Ruf sets new mark

There is a new home run king in Reading, as Darin Ruf hit his 38th home run last night to top Ryan Howard's record.  Ruf is on the verge of a triple crown season, with 102 RBI and a .321 average.  He was also named Eastern Legue MVP on Thursday!

In Springfield, Josh Outman came within 1 strike of a no-hitter for Tulsa, before allowing a run scoring single in the 9th inning of the Drillers' 9-1 win over the Cardinals.

Wathan to manage AFL squad

Lets catch up a bit from my wild schedule with the most important items of the last few days.  The Arizonal Fall League rosters have been named, and with Dusty Wathan managing the Peoria Javelinas, 4 of our boys are on that team.  Jay Johnson, Colby Shreve, Tyler Knigge, and Zack Collier will join Cody Asche, Tommy Joseph and Kyle Simon  as the Phillies contingent.

Jarred Cosart and Jonathan Singleton will play for the Mesa Solar Sox.  Not all of these rosters have been finalized, so there could be additions.

Both Jay Happ (yesterday against the Yankees) and Kyle Kendrick (today against the Mets) picked up wins since I reported last.  It was the 10th for Happ, the 8th for Kyle, and takes the HomeSide total up to 57 for the year.

And kudos to Tyler Cloyd , who made his debut against the Mets last night and settled into a very good first night in the majors.  With Vance Worley done for the year with his impending surgery, Tyler will probably get a few more looks in the rotation.

Cloyd and Ruf win Owens awards

The Phillies have annouinced that Tyler Cloyd and Darin Ruf have been named the winners of the Paul Owens award for 2012.  The pair joins a long line of former Claws to recieve this honor.

Cloyd to start for Phillies

Tyler Cloyd has been called up to start tonight's game for the Phillies against the Mets in place of Cole Hamels, who is sick with a stomach virus.  I am sure he will take the roster spot of Vance Worley, who will have season ending surgery on his pitching elbow within the next 10 days.

When Cloyd takes the mound, he will become the 47th former BlueClaw to play in the major leagues, and the 8th to make his debut this season.

Ryno's slam not enough; Rufs gets #37

A tough night for the Phillies in Philadelphia Tuesday, after Ryan Howard's grand slam spotted the team to a 4-1 lead in the 1st inning.  In the end, the Mets scored 4 runs off  BJ Rosenberg in the 10th inning for a 9-5 win. Rosenberg has had some long innings in his first few major league games, allowing 15 earned runs in 10.2 innings in 13 separate games. Vance Worley only made it through 4.1 innings, and was charged with 4 runs on 9 hits, and Antonio Bastardo pitched 1 inning allowing an inherited runner to score.........In Reading, Darin Ruf hit his 37th home run, and his 19th this month (!!) to help power Reading to a 12-8 win over Binghamton. The home run ties a mark set 8 years ago by Ryan Howard, and Ruf has 5 games remaining to play.  Tyson Gillies, Cody Asche and Tommy Joseph had 3 hits each for Reading.

Around the rest of the major leagues, Jason Donald, Quintin Berry and Michael Bourn were 0 for 11 between them.

In Salisbury, Colin Kleven pitched shut out ball into the 8th inning (5 hits, 2 walks, 4 Ks),  Maikel Franco (.271)  had 4 hits and another RBI (#80),  and Aaron Altherr and Willie Carmona had 2 hits each as Lakewood topped Delmarva, 4-0.  When Kleven (8-8, 4.04) takes the mound on Sunday, he will have made every start all season long.  During this game, the BlueCalws acheived a triple play, which I believe is a first for the team, but I am still looking into that.


In Colorado Springs, Michael Taylor (.292) had 2 hits and a walk, and scored a run for the River Cats in their 14-6 loss to the SkySox..........In Salt Lake City, Jesus Merchan (.394) had 2 more hits and scored a run to help the Tucson Padres take a 9-6 win from the Bees..............In Las Vegas, Anthony Gose (.290) had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and scored 3 runs to spark the Las Vegas 51s to a 6-5 win over Tacoma.  Tuffy Gosewisch (.282) and Kevin Howard (.284) had 1 hit each for Vegas..........In San Bernadino, Domingo Santana (.293) had 2 doubles, scored 2 runs, and knocked in #92 for Lancaster, in the JetHawks' 7-2 win over Inland Empire.

No damage to Floyd's elbow

The results of Gavin Floyd's MRI on Monday showed no structural damage, just a strained elbow.  The White Sox say he will skip his next scheduled start on Friday and then he is "day-to-day".

Ruf hits 36th, challenging Ryno

A quiet day for the HomeSide on the major league front, but there was a handful of our boys in action.  Starting in Wrigley Field, where the Brewers were all over the Cubs, 15-4.  Lendy Castillo made his 3rd appearance since coming off the DL and allowed 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk, retiring just 2 Brewers in the process.  That's 7 runs on 11 hits in 3.1 innings in his 3 outings this month. Ouch!........In Cleveland, the Indians were shut out on 2 hits, with Jason Donald and Lou Marson combining to go 0 for 7 for the Tribe.........In San Diego, the Padres shut down the Braves, 3-0.  Michael Bourn (.287) had 1 hit for Atlanta.

There was rain all over the east coast, but they played in Reading, where Darin Ruf hit his 36th home run (18 of them in August) to help the Phillies to a 4-1 win over the Mets.  He is now 1 away from Ryan Howard's record of 37 set in 2004.  It was RBI #96 for Darin, who is hitting .317.  Trevor May flashed the brilliance that had him listed as the Phillies #1 prospect, throwing 8 innings and allowing just 1 run on only 2 hits, NO walks, with 9 Ks, to improve to 10-12 on the year.  Reading remains 3 games ahead of New Britain with a week to go in the season.

In Allentown, the IronPigs scored 4 in the bottom of the 1st inning, but lost a 5-4, 13-inning decision to the Yankees, dealing their playoff hopes a big blow.  Lehigh Valley has lost 2 straight, and now trails Pawtucket by 1.5 games for the wild card playoff berth.  Justin De Fratus threw 3 shut out innings, allowing just 1 hit, striking out 4, and looks to be back from his long stint on DL this year.  Tyson Brummett gave up the winning run in the 13th.

In Oklahoma City, Will Savage and Jarred Cosart faced each other and both pitched well, but neither figured in the final score. Savage went 6 shut out innings for Albuquerque, allowing 7 hits and 1 walk, and Cosart managed to get through 5 frames, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 5 walks for Oklahoma City.  The RedHawks got to the Albuquerque bullpen for 6 late runs to take a 6-1 win.


In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton (.284) picked up 2 singles and a double and even stole his 5th base of the season for the Hooks in their 3-0 win over the Missions.........In Charlotte, the Knights beat Syracuse, 6-2.  Greg Golson (.275) had a 2-RBI double and scored a run for Charlotte, and even added an assist, throwing out a runner at second base...........In Lancaster, Domingo Santana had 2 hits, including his 20th home run of the year for the JetHawks in their 12-4 pounding of Lake Elsinore.  It was RBI #91 for Santana.

Biddle honored

Jesse Biddle was named Florida State League pitcher of the week, on the merit of his 7-inning 2-hit shutout performance. It was his second straight week winning that honor, and the third time this year he has been named. Biddle leads the FSL with 146 strike outs.

busy Sunday include's Ruf's 35th

Sunday night in San Francisco, the Braves beat the Giants, 7-1 to gain a split of their series.   Michael Bourn (.287) had a walk, 2 stolen bases (37 on the year) and scored a run for Atlanta.......In Detroit, Quintin Berry (.272) came in the game late, and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in his only at bat, as the Tigers salvaged the final game of their series with the Angels, 5-2.  It was RBI #25 for Berry...........In Chicago, Gavin Floyd left the game with some soreness in his pitching elbow after throwing just 42 pitches in 2 innings.  We await the results of an MRI, which Gavin will have today in Chicago.  He spent some time on the DL earlier this year with tendinitis in that elbow............In Phoenix, Mike Zagurski retired 4 hitters (1 walk, 2 Ks) for the Diamondbacks in Arizona's 5-4 loss to the Padres.

In Reading, Darin Ruf's 35th home run was the only thing to cheer about in a 9-1 defeat at the hands of the Erie Sea Wolves.  Darin also had a double, is hitting .316, has 95 RBI and is within 2 home runs of Ryan Howard's mark! Did I mention he threw out a runner at the plate? Can you say MVP?


In Allentown, the IronPigs dropped a 6-2 decision to the Yankees, picking up just 4 hits in the game, and slipped a half game behind Pawtucket in the race for the wild card playoff berth with a week to go in the season.  Jonathan Pettibone (4-0, 1.70 since being promoted) started and went 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks, and getting no decision.  Jake Diekman had his first sub-par night in a long time, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk in his inning, his ERA moving all the way up to 1.73.   Overall,  it has been a great 2012 season for Diekman.  Getting back to Pawtucket, the Sox took a 5-4 win in Charlotte.   Greg Golson  (.274) had 2 hits and scored a run for the Knights.


In Iowa City, Adrian Cardenas had a pinch hit, RBI-single in the bottom of the 9th inning for the Cubs, but the rally fell a run short, and Oklahoma City escaped with a 4-3 win over the Cubs.............In Tacoma, Bobby Korecky made the start for the Las Vegas 51s, and put in 5 good innings. Bobby (3-3, 3.46) threw 71 pitches, and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits, NO walks, and struck out 4. Kevin Howard (.292 in 27 games at AAA this year) had 2 of the 3 hits the 51s managed to get, and he scored the lone run in a 2-1 loss to the Rainiers. Anthony Gose is showing a little jet lag, going 0 for 7 in 2 games since his odyssey to get back to the Pacific Northwest (and I would not be surprised if he had to go back, with Bautista going BACK on the DL yesterday).........In Sacramento, the River Cats won a 4-2 game over the Salt Lake Bees.  Michael Taylor (.291) had a single, a double, a walk, and an RBI, and Jason Jaramillo also picked up a hit for the Cats........I also have to mention Yohan Flande.  Flande (6-10, 4.33) started out the season strong, but in his last 3 starts for the Gwinnett Braves, he has given up 12 earned runs on 23 hits, and 6 walks, in just 14 innings of work.  (Flande never played for Lakewood, but played in the system alongside so many of our boys, I just sort of adopted him in.)  Yohan won 34 games in the Phillies minor league system over 6 years before moving over to Atlanta in 2011.

In Corpus Christi, Josh Zeid came off the DL, making his first appearance in 3 weeks for the Hooks. He worked 2 innings, and allowed 1 run on 2 hits, earning his 8th hold as the Hooks topped San Antonio, 2-1........In Lancaster, Domingo Santana hit his 19th home run for the JetHawks in their 7-4 win over the Storm.  Domingo has had a fine season for the JetHawks, hitting .289, and driving in 90 runs.  Not bad for a guy who just turned 20 years of age this month!!  Lancaster is a "High A" level team, like Clearwater.

It was  a great day for me in Lakewood as I was honored to spend some quality time with the BlueClaws before yesterdays game.  The 2012 team has been easy to root for and, over the course of the year, has given us many reasons to cheer.  They are a better team today than they were in April, and that is the goal every year.  They are also an engaging, intelligent, accommodating, and respectful group of young men, and  I look forward to following all of their careers here in the years to come.

The Claws lost the game, 4-0 to Kannapolis, but I found the silver lining.  2 more scoreless innings from Austin Brough, who has now thrown 16 innings and not allowed an earned run since July 23.

R-Phils, Pigs coming on strong down the stretch

In Reading, Leandro Castro (.284) his his 10th home run of the year, and Darin Ruf (.314) drove in his 94th run of the season in a 2-1 win over Erie.  Austin Hyatt recorded his 7th win with 5 good innings (1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk, 4 Ks) and Tyler Knigge picked up his 5th hold with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.  The R-Phils have solidified their playoff standing, now ahead of reeling New Britain by 3 games, and are just 4 back of first place Trenton, who dropped a 4-3 decision to Akron.

In Allentown, Derrick Mitchell had a single and his 7th home run of the year, driving in 4 runs in the IronPigs' 9-5 win over the first place Yankees.  Cody Overbeck had 2 hits and a walk, and knocked in 3, and Steve Susdorf picked up 2 hits, 2 walks, and scored 3 times.  Mario Hollands started and went 4 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6, and Jake Diekman and Justin De Fratus each threw an inning.  Diekman's ERA in a stellar 0.73 for Lehigh Valley.  The Pigs remain a half game ahead of Pawtucket for the wild card with 8 games left.

In Lakewood, Hoby Milner (2.86) threw 6 shut out innings (2 hits, 2 walks, 6 Ks), and Willie Carmona and Gabriel Lino each homered for the Claws in their 4-0 win over Kannapolis.  Tim Carver and Alejandro Villalobos each had 2 hits for Lakewood.

The Clearwater Threshers dropped a 2-1 game in Brevard County, and slipped to 2 games out in a wild, 4-team race in their division. Zack Collier (.267) and Carlos Alonso (.273) had 2 hits each for Clearwater.  Austin Wright (10-5) was the hard luck loser, going 5.1 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7.  Mike Nesseth finished up with 2.2 innings (just 1 hit) of scoreless relief.


In Huntsville, the Birmingham Barons defeated the Stars, 5-4.  Darren Byrd (2.51) tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning for the Stars, striking out 2..............In Tulsa, Josh Outman continues to show improvement, throwing 7 innings and allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, and 3 walks, striking out 6 and getting no decision for the Drillers in their 2-1 win over the Naturals........In Round Rock, Jesus Sanchez (2.05) was tagged with his first AAA loss, allowing a run on 5 hits in 2 innings for Nashville, in the Sounds' 6-5 loss to the Express.

here'e 1 I missed yesterday

In a game I did not see from Friday, Alfredo Simon (2.52), who lost to the Phillies Thursday night, threw 3 more innings on Friday against the Cardinals, allowing a run on 4 hits and 1 walk in the Reds' 8-5 loss to St. Louis.

In San Francisco, Michael Bourn (.289) had 2 hits and a walk, and drove in 2 runs, as the Braves beat the Giants, 7-3........In Cleveland, Lou Marson (.235) had a hit and walk for the Indians in their 3-1 win over New York................In Phoenix, Mike Zagurski gave up a run on 1 hit in 1.1 innings of relief for the Diamondbacks, in the Padres' 9-3 win over Arizona.

In Philadelphia, John Mayberry drove in 3 runs, and Antonio Bastardo completed a 1-2-3 8th (his first since late June) in the Phillies 4-3 win over the Nationals. Ryan Howard (.250) was 0 for 4, and Domonic Brown (.270) struck out in a pinch hit appearance.

Ruf hits #34

I am running out the door for work, so here it is as quickly as I can:

In Reading, Darin Ruf (.313) hit his 34th home run, 1 of his 2 hits on the night, and the Reading Phillies beat Erie, 6-2.  Ruf has hit 16 home run in the last 22 games in one of the best displays of power a HomeSider has ever had!  He is now 3 short of Ryan Howard's record of 37, set by the end of July in 2004.  He also now has 93 RBI for the year.  Leandro Castro (.284) added 3 hits to the Reading attack, backing strong pitching fropm Adam Morgan.  Morgan is 3-0 since being promoted from Clearwater.  The R-Phils (70-62)  now lead New Britain by 2 games for the last playoff spot, as the Rock Cats lost their 6th straight.

In Rochester, Sebastian Valle hit his 4th home run for the IronPigs, and Lehigh Valley took an 8-1 decision from the Red Wings.  Cesar Hernandez had a single, a double and a triple, knocking in 2 runs, and Derrick Mitchell, Mike Spidale and Steve Susdorf had a hit apiece, and Tyson Brummett picked up his 4th wim with 5 solid innings (1 hit, 1 walk).  With Pawtucket losing another 2-1 game to Charlotte, the IronPigs are half a game in front of the Sox for the wild card berth.  Greg Golson (.275) had 2 hits, stole his 19th base and scored a run for the Knights.



In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton (.281) hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Hooks a 7-6 win over Midland.  It was 1 of 2 hits on the night for Jonathan, and his 20th home run of the year.  Matt Rizzotti (.319) had a double and a walk, and knocked in a run for Midland........In Iowa City, Adrian Cardenas hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to provide the Cubs with a 5-3 win over Oklahoma City.

Kendrick wins again

In Philadelphia, Kyle Kendrick won his 3rd consecutive start for the Phillies in a 4-2 win over the Nationals in the opener of their series.  Kendrick (7-9, 4.12)  lasted 6.2 innings, and gave up just 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3, and exiting to a standing ovation from the Phillies' fans.  Antonio Bastardo and BJ Rosenberg each struck out the only hitters they faced, with Rosenberg getting Jason Werth with 2 out and 2 on.  Ryan Howard (.257) had a single and  a double and knocked in a run for the Phillies.

The win by Kyle was #55 for HomeSiders in the majors this year.

In Baltimore, the Orioles beat Toronto, 6-4.  After the game, Anthony Gose was returned to Las Vegas.  In his first stint in the majors, Gose struggled to a .183 average, but did show some signs of being major league ready, stealing 10 bases and playing some good outfield for Toronto. I will not be surprised if he is given a chance to win a job in spring training.

In San Francisco, the Giants defeated the Braves, 5-3. Michael Bourn (.287) was 1 for 4 for Atlanta, and stole his league leading 25th base.

Berry scores game winner: Ruf hits #33

Thursday's games began with the match up in Detroit between Jay Happ and Justin Verlander.  Happ threw 7 shut out innings, before tiring in the 8th, and allowing a run on 4 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 7. Verlander went 9 innings, and the Tigers won in the 11th.  Quintin Berry continues to make the most of his opportunities.  In the bottom of the 11th inning, Berry entered the game as a pinch runner, stole second base, and scored the winning run moments later.  "Q" is now 17 for 17 stealing major league bases!  Anthony Gose was 0 for 4 for Toronto, but really battled in his first look at Verlander.  He even smoked a line drive to center filed that Austin Jackson ran down.  Gose also made the play of the game, a full out dive to snag the drive off the bat of Miguel Cabrera in the 1st inning. 

In Philadelphia, the Phillies scored a run off Alfredo Simon (2-2, 2.49) in the bottom of the 11th inning, to take a 4-3 win over the Reds and split their series.  Cole Hamels started for the Phillies, logging 6 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Domonic Brown (.286) had 2 hits and scored 2 runs, and Ryan Howard (.250) had a single and 3 walks. BJ Rosenberg threw a scoreless inning in relief of Hamels.

In Reading, Darin Ruf made #33 a big one, a grand slam home run in the Phillies big 7-6 win over Erie.  Darin is now 4 short of Ryan Howard's Reading record of 37.  The 4 RBI gives Ruf a HomeSide leading 92 on the year. Cody Asche (.297) had a single, a double, a walk, and a home run.  It was the 10th home run for Asche since moving up from Clearwater, where he hit just 2!  Reading moves 1 game ahead of New Britain, who lost their 5th straight, 9-6 to New Hampshire.  Mike Dubee (4-4) was the winner for the Fisher Cats, in the right place at the right time!

In Clearwater, Jesse Biddle was at it again, mowing down Daytona hitters and allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings in a 3-0 Threshers' win.  Biddle struck out 9, and improved to 10-5, 3.10 for the year.  Clearwater has won 4 in a row, and 9 of 11, and remain locked in a 4-way battle for first place.

In Lakewood, Kelly Dugan (.296) pounded 3 hits, and Willie Carmona drove in 4 runs with a double and a home run, as Lakewood rallied from 4 runs down twice for an 8-7 win over Kannapolis.  Lakewood scored 5 runs in the 6th inning, using 5 consecutive doubles, which I think was a team record.  Blake Mascarello (4-1, 2.20) was the winning pitcher, with 3 innings in relief of Etahan Stewart.



In Rochester, Tyler Cloyd was cruising along against the Red Wings, allowing no hits through 6 innings.  However, the 7th inning saw Rochester strike  for 3 runs on a single and back to back home runs to take the lead in the game. Derrick Mitchell, Mike Spidale, and Cody Overbeck all had 2 hits for Lehigh Valley.  The IronPigs remain a half game behind Pawtucket, who lost to Charlotte, 2-1.  Greg Golson (.273) had a single and scored 1 of the runs on a home run by Connor Jackson.



In Tacoma, Kevin Howard (.279) hit his 3rd home run of the year, and his second this week for the 51s, and singled in another run as Las Vegas beat the Rainiers, 6-1.  Tuffy Gosewisch (.290) also had a hit and scored a run for Vegas............In Sacramento, Michael Taylor (.294) had 2 hits and scored a run for River Cats in their 6-3 win over Salt Lake...........Travis Mattair had 2 more hits, and 2 more RBI (79) for Bakersfield in the Blaze' 10-4 win over Inland Empire.

notes from Wednesday

Wednesday in Philadelphia, the Reds squeaked out a 3-2 over Vance Worley and the Phillies.  Worley (6-9) scattered 8 hits and 2 walks, allowing just 2 runs in 6 innings of work, but it was not good enough.  Domonic Brown (.282 and climbing) had a double and  his 1st home run, but that was half of the Phillies' total of 4 hits.  The Phillies will go for a split tonight with Cole Hamels looking for win #15.

In Washington, Michael Bourn came off the bench for an RBI hit, stole his 34th base, and then scored a run for the Braves, as Atlanta beat the Nationals, 5-1 to salvage the final game of their series.

Thanks in a huge part to Edgar Duran's first inning home run in each game, the Clearwater Threshers swept 2 games from Daytona, 2-1 and 4-2.  Edgar's 8th blast, a 2-run shot in the opener, gave Perci Garner (6-9) all he would need.  His 9th, also good for 2 runs was followed by Jim Murphy's 16th.   Murphy's homer was the only run not delivered by Duran all night!  Kenny Giles and Colton Murray each had a save for Clearwater, who is 1 of 4 teams within 1 game of each other as we head into the final 12 days of the season!

In Allentown, the IronPigs won a big game, 1-0 over the Red Wings.  Justin De Fratus (5th hold) and Jake Diekman (8th save) each threw a scoreless inning of relief, and Steve Susdorf (.273) and Sebastian Valle (.245 since his promotion) each picked up a hit.  The win moves Lehigh Valley within a half game of idle Pawtucket for the wild card playoff berth.

In Harrisburg, Darin Ruf did not hit a home run, just a double in Reading's 2-1 loss to the Senators.  Trevor May (9-12, 4.97) was the hard luck loser, going 7 innings and allowing just 2 runs, only 1 earned, on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 9.  Tyler Knigge threw a perfect inning, striking out 2, and Troy Hanzawa (.250) had 2 hits for the R-Phils.  Thanks to New Britain's 7-2 loss to Portland, Reading is still tied with the Rock Cats for the final playoff spot.

In Lakewood, the BlueClaws suffered a devastating loss, 6-4 in 10 innings to Delamrva, despite 3 hits each from Miguel Alvarez (.292) and Gabriel Lino (over .350 this month).  Colin Kleven pitched solid for 6 innings, allowing just 1 earned run on 5 hits and  2 walks.  Luis Paulino allowed the game tying home run by Sammie Starr in the 8th inning, and Zack Cooper suffered the 2-run 10th inning.  Lakewood did load the bases in the bottom of the 10th, but could not score.


The Cubs have returned Adrian Cardenas to Iowa.   He was not getting many at bats with Chicago, so this could be could for him to get his rythym back, before rejioning the Cubs in September.  Adrian was 1 for 4 and scored a run for Iowa in their 6-3 loss to Oklahoma City.  Jarred Cosart started the game for the RedHawks and pitched 5 shut out innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 3 for no decision........In Pearl, the Mississippi Braves took 13 innings to top Huntsville, 3-1.  Darren Byrd (2.55) tossed 2 scoreless innings for the Stars, allowing 1 hit and picking up 2 Ks..........In Bakersfield, Travis Mattair (.275) had 3 hits and a walk, and scored 2 runs for the Blaze in their 10-5 win over Inland Empire.

Ruf belts #32

In Allentown, Cody Overbeck hit a home run, his 12th, and Jonathan Pettibone threw a 7-inning, 3-hit shut out to lead the IronPigs to a 1-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader against Toledo.   "Bone" is 4-0, 1.69 since being moved up from Reading.  Way to go, Jon!!!  Mario Hollands was moved up to start the 2nd game, and took the loss, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits in just 3 innings in a 5-2 Mud Hens' win.  Hollands has now pitched for Lakewood, Clearwater, Reading and Lehigh Valley in 2012.


Another day, another home run for Darin Ruf.   Darin (.311) hit #32 for Reading in the R-Phils 11-9 win in Harrisburg.  Cody Asche had 3 hits, including 2 homers, and drove in 5 runs to lead the Reading attack.  The victory ties Reading with New Britain in the race for the final playoff spot.

In Lakewood, Maikel Franco had 3 of the BlueClaws' 6 hits in a 4-2 loss to Delmarva.  I cannot say enough about Franco and the way he has come on for about 2 months now hitting the cover off the ball.  Maikel now has 78 RBI on the year, with 52 of them coming in the second half.


In Lancaster, Domingo Santana (.294)  had 3 hits, including a double and an RBI (HomeSide leading 87) for the JetHawks in their 13-6 win over Rancho Cucamonga..........In Fresno, Jesus Merchan (.404) hit his 3rd home run for the Padres, as Tucson shut out the Grizzlies, 6-0.........In Omaha, the Sounds shut out the Storm Chasers, 7-0.  Jesus Sanchez (1.69) tossed another scoreless frame for Nashville.........In Sacramento, Michael Taylor (.291)  had 2 hits and a walk for the River Cats in their 6-2 win over Las Vegas.  Jason Jaramillo, released last week by the Brewers and signed by the Athletics the other day, made his debut with a double for the Cats. 

Reds hot Reds to it again

In Philadelphia, the Reds' Zack Cozart hit the game winning home run off Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the 9th inning to give the Reds a 5-4 win over the Phillies.  Ryan Howard (.256) and Domonic Brown (.267) had a hit each for the Phillies, with Brown scoring a run in the 8th inning to tie the game at 4-4.  BJ Rosenberg struck out he only hitter he faced, and Antonio Bastardo gave up a home run to Todd Frazier in the 8th inning that gave the Reds a lead.  It was the 18th home run of the year for the Toms River native Frazier, who at .294 is my choice for NL rookie of the year.

Franco's smoking bat leads Claws to win

In Lakewood, the BlueClaws rode the red hot bat of Maikel Franco to a thrilling come from behind 6-4 win over Delmarva.  Franco, who is hitting over .320 since the All-Star break, had 4 hits including the game winner, a walk off 2-run, 2-out home run in the bottom of the 9th.  It was his 14th home run of the year, and his 3 RBI make a total of 51 in the second half, and a team leading 77 overall.  Willie Carmona added 2 hits, and is hitting the ball much better the last few games, making his adjustments to the pro game.  Lakewood is still 3 games out of first place, with 14 games to play.



In Harrisburg, the Senators defeated Reading, 5-2, but the good news is Darin Ruf hit home run #31, pulling him to within 6 of Ryan Howard's team record of 37 set in 2004.  Austin Hyatt took the loss, going 6 innings and giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7.  Colby Shreve threw the final 2 frames, allowing an UNearned run.  The R-Phils stay 1 game behind New Britain, who lost to Portland, 4-3 in 10 innings.



In Durham, Greg Golson (.274) had 2 hits, including a 3-run home run (his 6th) and drove in 4 runs for Charlotte as the Knights beat the Bulls, 9-6............In Fresno, Jesus Merchan (.413) kept up his hot hitting with 2 more knocks and an RBI for Tucson,  to help the Padres to 6-2 win over the Grizzlies.........In Kodak, Brian Schlitter pitched 2 scoreless innings for the Smokies and picked up his 3rd win when Tennessee rallied for 4 run in the bottom of the 8th inning to take a 5-1 victory from Chattanooga........In Midland, the Tulsa Drillers scored 3 in the 9th to take a 6-5 win over the Rock Hounds.  Josh Outman was the starter for Tulsa, and went 6.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 9 hits and 1 walk, striking out 9 and getting no decision.  Matt Rizzotti (.330) was 0 for 4 for the Hounds........In Springfield, the Corpus Christi Hooks managed just 5 hits in 13 inning, but 2 of them were home runs and enough for a 2-1 win.  Jonathan Singleton (.281)  belted his 19th for the Hooks in the 4th inning.  While he is not quite as hot as Darin Ruf, Singleton has hit 5 home runs in his last 9 games.

Ryno goes deep in Phils win

In Philadelphia, Ryan Howard (.254) had a single, a walk, and his 8th home run, scoring twice and knocking in 2 runs, as the Phillies beat the first place Reds, 12-5.  Domonic Brown (.268) added a 2-run double, and BJ Rosenberg and Antonio Bastardo combined for a scoreless inning of relief.  John Mayberry and Juan Pierre had 3 hits each for Philadelphia.

In Milwaukee, the Brewers defeated the Cubs, 9-5.  Lendy Castillo threw 2 scoreless inning, despite allowing a walk and 3 hits for Chicago...........In Chicago, Gavin Floyd struggled with his control, walking 4 and hitting a batter, and yielding 3 runs on 5 hits in just 2.1 innings against the Yankees,  The White Sox did come back to win the game 9-6.

18-hit performance gives Threshers a victory

In Clearwater, Zack Collier and Carlos Alonso hit 1st inning home runs, and then Alonso drove in Anthony Hewitt with the winning run in the bottom of the 9th to give the Threshers a wild 14-13 win over the Manatees.  Harold Martinez had 4 hits,  and Jim Murphy hit his 15th home run (78 RBI) for the Threshers.


In Akron Sunday, Darin Ruf hit his 30th home run of the year, but the R-Phils dropped a 10-4 game to the Aeros.  Julio Rodriguez took the loss, allowing 2 unearned runs in 2 innings of relief for Reading.




In Omaha, Jesus Sanchez had a rare shaky outing, walking 2 and allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, while recording just 1 out for Nashville in the Sounds' 5-1 loss to the Storm Chasers.......In Sacramento, Kevin Howard had 2 hits, including a home run, driving in 2 runs, and scoring 2 for Las Vegas in the 51s 9-4 win over the River Cats.  Michael Taylor (.293) had 3 hits including his 12th homer of the year, and drove in 3 runs for the Cats.............In Fresno, Jesus Merchan (.413) had 2 hits for the Padres, as Tucson defeated the Grizzlies, 5-0 in the second game of a doubleheader.........In Pearl, Darren Byrd pitched a scoreless 9th inning for Huntsville, striking out 2,  to record his 6th save of the year in the Stars' 4-3 win over the Braves........In Springfield, Jonathan Singleton (.282) had 2 hits and scored a run for Corpus Christi, as the Hooks beat the Cardinals, 7-1.

Brown's 4 RBI lead Phils to win

In Milwaukee, Domonic Brown (.269) had 3 hits and 4 RBI, and Kyle Kendrick threw 8 shut out inning to win his 3rd start in a row, as the Phillies beat the Brewers, 8-0.  Brown walked and scored in the 2nd inning, doubled in 3 runs in the 3rd, hit a bullet into  double play in the 5th, singled and scored in the 8th, and drove in a run with another single in the 9th.  It was easily the best game of his career to date.  Kendrick (6-9, 4.20) in the meantime, was mowing down the Brewers, allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7, as he continues to make a play for a spot in next year's rotation.  Ryan Howard (.246) also had 2 hits and scored a run for the Phillies.

The victory for Kendrick was #54 for HomeSiders in the major leagues this year.

In Detroit, the Orioles beat the Tigers, 7-5.  Quintin Berry (.274) was 1 for 4 for the Tigers.  Baltimore has won 11 of their last 15 and is right in the race for a wild card playoff spot...........In Atlanta, the Dodgers shut out the Braves, 5-0.  Michael Bourn (.292) was 1 for 3, with a walk, and stole his league leading 33rd base of the year for Atlanta.  Mike is bidding for his 3rd straight NL stolen base crown.........In Houston, Mike Zagurski pitched another scoreless inning for the Diamondbacks in their 8-1 win over the Astros.  That's 2 in a row since being designated for assignment and then being recalled last week for "Z-man".............In Oakland, Lou Marson (.236) was 0 for 3 for the Indians, who were beaten 7-0 by the Athletics.

Pigs, R-Phils continue playoff push

In Allentown Saturday, Cesar Hernandez drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the IronPigs a 4-3 win over Toledo.  Cody Overbeck hit his 11th home run for Lehigh Valley, and Tyler Cloyd threw 6 innings (3 runs, 2 earned, 6 hits, 3 walks, 4 Ks, no decision).  Jake Diekman (0.79) threw another scoreless inning out of the Pig's pen.  The win, combined with Pawtucket's loss, puts Lehigh Valley (69-60) in a tie with the Red Sox for the wild card playoff spot.


In Akron, D'Arby Myers' (.319) double in the 7th inning drove in Miguel Abreu with the winning run for Reading, in the R-Phils 1-0 win over the Aeros.   Ethan Martin, obtained from the Dodgers in the Victorino trade, tossed 7 shut out innings for the win.  Tyler Knigge threw a 1-2-3 inning for his 4th hold for Reading, who are 1 game behind New Britain for the final playoff position.

In Clearwater, Zack Collier led off the game with a home run, and Edgar Duran's 3-run shot in the 7th inning gave the Threshers a 5-1 lead, but a throwing error by Cameron Rupp opened the door for 4 unearned runs in the top of the 8th, and Juan Sosa allowed the winning run in the 9th, as the Manatees handed Clearwater a devastating 6-5 loss.

In Greensboro, even the return of Aaron Altherr to the BlueClaws' line up was not enough, and the Claws fell to the Grasshoppers, 9-4. Altherr, Kelly Dugan and Gabreil Lino each had a pair of hits in the losing cause, as Luis Paulino took the loss, allowing 5 runs to break open a 4-4 game late.


In Springfield, Jonathan Singleton (.280) pounded 4 hits, including his 18th home run, and drove in 3 runs for Corpus Christi, as the Hooks battered the Cardinals, 12-4............In Round Rock, Jarred Cosart won his first AAA game, with 2 innings of relief for Oklahoma City in the RedHawks' 5-4 come from behind win over the Express............In Sacramento, Tuffy Gosewisch (.354 since trade)  had 3 hits and drove in 3 runs for Las Vegas, as the 51s beat the River Cats, 10-4.  Michael Taylor (.289) had a double and 2 walks for Sacramento...........In Fresno, Jesus Merchan (.410) had 3 hits, scoring a run and droving in another one, for Tucson, in the Padres' 5-3 loss to the Grizzlies.......In Midland, Matt Rizzotti (.343) had 2 more hits for the Rock Hounds, including an RBI hit to cap off the game winning 4-run rally in the bottom of the 8th inning of the Hounds' 5-1 win over Tulsa.

Hamels wins again

In Milwaukee, the Brewers ended Cole Hamels' scoreless streak at 23 straight innings when Aramis Ramirez homered in the 2nd inning, but Hamels went on to win his 14th game anyway in the Phillies' 4-3 victory.  Hamels (14-6, 2.94)  allowed 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10.  It was the 20th time in his career that Cole has fanned at least 10 in a game.  Ryan Howard (.240 and rising) had 2 doubles and drove in a run for the Phils, but Domonic Brown was 0 for 4.

The win by Hamels was #53 for HomeSiders this season.

In Toronto, the Rangers edged the Blue Jays, 2-1.  Anthony Gose (.205) had a single, a walk, stole his 10th base, and scored the lone run for Toronto.............In Cincinnati, the Reds and Cubs split a pair of games with Cincinnati winning the day game, 5-3, and the Cubs coming back in the night contest, 9-7.  In the second game, Adrian Cardenas (up to .234) had a single and a double, scored a run and drove in another one for the Cubs.........In Houston, the Diamondbacks romped over the Astros, 12-4.  Mike Zagurski threw a scoreless 9th inning for Arizona............In Atlanta, the Dodgers beat the Braves, 6-2.  Michael Bourn (.292) walked and scored in the 1st inning, and then picked up a triple later.

Biddle flirts with no-no

In Clearwater Friday night, Jesse Biddle threw 7 no-hit innings against Brevard County to pitch the Threshers to an 11-0 win over the Manatees.  Biddle (9-5, 3.26) walked 2 and struck out 12.  Kenny Giles came on and struck out 4 of the 6 outs he needed to get, but did allow a 1-out 9th inning single to Nick Shaw.  Zack Collier (.270) had 2 hits and 2 walks, including his 4th home run and drove in 3 runs, and Peter Lavin, Cameron Rupp and rehabbing Placido Polanco all had 3 hits in the game.  The Threshers are now just 2.5 games behind first place Tampa.

In Greensboro, the BlueClaws exploded for 15 runs on 15 hits, making it 2 in a row over the Grasshoppers with the 15-9 victory. Lakewood hit 4 home runs,  Brock Stassi, Kelly Dugan (#12), Maikel Franco (#13)  and Miguel Alvarez all going deep, with Franco driving in 5 more runs. Maikel now has 74 RBI, 48 of which have come in the second half!!  More good news, Willie Carmona got a couple of hits, maybe we can get him going to make this final playoff push.  Ethan Stewart made his first start in over 3 weeks, and was  a little rusty, going just 2.2 innings.  Yari Sosa got the win, and Austin Brough and Blake Mascarello pitched well in relief.   The Claws are still breathing for a shot at the post-season.



Everytime I think Trevor May has found his groove, he has a game like last night. May (9-11) gave up 6 runs on 7 hits and a walk, and did not get out of the 3rd inning in Akron, as the Aeros pounded the R-Phils, 9-1.  It was the 3rd loss in a row for Reading, who remain 1.5 games behind New Britain for the final playoff spot.  Darin Ruf did not hit a home run, but drove in the lone run for the Phillies, his HomeSide leading 84th of the year!



In Buffalo, the Bisons defeated the IronPigs, 4-2.  No Lehigh Valley hitter had more than 1 hit, but Cesar Hernandez, Steve Susdorf, Cody Overbeck and Derrick Mitchell all had a knock.  The Iron Pigs still trail Pawtucket by 1 game for the wild card playoff berth.





In Charlotte, the Knights got past Louisville, 2-0.  Greg Golson (.276) had a single, a double, a walk, and scored 1 of the runs for Charlotte...........In New Orleans, the Zephyrs rallied for 2 in the bottom of the 11th inning to steal a 4-3 win from Sacramento.  Michael Taylor (.288) had 3 hits, including a double and scored a run for the River Cats.........In Las Vegas, Kevin Howard hit his 1st home run for the 51s, in their 5-1 win over Omaha.  Tuffy Gosewisch also had a double for Las Vegas............In Colorado Springs, the SkySox got to Will Savage (10-6) for 4 runs (only 2 of which were earned) on 5 hits, in just 5 innings and went on to a 6-3 win over the Isotopes..........In Huntsville, the Stars rallied for 2 in the bottom of the 8th inning to take a wild 9-8 win from Montgomery.  Darren Byrd (2.66) pitched a scoreless 9th to record his 5th save for Huntsville..........In San Bernadino, Domingo Santana (.288) had a single, a double, a walk, and scored the lone run for Lancaster, in the JetHawks' 5-1 loss to the 66ers.......In Bakersfield, Travis Mattair (.274) had 3 hits and scored 2 runs for the Blaze, who dropped an 11-10 decision to the High Desert Mavericks.

Happ stifles Rangers

In Toronto, Jay Happ won his second straight start for the Blue Jays, holding the hard hitting Rangers to just 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8 over 6 solid innings in a 3-2 Jays' win..  At one point, Jay (9-10) struck out 6 straight Texas batters, equaling a Blue Jays franchise mark.  Anthony Gose had a 5th inning triple and scored what proved top be the deciding run.  He was also hit by a pitch and stole his 9th base for Toronto.

The victory for Happ was #52 for the HomeSide this year in the major leagues.

In Atlanta, the Braves walked off against the Dodgers in the 11th inning, 4-3. Michael Bourn (.293) had 2 hits, a sacrifice, and a walk, and stole his National League leading 32nd base for Atlanta...........In Oakland, Jason Donald was 1 for 4 and scored a run, and Lou Marson was 0 for 3 for the Indians in their 6-4 loss to the Athletics.........In Milwaukee, the Brewers beat Vance Worley and the Phillies, 6-2.  Worley's funk continues, he lasted just 4.2 innings, charged with 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, slipping to 6-8 for the year.  BJ Rosenberg came on and recorded 4 outs, allowing a 2-run bomb by Ryan Braun in the 6th.  Ryan Howard had an RBI double, and Domonic Brown was 1 for 4, but Brown missed a fly ball in the 4th inning that was ruled a triple that should have been caught, and opened the door for a 4-run rally by Milwaukee.

update

I overlooked on Tuesday where Jason Jaramillo was released by the Nashville Sounds.  Jason split his season between Huntsville and Nashville, in the Milwaukee Brewers system.  He played in 75 games, and hit a combined .221, with 2 home runs and 24 RBI.

Bob Stumpo has been reassigned to Reading from Clearwater, and Kevin Howard was promoted from New Hampshire to AAA Las Vegas.  Howard is 4 for 8 in 2 games since rejoining the 51s, and has hit .282 in 84 total games this year.

5 hits by Myers not enough for Reading

In Reading, the Trenton Thunder outscored the Phillies, 14-12, despite 5 hits , including 2 doubles, by D'Arby Myers.  Myers (up to .324 since getting to play) also stole 2 bases, scored 3 times, and knocked in 3 more runs. Regular followers of this blog know I have been yelling for D'Arby to get a chance, and I am thrilled with his results!  Cody Asche chipped in with 3 hits and 4 RBI, and Darin Ruf did NOT hit a home run, which is a story on to itself!  Brody Colvin allowed 11 runs, 7 of the earned, on 9 hits in 5.2 innings, as his transition to AA continues to be rough one.

In Buffalo, Sebastian Valle (.289) had 3 hits for the 2nd straight day, to help the IronPigs to a 5-2 win over the Bisons.  Valle hit his 3rd home run since his promotion, and drove in 2 while scoring 2 more.  Mike Spidale (.270) and Derrick Mitchell (.229) added a hit each, and Justin De Fratus recorded his 3rd save for Lehigh Valley.


In Greensboro, Colin Kleven pitched a solid game, (7 innings, 1 earned run on 6 hits and NO walks) to record his 7th win of the year, and Maikel Franco drove in 3 runs (69)  top help the BlueClaws take a 5-4 win from the Grasshoppers. Franco leads the team in RBI after having just 26 in the opening half of the year.  Gabriel Lino had 2 hits, including his 2nd home run of the road trip, and Brock Stassi and Alejandro Villalobos also had 2 hits each for Lakewood.

In Tampa, the Yankees beat Clearwater, 4-2.  Harold Martinez had 3 hits, including a double, driving in 1 run and scoring the other one for the Threshers.  Perci Garner (5-9) was the starter and loser for Clearwater, with Hector Neris and Mike Nesseth tossing scoreless relief.

In Huntsville, Darren Byrd (2.70) allowed 1 hit in 1.2 innings, but the hit drove in the  tying run for Montgomery, who went on the beat the Stars, 4-3 in 10 innings.  It was the 5th blown save of the season for Byrd..............In Nashville, Jesus Sanchez (4-0, 1.02) threw 2 scoreless innings of relief, and was awarded the win when the Sounds scored in the bottom of the 10th to take a 3-2 win from Tacoma.  In 63 innings this year combining AA and AAA, Sanchez is 7-2, with a 1.43 ERA and 11 saves.........In San Jose, Travis Mattair (.269)  had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs for Bakersfield, as the Blaze shut out the Giants, 4-0.  "Moose" now has 76 RBI for Bakersfield..........


In a note I missed Monday, the Corpus Christi Hooks have placed Josh Zeid on the 7-day DL.

major league notes

Thursday in Milwaukee, Ryan Howard (.230) had 3 hits and drove in a run for the Phillies, but Philadelphia lost to the Brewers, 7-4.  Domonic Brown (.255) added a hit, aw alk, and a run scored for the Phils..........In Toronto, the White Sox topped the Blue Jays, 7-2.  Anthony Gose came into the game as a pinch runner, and promptly stole his 8th base to put the tying run in scoring position.  The Jays could not cash him in, and the Sox broke open the game with 4 late runs............In Cincinnati, the Mets got the best of the Reds, 8-4.  Alfredo Simon (2.20) faced 5 hitters and retired 4 of them, 2 with strike outs..........In Atlanta, the Braves used 2 home run from Chipper Jones to defeat San Diego, 6-0.  Michael Bourn (.290) was 1 for 5 and scored a run for the Braves.

Ruf homers for 5th straight game!

In Reading, Darin Ruf hit his Eastern League leading 29th home run, and has now gone deep in 5 consecutive games, in the Phillies 6-5 loss to Trenton.  Ruf (.313) has homered 11 times in the last 13 games, an amazing number, and now has a HomeSide leading 83 RBI.  If he keeps this up much longer, he will make a run at Ryan Howard's team record 37, set in 2004.   With the loss, Reading (66-57) falls 1 game behind New Britain in the race for the last playoff spot.


In Buffalo, Jonathan Pettibone improved to 3-0 since his promotion, pitching 7 solid innings for the Pigs in their 4-1 win over the Bisons.  "Bone" allowed just 1 run, scattering 7 hits and a walk, and picked up 2 hits, including a double and an RBI, himself!!  Sebastian Valle (.235) had 3 hits for Lehigh Valley, who trail Pawtucket by 2 games for the lone wild card spot in the league.

In Tampa, Chris Duffy had 3 hits, and Anthony Hewitt, Peter Lavin, and Albert Cartwright drove in 2 runs each for the Threshers, as Clearwater pounded the Yankees, 9-0.  Mario Hollands went 6 shut out innings for Clearwater, while Tim Kennelly, Juan Sosa, and Kenny Giles all tossed scoreless relief.




In Charlotte, Greg Golson (.274) hit his 5th home run of the year for the Knights in their 5-3 win over Louisville..........In Frisco, Josh Outman (1-5)  threw 7.1 innings for the Tulsa Drillers in their 4-2 loss to the RoughRiders.  Outman allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7 for the Drillers.

Floyd tops Jays for 9th win

Wednesday in Toronto, Gavin Floyd threw 6 innings for the White Sox, allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 8 hits and NO walks, striking out 8 Blue Jays to record his 9th win of the year in Chicago's 9-5 triumph.  Anthony Gose was 1 for 4 and stole his 7th base for the Jays.

The win by Floyd was #51 for HomeSiders this year.


In Miami, the Marlins finally scored some run off the Phillies, taking a 9-2 win.  Domonic Brown (.255) was 0 for 4, and BJ Rosenberg faced 3 hitters, walking 1 and allowing 2 hits, and all 3 of them scored.............In Minnesota, Quintin Berry (.274) was back in the Tigers lineup, with a hit, a walk, and his 16th stolen base in Detroit's 5-1 win over the Twins..........In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.291) was 1 for 5 with an RBI (his 51st) for the Braves in their 6-1 win over San Diego.

KK sharp as Phils win again

In Miami, Kyle Kendrick followed up Cole Hamels' effort with 7 shut out innings of his own, and the Phillies used a home run by Jimmy Rollins to top the Marlins, 1-0.  Kendrick (5-9) allowed just 5 hits, NO walks, striking out 5 as the Phillies once again looked like the team  we have been seeing for the last few years.

The win for Kendrick was the 50th this season for HomeSiders.

In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.292) had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and stole his league leading 31st base of the year for the Braves in a 6-0 win over San Diego.......In Chicago, the Astros pounded the Cubs, 10-1.  Lendy Castillo made his first appearance since May 12, and showed the rust.  Lendy gave up 5 runs, 3 of them earned, on 5 hits and 2 walks in just .2 innings of work for the Cubs, and  Adrian Cardenas had another pinch hitting at bat,  and grounded out in the 8th inning......In Minnesota, Quintin Berry, who has only been in the starting line up once in the last 10 games, had a pinch hit sacrifice bunt in the 8th inning and then grounded out in the 9th in the Tigers' 8-4 win over the Twins..........In Anaheim, Jason Donald (.225) had 2 more hits and scored a run for the Indians, who lost to the Angels, 9-6.

Apparently the Diamondbacks cannot make up their minds with Mike Zagurski, who was recalled again yesterday, and is back with the big team.


Another day, another dinger!!  Darin Ruf smashed his 28th home run, one of his 3 hits on the night, in Reading's 7-2 win over Trenton.  Ruf (.311)  has hit 3 in the last 2 days, and 8 in the last 10 games, while running his RBI total up to 81.  Cody Asche (.270 since moving up from Clearwater) also had 3 hits for the R-Phils, who have moved to within 4 games of first first place Trenton.  Adam Morgan (6-10, 3.11) won his 2nd straight start since his promotion..........In Tampa, Austin Wright (10-4, 3.09) threw 6 shut out innings for the Threshers in their 4-0 win over the Yankees.  Hector Neris and Colton Murray completed the shut out, and Harold Martinez had 2 hits for the offense............In Tucson, Jesus Merchan (.404) had a double and a triple, knocking in 2 runs and scoring 2 more for the Padres in their 12-7 loss to Iowa.............In Lancaster, Domingo Santana (.291) was 3 for 3, including a double and a walk, and scored a run for the JetHawks, but the Mavericks won the game with 4 in the 9th,  8-4.

Cloyd's 15th tops in minors

In Allentown Tyler Cloyd won his 12th game for the IronPigs, and his minor league leading 15th overall in Lehigh Valley's 5-3 win over Rochester.  Cloyd (12-1, 2.23) went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks and is a sure bet for a September call up, if not sooner.  Jake Diekman and Justin De Fratus each threw a scoreless inning of relief, and struck out 2 apiece.  Pete Orr had 4 hits, including a home run, stole 2 bases, and scored 2 runs for Lehigh Valley, and Sebastian Valle added a single, a double, and an RBI for the Pigs. The victory allows the IronPigs to keep pace with Pawtucket and Scranton, and at 66-58, Lehigh Valley trails the Red Sox by 1.5 games in the wild card race.

In Reading, Darin Ruf is on a home run tear.  Ruf belted 2 more long balls to give him 27 this year in the R-Phils' 8-4 win over first place Trenton.  In the last 9 games, Darin is hitting .417 (15 for 36) with 7 home runs and 10 RBI.  He has now driven in 79 runs for Reading this year.  Jiwan James and Cody Asche collected 3 hits each for Reading, who draw even with New Brtain for the final playoff position.

In Augusta, the BlueClaws rallied for 2 in the top of the 8th inning to tie their game with the Green Jackets, only to have the home team score 3 in the bottom half for a 7-4 win.  Miguel Alvarez (.276) had 3 hits for Lakewood, with Alejandro Villalobos, Maikel Franco and Trey Ford all chipping in with 2 hits each.  The loss drops the Claws 2 games out of first place with 19 games remaining.


In Las Vegas, Tuffy Gosewisch had a single, a double, and a triple, scored 2 runs and drove in another one for the 51s, as Vegas pounded Iowa, 14-7.  Tuffy is hitting .400 (12 for 30) in 8 games since being traded.............In Tulsa, Matt Rizzotti (.330) smacked a pinch hit single in the 9th inning to drive in the winning run for Midland, in the Rock Hounds' 5-4 win over the Drillers.

Cole as cool as ever

In Miami Monday night, Cole Hamels threw his second consecutive complete game shut out, this time scattering 7 hits and a walk in a 4-0 win over the Marlins.  Cole (13-6, 2.91)  struck out 5, and has now pitched 22 straight shut out frames, allowing just 2 extra base hits during the stretch.  It is the right time of the season to get hot, and this streak will put him in the conversation for the Cy Young award.  I love the competitive fire this guy has, always wanting to win every game and competing with everything he has every time out.  On offense, Domonic Brown (.279) had 2 hits and  a walk, and scored a run for the Phillies.

Hamels' masterpiece is win #49 for HomeSiders in the major leagues this year.

In Toronto, the Blue Jays walked off in the 11th inning with a 3-2 win over Chicago.  Anthony Gose (.188 since his call up) was hit by a pitch and scored the first run in the opening inning, and then later reached base on a fielder's choice and stole 2nd base (his 5th major league steal), before being thrown out attempting to steal the next time after a walk.  On the replay, I thought he was safe the second time also, getting his hand on second base before the tag..............In Atlanta, Michael Bourn (.290) had a hit and scored the lone run for the Braves in a 4-1 loss to the Padres..................In Anaheim, the rebounding Indians beat the Angels, 6-2.  Jason Donald had 2 hits and an RBI, and Lou Marson picked up a hit, and 2  walks, knocking in a run and scoring another one for the Tribe.  The Indians' long losing streak has them buried in the division, but they are playing better lately, winning 4 of the last 6.

Finally, Mike Zagurski has been outrighted to AAA-Reno by the Diamondbacks.

Ryno goes deep; Happ tops Yanks

I am running out the door this morning, so as quickly as I can-

In Philadelphia, Ryan Howard (.230 and rising) had an RBI single and his 7th home run of the year in the Phillies wild 8-7 extra inning win over the Cardinals.  Vance Worley allowed 4 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks over 5.1 innings of work, and got no decision.

In Toronto, Jay Happ got his first win for the Blue Jays and his 8th overall in Toronto's 10-7 win over New York.  Happ was very good for 5 innings before tiring in the 6th.  He allowed 4 runs (3 in the 6th) on 6 hits, NO walks, with 4 Ks.  Anthony Gose walked and scored a run for the Jays.

The win was #48 for the HomeSide this year.

In Cleveland, the Red Sox poured it on the Indians, 14-1.  Jason Donald and Lou Marson had a hit apiece for the Tribe, with Donald scoring the lone run for Cleveland.............In Chicago, the Cubs were shut out by the Reds, 4-0.  Adrian Cardenas had a pinch hit single in the 6th inning for the Cubbies.............In New York, Michael Bourn (.291)  had a double, stole his 30th base, and added a bases loaded walk in the Braves 9th inning rally, which came up 1 short in Atlanta's 6-5 loss to the Mets.  Bourn leads the National League in hits, 3-hit games, and runs scored and is tied for the stolen base lead.


In New Britain, Darin Ruf hit his 25th home run of the year, and his 7th in the last 10 games for Reading, as the R-Phils salvaged the finale of their series with the Rock Cats, 8-3.  D'Arby Myers (.290) had 2 more hits and scored a run for Reading.  Trevor May picked up his 9th win with 6 innings of work (2 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 Ks), and Mike Cisco (1.21) notched his 2nd save for Reading and his 3rd overall.

In Clearwater, Chris Duffy had his first 2-hit game since his promotion, and Jesse Biddle recorded his 8th win with 6 solid innings and the Threshers beat Lakeland, 4-3.  Tim Kennelly pitched a scoreless frame and Kenny Giles got his first Clearwater save.


In Nashville, Jesus Sanchez gave up a run on 1 hit and 1 walk in 2 inning of work, blowing a save for the Sounds.  It was the second outing in a row Sanchez allowed an earned run, his AAA ERA rising to 1.15.

In Las Vegas, Tuffy Gosewisch (.360 since trade) was 1 for 4 with an RBI for the 51s in their 10-8 loss to Iowa in the first game of a doubleheader.  Bobby Korecky (3.47) threw 2 shut out innings of relief (1 hit, 1 walk) for Vegas.

In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton hit 2 home runs ( #16 & 17), and knocked in 4 runs (72) to help pace the Hooks to a 20-9 win over Springfield.

Claws win to stay in race

In Lakewood, Brock Stassi (.239) had 3 hits and a walk, knocked in a run and scored 2 more to lead the BlueClaws to an 8-5 win over Kannapolis.  Gabriel Lino belted a double and his first BlueClaw home run, as 6 different Claws drove in runs in a very good team batting effort.  Moises Rivas started and pitched well once he got himself out of the 1st inning, where he allowed 3 runs.  He did not complete 5 innings, however, and the victory went to Luis Paulino (5-2) out of the pen.  Bill Rice (.327) had 3 more hits for the Intimidators.  With each of the teams in front of them also winning, the standings did not change and the Claws remain 1 game out of first place, in a 4-team race with 21 games left.

The Threshers did Lakewood 1 better, with 7 different Clearwater players driving in runs in a 7-4 win over Lakeland.  Albert Cartwright (.254), Zack Collier (.275), Anthony Hewitt (.247) and Edgar Duran (.258) all had 2 hit, with Duran and Harold Martinez going deep.  Perci Garner (5-8) was the winning pitcher, with Colton Murray (3rd hold) and Mike Nesseth (6th save) throwing scoreless relief.

In New Britain, the Rock Cats made it 2 in a row over Reading with a 10-6 win.  Darin Ruf (.309) hit his 24th home run, and his 6th in the last 9 games, and D'Arby Myers (.281) had a hit and a walk, and is 10 for 28 (a .357 clip) with hits in 7 of the last 8 games played.  Brody Colvin struggled with his control, walking 7 and allowing 8 runs on 4 hits in just 2.2 innings.  The Phillies (63-56)  now trail New Britain by 1.5 games for the last playoff spot.

In Allentown, the IronPigs were held to just 3 hit, 1 a double by pinch hitter Steve Susdorf (.284) in a 6-0 white washing by Syracuse. Derrick Mitchell was activated before the game and played for the first time since June 3.  Justin De Fratus gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in his inning, but Jake Diekman (0.92) was solid, throwing a scoreless 9th (1 walk, 2 Ks).  Lehigh Valley (65-57) now trails Pawtucket by 1.5 games in the race for the wild card.



In Charlotte, Greg Golson's 7th inning double drove in the winning run for the Knights in their 2-1 win over Norfolk.  Golson (.277) also threw out a runner at home to help preserve the win..........In Adelanto, Travis Mattair (.267) had 3 hits, including a double, and scored a run for Bakersfield, but the Blaze dropped a 4-3 decision to the High Desert Mavericks................In Kodak, the Tennessee Smokies beat Huntsville, 2-0.  Brian Schlitter picked up his 4th save for the Smokies (and his 6th this year) with a scoreless 9th inning............In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton (.277) had 2 hits and 3 RBI (68) for the Hooks in their 9-3 win over Springfield.........In Tucson, Jesus Merchan (.408) had 2 more hits for the Padres, but Omaha won the game, 7-2.

The Albuquerque Isotopes have placed Will Savage on the 7-day DL with a lower back strain.

One up and one down

On Saturday, the Cubs activated Lendy Castillo from the DL, and the Diamondbacks designated Mike Zagurski for assignment.  Castillo last pitched for Chicago May 1.

In New York, Michael Bourn (.291) had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and knocked in another one, as the Braves pounded the Mets, 9-3............In Toronto, Anthony Gose (.203) struck out in all 4 of his at bats, having a hard time hitting the curve ball, in the Blue Jays' 5-2 loss to the Yankees.  In a related note, Jays outfielder Jose Bautista, whose injury has given Gose the opportunity, is not healing as well as expected and his return is being pushed back indefinitely.  I would not be surprised if Anthony gets to stay with the big team for the remainder of the season.............In Cleveland, where the Indians were reeling to 11 straight losses, the Tribe has seemed to turn it around. Yesterday they beat Boston, 5-3, for their 3rd win in the last 4 games after the losing streak.  Jason Donald was 1 for 4, and Lou Marson drove in a run for the Indians.............In Philadelphia, Ryan Howard (.216) drove in Domonic Brown (.286) with a run  in the 1st inning, but that was all the Phillies would manage in a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals.  Brian Rosenberg came on with 2 on and nobody out in the 7th, and got David Freese to hit into a double play before hitting Yadier Molina and walking Rafeal Furcal to end his night.

Pettibone sharp in Pigs win

In Allentown, Jonathan Pettibone threw 7 solid innings, (2 hits, 4 walks), and Sebastian Valle hit a home run and drove in 4 runs to lead the IronPigs to a 6-0 win over Syracuse.  Pettibone improve to 2-0 with Lehigh Valley, and 11-7 overall with the win.  Valle has struggled, going 3 for 22 in AAA, but 2 of the 3 hits have been home runs, and he has driven is 8 runs.  Steve Susdorf (.281) had a single and double, scored a run and knocked in his 24th  for the Pigs.  Joe Savery and Tyson Brummett tossed a scoreless inning each in relief.

In New Britain, in a huge series opener between 2 teams fighting for the last playoff spot, the Rock Cats stifled the R-Phils, 5-1.   Julio Rodriguez (6-6, 4.43) was the starter and hard luck loser for reading, tossing 8 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 6 walks (too many).  Tyler Knigge allowed 3 UNearned runs after an error by second baseman Jake Opitz opened the door for a late Cats' rally.   The victory for New Britain moves them back past Reading by a half game in the standings.

The only noteworthy event in the Threshers' 8-3 loss to Lakeland was that Drew Hillman ended up pitching an inning for Clearwater.  He was the only Clearwater hurler not to allow a hit!

In Lakewood, the Kannapolis Intimidators got past the BlueClaws, 4-3 in 10 innings.  Colin Kleven pitched well, going 5 innings and giving up just 2 runs, only 1 earned, on just 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5.  He came out after that, because his inning are piling up this year, and the Claws staff will not push him the rest of the way.  Kelly Dugan (.290) and Alejandro Villalobos had 2 hits each for Lakewood, who did not lose any ground base on other results around the league.  The Claws are still just 1 game off the lead in the division, trailing 3 teams.


In Charlotte, the Norfolk Tides scored 4 runs in the 9th inning, and 5 more in the 12th to steal a 12-7 win from the Knights.  Greg Golson (.277) had 3 hits including a double, scored a run and drove in another for Charlotte..........In Las Vegas, Tuffy Gosewisch (.381 since joining team) had a double in 4 at bats, and threw out a would-be base stealer for the 51s in their 4-3 win over Iowa.............In Tucson, Jesus Merchan (.403) had 3 more hits for the Padres in their 4-3 loss to Omaha.  Merchan has 29 hits in just 24 games for Tucson.............In Kodak, Darren Byrd (3-5, 2.86) allowed a run in his inning to blow a save, but ended up with a win when the Huntsville Stars rallied for a 4-3 win over the Smokies.........In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton (.276) had 2 hits, including his 15th home run, and drove in 2 runs (65) for the Hooks, but the Arkansas Travelers prevailed, 12-6.............In San Jose, Domingo Santana (.286) had a single and a triple and scored 2 runs for Lancaster, as the JetHawks beat the Giants, 7-3.

Gose swipes 2 to celebrate birthday

Friday night in Philadelphia, Roy Halladay was masterful throwing 8 solid innings and yielding just a run on only 2 hits, NO walks, with 8 strike outs in the Phillies 3-1 win over St. Louis.  A double by Ryan Howard followed by a Domonic Brown single gave the Phillies a run in the 2nd inning, and Chase Utley's 2-run 8th inning home run was the difference.  It was Utley's 8th home run  since returning to the line-up.

In Cleveland, Clay Buchholz held the Indians to just 2 hits, both by Asdrubal Cabrera, as the Red Sox edged the Tribe, 3-2.  Jason Donald scored 1 of the 2 runs for Cleveland..............In Toronto, the Yankess pounded the Blue Jays, 10-4.  Anthony Gose (.218) was 1 for 4, and stole 2 bases for the Blue Jays on his 22nd birthday............In Arlington, the Tigers beat the Rangers, 6-2.  Quintin Berry was 0 for 1, coming on late for defense again.  "Q" has started just 1 game in the past week, having his time seriously curtailed since Andy Dirks' return from the DL.  The Tigers remain 1 game back of the White Sox, who walked off against the Athletics on Jordan Danks' first major league home run.  Gavin Floyd started the game for Chicago, going 6 innings and giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, and receiving no decision  in the 4-3 Sox win.

In Phoenix, Mike Zagurski is not having a good time.  "Z-man" threw the 9th inning last night, and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits in the Nationals 10-1 win over the Diamondbacks.  Mike's ERA has ballooned to 6.63 for the year.

Claws win 3rd straight

In Lakewood Thursday night, the BlueClaws bunched their 4 hits into 1 inning, and rode good pitching to a clutch 2-1 win over Kannapolis.  Alejeandro Villalobos drove in both runs with a double, which was good enough to get a win for Gabriel Arias, who threw 6 strong innings.  Arias (4-6) allowed just 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks in his longest outing of the year, and has really looked good since moving into the rotation.  Luis Paulino and Zack Cooper threw scoreless relief.  Bill Rice was 0 for 4 for Kannapolis, but threw out 2 runners on the bases to keep the Lakewood rally to just 2 runs and keep the Intimidators in the game. 

The Claws are now tied with Hagerstown for 3rd place, half game behind rained out Hickory, and 1 game back of first place West Virginia.  Lakewood has 23 games remaining, and none of their opponents have a winning record.  With all the tribulations this team has had, it could steal this race and make the playoffs!

In Allentown, Austin Hyatt made his return to Lehigh Valley and allowed 7 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in the IronPigs'10-1 loss to Buffalo.  The Pigs managed just 4 hits, 3 by Hector Luna.  The game was completed early (just 7 innings) due to rain.  With Pawtucket and Scranton also losing, the standings remain the same.

In Trenton, Adam Morgan, who was leading the Florida State League with 140 strike outs in 123 innings, made his AA debut, throwing 7 1-hit innings against the Thunder in Reading's 4-1 win. He walked 2 and struck out 6 for the R-Phils. Darin Ruf (.310) and Cody Asche (.242 and rising) had 3 hits each to pace the Reading offense.  The victory moves the R-Phils (63-54) past New Britain and into the final playoff position.

Interesting game in Clearwater, where the Yankees pounded the Threshers, 12-0.  Clearwater picked up only 3 hits, 2 of them by Anthony Hewitt.  Mario Hollands started for Clearwater, and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks over 5 innings.  Then Tim Kennelly tossed a scoreless frame.  I hear Kennelly is throwing in the high 90's.  In the 8th inning, Kenny Giles and Colton Murray combined to give up 9 runs on 9 hits. OUCH!!



In Adelanto, Domingo Santana (.286) smacked his 18th home run for Lancaster, but the JetHawks lost to the Mavericks, 7-5...........Down in Kodak, Lendy Castillo, who has been on the DL since May, made a rehab appearance for the Smokies, pitching the first inning of Tennessee's 5-3 win over Huntsville.  Castillo allowed 2 hits and a walk, but no runs.  Brian Schlitter picked up his 3rd save for Tennessee.

Donald homers in return

The first thing I notice this morning is Jason Donald has been recalled again by the Cleveland Indians.  To celebrate, Donald homered in the leading off the bottom of the 1st and the Indians went on to a 5-3 win over Boston. He also walked and scored in the Indian's 3-run 5th, and drove in another run with a ground out in the the 8th.  Lou Marson (.246) also  had a hit and a walk and scored a run for the Tribe.

In Detroit, the Yankees beat the Tigers 4-3.  In the Tigers 3-run 5th inning, Quintin Berry (.276) walked and scored the 3rd run for Detroit on Andy Dirks' double down the line.  Although both Raul Ibanez and Joe Girardi, who was ejected arguing, thought it was a foul ball, I could clearly see the chalk fly up, so there is no doubt it was fair.  Video is available on MLB.com, so you can watch for yourself.

roster moves

Austin Hyatt has been promoted to Lehigh Valley, and he will start tonight in Allentown against  Buffalo.   Juan Morillo has also been promoted to the IronPigs, and Mike Cisco has been returned to Reading. 

 Adam Morgan has been promoted to Reading from Clearwater.

Ruf hits #23; Milner shines for Claws

In Allentown Wednesday, Pete Orr scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the IronPigs a big 5-4 win over Buffalo.  Orr had 3 hits in the game, and Steve Susdorf (.279) added 2 more for Lehigh Valley. Tyler Cloyd was  a little off his game (he was due to have an off night, he hasn't had any that i can think of),  allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks in 6.2 innings.  He did show  some some heart battling into the 7th, I liked that!  He also struck out 8, and his ERA is still an excellent 2.12 for the season.  Jake Diekman retired 2 hitters, but he did allow a base hit which allowed one of Cloyd's runs to score.  Justin De Fratus also recorded 2 outs, stranding his 2 inherited runners. Justin has looked good since returning from the DL.  In 9.1 innings, he has allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits and just 1 walk, striking out 7.  The IronPigs pull to within 1.5 games of Pawtucket in the race for the final playoff spot in the IL.


In Trenton, Darin Ruf (.306) had 3 more hits, including his 23rd home run, and the Reading Phillies took it to the first place Trenton Thunder, 7-2.  Brandon Tripp (.262, 3 RBI) and Leandro Castro (.292, 2 RBI) also homered and D'Arby Myers had 2 more hits and scored a run for the R-Phils.   Playing regularly for the first time since I've known him, Myers is hitting .295 and,  dare I say, opening some eyes around the organization.  Keep it up, D'Arby!!..........  Ethan Martin pitched very well for Reading,  just 1 earned run on 5 hits in 6.1 innings of work.  Kyle Simon and Tyler Knigge pitched scoreless relief.

In Clearwater, the Tampa Yankees scored a run in the top of the 9th off  Mike Nesseth to take a 4-3 win from the Threshers.  Zack Collier (.277) had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Cameron Rupp (.257) added a single, a double and a walk.  Austin Wright (3.23) pitched the first 7 innings, and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits.  All 3 of the runs scored ion the 1st inning.

In Lakewood, superb pitching from Hoby Milner (6.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks), and clutch hitting from Miakel Franco (3 hits, 3 runs scored) and Brian Pointer (3 RBI) led the BlueClaws to a much needed 5-0 win over Kannapolis. The combination of Austin Brough, Chris Nichols and Blake Mascarello threw no-hit relief.  The BlueClaws are currently in 4th place, just 1 game behind  Hagerstown, Hickory and West Virginia. 


In Round Rock, Tuffy Gosewisch (.412 since his trade last week) had a single, a double and a walk, and scored a run for the Las Vegas 51s in their 8-5 win over the Express.  His double in the 2nd inning started a 3-run rally, and his single in the 4th also helped to build a run..................In Springdale, Matt Rizzotti had 2 hits and drove in a run for Midland, but the Rock Hounds lost 5-4 to the Naturals.  Rizzotti is hitting .325 for Midland and after a difficult start to 2012, seems to have settled into a groove.

Phils axe 3

The Phillies have released pitchers Bryan Morgado and Chris Kissock and catcher Kyle LaFrenz, all off Clearwater's roster.

(Thanks, scoop).

Bourn lead Braves to win

In Philadelphia, Michael Bourn (.289) broke out of his recent struggles with a 3-hit game to lead the Braves to a 12-6 win over the Philliles. Bourn had a single, a double, a home run (#9) and a walk, scored twice and drove in 3 runs as the Braves beat the Phillies for the 8th time in the last 9 meetings. Kyle Kendrick allowed 6 runs on 7 hits in just 3.1 innings and could lose his spot in the rotation of the current trend continues.  Antonio Bastardo was the losing pitcher, allowing 3 runs on 2 walks and a hit, recording just 2 outs.  Bastardo is struggling like never before in his major league career, something looks not right with him.  Ryan Howard was 2 for 4, including a 3- run home run  in the bottom of the 5th which tied the game briefly at 5-5.  Domonic Brown was 1 for 4, an RBI double and a run scored for him.  The battered Phillies will get a well needed day off today before entertaining the Cardinals over the weekend.



After losing 11 in a row, the Indians have bounced back, beating the Twins for the second straight day, this time 6-2.   Lou Marson (.244) was 0 for 3 in the game.......Anthony Gose was 0 for 3 for Toronto in their 3-2 loss in St Pete to the Rays.

Yanks beat Reading and Clearwater

In Trenton on Tuesday night, the Thunder beat Trevor May and Reading, 4-3.  May (8-10, 4.94) allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, on 7 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings of work.  Colby Shreve pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief for the R-Phils.  D'Arby Myers had another hit for Reading, and is hitting .289 in 34 games since his overdue  promotion.

In Clearwater, the Tampa Yankees pounded Jesse Biddle and the Threshers in a 9-4 win. Biddle (7-5, 3.47) was knocked a round for 8 runs, 5 of which were earned, on 7 hits and 2 walks in 5.1 innings.  Drew Naylor made his 2012 debut with 2 scoreless inning of relief for Clearwater, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 4.  Anthony Hewitt (.244) had 2 hits, including his 13th home run for the Threshers. 



In Bakersfield, Travis Mattair (.269) had 3 hits, including a triple, and a 2-run double in the 9th inning, but the Blaze lost to Visalia, 10-6.  "Moose" now has 70 RBI...........In Indianapolis, Greg Golson (.277) had a single, a triple, a walk, scored 2 runs and drove in 3 more to lead a 14-hit attack for the  Charlotte Knights in their 12-2 win over the Indians.  Greg is 7 for 25 in 6 games since coming off the DL.............In  Durham, Jason Donald had 3 hits, including the game winning hit in the top of the 10th inning, to give the Columbus Clippers a 2-1 win over the Bulls.  "JD" had singled and scored the first run for the Clippers in the 1st inning.  Surely the Cleveland Indians, losers of 11 straight at this time, can find a spot for Donald in their line-up!!  Come on, Tribe, call him back up!!.........In Gwinnett, Yohan Flande picked up his 6th win for the Braves, with 5 innings of work against Norfolk.  Flande (6-8, 4.02) allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in Gwinnett's 6-4 victory........In Round Rock, Tuffy Gosewisch had a hit, and a walk, and scored a run for Las Vegas, who dropped a 5-4 decision to the Express.  Tuffy is 5 for 13 (.385) since being traded last week............In Sacramento, Jesus Sanchez allowed the first earned run since his promotion to Nashville, blowing a save, but picked up his 3rd win when the Sounds rallied in the 9th for a 5-4 win.  His AAA ERA went up to 0.66!........In Erie, Kevin Howard (.285) hit his 5th home run for New Hampshire, and the Fisher Cats beat the Sea Wolves, 6-4.

Hamels end Braves domination

Cole Hamels (12-6) ended the Braves 7-game winning streak against the Phillies Tuesday night with a complete game, 5-hit shut out in Philadelphia's 3-0 win over Atlanta.  Cole struck out 5 and walked nobody in his 111 pitch effort. The Phillies scored all their runs in the 1st inning, on an RBI double by Domonic Brown and a 2-run home run by Ryan Howard, his 5th.  Brown also picked up an assist, throwing out Brian McCann at by playing a ball perfectly off the wall and making a fine throw to second base.  Michael Bourn (.286) was 1 for 4, a bunt single, for the Braves.

In Pittsburgh, the Diamondbacks defeated the Pirates, 10-4.  Mike Zagurski retired the only hitter he faced for Arizona........For the 3rd day in a row, Quintin Berry (.282) came off the bench late for the Tigers in their 6-5 win over New York........In San Diego, Adrian Cardenas made a pinch hitter appearance for the Cubs, and popped out in the Padres' 7-4 win over Chicago.

The win for Hamels is #47 for the HomeSide in the majors this year.