GCL Phillies (26-13) beat the GCL Yankees1 9-7 in a very exciting ten inning game.  The game featured six comebacks and six lead changes.  The Yankees took the lead in three different innings, and the Phillies came back to tie or go ahead in the bottom halves of all three innings.  The last rally occured after the Phillies blew a 2-run lead in the top of the ninth.  They came back to tie and threatened to win in regulation before Tommy Joseph’s two-run bomb settled the issue for good in the tenth inning. Continue reading Box Score Recap – 8/10/2015 →

Clearwater (63-51) dropped the rubber game of their series with the Tampa Yankees 7-6.  David Whitehead (7-10, 4.48) was spotted an early 4-0 lead but was unable to maintain it.  He pitches four innings and allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks.  He struck out four. Continue reading Box Score Recap – 8/9/2015 →

Clearwater (63-50) split a pair with the Tampa Yankees, losing 5-3 and winning 1-0.

Game One. Yacksel Rios (2.59) started in place of Brandon Leibrandt who went on the DL on August 6th. Rios pitched well the first time through the line up, allowing only a bloop double in the first three innings. The offense had forged a 3-0 lead when Rios took the mound to start the fourth inning. With one out, Tampa made hard contact on three successive batters to plate two runs. Rios settled down picking off a runner after a lead off walk in the fifth and inducing a pop up before racking up his third and final strike out.

Coach Legg sent Rios back out for the sixth, and he got an easy come backer for the first out. But after a sharp single to center, Rios was lifted in favor of Ethan Stewart who walked the left-handed batter he was brought in to face on 5 pitches. Legg pulled Stewart in favor of Ulises Joaquin to pick up the five-out save.  Unfortunately, 3 singles later the Yankees led 5-3. Joaquin allowed 2 inherited runners to score.

The Threshers built their lead with 2 runs in the second. Rhys Hoskins reached on an error and scored on on Dylan Cozens double to right. Willians Astudillo sacrificed him over to third, and Aaron Brown brought him home with a sacrifice fly. They tacked on a third run in the fourth. Hoskins lined a one-out single to center. After Cozens walked, Astudillo singled to load the bases. Hoskins scored on Brown’s walk. Mitch Walding and Derek Campbell struck out to end the opportunity.

Rios’ line – 5.1 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Joaquin’s line 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.

Rhys Hoskins (.310) went 2-3 with 2 runs scored. Dylan Cozens (.278) went 1-2 with a double, walk, and RBI. Willians Astudillo (.317) went 2-2. Aaron Brown (.245) went 1-1 with 2 RBI and a walk.

Game Two. Recently returned Mark Leiter (4-1, 1.81) started the second game and picked up where he left off before his promotion to Reading. He threw six innings of four-hit ball. He walked three, struck out four, and picked off a base runner. Miguel Nunez (3.30) picked up his third save with a perfect ninth.

Hoskins and Cozens supplied Leiter and Nunez with the only run they would need in the fourth. Hoskins doubled to left and scored on Cozens’ single to center. In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees’ Dustin Fowler led off with a triple to center. After a fly out to shallow center, Leiter semi-intentionally walked the next batter to set up a 3-6-3 double play to strand the runner. For those of you in the Philadelphia area, a 3-6-3 double play is a double play started by the first baseman when he fields a batted ball and throws accurately to the shortstop at second before returning to the first base bag to receive the throw from the shortstop to complete the double play. You might not have seen the home team pull that off in over a decade. (tic)

Leiter’s line – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Nunez’ line – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.

The Threshers managed only 5 hits. Hoskins (.311) went 1-3 with a double and run scored. Cozens (.279) went 1-3 with an RBI. Brown (.246) went 1-3 with a double. Mitch Walding went 1-3. Jessie Valentin went 1-2 with a HBP.

Lehigh Valley (52-63) beat the Columbus Clippers 12-0.  Alec Asher (1-0, 2.77) threw seven shutout innings.  He allowed 3 hits and walked two.  Asher benefitted from a 15-hit attack that generated two, five-run innings.  The IronPigs also worked 9 walks.  Every player in the line up got at least one hit.

Tyler Henson hit his second HR and drove in 4 runs.  Brian Bogusevic had a double, 2 RBI, and 3 walks.  Aaron Altherr (.289) went 1-6 with an RBI.  Kelly Dugan (.242) went 2-6 with a double.  Chris McGuinness and Logan Moore each drove in 2 runs.

Reading (63-50) walked off again agaimst the New Britain Rock Cats 9-6 when they scored 5 runs in the bottom of the ninth.  Zach Eflin (3.67) gave up 7 hits and 4 runs in three innings.  Ethan Martin (5.08) gave up a single run on 2 hits and 2 walks.  Edubray Ramos (1.74) pitched a one-hit eighth.  Reinier Roibal (3-1, 2.06) gave up an unearned run in the ninth, but got the win as the beneficiary of the outburst in the bottom of the inning.

Nick Williams (.435) went 3-5.  J.P. Crawford (.251) went 0-4 with a walk.  Cam Perkins (.264) went 1-4 with a double and RBI (49).  Brock Stassi (.312) went 4-5 with 3 runs scored, a HR (11), and 3 RBI (74).  Andrew Knapp (.392) went 3-5 with a HR (5) and 3 RBI (39).  Destin Hood (.306) went 2-4 with an RBI (37).  The Phils drew 9 walks after waiting out 8 free passes the night before.  Williams threw out a runner at the plate.

Lakewood (57-53) won in a walkoff, beating the Hickory Crawdads 4-1 in 18 innings on Cord Sandberg’s third home run of the season.  Will Morris (2.01) went eight innings.  He gave up the Crawdads’ only run on 4 hits and a walk.  Joey Denato (1.49) , Manny Martinez (2.93) , Scott Harris (4.68) , and John Zgardwoski (2-1, 3.60) combined to two-hit Hickory for ten innings.  They allowed 3 walks and struck out seven. Jay-Zee got the win.

The BlueClaws pounded out 14 hits, but they came over 18 innings, so that’s like two seven-hit games.  Herlis Rodriguez (.299) went 2-6 with an RBI.  Scott Kingery (.248) went 2-8 with a double.  Kyle Martin (.298) went 2-6 with a triple and 2 walks.  Damek Tomscha (.268) went 3-7 with 3 K.  Cord Sandberg (.258) went 1-8 with the game winning, walkoff HR (3), and 3 RBI.  Martin stole his first base.  Denato picked off a runner.

Williamsport (30-18) lost tothe Auburn Doubledays 8-7.  Luke Leftwich gave up 4 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings.  Luis Morales gave up a run on 3 hits in 2 innings.  After the Cutters fought back to tie, Skylar Hunter (2-2, 5.14) gave up 3 runs on 4 hits in the seventh inning.  Denton Keys struck out the side in the eighth.  The Cutters rallied again in the top of the ninth but fell one run short.

Zachary Coppola (.304) went 1-5.  Venn Biter went 1-3 with a triple, walk, and 2 RBI.  Jan Hernandez (.212) went 2-4 with a HR (7) and 2 RBI.  Dylan Bosheers went 3-4.  Mark Laird, Josh Tobias, and Jose Pujols were not in the line up.  Eight Cutters were selected for the All Star game (listed below).

GCL Phillies (26-13) beat the GCL Blue Jays 4-2.  Lewis Alezones (0.90) threw four, no-hit innings.  He walked three and struck out four.  Nick Fanti (2.57) retired five consecutive Jays before being relieved after a single and a walk.  Zach Morris (4-1, 3.14) came in and wild pitched the 2 inherited runners into scoring position, walked the batter, and gave up a two-run single allowing the 2 inherited runners to score.  Of course, he got the win.  He did strike out three of the four outs he recorded.  Gandy Stubblefield recorded one out and had two runners on base when the game was called due to rain.  He picked up his 6th save.

Tommy Joseph started at first and went 1-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.  Jose Antequera (.292) went 1-2 with 3 runs scored, and 2 walks.  Cornelius Randolph (.270) went 1-3 with a walk.  Luis Encarnacion (.262) went 1-3 with 2 RBI.  Lucas Williams (.308) 0-3 with a walk.

DSL Phillies (33-27) beat the DSL Astros Blue 5-3 in 12 innings.  Jan Guerrero hit his 2hd HR.  Ronaldo Marrero went 4-5 with 2 doubles.  Anderson Nunez (0.29)picked up his 2nd win with 4.1, no-hit innings.  Steiner Carmona (1.69) picked up his 5th save.

VSL Phillies (30-40) Cancelled, rain.

Here’s the affiliated scoreboard from MiLB.

Extra Innings –

• RHP Mark Leiter assigned to Clearwater Threshers from Reading Fightin Phils.
• OF Zachary Coppola assigned to NYP South All-Stars.
• RHP Mitch Gueller assigned to NYP South All-Stars.
• RHP Alejandro Arteaga assigned to NYP South All-Stars.
• RHP Robert Tasin assigned to NYP South All-Stars.
• DH Mark Laird assigned to NYP South All-Stars.
• 1B Brendon Hayden assigned to NYP South All-Stars.
• C Austin Bossart assigned to NYP South All-Stars.
• 2B Josh Tobias assigned to NYP South All-Stars.

Lehigh Valley (51-63) lost to the Columbus Clippers 4-2.  Jesse Biddle (2-2, 4.88) gave up all 4 Clippers’ runs in five innings.  He gave up 9 hits but only walked one and struck out five. Colton Murray and Nefi Ogando one-hit the Clippers over the final three innings.

The IronPigs managed 5 hits all night.  Brian Bogusevic got their last hit, a double, with 2 out in the eighth.  Former major leaguer,Carlos Marmol, came in and struck out Altherr, Dugan, McGuinness, and Moore for the final 4 outs to end the game. Continue reading Box Score Recap – 8/7/2015 →

Clearwater (62-49) won a pitchers’ duel against the Lakeland Flying Tigers 4-0.  Matt Imhof made due with the one run he was provided in the fourth inning until he turned the game over to Jessen Therrien for two innings.  When Ulises Joaquin took over in the ninth, the Threshers had broken the game open with a 3-run eighth.  The win, coupled with Daytona’s loss, pushed Clearwater back into first place in the second half.  Continue reading Box Score Recap – 8/6/2015 →

Clearwater (61-48) bounced back with a 7-0 shutout of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.  Ricardo Pinto (5-2, 2.96) pitched extremely well.  He used a low 90s fastball to set up his offspeed pitches as he went 6.0 innings and scattered 5 hits.  He walked none and struck out six.  He induced a lot of weak contact.  Alberto Tirado made his Clearwater debut and pitched 2 innings.  He has a mid 90s fastball, touching 96.  He gave up a bloop hit on a well located pitch and an excuse me swing to his first batter.  He survived his first night jitters walking 2 and striking out three.  Miguel Nunez pitched a strong ninth.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 8/5/2015 →

Clearwater (60-48) was shutout 8-0 by Lakeland Flying Tigers on 2 hits. The loss was their 4th in a row, and they have now dropped out of first place for the first time this half. They are curently a half game behind the Daytona Tortugas, 2 games in the loss column.

Brandon Leibrandt (7-3, 3.11) threw 87 pitches, 50 strikes. He lasted only 4.1 innings. He was charged with 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks (a career high). He struck out two.  Leibrandt throws a fastball, change, slider, and curve. His FB was 86-87, T88. Continue reading Box Score Recap – 8/4/2015 →