worley recalled, Utley activated

The Phillies have activated Chase Utley and expect to have him in the line up tonight against the Reds. Vance Worley was also recalled from Lehigh Valley as Joe Blanton was officially put on the DL. The addition of Worley makes 18 active HomeSiders in the major leagues right now.

In Cleveland Sunday, the Indians trounced the Reds, 12-4, behind Carlos Carrasco. Carlos won his second game this week, and is now 3-2, 5.16 for the first place Tribe. (27th MLB win in '11) Carrasco went 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk.

Kyle Drabek was not so lucky. Drabek also went 6 innings for Toronto, but came up on the short side of the Jays' 3-2 loss to Houston. Kyle gave up 3 runs on 8 hits, and suffered the hard-luck loss. Michael Bourn had a hit and a walk, and stole his 17th base of the year for the Astros.

In Sacramento, Adrian Cardenas (.357) and Michael Taylor (.385) had 2 hits each as the River Cats pounded Oklahoma City, 11-2.................In Hunstville, Jesus Sanchez growing pains continue for the Stars. Fighting for his control, Jesus allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks in just 3.2 innings in a game the Stars won, 8-3...........In New Britain, the Rock Cats and the Fisher Cats (cat fight!) split a doubleheader. New Britain won the opener, 6-5. Travis d'Arnuad (.313) was 3 for 3 and scored 2 runs for New Hampshire, and Anthony Gose added 2 hits and threw out a runner at home. The Fisher Cats got the split with a 4-0 win in the nightcap, with Gose getting another hit.............In Altoona, the Curve beat Akron, 5-4 with Mike Dubee throwing 2 scoreless innings for Altoona........In Reading, Richmond took the final game of their series with the R-Phils, 3-2. Reading got only 5 hits and both runs scored on Cody Overbeck's 14th home run of the year.

In Columbus, the Clippers beat Durham, 7-6 in 10 innings. R.J. Swindel came in for Durham and recorded 4 outs (1 walk, 1 hit, 2 Ks).........In Allentown, the IronPigs continue to roll, this time beating Gwinnett, 8-6. Scott Mathieson threw the final 2 innings (3 hits, 2 Ks) to notch his second save for the Pigs.

In Jupiter, the Threshers defeated the Hammerheads, 6-3. Jiwan James, Darin Ruf, Cesar Hernandez and Matt Payton all had 2 hits for Clearwater. Trevor May was the starter and lasted 4 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. The win went to Tyler Cloyd, (3-1, 3.00) who threw 3 perfect innings in relief, with Derrick Loop getting a hold (4th) and Justin Friend picking up his 16th save.

In Charleston, Domingo Santana had 3 more hits, including his 5th home run, Anthony Hewitt belted his 5th home run and drove in another run with another hit, and Edgar Duran had 2 more hits, including his 2nd home run as the BlueClaws won their 5th straight, 7-3 over the Power. Jim Murphy added 2 doubles and an RBI and Cameron Rupp stayed hot with 2 more hits. Rupp is 5 for 12 in the series with West Virginia. David Buchanan improved to 6-2 on the year, throwing 6 solid innings and giving up just 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk, lowering his ERA to a superb 2.21! Colby Shreve threw 2 scoreless frames before Tyler Knigge gave up 2 in the 9th.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Ryno ends drought

Ryan Howard ended an 0 for 23 drought with his 10th home run of the season, adding another hit later in the Phillies' 2-0 win over Texas. Domonic Brown made his season debut, going 0 for 4, and Carlos Ruiz had a walk in 3 plate appearances.

In Toronto, Michael Bourn had a hit and a walk, and scored 2 runs for Houston, but the Blue Jays won the game, 7-5. Once again, Sergio Escalona was called upon to retire 1 hitter, which he did.

In Kansas City, Robinson Tejeda came off the DL and threw an inning for the Royals in their 3-0 loss to St Louis. Robinson allowed a run on a hit and a walk, in his first major league appearance since April 12.

In New York, the Yankees beat the Mets, 7-3. Taylor Buchholz threw an inning for the Mets, giving up a run on 1 hit.

The Baltimore Orioles have activated Alfredo Simon, adding him to their roster. Simon was saving games for the Orioles at the beginning of 2010, before injuries ended his season early. This year, in 3 rehabs assignments, Simon started 3 games for Bowie and appeared to be stretched out and able to start for Baltimore. We will keep an eye on that.

In Zebulon, the Chattanooga Lookouts beat Carolina, 5-1. Quintin Berry (.302) had a double in 4 at bats for the Mudcats.............In Sacramento, the River Cats outlasted the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 3-2 in 16 innings. Michael Taylor (.371) was just 1 for 7, and Adrian Cardenas (.355) was 2 for 6, with a walk and a stolen base.............In Scranton, Jason Jaramillo had a single and a double, driving in 2 runs as Indianapolis defeated the Yankees, 5-3. The Yankees loss, and the IronPigs' 4-3 win over Gwinnett gives Lehigh Valley (26-16) a 4 game advantage. Drew Carpenter pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief (2 hits, 1 walk, 3 Ks, hold) and Mike Zagurski notched the save (his 7th) despite allowing a run in the 9th.

Josh Zeid pitched his way to a win on Saturday, going 6 innings and allowing just 3 UNearned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in Reading's 4-3 win over Richmond. Josh is now 2-3, 5.19 on the season. Phillies pitcher Jose Contreras threw a scoreless frame in the 7th, before Justin De Fratus retired all 6 hitters he faced for his 4th save. Freddy Galvis had the only 2-hit game for Reading- a triple and a home run, thank you very much!-and Reading is now 24-17, trailing New Hampshire (who was rained out) by 2.5 games.

In Clearwater, Jonathan Singleton had 3 hits, including his 2nd home run of the year, and drove in 4 runs to lead the Threshers to an 11-1 win over Charlotte. Leandro Castro (.281, single, double, walk, RBI, 3 runs scored), Chase Utley (single, double RBI, run scored), Darin Ruf (.281, single, double, walk, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored), Brian Gump (.274, single, double, 2 RBI) and Troy Hanzawa (single, double, run scored) all had multi-hit games for Clearwater. Jonathan Pettibone was the starter and the winner for Clearwater, going 6 innings and allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7, to improve to 4-3, 1.98 on the year. Jordan Whatcott qualified for the save by pitching 3 scoreless innings, giving up only 1 hit. The Threshers are 27-16, still 4 games behind Daytona.

In Charleston, Miguel Alvarez and Domingo Santana had 3 hits each as the BlueClaws dumped the West Virginia Power, 11-6. Alvarez had 2 singles and a double, and scored 3 times, while Santana had 2 doubles and a triple, and drove in 2. Alan Schoeberger added a double, a triple, a stolen base, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored, Zack Collier had 2 more hits, a walk, stole a base, drove in 2, and scored another, and Cameron Rupp had a single, a double, an RBI, and scored a run as Lakewood mounted a 14-hit attack.

Mario Hollands (3-3) was the starter and the winning pitcher for Lakewood, going 5 innings and allowing 4 runs (only 2 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. Jacob Borup (1.1 IP, 1 run, 4 hits), Chase Johnson (1 IP, 1 run, 2 hits) and Jay Johnson (1.2 IP, 1 walk, 3 Ks) did the bullpen work. After dropping 5 straight, the BlueClaws have now won 4 in a row.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

HomeSiders on hand in Carolina!






In Zebulon, North Carolina, Quintin Berry was 4 for 4 , including 2 doubles,and a walk, drove in a run and scored a run as the Carolina Mudcats rallied for a 5-4 win over Chattanooga. Berry was showing off for his Lakewood host family, the Hoffmans, who are in town for the weekend to see him play. To Lynn & Phil, I say, "You guys rock. Way to represent!" The Mudcats pinned the first loss of the year on Will Savage, who started for the Lookouts. Will gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings, and is now 4-1, 2.92 for the Dodger's affiliate.




In Jacksonville, Joe Bisenius threw 3 scoreless innings in relief for Birmingham (1 hit, 2 walks, 2 Ks) and picked up the win when the Barons scored a run in the 10th........Over in Huntsville, Darren Byrd's inconsistent stretch continued with a bad outing against Montgomery. Darren came on in relief and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in just 1.1 innings. The Stars rallied in the 9th for a 6-5 victory. For Byrd, it was the 3rd time in the last 6 appearances he has been hit hard.

In Lancaster, Jonathan Villar had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and a walk and scored 2 runs, but the Lancaster Jethawks dropped a 13-9 decision to the Mavericks.


In New Britain, Travis d'Arnaud had a double and a walk, drove in a run and scored one as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats beat New Britain, 6-2. The win pushes New Hampshire's lead over New Britain to 2 games, and 3 games over Reading, who lost a 4-3 game to Richmond. B.J. Rosenberg made the start for Reading and threw 4 good innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5. I am not sure if "Rosie" started this one because of an earlier rain out which messed up the rotation, or if this is a result of Chris Kissock struggling as much as he has. I guess we find out the next time Kissock pitches. Tyson Brummett threw the next 2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk, and was hit with the loss. Brummett has pitched very well, 2.20 ERA, it was just one of those nights for him. Jacob Diekman (1-2-3 8th) and Phillippe Aumont (2 perfect frames) finished it off for Reading. Mike Spidale (.310) and Cody Overbeck had 2 hit apiece for the R-Phils.

The IronPigs are also battling for first place, and their 6-5 win in Scranton Friday gives the Pigs a 3 game advantage over the Yankees. Michael Schwimer threw 2 scoreless innings and was the winning pitcher for Lehigh Valley, his 2nd win of the year......In Durham, R.J. Swindel bounced back with 2 perfect innings for the Bulls against the Bats in Louisville's 9-8 win.........In Gwinnett, Andy Baldwin made the start for Rochester and pitched 6.2 good innings for the Red Wings, allowing just 1 run on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 8 to record his 3rd victory of the year, as Rochester beat the Braves, 5-2.................In Sacramento, Oklahoma City beat the River Cats, 3-1, holding the home team to just 6 hits. Michael Taylor had 3 of those hits, including a double and the Cat's only RBI. He also stole a base and is hitting .429 (12 for 28) in 7 games so far. Adrian Cardenas (.356) was 1 for 4 in the game.

In Clearwater, the Threshers won a game with only 3 hits when Chase Utley decided it would end with him. In the bottom of the 9th inning of a 1-1 tie, Utley was hit by a pitch. He stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch, before you could say, "game over". Jiwan James had homered earlier for the Threshers first run, but the star of the night was Jarred Cosart. Cosart was fantastic, throwing 8 solid innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks, and kept the Threshers in the game, setting up Utley's heroics. Eric Pettis threw a scoreless 9th inning and picked up the win, his 1st for Clearwater. Pettis has thrown 8 shut out innings for the Threshers since his promotion from Lakewood. The Threshers are 26-16, which is very good, but they are still 4 games behind Daytona (30-12).

Great pitching and back-to-back home runs by Zack Collier and Geancarlo Mendez lead the Lakewood BlueClaws to their 3rd straight win, 3-2 over the Power in West Virginia Friday night. Ervis Manzanillo was very good, going 6.1 inning and giving up just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, to improve to 2-2, 4.62 for the year. Colby Shreve retired 5 straight hitters and Juan Sosa recorded his 4th save, despite allowing a run on 2 hits in the 9th.



In Toronto, Michael Bourn was 3 for 4 and a walk, stole 2 bases (16), drove in a run and scored another as the Astros topped the Blue Jays, 5-2. Sergio Escalona pitched to 1 hitter, eric Thames, and struck him out on 3 pitches!



Ryan Howard was 0 for 3 last night against the Rangers, and has not had a hit in 23 at bats (4 walks).

Friday, May 20, 2011

Phillies recall Brown

The Phillies made a number of moves Friday, among them placing Shane Victorino on the DL and recalling Domonic Brown. They also optioned Scott Mathieson back to Lehigh Valley.

Mathieson pitched 2 scoreless innings last night, but had not been used for 11 days, and will get more work with the IronPigs. Kyle Kendrick made the emergency start when Joe Blanton could not go. (Maybe Blanton had Giambi nightmares.) Anyway, Kendrick started instead and gave up 2 of Jason Giambi's 3 home runs and was charged with 5 runs. Some good news is Mike Stutes appears to be OK after pulling something in his right side, and pitched a scoreless inning- with 2 Ks to prove it. Ryan Howard was 0 for 4, and is 0 for his last 20, hitless since the 13th, as the Rockies won, 7-1.

Earlier in the day in St. Louis, Jay Happ pitched well, but not well enough for a win, as the Cardinals beat Happ and the Astros, 4-2. Jay went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, and striking out 8. He is now 3-5, 5.30 for Houston this year.

Gavin Floyd got a win for the HomeSide (#26) and salvaged the day with an impressive 7 inning performance in the White Sox' 8-2 win over the Indians. Floyd allowed just 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 3 to win his 5th game of the season.


After a couple of good starts for Louisville, Matt Maloney had an off night Thursday in Durham. Matt survived through 6 innings, allowing 8 runs (7 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks as the Bulls beat the Bats, 12-6.................In Gwinnett, Yohan Flande (2-0) started and went 5 innings for the Braves, scattering 9 hits and 2 walks, giving up just 3 runs and picking up the victory in the Braves' 7-3 win over Rochester............In Akron, the Aeros and the Curve split a doubleheader with Altoona winning the nightcap, 2-1. Mike Dubee recorded the final 4 outs for Altoona, and picked up his second save.......In Manchester, Anthony Gose had a hit and 2 walks, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs for New Hampshire in the Fisher Cats' 7-2 win over Binghamton.


In Clearwater, Jiwan James lead off the 1st inning with a double, and that was the only hit the Threshers got all night, losing 4-0 to the Stone Crabs. Charlotte's Kyle Lobstein was great, going 7 innings and walking 3 and striking out 9. Julio Rodriguez lost his 2nd decision, but pitched well enough. J-Rod went 7, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, NO walks, and Ebelin Lugo went the final 2. The Threshers are 25-16, 4 games behind Daytona.

In Salisbury, Garrett Claypool pitched very well for the second time in a row, this time going 6 shut out innings, allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7 to notch his first win of the year in Lakewood's 7-1 win over the Shorebirds. Anthony Hewitt and Miguel Alvarez had 3 hits and 3 RBI each to lead the offense. Hewitt, in particular, is hitting everything hard right now! Jim Murphy added 2 hits and his team leading 25th RBI. Murphy drove in 67 runs in 2009, so 25 more ties him for the all-time RBI lead with Ryan Howard (92).

Tejeda off DL

The Kansas City Royals have activated Robinson Tejeda from the DL. Robinson has not pitched since April 12, and his activation makes a total of 16 HomeSiders right now in the major leagues.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Hamels wins 5th

The Phillies beat Colorado 2-1 Wednesday behind strong pitching from Cole Hamels. Cole was great, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8 over 8 innings of work. Cole is now 5-2, 2.92 on the year, and the win was #25 for HomeSiders in the majors in 2011.

In St Louis, the Cardinals beat the Astros, 5-1. Michael Bourn had 2 of Houston's 6 hits and Sergio Escalona threw a scoreless of relief- 1 hit, 1 K.

In Clearwater, Jose Contreras made a rehab start for the Threshers and could not record 3 outs. Contreras gave up 3 runs and Jordan Whatcott had to come on the retire the side. Then Brody Colvin took over in the 2nd. Colvin, still not 100%, went 4 innings and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and the Threshers were never in the game, falling, 6-1. Joe Esposito tossed 3 scoreless frames, and Tyler Cloyd struck out the side in the 9th.

In Manchester, Anthony Gose hit a 3-run home run, his 2nd of the year, and Travis d'Arnaud had a single, 2 doubles, and RBI and scored 2 runs as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats hammered Binghamton 11-3 in a game shortened to 5 innings due to rain. d'Arnaud is 10 for his last 20 and finding his stroke, raising his average to .284.


In Scranton, Domonic Brown had a hit and a walk, and drove in a run in the IronPigs' 5-4, 11-inning win. Chance Chapman was the winning pitcher, completing 2 scoreless innings and Mike Zagurski came on to record his 6th save. The win gives Lehigh Valley (24-16) a 2 game lead over the Yankees in the division........In Durham, R.J. Swindel's struggles continued. R.J. faced 2 hitters Wednesday, struck out 1 and walked 1. The walk scored, inflating Swindel's ERA to 7.67. (ouch!).............In Indianapolis, Jason Jaramillo had a hit and an RBI for the Indians in their 6-1 win over Buffalo.

Riz belts 2 more

Matt Rizzotti had 3 hits, including 2 home runs and drove in 4 runs to lead the Reading Phillies to a 13-4 win over the Sea Dogs in Portland. "Riz" hit a 3-un homer in the 7th inning to break open a close game and spark a 10-run outburst over the final 3 innings for Reading. Matt now has 8 home runs (3rd in EL) and 30 RBI (2nd in EL) to go with his .359 average (3rd in EL).

Carlos Rivero had 3 hits and 3 RBI, Cody Overbeck had 2 more hits and a walk, and Freddy Galvis had a double, a triple and 2 RBI. Tyson Brummett was the winning pitcher, going 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to improve to 2-1, 1.35 on the year. Justin De Fratus threw a scoreless 9th to finish off Portland.

Claws snap losing streak

Behind very good starting pitching Wednesday in Salisbury, the BlueClaws broke their 5 game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over Delmarva. Jesse Biddle had his best game of the season, going 6 shut out innings (5 hits, 4 walks, season high 8 Ks) to pick up his 2nd win. The 19-year old continues to look a little more comfortable each time out and is showing steady improvement. Jay Johnson (2 IP, 1 walk, 4 K, hold) and Tyler Knigge (1 IP,1 K, save) completed the shut out.

Lakewood scored in the 1st inning, Michael Dabbs doubling in Geancarlo Mendez and Jim Murphy for all the runs there were to be. Dabbs bat has been a shot in the arm for the offense, he has 3 doubles and 3 RBI in 2 games so far.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

May strong in win

In Bradenton, Trevor May pitched the Clearwater Threshers to a 3-2 victory over the Marauders. May was great, going 7 strong inning, giving up just 1 run on 4 hits, walking 3 and striking out 11! It was the 3rd win of the year for May, with Derrick Loop and Justin Friend each throwing an inning, Loop getting his 3rd "hold" and Friend recording his 15th save despite giving up a run.

Each of the 9 hitters in the starting line up had 1 hit for the Threshers, the big one was an RBI-double by Troy Hanzawa in the 8th inning for what turned out to be the game winning run.

In Delamrva, the BlueClaws started their road trip by losing their 5th straight game, 6-5 to the Shorebirds. David Buchanan had a rough start for the Claws, only going 3.1 innings and being charged with 5 runs on 9 hits and 5 walks, falling to 5-2 on the year. Chase Johnson came on, and kept Lakewood in the game, throwing 2.2 innings and allowing just 3 hits. Newly arrived Jacob Borup gave up a run on 5 hits in 2 innings of work.

Mike Dabbs made his season debut with Lakewood with 2 doubles, an RBI and a run scored and Edgar Duran had another 2 hits, driving in 2 runs. Edgar is 11 for 22 (.500) in the last 6 games.



In Portland, Mike Spidale had 3 hits, stole a base and drove in a run for Reading, but the Sea Dogs took the game, 14-4. Derrick Mitchell had the only other multi-hit game, a single and a double with a run scored, in a contest that saw Reading leave 8 runners in scoring position on the night.

It was a rare bad performance for Austin Hyatt, who gave up 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in just 3.1 innings. But that was only the beginning as each Reading pitcher who came on gave up runs. Jacob Diekman (1.2 IP, 3 runs, 2 earned, 4 hits, walk), Chris Kissock (2 IP, 2 runs, 1 earned, 4 hits) and Jordan Ellis (.2 IP, 3 runs, 2 hits, 3 walks) all encountered problems and in the end, manager Mark Parent had to turn to Tim Kennelly to secure the final out.

Carrasco, Tribe beat Royals

After scoring 19 runs on Monday, I was wondering if the Indians offense had anything left for Carlos Carrasco's start on Tuesday. My concerns were unfounded as the Tribe got 3 runs in the 1st en route to a 7-3 win over the Royals and a sweep of the 2-game set. Carrasco battled his way through 5.1 innings and while he does not look 100% to me, he was good enough (2 runs, 5 hits and 2 walks, 5 Ks) leaving with a 6-1 lead and picking up his second win of the year.

In St Louis, Mike Stutes threw 3 pitches, appeared to pull something in his right side and was immediately removed. Thankfully, it does NOT look like an arm or shoulder problem. Kyle Kendrick came on for Stutes and tossed 2 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to an impressive 1.66 in a variety of roles this year. Speaking of impressive, Antonio Bastardo (1.17 so far) gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs in his inning. The Cardinals won it, 2-1, scoring a 9th inning run off Danys Baez.

In Atlanta, the Braves tied Houston with a run in the 9th, then scored 2 in the 11th for a 3-1 win. Michael Bourn (.261) was 1 for 5 for the Astros.

In Scranton, the IronPigs took a 7-3 decision from the Yankees. Domonic Brown was back in the line-up, and had a 2-RBI (and 2 walk) game to pace the attack. Vance Worley made his first start since returning to the team and went 3 innings, giving up 3 runs. Drew Carpenter picked up there and worked 2.2 innings of 1-hit ball to pick up his 3rd win, and Mike Schwimer got the last 10 outs, 7 of them on strike outs to notch the save.

I missed Joe Bisenius' debut with Birmingham Saturday night against Montgomery, a 2 inning save for the Barons when he allowed just 2 hits. Tuesday, Joe made his 2nd appearance against the Biscuits and this time they got him for 2 runs on 2 hits in 2.1 innings. Considering that Montgomery won the game 14-5, "Bis" was OK...........In Jackson, the Jackson Generals got to Jesus Sanchez for 5 runs on 5 hits and 6 walks (Yikes!) in just 3 innings and held on for the 5-3 win over Huntsville. After a very good beginning to the season, Jesus has struggled lately, only completing 3 innings in consecutive starts and slipping to 2-4, 5.21 on the year. No such problem for Darren Byrd, who came out of the Huntsville bullpen and threw 2 more scoreless innings. Darren has pitched well for the Stars, picking up 4 wins in 14 appearances and posting a 3.22 mark in 22.1 innings of work..............In Mobile, Quintin Berry was 0 for 4 in the Mudcats' 5-0 loss to the Bay Bears. After a good start, "Q" is now 3 for his last 22 for the hapless Mudcats...............In Nashville, Michael Taylor had 2 hits, a walk, stole a base, drove in a run and scored one, and Adrian Cardenas chipped in with a hit and 2 walks, also scoring a run, but Sacramento fell to the Sounds, 11-10.

In Richmond, Alfredo Simon's 3rd start for Bowie was the charm. Alfredo went 6 shut out inning against the Flying Squirrels, giving up just 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4 and getting his first win in the BaySox' 2-0 victory.........In Manchester, Anthony Gose was 3 for 4, driving in 2 runs and scoring another one, and Travis d'Arnaud walked 4 times as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats beat Binghamton, 7-1.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Batts released

The Phillies today released Stephen Batts from the BlueClaws roster. Michael Dabbs has replaced him, and is in the line-up tonight.

Drabek tops Tigers; Worley sent down

Kyle Drabek won his 3rd game of the season Monday, showing some grit and determination. Drabek allowed a lead-off single and after 2 walks loaded the bases before he recorded an out, he went to work. A sac fly and a double play minimized the damage and from there he went a total of 7 innings, throwing 113 pitches and giving up just 1 run on 3 hits, but 6 walks, improving to 3-2, 4-32 on the year as the Blue Jays ended the Tigers 7 game winning streak with a 4-2 win. It is the 23rd win for HomeSiders in the majors this year.

The Phillies have activated Roy Oswalt from the DL and Vance Worley has been returned to Lehigh Valley. Worley pitched very well for Philadelphia, winning 2 games and showing no fear. In St Louis, the Cards beat Cliff Lee and the Phillies, 3-1. Lee pitched 6.1 innings, then Mike Stutes came on and got Albert Pujols to hit into a double play to end the 7th inning.

In Allentown, the IronPigs defeated the Norfolk Tides, 4-3. Chance Chapman threw 2 scoreless innings of relief to register a "hold", and Mike Zagurski (1.74) notched his 2nd "hold" despite allowing a run in his inning. Domonic Brown has not played since Wednesday (he is not listed as injured), but is still on Lehigh Valley's active roster.

4 HomeSiders played in the game in Nashville Monday night as Josh Outman and the Sacramento River Cats beat the Sounds, 3-2. Outman had his best game of the year, going 7 strong innings and allowing just 2 runs on only 2 hits and 3 walks to improve to 4-1, 4.78. Adrian Cardenas (.368) had a single, a double, a walk, scored a run and drove in another, and Michael Taylor was 3 for 4 with an RBI. Zack Segovia threw a 1-2-3 9th inning for Nashville.

In Bradenton, Jonathan Pettibone was outpitched by the Marauder's Phillip Irwin, and Bradenton beat Clearwater and "Bone", 3-1. Pettibone went 6, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. On another night, it might have been good enough. As it stands, Jonathan falls to 3-3, with a still outstanding 2.03 ERA so far as he has extended a great spring into the season. Eric Pettis threw the final 2 innings, retiring all 6 hitters he faced. Eric has allowed no runs and just 5 hits in 7 innings since his promotion. It was all for naught as Irwin went 6 inning and gave up just 4 hits and an UNearned run for his 2nd win, dropping his ERA to 0.82 in his 5 starts.

Clearwater only had 5 hits on the night, 2 by Leandro Castro (.280) and 1 by Chase Utley.

In Lakewood, the BlueClaws ended a winless home stand with an 8-3, 12 inning loss to the Suns. Here is the good news; Zack Collier had 3 more hits, and is 14 for 36 (.389) during his 8-game hitting streak. Anthony Hewitt had 3 more hit, including a 2-run triple, and is hitting .303 after his 2 for 28 start. Lisalberto Bonilla threw 3 more scoreless innings for Lakewood, and has given up just 1 run on 4 hits in 12.1 innings of work since being added less than 2 weeks ago.

The Phillies have announced that Jacob Borup has been added to the Lakewood roster and Hector Neris has been returned to extended spring training.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Mudcats win!!

The Braves edged Roy Halladay and the Phillies, 3-2 on Sunday, holding the Phillies to just 4 hits, one by Carlos Ruiz..........In Houston, the Mets beat the Astros, 7-4. Taylor Buchholz gave up a home run to his former Colorado teammate, Clint Barmes. It was the only run he allowed in 2 otherwise good innings. Sergio Escalona threw a scoreless inning for the Astros in his second appearance since his call up.


Joe Bisenius has been signed by the White Sox and assigned to AA Birmingham in the Southern League........In Mobile, Quintin Berry had a hit, a walk, drove in 2 runs and scored another as the Mudcats beat Mobile, 7-3!...........In Altoona, The Erie Sea Wolves edged the Curve, 2-1 in 13 innings. Mike Dubee tossed 2 scoreless extra-innings for the Curve............In Nashville, Michael Taylor had an RBI-double and scored a run in Sacramento's 8-run rally, one of 2 hits on the day for Taylor, but the Sounds came all the way back for a 9-8 win.

Cosart excells;Fidel stays hot

Jarred Cosart pitched the Clearwater Threshers to a 1-0 win over Bradenton Sunday, by throwing 7 1-hit innings, 1 walk and 8 Ks. Cosart was perfect through the first 6 innings before allowing a lead off single to Robbie Grossman. Clearwater scored in the top of the 1st when Leandro Castro had a 1-out single, stole second (#5) and scored on a hit by Darin Ruf. Troy Hanzawa (2 for 3) had the only multi-hit game for the Threshers, and Justin Friend picked up his 14th save. Friend has allowed just 1 run on 6 hits in 19 innings of work in an outstanding season thus far.

Fidel Hernandez had a double and a home run, one of 3 hit by Reading Sunday, Matt Rizzotti (.351) had 2 more hits and a walk, and Cody Overbeck (#11) and Derrick Mitchell (#6) also homered for Reading in a 5-4 win in the final game of the New Hampshire series. The Fisher Cats took 3 of 5 from Reading, and lead them by .5 games in the standings. Hernandez, getting a chance to play second base every day with the injury to Harold Garcia, is all over this opportunity, batting .325 for the season and is 11 for his last 16 (.688!!) J.C. Ramirez was the winning pitcher, going 8 very strong innings to improve to 5-2, 2.92 on the year. Anthony Gose was 1 for 4 and scored a run for the Cats.



It has not happened much this year, but Sunday's 6-2 defeat of the BlueClaws by Hagerstown falls to the bullpen and the defense. Lakewood wasted an excellent effort from Ervis Manzanillo, who went 6 solid frames and allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 4 and leaving a 1-1 game. Chase Johnson (1 IP, 2 runs, 2 hits, walk) and Tyler Knigge (.2 IP, 3 runs,-only 1 earned, 3 hits and a walk) both had rare sub-par outings and that was that. A wild pitch by Knigge, and errors by Miguel Alvarez and Alan Schoenberger did not help in the madness of the top of 8th inning. Lakewood had just 5 hits, including 2 doubles from Jim Murphy (and RBI #24).

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Happ tops Mets

Jay Happ put in a strong 6 innings in Houston last night, and was credited with the win in the Astros' 7-3 victory over the Mets. Happ gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, and struck out 4 to improve to 3-4, 5.40 on the year. The win is #22 in the major leagues this year for a former BlueClaw. Michael Bourn (.265) had a triple and a walk, and scored a run for Houston.

In Oakland, Gavin Floyd was not as lucky. Unable to get out of the 5th inning, Floyd surrendered 5 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks to the Athletics, absorbing the loss in a 6-2 Oakland victory. Gavin is now 4-3, 4.22 for the Sox.

In Atlanta, the Braves beat the Phillies, 5-3. Kyle Kendrick allowed a run on 2 hits and a walk in just .2 innings, throwing a little gas on J.C. Romero's fire, but Antonio Bastardo threw a scoreless 9th, lowering his ERA to a splendid 1.26!! Ryan Howard was 0 for 4, and Carlos Ruiz pinch hit, and was hit by a pitch.

old friends?

Just 48 hours after Travis d'Arnaud had a big game to beat Reading, his Lakewood teammate Anthony Gose did the same thing. Gose hit a 2-run home run off Josh Zeid in the top of the first and finished the day with 2 hits, 2 walks, 4 RBI and 4 runs scored, as the Fisher Cats topped the R-Phils, 13-10. d'Arnaud had a single and a double to add to the New Hampshire cause, and Bobby Korecky threw a 1-2-3 9th inning to get his 2nd save.

Not a good day for Zeid, who allowed 8 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in just 4 innings. Josh is now 1-3 on the year after a great spring. Jordan Ellis (2 IP, 4 runs) didn't fare much better and even Justin De Fratus (2IP 1 run) was scored upon.
Mike Spidale (.294) had a big day, collecting 4 hits, including a double and scoring 3 times, and Steve Susdorf (.324) had 3 hits, knocked in a run, and scored 1. Matt Rizzotti continues to rake. Matt had 2 more hit, drove in 4 runs (that's 26) and is up to .344 for the year. Free agent addition Matt Miller had 2 more hits, drove in 3 runs and is hitting .327 in 13 games since his arrival.

In Bradenton, the Marauders beat Clearwater, 6-2, giving Julio Rodriguez his first loss of the season after 5 straight wins. J-Rod went 5 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5. Ebelin Lugo was hit hard, 3 runs (2 home runs) in just 1.1 IP, before Derrick Loop restored order. Darin Ruf (.299) had the only multi-hit game for the Threshers.

In Lakewood, Garrett Claypool pitched a very good game for the BlueClaws, making just 1 mistake as Hagerstown beat the Claws, 1-0 on a Bryce Harper home run. Claypool had thrown 6 shut out inning when Harper led off the 7th. The number 1 prospect in baseball appeared to be looking fastball and when he got it, he sent a screaming line drive over the fence in left-center field and that was the ballgame.



In Allentown Saturday night, the IronPigs defeated Norfolk, 8-7. Mike Zagurski recorded his 5th save, striking out the side in the 9th for Lehigh Valley..........In Gwinnett, Yohan Flande was called onto the game with 1 out in the 3rd inning and the Braves behind 7-0. Taking one for his team, Flande threw 6 innings of relief, charged with 6 runs on 6 hits in the Braves 13-1 loss to Toledo.........In Charlotte, Andrew Baldwin started for Rochester and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 4.2 innings before the game was stopped due to rain. It never resumed, Charlotte won 2-0, and Baldwin fell to 2-3 on the year...........In Syracuse, the Chief's Michael Aubrey hit 4 home runs off 3 Durham pitchers in Syracuse's 11-0 win. R.J. Swindel did not give up a homer, in fact he retired all 4 hitters he faced, finishing up for the Bulls.

In Chattanooga, Will Savage improved to 4-0 on the year with a complete game in the Lookouts' 9-1 win over the Smokies. Will gave up just 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5 and lowering his ERA to an impressive 2.43.......In Mobile, Quintin Berry had a hit and a walk, and stole his 8th base, but those Mudcats lost again, this time 8-0 to the Bay Bears. The bad news is that the Mudcats are 10-26; the good news is the Southern League plays a split season, and they will get a second chance this year.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

catching up

Due to maintenance on the site, I was unable to post on Friday, but I have to go back to Thursday, when a few significant things transpired.

With the Phillies enjoying an off-day, Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz and Roy Oswalt were all in the line-up for Clearwater. Ruiz was activated immediately afterward, and has returned to the big club. The word on Utley is that he could play this week for Philadelphia, and Oswalt is expected to make his next scheduled start. With Oswalt and Joe Blanton back in the mix, Vance Worley could be returned to the IronPigs.

Utley homered in the game, as did Leandro Castro (.282, 5th HR, single, 2 RBI), and Sebastian Valle (.326, 2 for 2 in relief of Ruiz) and Jeremy Barnes (.444, 3 hits, 2 RBI) also had multi-hit games for the Threshers, who beat Palm Beach 7-5. Joe Esposito was the winning pitcher, throwing 2 scoreless innings after Oswalt's 5. Eric Pettis also threw a scoreless inning.

But for me, the moment of the night came in the top of the 8th inning in Reading. Let me set the stage for you. New Hampshire and Reading are battling for first place, and former BlueClaw Anthony Gose has had some good games against Reading. Travis d'Arnaud has had a tough start, and had been on the DL for 13 days. The inning began with Reading ahead 5-4, and after New Hampshire had tied it at 5, Travis unloaded a 3-run game-winning bomb. He is now 9 for 21 (.429) since returning to action.

I apologize for jumping ahead but lets get to yesterday. In Atlanta, the Phillies beat the Braves, 5-4. Cole Hamels started the game and went 6, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7. Then the 7th inning started and the stage was set. J.C. Romero came on and loaded the bases with one out before yielding to Mike Stutes. Stutes struck out Dan Uggla and Antonio Bastardo came on to fan Freddie Freeman and the Phillies were out of the inning without allowing a run. Bastardo was the winning pitcher when Ryan Howard doubled and scored the winning run in the top of the 8th. Howard had hit a 3-run home run in the first inning and now leads the majors with 35 RBI. Vance Worley tossed a scoreless 8th, could he be making a temporary shift to the bullpen to stay in the majors?

The win for Bastardo was his 2nd of the year, and #21 in the majors for former BlueClaws this season.

In Houston, the Mets defeated the Astros, 6-4. Michael Bourn had 2 hits for Houston, and stole his 14th base of the year- which leads the majors! Taylor Buchholz (1.35 ERA) recorded 2 outs for New York to get the game to the closer, and was awarded his 5th "hold". The teams will meet again Saturday, Jay Happ will pitch for Houston, looking for his 3rd win.

In Birmingham, Quintin Berry had a single and a walk, drove in a run and scored 2 more for Carolina, but the Mudcats lost to the Barons, 5-4. "Q" is hitting .300, with an OBP of .500 for the Mudcats..............In Kodak, Darren Byrd had his first bad outing, giving up 4 runs and able to record just 1 out for Huntsville in the Stars 4-1 loss to the Smokies. Darren had allowed just 4 runs in his previous 12 appearances...............In Reading, the R-Phils and Fisher Cats split a doubleheader that left New Hampshire in first place, 0.5 game ahead of both Reading and New Britain. With Trenton just 2.5 back, the race is shaping up in the Eastern Division. Carlos Rivero had 2 home runs and Freddy Galvis drove in a pair of run to lead Reading to the 8-3 win to gain the split. Tyson Brummett was the winning pitcher, throwing 5 very good innings, allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk to get his first win, and lower his ERA to 1.50. Jacob Diekman struggled through 2 frames and gave up 3 runs. Travis d'Arnaud had 2 more hits in the opener, a 7-1 victory for New Hampshire. Chris Kissock's days in the rotation may be numbered as he continues to search for his rhythm. Chris gave up 6 runs on 7 hits and a walk in just 3 innings, and his ERA has ballooned to 6.81. In his 7 starts, he was great once, good once, and not so good the other 5.

Big news out of Memphis is Michael Taylor has made his season debut for Sacramento, going 1 for 5, driving in a run and scoring another in Sacramento's 9-3 win over the Redbirds. Red hot Adrian Cardenas (.364, 7 for his last 9!) had 3 more hits, including a double and also scored a run for Sacramento........In Reno, Robinson Tejeda pitched another scoreless inning for Omaha, and has allowed just 4 hit, NO walks in 5 innings of work on this rehab assignment.


In Louisville, Matt Maloney reaped the benefit of his team scoring 7 times in the first inning and parlayed that into an 8-inning in which he scattered 8 hits, NO walks, and recorded his second win in the Bats rotation. The thoughts here are maybe Maloney is going to return to competition for a spot in the Red's rotation!...........In Indianapolis, Jason Jaramillo had 2 hits, incuding a 2-run double for Indy, as the Indians defeated the Clippers, 9-5. There is video of this hit and the main page of milb.com if you want to see it.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Kendrick picks up win

In Miami, Kyle Kendrick was in the right place at the right time, tossing a scoreless inning and benefiting from a phillies rally to register his 3rd win of the season in the Phillies 5-3 win over the Marlins. It was the 20th major league win so far this year for HomeSiders.

Carlos Carrasco returned to the mound for the Indians, but a little rustiness and an opponent the quality of David Price conspired to give the Rays an 8-2 win. Carrasco went 5 innings, struggling with his control, and gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks to suffer his 2nd loss of the year.

In Houston, Michael Bourn had a single and a double and drove in 2 runs to help the Astros defeat the Reds 4-3.

wins, wins, wins.......

The Reading Phillies salvaged a game in their 3-game set in Trenton, winning the final game 7-3 behind strong pitching from Austin Hyatt. Hyatt improved to 5-1 on the year, this time going 6.2 innings and allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. B.J. Rosenberg finished the 7th and threw a scoreless 8th to get a hold, and Justin De Fratus gave up a run in the 9th, but finished it off.

Matt Rizzotti had 3 more hits, including his 6th home run of the year to lead the attack, with Freddy Galvis and Mike Spidale chipping in with 2 hits each.

In Clearwater, Sebastian Valle had 2 hits (including his 3rd home run) and 3 RBI, and Jeremy Barnes had a pinch hit home run to start the winning rally as Clearwater took a 5-2 decision from Palm Beach. Trevor May made the start and looked very good, going 6 innings and allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8 along the way. The win went to Derrick Loop in relief.

In Greensboro, the BlueClaws rallied for 4 in the 9th inning to steal a 7-5 win from the Grasshoppers. Jim Murphy hit his 9th home run of the year, and his 23rd as a BlueClaw, which is now the all-time record for homers by a Lakewood player. Zack Collier and Stephen Batts had 2 hits each, and each drove in a run in the 9th inning rally. The other RBIs in that frame went to Carlos Perdomo and Edgar Duran. Mario Hollands started and went 6, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits, but Tyler Knigge came on and threw 3 hitless innings and picked up the win, his 1st, when Lakewood rallied late.

Outman continues comeback

Josh Outman's long road to recovery continued Wednesday night in Memphis with a 6-inning shut out outing against the RedBirds. Josh allowed just 3 hits, but 5 walks, and struck out 6 to improve to 3-1 for the Oakland affiliate. Adrian Cardenas (.333) was 1 for 4 for Sacramento.

In Reno, Robinson Tejeda made his 3rd rehab appearance for Omaha, tossing another scoreless inning for the Storm Chasers. It should not be much longer before he is recalled by Kansas City.

In Toledo, Domonic Brown (.353 during rehab) was 1 for 4, with a walk, an RBI and scored a run in the IronPig's 8-1 win over the Mud Hens. Lehigh Valley is now 19-14 and into first place in the International League North!


In San Jose, Jonathan Villar had 2 more hits and 2 more walks, and stole another base (he's 19 for 23) for Lancaster, but the Giants won the game, 5-2........In Birmingham, the Barons beat the Mudcats, 5-2. Quintin Berry had 2 walks for Carolina, and stole his 7th base of the young year.......In Bowie, Alfredo Simon made his 2nd start for the BaySox, tossing 5 innings and allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 8 and receiving no decision in Bowie's 6-5 win over Richmond.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

my kingdom for a win.........

Reading, Clearwater, and Lakewood were all defeated on Tuesday, but let's start in Trenton, where for the second night in a row, the Reading Phillies were handled by a Yankee farmhand. Manny Banuelos was good enough to go 5 innings and give up just 2 runs on 3 hits, and receive the win. In all, Reading got 8 hits, with Matt Rizzotti (.333), Derrick Mitchell (2 for 3,walk, run scored) and Tuffy Gosewisch (single, double, RBI) accounting for 2 each.

J.C. Ramirez started and was charged with all 4 runs, on 7 hits and a walk, in what was his second consecutive sub-par start after 4 good ones out of the gate. Tyson Brummett (2.2 IP, 1 hit, 2 Ks) and Jacob Diekman (2.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 K) threw excellent relief, but the offense could not put it together.

In Clearwater, Jonathan Pettibone was very good, but was also outdone by his opponent. "Bone" went 6.2 innings and allowed only 1 earned run (3 total) on 7 hits and 1 walk, and suffered the loss for his efforts. Cardinal's starter John Gast was a little better, going 7 innings and allowing just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks to record his first win of the season. Eric Pettis threw another scoreless frame, and still has not allowed a run since his promotion. Tyler Cloyd struck out the side in the 8th, but surrendered 2 runs on a walk and a dinger by Palm Beach's Kyle Conley. Chase Utley played for the Threshers on rehab assignment, going 1 for 4 as the DH. Sebastian Valle (.303) had the only 2-hit game for Clearwater.

In Greensboro, the Grasshoppers topped the BlueClaws, 9-2. Ervis Manzanillo started and did not make it out of the 4th inning. He was charged with 5 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks. The walks are killing him- 16 in 26.2 innings of work so far. Ervis has good ability, but is still learning to pitch, and just needs to improve his control a little bit. Next was Chase Johnson, who had his first difficult outing. Chase has been fantastic, but got hit hard Tuesday for 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in just 2.1 innings. Hector Neris rebounded from 2 shaky stints, this time tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 2.

Offensively, Zack Collier had the only 2-hit game for Lakewood, and is 5 for his last 12. It think he is finding his groove! Alan Schoenberger had the 2 RBI with a 2-run double in the second inning. Alan has been a shot in the arm since his arrival on the team, hitting .333 and providing hustle and good attitude.

here and there

In Toledo, the IronPigs defeated the Mud Hens, 3-1. Domonic Brown (.367) had a double in 4 at bats and is probably waiting to be recalled. Unfortunately, the Phillies seem to be in no hurry to do that. Mike Zagurski recorded his 4th save, despite allowing a run in the 9th inning.

In Columbus, Jason Donald had a walk and scored a run in the Clipper's 13-7 loss to Charlotte. Jason also appears ready to return to the majors, but the Indians, like the Phillies with Brown, do not want to rock their boat at this time.......In Memphis, Donald's Lakewood teammate, Adrian Cardenas, had a double and a walk, and scored a run for Sacramento in the RedBird's 10-8 win over the River Cats........In Kodak, Darren Byrd tossed 3 effective inning in relief, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 2 in Huntsville's 7-5 win over the Smokies. Byrd recorded his 4th win and lowered his ERA to a very good 1.83. In Birmingham, Quintin Berry is still hot, getting 2 more hits and a walk, and scoring 2 runs for the Mudcats in their 7-6 loss to the Barons. Both Byrd and Berry were also a on the same Lakewood team (2007) with Donald and Cardenas.

In Manchester, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats managed just 6 hits in their 3-0 loss to Portland, but Anthony Gose had 2 of them. Gose was caught stealing for just the 3rd time this year, and is now 14 for 17.......In San Jose, Jonathan Villar had a single and a double, scored a run and drove in 2 more, but Lancaster lost to the Giants, 9-6.

Tribe to activate Carrasco

The Cleveland Indians are expected to activate Carlos Carrasco in time for his start tonight against the Rays. Carrasco (1-1) will try to extend Cleveland's home winning streak to 15 games.

In Houston Tuesday night, Sergio Escalona made his season debut, coming into the game in the 7th inning to face the Red's Jay Bruce. Sergio walked Bruce and was immediately replaced.

In Toronto, Kyle Drabek started for the Jays against the Red Sox. Kyle has been struggling, and last night he continued the learning process a rookie goes through. In 5 innings, he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits (including home runs by David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez) and 3 walks, striking out 5, throwing 109 pitches. He received no decision, and the Jays won in 10 innings, 7-6.

In Miami, the Marlins edged Roy Halladay and the Phillies 2-1. Ryan Howard provided the Phillies' run with his 8th home run of the year. The RBI was 32 for Ryno, which ties him for the major league lead with Lance Berkman of St. Louis.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Escalona called up to Houston

The Houston Astros have called up Sergio Escalona from Oklahoma City, making it 14 current HomeSiders in the majors at the moment. With Robinson Tejeda (KC), Carlos Ruiz (PHI), Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald (CLE) all actively on rehab assignments, that number is going to go up again soon. Escalona picked up his 3rd save against Omaha Monday night before the promotion.


Tejeda made his 2nd rehab appearance for Omaha Sunday and threw 2 scoreless innings. Ruiz left the Phillies in Miami to go to Clearwater to begin playing some minor league games. Donald was 2 for 3 Monday in Columbus for the Clippers including his 2nd home run, scored 3 times and is hitting .290 for the Clippers. In Toledo, Domonic Brown drove in the IronPigs lone run in a 1-0 win over the Mud Hens. Dom is hitting .378 with 4 home runs and 10 RBI in 12 games with Clearwater and Lehigh Valley, and looks like he is ready. When the Phillies will want to recall him is another matter.

In a related move (I think), the Indians have optioned Jenmar Gomez back to Columbus, and I believe Carrasco will be activated for his start on Wednesday, unless they want to give him another minor league start just to make sure.

On Sunday in Louisville, Matt Maloney pitched 7 scoreless sinning for the Bats against Buffalo and went 3 for 3 at the plate as Louisville routed the Bisons, 8-0. Maloney allowed just 4 hits, retiring the last 9 batters he faced before being removed for a pinch hitter in the 8th. On Monday in Round Rock, Zack Segovia threw 2 scoreless inning for Nashville, giving up just 2 walks as the Sounds lost 10-2 to the Express.

In Birmingham, Quintin Berry (.310) had 2 more hits and a walk, stole his 6th base and drove in a run in the Mudctas' 8-7 win over the Barons. In Manchester, Anthony Gose had 2 more hits, 2 more stolen bases (14), threw out a runner at home and scored the game winning run in the bottom of the 9th as the Fisher Cats beat Portland, 1-0. Last Thursday in Bowie, Alfredo Simon made a start for the BaySox, his first action of the year after his off-season legal troubles. Alfredo went 5, and gave up 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits, NO walks, and struck out 5 for the Sox.


In Trenton Monday, the R-Phils were shut down by Yankee prospect Dellin Betances, who allowed just 1 hit over 5 innings, outdueling Josh Zeid in a 2-0 Thunder win. Josh gave up 2 runs on 4 hits over 4 innings, which is good, but not good enough on this night. Mike Cisco threw 3 scoreless innings of relief, giving his team a chance to get back in it, but Reading's offense managed just 4 hits all night.

In Dunedin, Darin Ruf ( 2 doubles, 3 RBI) and Sebastian Valle (double, home run, 2 RBI)had 3 hits each as the Threshers took an 8-5 decision from the Jays. After a shaky start from Jarred Cosart (5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in 4.2 innings), Joe Esposito came on to finish the 5th, then threw 2 more scoreless innings and was the winning pitcher. Ebelin Lugo threw a 1-2-3 8th, striking out 2 of the 3 hitters he faced, to record his 3rd hold of the year.

In Greensboro, Geancarlo Mendez (double, home run, 3 RBI), Alan Schoenberger (single, double, walk, run), Jim Murphy (single, double, walk) and Aaron Altherr (single, double) all had 2 hits for the BlueClaws, but the Grasshoppers took a 10 inning 5-4 win from Lakewood. Garrett Claypool started and went 4 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. After Jay Johnson tossed a scoreless 5th, newcomer Lisalberto Bonilla came on and threw 4 shut out innings before allowing the game winner in the 10th.