Miguel Nunez pitched another gem tonight, and the Threshers lost 3-1. Nunez faced a Daytona line up that featured 3 through 6 hitters – Kyle Schwarber (#4 overall in 2014), Dan Vogelbach, Rock Shoulders, and Bill McKinney (#24 overall in 2013). They are all built like blocks of granite and all bat left-handed. Vogelbach and Shoulders have combined for 27 home runs in the FSL this year. Nunez’ line was – Continue reading Nunez Stifles Cubs, Threshers Lose, Yada Yada, Biddle; August 5, 2014
Daily Archives: August 5, 2014
VSL Phillies Make Playoffs – (update) WIN GAME ONE!
The VSL Phillies finished their season Monday, going 36-32 on the year, to finish two games up on the third place Mariners and into the playoffs against a 45-23 Detroit squad. The two leaders begin their three-game championship series today.
Phillies ace Ranger Suarez pitched Saturday, which I believed would have lined him up to pitch a decisive game three Thursday, but he’s been taking five or six days rest all year, so maybe not. The schedule for the five team VSL is such that teams have an off day at least every five days, so to get a five man rotation going, you’re going to see that extra rest for everyone.
In reality, it may not be a necessity for Suarez to throw Wednesday, if it gets that far, even though the team will have been without an off-day since Friday. Short rest for the first time all year in the last game of the year is probably not wise, and the club used Carlos Salazar as a starter Monday, I believe in an attempt to clear three of their regular starters in order, Victor Delgado, Luis Carrasco and Carlos Indriago to work the series. Delgado will likely start today on six days rest, and Indraigo would be out of turn but on five days rest tomorrow, so if they wanted to squeeze him up, they could, as Carrasco had the weakest season of the three. That might leave room to use Suarez on four days rest for the rubber match, if they really wanted to. Still not sure that’s wise. Maybe using him out of the pen today or tomorrow would be smarter.
In terms of stalwarts at the plate and in the field, the Phils have five guys who played pretty much every day, 19 yr-old 1B Joseph Miranda, 16 yr-old CF Jesus Alastre, 19 yr-old SS Jose Antequera, 16 yr-old LF Luis Mendoza and 21-yr-old 2B/3B Alexander Perdomo. The younger two you might consider prospects, while the rest are a bit old for the league (or way old, in Perdomo’s case). Miranda is the slugger, having led the team with 5HR (tied for 3rd in the league). Alastre got on base at a .409 clip, (league leader) and had 13 steals (tied for eighth), and Mendoza had a very nice year for a guy who won’t turn 17 until Thursday. Perhaps he can celebrate a championship and a birthday on the same day.
Keep an eye out in the box score recap tomorrow for an update on game one, and we’ll go from there.
**UPDATE** – Victor Delgado and closer Alejandro Garcia shut out Detroit. Phillies lead series 1-0. Delgado allowed three hits over eight innings. Mendoza and Alastre each pushed runs across, and 17 yr-old 2B Daniel Romero had two hits and scored twice. Game two tomorrow could be the clincher.
Box Score Recap – 8/4/2014
Maikel Franco was 2-4 with a double, and MAG and Luis Garcia worked scoreless innings in relief of a nice start from Greg (not Matt) Smith. Kelly Dugan was 2-3 plus a walk and Zach Collier had two hits, including his sixth home run – that makes four in three days for the Reading centerfielder. It was perfectly reasonable to waive him earlier in the year to make room on the 40-man roster, but I don’t think the club will totally give up on him when he does things like hit four homers in three days. He’s been off the field so much this year, yet he has managed to marginally improve his overall offensive game while repeating AA. Still striking out too much (>25%), and unless he’s really going to hit homers in bunches, that’s not a great profile going forward. Someone close to the club should let him know to keep hitting homers. Thanks.
Nic Hanson was not terribly sharp in his first FSL start of the year, while JP Crawford was 2-3 plus a walk. Roman Quinn was 2-5 with a double and a steal, his 23rd in 30 attempts and has a 19-game on base streak going back to the second game of a double header on July 17. Over that 87 PA span he’s got 8 XBH, 11BB, just 13K and 14 steals in 17 tries. His wRC+ is 152 from July 17 thru Sunday – Fangraphs is a day behind still, and it won’t let me set my arbitrary endpoint between the bad and the good games in the 17th. Bummer.
Andy Knapp, Dylan Cozens, Mitch Walding and Malquin Canelo all with XBH for Lakewood, while Green and Greene both had singles and walked twice. LGj has continued to take his walks, hanging around 10% for the season, and his 28% K Rate is a marked improvement over his 35% last year. He is OPSing 1.271 in August, So that’S Something. Jia Tromp hit his 12th home run, and his third in as many days. One shy of tying the team record of 13, held by Zach Green and Walter Young. Brandon Leibrandt pitched really well over five hitless innings, and then it all went wrong in the sixth – he allowed four doubles and a single in the frame and ended with 4ER, 5H, 10k, 1BB in 6IP.
Look for a brief post from me shortly about the VSL club – they made the playoffs, starting today.
Phuture Phillies 