Box Score Recap – 8/31/2017

Box Score Recap

Here is the box score recap.

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.

Lehigh Valley beat Syracuse, 5-1.  Tom Eshelman (10-3, 2.23) gave up an unearned run on 5 hits in seven innings.  He walked none and struck out three.  Casey Fien (5.06) and Pat Venditte (3.42) completed the shutout.  Logan Moore (.240) had 3 hits including a 3-run HR (6).  J.P. Crawford had 2 hits, a double, and 2 RBI.  Eshelman (.368) had a hit in 2 at bats, a run scored, and a sacrifice.

 

Reading lost to New Hampshire, 8-6.  Franklyn Kilome (1-3, 3.64) had a rough 3.2 innings.  He gave up 7 runs (5 ER) on 7 hits and 4 walks.  He struck out one.  Tom Windle (4.32) stranded two inherited runners and allowed just one hit in 2.1 innings.  Shane Watson (4.10) gave up a run in two innings before Victor Arano retired the side in the ninth.

Odubel Herrera made a rehab start and went 2-2 with 2 runs scored, a HR, 2 RBI, and a walk.  Jiandido Tromp (.289) had a 3-run HR and 4 total RBI (62).  Zack Coppola (.261) had 3 hits, 2 runs scored, and 2 doubles.  Zach Green and Christian Marrero had 2 hits each.

Clearwater lost to Dunedin, 5-3, and was eliminated from playoff contention.  Edgar Garcia  (4.47) held the Blue Jays to 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in five innings.  He struck out four.  J.D. Hammer (0.57) struck out five in two innings.  Trevor Bettencourt (1.64) loaded the bases after giving up a go-ahead, HR but struck out the side and avoided further damage. Seth McGarry (1-4, 2.36) gave up a 2-run HR in the ninth to absorb the loss.  

The Threshers took a 2-0 lead in the first with 4 consecutive two-out singles by Cornelius Randolph, Darick Hall, Wilson Garcia, and Austin Bossart with the Garcia and Bossart driving in runs.  They tied the score in the bottom of the eighth on Garcia’s RBI single.

Threshers’ pitching kept Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero in check for eight innings – a combined 0-7 with 3 K for Bichette and a BB for Guerrero.  Bichette tripled with one out in the ninth and Guerrero homered with two out to seal the Threshers’ fate.

Garcia threw his FB 91-95 and sat 92-94 MPH.  It’s interesting to see how his velocity range dropped from inning to inning –

  1. 93-95
  2. 92-94
  3. 92-94, t 95
  4. 91-93, t 94
  5. 91-93

Hammer threw his FB 94-96 and touched 97 at least 3 times.

Mark Laird left the game a couple innings after a collision with the wall that led to an inside the park HR for Dunedin.

Lakewood beat West Virginia, 3-2.  Mauricio Llovera (2-4, 3.35) pitched into the sixth inning.  He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk in 5.1 innings.  He struck out four.  Casey Brown (2.95) allowed one of two inherited runners to score.  He pitched 2.1 innings and gave up 2 hits.  Will Hibbs (1.87) gave up 2 hits in 1.1 innings but got his 19th save.

The BlueClaws scored 2 runs in the second inning on Luke Williams RBI double and a throwing error when he stole his 28th base.  They  scored one run in the third on Mickey Moniak’s sacrifice fly.  Daniel Brito had a 2-hit game.

Williamsport beat Batavia, 2-1.

The GCL Phillies lost an important game to the GCL Yankees, 8-6.  The Phillies rushed to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and added a run in the third.  But, the deflated Yankees rallied for 6 runs in the bottom of the third off Ethan Lindow (4.55) and 2 runs in the fourth of Oscar Marcelino (4-2, 2.33).  Both pitching staffs kept the bats silent the rest of the way.

Mark Appel pitched a rehab inning and looked a little high with most of his offerings. Miguel Nunez  pitched the next inning and looked a little sharper.

In the five run first, Keudy Bocio led off with a walk and stole second.  He scored the game’s first run on Dalton Guthrie’s RBI single.  After Jack Zoellner walked, Lenin Rodriguez and Edwin Rodriguez hit RBI singles.  Danny Mayer closed out the inning with a 2-run double. The Phillies added their sixth run in the third on Jesus Henriquez’ SF.

With the loss, the Phillies dropped to second in the league.  They need to maintain a top two winning percentage to guarantee a home game in the first round.

  • Nationals        34-20     .630     2 games remaining
  • Phillies             35-21     .625     2 games remaining
  • Twins                34-22     .607     3 games remaining
  • Yankees E.      32-26     .552     2 games remaining

The best record hosts the worst record among the division winners in a one-game playoff. The second best record hosts the third best record.

The winners meet in a best-of-three.   The team with the better record chooses whether it wants to host game one or games two and three.  (Last year, the Phillies chose to start on the road and host games two and three  They lost in three games.)

Transactions:

  • 8/31 – Phillies claimed RHP Juan Nicasio off waivers from Pittsburgh Pirates
  • 8/31 – Phillies designated 1B Brock Stassi for assignment
  • 8/31 – Phillies placed RHP Jerad Eickhoff on the 10-Day DL. Nerve irritation in hand
  • 8/31 – Phillies sent CF Odubel Herrera on a rehab assignment to Reading
  • 8/31 – Phillies sent OF Aaron Altherr on a rehab assignment to Reading
  • 8/31 – Lehigh Valley sent RHP Mark Appel on a rehab assignment to GCL Phillies
  • 8/31 – Reading sent RHP Miguel Nunez on a rehab assignment to GCL Phillies
  • 8/30 – Phillies recalled RHP Ricardo Pinto from Lehigh Valley IronPigs
  • 8/29 – 1B Darick Hall assigned to Clearwater from Lakewood
  • 8/29 – Clearwater placed RF Jose Pujols on the temporarily inactive list
  • 8/29 – Luis Carrasco assigned to Lakewood from Williamsport
  • 8/27 – Phillies optioned RHP Drew Anderson to Lehigh Valley
  • 8/27 – Phillies recalled Nick Pivetta from Lehigh Valley
  • The organization’s rosters are up to date.
  • The organization’s injury list is as up to date as I can make it.
  • The organization’s Rule 5 eligibility list is as accurate as I can make it based on the information I was able to find.

37 thoughts on “Box Score Recap – 8/31/2017”

  2. Garcia’s velocity drop profiles as a future reliever. Hopefully we can put together a few productive power arms for the future bullpen with guys like Hammer, Arano, Garcia etc. though for some reason we have a hard time translating these guys to productive relievers in philly ( aka another McClure failure)
    would love to see Eshelman get a start or 2 in philly just to see how his stuff would hold up against major leaguers but understand there are 40 man roster issues

    1. Or, maybe it profiles a young kid (20), who will add strength to his frame (says 6’1 180lbs) to maintain his velocity. I think it is MUCH too early to profile him as a reliever.

      1. Hopefully. clearly has more value as a starter and I agree its too early to know for sure. Plenty of time to let him find a nitch. I’m happy if any of these guys become productive parts of a future pitching staff especially in an era where bullpens are so valuable

    2. Have to give credit where credit is due however…. McClure should get some for the reliever progression of Morgan, Milner and Luis Garcia?

      1. Not a fan of McClure’s work overall and with Ramos, Pinto etc but I accept the premise that he has to get credit for the improvement in Morgan etc if he gets the blame for the others.
        Does anyone know how Garcia’s secondary pitches are evolving? He was supposed to have a swing and miss slider

        1. Garcia’s 4 Ks came on his slider, 3 swinging, and 15 of his 18 swings and misses came on his off speed pitches, mostly sliders.

          He struck out Bichette to start the game on 3 pitches – FB (95), FB (93), SL (87). He got Bichette in his second at bat to swing and miss at 2 sliders at 86 before hitting a ball back to the mound. And he struck him out in his third at bat swinging at successive sliders – 83, 84, 85.

          In Cavan Bigio’s second at bat, he took a 94 mph FB for a ball then missed successive sliders at 88, 88, 84.

      2. Agree 100% Romus. Pitching coaches are like coaches in other sports (Football, Basketball, etc.) gets all the blame when teams lose, but never credit when teams win. When players fail at MLB level it is usually the player who has to take ownership of that.

        1. True but they have a job only 32 people on this entire planet have and thousands aspire to have. Its their job to make players better, even in a small way. ( I understand you cant turn a mediocre prospect into tom seaver). If they cant make pitchers better ( and we have a number of pitchers who stalled once they got in McClure’s hands), its time to move to a different option.

          sorry, I’m new to this board, not sure if this should be in open discussion section

          1. No, you’re right about this. One of the points I’ve made continuously over the last year or so is that I think the era of gaining significant incremental advantages over your opponents through statistical analyses is probably drawing close to an end (not saying you don’t need these tools – you do – it’s just that I think the other teams will have those tools too). One of the next horizons, I believe, is elite coaching and motivational tools. In such an era, the value of the good old boy coach is going to be exposed. So many of these guys just get passed around from team to team and many, like McClure, are probably okay, but there’s likely a big difference between those guys and the elite coaches (guys like Ray Searage or Dave Duncan). I made this point in reference to base running coaches and how Davy Lopes (by far the best base running coach I’ve ever seen) was probably worth millions (yes, millions!!!) just by himself and how the base running performance of the current team is entirely unacceptable and reflects poorly on the team’s major and minor league coaching staffs.

            1. I agree. When I look at the importance of guys like Vazquez, Pivetta, Kilone, Sanchez etc to our rebuild, I’m only partially kidding when I say that they would have had a bigger impact by taking the 17 million they gave hellickson and 13 million they gave buckholz and spent that on luring Ray Searage and the top hitting and baserunning coaches available like a large market financial giant should be doing

            3. Me too I mean your banking your future on young pitchers . You should have the best possible pitching coach yr in and yr out. Davey Lopes made a Hugh difference in the running game etc . Bring in a top 5 pitching coach .

    1. Whenever I read about Eshelman, all I can think about is Tyler Cloyd and how he dominated at AAA and couldn’t get hitters out in MLB

      1. No, trust me, this guy is better. He might end up being quite a good MLB starter, but it might take a little while he figures out how to get out MLB hitters.

  4. Heard El Torito and AA are up to LHV today, and Fein is dropped

    Why isn’t Alfaro getting more ABs ?? He’s earning it, is Pete just being stubborn???

    1. I agree especially since Alfaro is out of options and has to be on major league roster next year. Its important to know his role, backup or starter

    2. Maybe they’re ​trying to play Rupp hoping he’ll​ perform. To show other teams what they have/don’t have in him. So they could possibly trade him or something. Just a thought. I don’t know lol

  5. I agree! He needs to get to have a chance until he shows he is in over his head. He has had success all year. His command is terrific, and we have seen how important that is. His velocity will never be great but he deserves the shot. And, Romus, didn’t all 3 benefit from their time in AAA? They were up, did not do very well, and went back down, before coming back and having success. I am not trying to avoid praising McClure, but rather praising the LHV Pitching Coach.

    1. matt13…that is true.
      They did the shuttle from LHV to Philly, along with Pinto, Thompson and Ed. Ramos.
      And Dave Lundquist could get some credit there.
      But my point is coaches do not always have the great impact a player’s performance that one would think at that level..
      For example, Ray Searage is considered a guru of pitching coaches…..well the Pirates staff ranks 13th in the NL in hits allowed, 7th in the NL in ERA, 13th in total Saves, and 11th in strikeouts…..almost all other categories in the middle of the pack in the NL. But that is not fair saying his teaching and coaching skills have eroded…..so many other obvious factors, ie injuries, inexperienced rookie pitchers et al, play a role in those results.

  6. I am certain that there is much communication among pitching coaches, both through the minor league coordinator and individuals. They are all in this together.

  7. Eshelman was the 46th pick in the draft in 2015, the fourth pick in the second round (two spots in front of Scott Kingery). I think he’s a much better prospect than 18th-round pick Tyler Cloyd ever was. Note: when Cloyd was 23 (Eshelman’s current age), he was pitching in Clearwater, not Lehigh Valley.

    Eshelman projects as a back-of-the-rotation guy (#5 or #4). Cloyd never projected as that.

    Little bit of trivia: both Jimmy Rollins and Scott Rolen were the 46th pick in the year they were drafted.

  8. Whoever brought up Davey Lopes earlier was completely correct. He was an excellent base running coach, and the Phils have not been the same since RAJ let him leave over a couple of hundred thousand dollars. The team base running is a weakness and for a team that wants to be fundamentally good, it needs to be a plus.

    1. I doubt the data exists (and there are probably too many variables) but I wonder how many games the big club has lost (or runs not scored) due to base running blunders.

      Sorry…this idle thought should probably be in the general discussion. Next time!

      1. It does exist!!! Fangraphs shows how many runs the team has gained or lost against an average team. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2017&month=0&season1=2017&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=17,d

        The Phillies are 28th – 11 runs below average so I was wrong – they’ve lost just 2+ games against average due to running (not 4), but they still stink and if you got them 1 game above average – the value of that would be around $18 million.

        1. Surprisingly how far down the list the Astros and Cubs are……but they have high ISO guys so base stealing and taking the extra base is not as critical for them.
          I believe once Kingery comes in and leads-off, that 28th ranking should head northward. Add to that a possibly healthy Quinn next season and that should be added value.

            1. Well a testament to Davey Lopes’ value was that In each of his three seasons with the Phillies, the team led the majors in stolen base percentage, including the best in MLB history in 2007 – 87.9% (138-for-157)….and they finished second or third in total steals each of those seasons.
              He was successful with the Padres, Dodgers and currently the Nats….but not to that extent as he was with the Phillies. That high SB percentage may have been helped by Chase’s abilities to rarely ever get caught, and then of course the skills of Rollins and Lopes’ tutelage with Vic.

    2. I did and it’s glaring and ridiculous. Mickey Morandini obviously has no idea or no effect on these players. This is the worst base running team I’ve ever watched and it’s not close. Much of this isn’t about speed, it’s about coaching and fundamentals. This team loses 4 extra games a year compared to an average base running team. Make Davy Lopes the base running coach and I guarantte it goes to AT LEAST 1-2 wins above average. Do you know how much a win is worth in the MLB? Try around $6 million. So, when I say that Davy Lopes’ guidance is worth millions it is LITERALLY true. So, when I hear about how smart Klentak and MacPhail are, I keep thinking – well they apparently haven’t figured out what 53 year old casual fan can figure out by looking at his computer and sifting through stats on Fangraphs. So either they ain’t that smart or they don’t have the guts that are necessary to take on the old boy way of thinking and change things.

      1. Cameron Rupp getting picked off second base last night is just another scene in the lowlight reel of bad baserunning which I do attribute in small part to coaching. The other part is a player’s ability to retain learning. If Cameron Rupp doesn’t know by now after some 800 professional games how to take a lead at second with his speed, no one is capable of teaching him that. Cameron Rupp simply cannot say he was unaware of the proper way to establish a lead from second base based on the circumstances and the fielder’s positioning. Oduble simply cannot say no one has ever told him to look at what the baserunner in front of you is doing before you tag up. He’s heard it. He just isn’t retaining it. While I have my concerns about the Phillies coaching, some of it is just attributable to the quality of players on the field.

    3. Matt, Lopes disagreement was with Charlie Manuel not RAJ. Stop giving Charlie a free pass with his decisions as manager.

      1. Please elaborate. I recall the issue being money. Lopes wanted a bigger raise than the front office was willing to pay.

        And this seems to support my recollection –
        http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2010/11/01/davey-lopes-leaves-phillies-after-failed-contract-negotiations/

        Quote from article –
        “We just had a difference of opinion on what I felt my worth was. That’s all. It was a really tough decision because I loved my time in Philadelphia, I loved working for Charlie Manuel, and I have the utmost respect for everyone in that organization. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed my time in Philadelphia. I am really going to miss the atmosphere and the passion.

        Believe me, I wasn’t looking to break the bank. I just think sometimes you get pigeonholed as a first-base coach, and I think I had a lot more responsibility than that. I guess you could say it’s a principle type thing. But I move on without hard feelings. I mean that. My time in Philadelphia was great.”

        1. Yes you remember correctly – over a pissing match on probably a hundred K the team lost millions of dollars of performance on the field. The genius of Ruben Amaro at work!

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