Lehigh Valley had a very good week, going 5-2, and are now 20-18, 2 games behind division leading Buffalo in the Northern DIvision of the International League. The ‘Pigs remain home through Friday with three more against Scranton before heading to Buffalo for a four game series.
‘Pigs League Leaders: Maikel Franco is 4th in AB’s (141) and 8th in doubles (10); Tyler Hensen is 9th in runs(23), 9th in SLG (.500) and 4th in SB’s (10)
Pitching: Luis Garcia is 5th in saves (6); Barry Enright is 5th in HR allowed (6).
‘Pigs Prospects:Jon Pettibone has been solid but has been unable to go more than 5.1 innings in any start but one this year. In 5 starts, Pettibone is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA and a WHIP that sits at 1.06. Opponents are hitting just .224 against him and he is walking just 2.1 per nine innings. Overall excellent results but needs to stretch himself out a bit more after missing some time in SPring Training.
Tyson Gillies has been playing relatively well since his suspension, hitting .267 over his last 10 games. For Lehigh Valley, Gillies sits at .222/.305/.306 in 72AB’s with 1HR 5RBI and 3SB; A 30% strikeout rate is going to have to drastically improve, as will his work with RISP (.211).
Justin DeFratus has been outstanding over his last several appearances, having not allowed an earned run over his last 5 games, spanning six innings, striking out 5 and allowing just 2 hits. In his last 10 appearances, dating back to April 19th, DeFratus is sitting with an ERA of 1.64 in 11 innings and opponents are hitting just .216 against him over that time period. I wouldnt be at all surprised to see DeFratus back in Philly in the short term.
Phillippe Aumont continues his Jekyl and Hyde routine with one good week followed by an atrocious week. In his last 3 games, Aumont has allowed 6 earned runs in 3 innings of work, walking six. Prior to that, he went 5 games without allowing an earned run. The overall body of work isnt pretty, allowing over a walk per inning and a 5.52ERA on the year. He remains difficult to hit with an opponents average of .235 but hitting him is often unnecessary between the walks and wild pitches allowing runners to advance.
Next Week: Giles, Franco, Buchanan, Rosin
News and Notes: Tyler Henson has stolen bases in six consecutive games.
–SP David Buchanan was scratched from his start on May 8th with inflammation in his non thrwoing shoulder, however did make his start last evening (5IP, 2ER)
–OF Steve Susdorf has multi hit games in 3 of his last 4 games and is batting .382(26-68) in his last 24 games after starting the year 2-27.
–Tyler Henson continues to be very hot with the bat, hitting .322 (32-99) with 10 doubles over his last 29 games.
–Over his last 5 starts, pitcher Sean O’Sullivan has an ERA of 2.81.
–RP Cesar Jiminez has been throwing very well, and is unscored upon is his last 8 outings, yielding just 3 hits and two walks while striking out 7. HIS WHIP on the year sits below 1, with an ERA of 2.18.
Transactions: Relief pitchers Kyle Simon and Kenny Giles joined the ‘Pigs from Reading, while Freddy Galvis joined the team from Philly. INF Reid Brignac was called up to Philly to replace Galvis on the Phillies roster. Additionally, RP Luis Garcia was called up to Philadelphia after Shawn Camp’s release.
Probables: Wednesday: Smith; Thur: Enright; Fri: O’Sullivan; Sat: Pettibone; Sunday: Buchanan
Phuture Phillies 
Not sure what to make of Pettibone.
Is he on a pitch count due to his shoulder ailment in ST?
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He went on the DL today
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Thanks for the post. It would be nice to see De Fratus, Martin, and Giles transition into permanent bullpen roles with the big club over the next couple months, probably replacing Garcia, Manship, and Hollands, unless someone else goes down to injury in the meantime.
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Hollands has been fine I think. Garcia deserves a chance from how great he was in AAA…in all seriousness I’m just about done with Bastardo. Get him outta here. Manship is bad too.
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Buchanan 5-0 wow Martin looking great so far. Help is coming
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I would like to know what was wrong with de fratus, I just cant believe how bad he was pitching for us,
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He couldn’t throw strikes and his mechanics were screwed up. However, it looks like he’s now fixed his problems and I expect him to replace Manship shortly.
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Murry how does a big league pitcher, with a pitching coach. get his mechanics screwed up and not fixed, I just dont get it, where was the video of what he was doing wrong and how to fix it.??
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They sent him down to AAA to figure it out, where he has studied video of the good things he used to do. Many things can mess up mechanics and it can be difficult to get them back on track quickly because of needs in the major leagues. Especially if it is something really off, which it sounds like De Fratus’s were coming into the year.
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The guys with arm injuries are always leery about throwing hard initially and I think the prior injuries played a part in his changing of mechanics, its a natural result of pain. I just hope that getting back to a smoother delivery won’t cause him to get hurt again because he’s looking very good now. Many of us have loved this guy for several years now (me included) and its been shocking to see him have control issues because that was always one of his strengths. Unfortunately, the reality is that these pitchers all have to learn how to pitch with a little discomfort/pain some days. Some do it well and others (Bastardo…) do it very poorly and can only pitch well when they feel perfect, which isn’t often. Pitching mechanics are very unique to every pitcher although there are some obvious things that all must do right. They all go through some slumps where they’re opening up too soon or too late or their foot is landing in the wrong spot, etc. It takes film work and repetition to get it back and that’s what guys are supposed to be working on in AAA that are sent down. It hasn’t gone well for Aumont or for Lincoln (a former 1st round pick) for that matter.
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