The ‘Pigs are 4-2 on their 8 game home stand that began last Thursday and concludes tomorrow morning against Louisville. After 32 games, Lehigh Valley now stand at 14-17 and are  in 4th place of the Northern Division of the International League, 6.5 games behind division leading Buffalo.  The ‘Pigs conclude their home stand with a Thursday morning contest and then go on an 8 game road trip against Durham and Norfolk.

‘Pigs Leaders:Cesar Hernandez is 6th in AB’s (119); 9th in runs (18); 3rd in hits (41); 1st in triples (4); 7th in SB’s (9) and 7th in avg (.345).

Pitching: Justin DeFratus is 6th in wins(3); Tyler Cloyd is 8th in losses (3),8th in strikeouts (32); and 6th in HR allowed (5); Ethan Martin has the 6th worst ERA (6.35); 6th worst WHIP (1.62) and is 4th in walks allowed (21); Jake Diekman is 6th in games (13) and is 6th in walks allowed (19); BJ Rosenberg is 7th in walks allowed (19) and has the 4th worst WHIP (1.70)

News and Notes:Leandro Castro had back to back walk off hits last Saturday and Sunday against Indianapolis.  Guy is clutch.

—Tyler Cloyd is expected to be called up to take Roy Halladay’s turn in the Phillies rotation on Friday.

–Lehigh Valley had gone 78 consecutive innings without an error before Pete Orr made a miscue on Monday evening.

–In his last 4 outings, pitcher Zach Miner has allowed just 2 ER over 12 innings.

—Tommy Joseph left last Saturday’s game with a mild concussion after taking a foul ball directly off the mask. He is day to day.

—Josh Fields made his first start of the year in the OF on Monday against Louisville.

‘Pigs Prospects:Tommy Joseph has been playing better but not nearly to the level expected before suffering a mild concussion over the weekend.  In the last 10 games Joseph has played he is hitting .259 but has knocked in just 2 runs during that time period (27 AB’s). On the year, Joseph is at .209/.264/.358 with 3 HR and 15 RBI. His defense has improved a bit but still needs a lot of work. 

Cody Asche has been struggling, hitting just .167 in his last 10 games and striking out in 30% of his plate appearances. On the year, Asche continues his adjustment and is at .250/.319/.356 with 1HR and 13 RBI. Asche is hitting .071 against LHP which deserves continued monitoring if there is an expectation that Asche becomes an every day major league third baseman.  In the field, Asche has done a relatively good job. Just 104 AB’s into his AAA career, it’s still very early.

Mike Stutes has really taken it up a notch since we last spoke, with four consecutive scoreless outings, spanning six innings.  During that time he gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out six.  His slider, one of the organizations best was working like it was 2010 and 2011.  Stutes had a very rough beginning this year, and his totals thus far are: 13 games; 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA; 1 save; 17.2IP 14H 8BB 17K; .212 opp. avg. Righties are hitting just .186 against him.  If Stutes can put together a solid May, I would hope that either he or DeFratus replace CHad Durbin as soon as humanly possible.

Adam Morgan has not looked good in his last three starts, after three excellent starts to get the year going.  In his last three outings, Morgan is 0-2 with a 6.89 ERA. He has struggled with his command, which has made Morgan more hittable.  On the year Morgan is 1-2 with a 3.89 ERA is his 6 starts.  He has thrown 34.2 innings, given up 30 hits, walked 11 and struck out 26. Opponents are hitting just .233 against him and lefties are below the Mendoza line. 

Ethan Martin had really been struggling before an impressive start on Monday, during which he yielded just one run on five hits over six innings.  Most importantly for Martin, he walked just one.  In his previous three starts to Monday, Martin had thrown 13 innings and walked 14.  On the year, Martin had made 6 starts and is 2-2 with a 6.35 ERA. He has thrown 28.1 innings and walked 21 batters, among the league leaders.  Opponents are hitting just .235 on Martin but until he shows he can throw strikes consistently, the majors will be a long ways away.

Jake Diekman had been absolutely brutal prior to his last two scoreless outings. Diekman’s biggest issue has been his control, as he has walked 19 in just 14 innings of work.  On the year Diekman has thrown in 13 games and is 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA and 2 saves. Because of the astronomical walk rate, Diekman sits with a WHIP above 2, while opponents are hitting just .229 against him.  Until Diekman gains an idea of where the ball is going on a consistent basis, he will be off the Phils radar screen.

Next Week: Ruf,DeFratus, Hernandez, Cloyd, Castro 

Probables: Wed: Miner or Jiminez; Thur: Cochran; Fri: Morgan; Sat: Martin; Sun: Rosenberg

Transactions: Justin Freind was demoted to Reading last Thursday; SP Tom Cochran was assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading last Thursday; Humberto Quintero was outrighted from Philadelphia to Lehigh Valley last Friday; OF Tyson Gillies was demoted to Reading last Friday; RP Joe Savery was promoted to Philadelphia from Lehigh Valley on Monday. On Tuesday, the Phils signed LHP Bobby Bramhall and assigned him yo Lehigh Valley to take Savery’s roster spot.