The Threshers had a six game week this past week with a day off on Monday; overall they went 3-3 in the week.

They lost the final game of their series against the Vero Beach Devil Rays on Wednesday with Joe Savery taking the loss. After a Tursday night rain out they then split a double header to start a series with the St Lucie Mets. Drew Naylor pitched a complete game in the first game of the double header but took a 3-1 loss while Andrew Carpenter pitched a complete game in the second game by throwing a one-hit shut out in route to a 4-0 Threshers win.

On Saturday night the Threshers picked up another win easily downing the Mets 11-3 behind a three home run & six RBI effort from Clay Harris. Edgar Garcia picked up his third consecutive win in the game moving his record to a team best 8-2 on the year with a 3.97 ERA. After that impressive win the Mets shut the Threshers down on Sunday afternoon winning 5-0. Carlos Monasterios got his first start since April 26th in the game but lasted just 2.2 innings giving up three runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout.

After a day off on Monday the team returned home on Tuesday to begin a three-game set with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. The team got off to a quick start when Michael Taylor got a first inning grand slam to put them quickly on top 4-0. The Flying Tigers would battle back however and tie the game in the eighth inning at 5-5, but in the ninth inning John Urick got a game-winning RBI single to give the Threshers a ninth inning victory.

Who’s Hot

Clay Harris had a solid week boosted by his 3-HR night on Saturday. Overall he was 8-16 at the plate with 7 RBIs and improved his batting average to a team high .344.

Adrian Cardenas kept up his usaul steady pace for the team hitting .333 for the week (.315 overall) with 4 RBIs, 4 runs, 4 stolen bases, and 2 triples.

Quintin Berry hit .364 for the week (.240 overall) with 2 doubles, 2 stolen bases and 3 runs.

Edgar Garcia as mentioned above Edgar picked up his third consecutive win this week, and improved his record to 8-2 with a 3.97 ERA with 70K v 20 BB.

Andrew Carpenter has a 1.27 ERA in his three games since coming off of the DL, and looks like he is ready to head back to Reading soon. He is scheduled to start on Thursday night, so maybe with one more solid start he can get back to where he started the year and stay on track.

Who’s Not Three of the Threshers heavy hitters had down week’s this week, but can hopefully get back on track soon.

Michael Taylor has had trouble getting going in Clearwater hitting just .190 so far. He did however pick up his first home run (a grand slam) and multi-hit game on Tuesday, so hopefully he is poised to make a surge here soon.

Gus Milner hit just .187 on the week (3-16) but he did have 3 stolen bases so a one week slump is nothing to fret over.

Matt Spencer also had a slow week at the plate going just 3-20.

And finally…Drew Naylor is still looking for his first win, but his complete game loss this past Saturday was a step in the right direction. He is scheduled to take the mound tonight, so we will know soon enough if he can get on track.

Odds and Ends

Brett Harker was promoted to Reading this past week.

Carlos Leon made a short return to the Threshers’ lineup after being put on the Iron Pigs DL, but is back on the DL for the Threshers.

Fidel Hernandez has sat out the last few games with a sore arm giving Jesus Villegas a chance at playing short stop for the Threshers for the third time this year from the GCL. Tuesday night in his first game back this time he had two spectacular defensive plays to help the team to the 6-5 win.

Alex Concepcion is back in action after starting the season on the DL, but has so far made just one appearance going just one inning.

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It’s been a couple of weeks since my last full Clearwater report, but not a lot has changed over that time. The first half of the season ended with the Threshers alone in last place with a record of 32-38 13.5 games out of first place, and the second half of the season has begun with the Threshers again in last place with a 1-5 record 4.0 games out of first. Edgar Garcia, Matt German, Brett Harker, and Gus Milner all took part in the FSL all star game for the Threshers at the end of the first half, and each performed well in the game.

The roster has been shaken up a bit lately as the team has lost four players and added four from Lakewood. Zack Segovia was cut by the team, but has since been signed by the Nationals. Sam Walls was promoted to Reading followed by Tyson Brummett a few days later, and I just got a note from Brett Harker a few minutes ago letting me know he was promoted to Reading today.

Meanwhile new players were added to the Threshers roster last Wednesday all moving up from Lakewood. The new faces in Clearwater include Drew Naylor, Michael Taylor, Herman Demmink and Ben Pfinsgraff. So far it has been as rough a start for the new Threshers as it has been for the team coming out of the gate in the second half.

Drew Naylor took a loss in his first outing giving up 7 runs on 7 hits with 3 Ks and 3 walks in the game with the Threshers eventually falling 10-2 in the end. Ben Pfinsgraff had about the same luck in his first outing giving up 4 runs on 7 hits with a strikeout and a walk in 2.2 innings from the pen as the Threshers suffered a 12-6 defeat to the Bluejays. That same 12-6 loss got off to a horrible start when Kris Benson got a rehab start for the Threshers and gave up three home runs and two walks in the first inning, good for a quick 5-0 hole for the Threshers.

Michael Taylor is hitting just .130 (3-23 with one double), a sharp drop from the .361 number he posted while earning all-star honors in Lakewood. While his numbers at the plate have been rough I will admit the kid has a cannon for an arm. He has made a few great plays in the outfield, including one where he threw out a runner at home who had tagged up from third on a fly ball hit to deep left field.

And then there is Herman Demmink. Poor Herman never even had a chance to get going with the Threshers. The utility man had played six different positions at Lakewood, and in his first game at Clearwater he was asked to add a seventh (catcher) to his resume for the season.  After being put in as a late substitution in the Threshers 10-2 loss to the Bluejays he was jammed up by a ball in the dirt and broke his thumb in the first inning he played. He is not yet officially on the DL, but has not even been in the dugout the past few games.

As far as the rest of the team goes, Gus Milner has continued to have a solid season. He leads the Threshers in several offensive categories including runs, hits, triples and home runs, and is second on the team in six other categories. He is in the top ten in the league in runs, hits and triples.

Adrian Cardenas continues to lead the team in batting average at .311 and slugging percent .474 and is in the top ten in the league in triples, average, slugging percent, and OPS.

Quintin Berry has struggled with his batting average at just .232 on the year, but leads the team in walks, and stolen bases, and is second in the league in steals with 23 in 30 attempts.

John Urick is hitting .267 on the year, and though that is not great he is getting hits at the right time and leads the team in RBIs with 44 and in doubles with 18.  In fact a double he hit earlier this week proved to be the difference between a shut out and a perfect game for Jeremy Hellickson of the Devil Rays as he gave up no walks or other hits in a Threshers’one-hit 2-0 loss to the Vero Beach Devil Rays on Sunday afternoon.

Joe Savery took a loss in his last outing on Wednesday giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, but struck out four while walking none in 6.0 innings. In his previous outing he had earned a win going 5.0 innings giving up 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 Ks and 3 walks.

Edgar Garcia has come back nicely since a small injury late in the first half. He picked up pitcher of the game honors at the FSL all-star game and has the Threshers’ only win of the second half. He went 7.0 in the win giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits with 8 strikeouts and just one walk.

Get Daily Threshers recaps at http://clearwaterthreshers.jeffcrupper.com

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I’ll apologize now for being tardy in this report, and apologize ahead of time for my sporadic reports the rest of this year. I mentioned a few weeks back that I had a new job, and it has really limited my web time. I’ve already cut back on my own website and will have to scale back at Phuture Phillies as well. I hope to continue to be able to contribute as much as possible, but unfortunately it will probably not be at the level that it has been for the last couple of years.

Until next time…let’s hope the Threshers can get something going to make writing about them fun again.

—JC

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All-Star Weekend in Brevard County was good for all four of the Threshers stars who played in the game and for the Threshers’ coaching staff who coached the Western Division All-Stars to a 9-3 win over the Eastern All-Star squad. All three of the Threshers’ pitchers held the East squad scoreless in their work on the hill while Gus Milner accounted for two West division runs in the game.
Edgar Garcia – RHP pitched the second inning for the West giving up no hits and striking out one batter. The effort was good enough to earn him the pitcher-of-the-game award for the winning West team.
Brett Harker – RHP threw the sixth inning giving up no runs on two hits with two punch outs, and Matt German – LHP got in 0.2 innings of work with the final out in the seventh inning and the first out of the eighth giving up no runs on two hits with a strikeout. As mentioned “Gus” Milner – OF scored twice in the game going 1-4 plus a walk.

I’ve got a bunch of good photos that I will be uploading over the course of the night on Sunday, so check out the “Photo Gallery” link at my website. As soon as the pictures are prepped and uploaded they will be available there.

The Clearwater Threshers began their last seven games with a rain out at the Tampa Yankees, and then returned home to split a four game series 2-2 against the Eastern Division’s last place team the St. Lucie Mets. They then headed to Palm Beach for a four game series against the Eastern Division’s first place team the Palm Beach Cardinals.

The Threshers dropped the first two games of that series losing by one run in both games. The team has two games remaining at Palm beach before a long weekend for most of the team as the Florida State League will host its all-star game this upcoming Father’s Day weekend. Edgar Garcia, Matt German, Brett Harker, and Gus Milner will all take part in the game. In addition as the defending Western Division champs the Clearwater Threshers coaching staff has the honor of leading the Western Division squad in the game.

Edgar Garcia got his first start after missing a couple of starts with an injury this past Sunday. Unfortunately he was brutalized for six runs on six hits lasting just 1.2 innings in the game. That being said I am not sure whether or not he will be allowed to participate in the all-star game for the Threshers.

With all of the draft excitement this week and the first-half of the Florida State League season about to come to a close I will not go into further detail this week, but will will have a first-half recap for you next Wednesday recapping the first 70 games of the Threshers’ season, and look forward to what we perhaps can expect from the team as they start fresh with an 0-0 record in the second half of the season.

Get Daily Threshers recaps at http://clearwaterthreshers.jeffcrupper.com

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For the first time this season the Clearwater Threshers had a winning record for the week of their report. The team was 4-3 on the week, though they remain at 25-33 on the year and in last place in their division. The good news on the week was the announcement of the F.S.L. All-Star team. Four Threshers were chosen to represent the Western Division at the game this upcoming Father’s Day weekend in Brevard County, FL.

Edgar Garcia, Matt German, Brett Harker, and Gus Milner will all take part in the game. In addition as the defending Western Division champs the Clearwater Threshers coaching staff has the honor of leading the Western Division squad in the game.

As a team the Threshers have been showing significant improvements in the hitting department, especially in the area of extra base hits. The team is now ranked 7th in XBH up from last two weeks ago where they had languished the entire season. The team has the fewest strikeouts in the F.S.L., and the second most walks by any team in the league. They rank fifth in batting average and third in on-base percentage. The pitching has been the inconsistent part of the Threshers puzzle as of late. The starting pitching in particular has been in a constant state of flux for the team not really giving them a chance to get in any rhythmn. Of the original starting five pitchers this season only Joe Savery remains in the current line up, and his struggles have been well documented here and elsewhere.

The other four in our original starting five were Antonio Bastardo (whose fiery start earned him a promotion to AA Reading), Darren Byrd (whose early season struggles sent him to the DL and then to Lakewood), plus Edgar Garcia and Carlos Monasterios who are both out of the rotation with injuries. Zack Segovia and Tyson Brummett were late additions to the Threshers roster who have gotten starts this year, while Dan Brauer and Andrew Cruse have both seen some time starting this year with time also spent in the bullpen, though their success has been sporadic. For the most part the bullpen for the team has been strong with Brett Harker, Brian Schlitter and Sam Walls forming the nucleus of the bullpen staff.

Individual Player reports…
The Pitchers:

Dan Brauer LHP: Dan had just two appearances this past week. Overall he threw 4.1 innings giving up one run one two hits while fanning five but walking seven.

Tyson Brummett RHP: Tyson had two starts in the week earning one loss while going 5.2 and 6.0 innings in those starts. He gave up eleven runs on twenty-one hits, but struck out ten while walking just one.

Andrew Carpenter RHP: Andrew was sent down from Reading this week, but has been placed on the DL and has seen no action for the team.

Reymond Cruz RHP: Reymond was called up from XST about three weeks ago and has appeared sparingly for the team. This week he saw action twice going 2.0 and 1.1 innings with a line of 3R / 7H / 5K / 2BB.

Edgar Garcia RHP: Edgar picked up a nod for the All-Star game this week, but has not appeared for the Threshers since May 25th when he left the game after 3.2 innings of work with an injury. He has not been placed on the official DL, and there has been no real word as to the source of his ailment.

Matt German LHP: Matt joined Edgar and two others in being named to the All-Star squad, and continued his solid work from the pen this last week. He appeared three times for the team giving up two runs on two hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 4.0 innings of work.

Brett Harker RHP: Harker picked up a late but well deserved nod for the All-Star game as well. Brett saw action in three games this week giving up no runs on just one hit in 6.0 innings with four punch outs and one walk. He has not allowed an earned run since May 9th and has only allowed three all year giving him a terrific 0.95 ERA on the year.

Bear Hill RHP: Bear was a late addition to the Threshers after he struggled to get going in Reading at the beginning of the year. He has appeared in nine game for the Threshers including two this past week.

Carlos Monasterios RHP: Carlos was placed on the DL on 5/1 and had not seen action since. Last I heard he had about one week left to go on the DL, so he should be scheduled to return to the lineup shortly before or after the all-star break.

Joe Savery LHP: Joe has struggled with consistency this year looking great in some games and anything but in others. This past week in his one start he was somehere closer to the positive end of the scale, though great would be a stretch. He threw 6.0 innings in the game giving up just two runs on eight hits with three strikeouts, and three walks.

Brian Schlitter RHP: Brian had another solid week for the team and carries a 2.27 ERA so far this year. In his three appearances this week he gave up no hits or runs with five Ks and two BB in 4.0 innings.

Zack Segovia RHP: Zack has been mostly solid as a Thresher this season, but had a rough outing in his one start this past week. He gave up five runs on nine hits in 5.0 innings of work, but did have eight strikeouts versus just two walks in the game.

Sam Walls RHP: Sam has been nearly flawless this season with the team’s best ERA at just 0.88 on the year. He had two appearances this week and has not given up a run in over a month.

The Position Players:

PJ Antoniato INF: PJ has been in a mini slump the past week going just 1-13 in four games dropping his average to .259 from the .300 range where he had been all season long.

Welinson Baez 3B: Welinson has been hit or miss all year, and this week was more hit than miss. He picked up his second and third home runs of the season while going 4-10 in four games.

Quintin Berry CF: “Q” as he is know to his teammates leads the team in stolen bases with 17, and has been caught just three times. He is hitting .244 for the year with a 7-26 (.270) effort this past week, and currently has the most walks on the team with 27 for an OBP of .333.

Adrian Cardenas 2B: “AC” continues to lead the team with batting average of .320 for the season. Had it not been for the fact that he missed a month of the season on the DL he would have certainly been selected to the all-star team. By his standards he had an off week this past seven days hitting just .250 with one home run, one triple and two doubles.

Tuffy Gosewisch C: Tuffy started five of seven on the week and had a solid week at the plate as well as behind it. He hit 7-20 on the week with two doubles.

Clay Harris INF/DH: Clay has split time with John Urick at first base this season, and has seen some time at third base and as the DH. He is hitting .300 in his 22 games after starting the year on the DL. For the week he went 5-14 with a home run, two doubles, and four rbis.

Fidel Hernandez SS: Fidel’s hitting has been weak most of this season, but lately he has been on fire. He currently has a nine-game hitting streak going, and for the week was 12-27 (.445).

Jay Miller OF: Jay has been a solid contributor for the team all season, but as the fourth outfielder has seen limited playing time. He has taken advantage of the time he has gotten and is hitting .297 on the year with a team high .407 OBP.

Gus Milner RF: Gus was the lone Threshers position player selected to the all-star game. He leads the team in runs triples and total bases and has committed just one error this season. For the week he was his usual steady self getting hits in six of the seven games going 8-28 (.286).

Alan Robbins C: Alan had a rough week. He was 0-7 at the plate in two games as the catcher.

Matt Spencer LF: Matt had been in a small slump to start the week going hitless in the first three games, but ended the week by picking up six hits in the last four games including a triple and two doubles.

John Urick 1B: “Johnny U” has been a very solid citizen for the team this year. He leads the team in RBIs, and doubles and is tied for first in home runs. For the week he was 5-19 with four of the five hits going for extra bases including a triple and three doubles.

Get Daily Threshers recaps at http://clearwaterthreshers.jeffcrupper.com

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