The Clearwater Threshers (42-42) beat Charlotte, 8-3.  Ramon Rosso (0.82) battled thru five innings.  He gave up 2 runs (1 ER) on 3 hits and four walks.  He struck out three.  Jake (Jakob with a “K”) Hernandez (2.96) struck out four in two, one-run innings.  Kyle Dohy (2.00) earned his second save in two, perfect innings, striking out three.  

The Threshers hung in against a tough pitcher.  They finally knocked Blake Bivens out of the game with a 3-run fifth.  They started their scoring with a game-tying run in the third inning on Henri Lartigue’s two-out, RBI single.  They pushed ahead with 3 runs in the fifth on Lartigue’s RBI single, and Mickey Moniak’s 2-run HR (2).  They tacked on 2 runs in the sixth on Jose Gomez’ RBI triple and Arquimedes Gamboa’s sac fly; and another two runs in the eighth on Adam Haseley’s two-out, RBI triple and Lartigue’s RBI double.

Lartigue (.288) went 4-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI.

Haseley (.301) went 3-5 with a triple and RBI.

Moniak (.239) went 1-4 with a HR (2), 2 RBI, and a walk.

Rosso struggled with location,  He consistently missed with his FB up and his off speed pitches away.  He walked a career-high tying high 4 batters, threw 45% first pitch strikes (10/22), and just 54.8% strikes (46/84).  He ran five, 3-ball counts and labored thru a 31-pitch first inning in which he gave up just one unearned run.

Although his end result was good, his FB quickly deteriorated as the game progressed.  His FB velocity ran 87-93 mph in the first inning and decreased until it was 87-89 in the fifth.  For the game it sat firmly 87-89 mph (43 pitches).  He topped 89 mph 13 times, and touched 93 mph once, in  the first inning.  In the third thru fifth innings he exceeded 89 mph twice at 90 mph in the fourth.

I picked up the “Jakob with a K” nickname from the radio announcer, Kirsten Kerbach. She announces each of his strike outs with, “That’s Jakob with a K”.  For those of you who don’t get the double entendre, Hernandez spells his name with a K, Jakob.  Get it?

GCP Phillies East (9-5) no game scheduled.

GCL Phillies West (9-6) no game scheduled.

Lehigh Valley (53-36) beat Rochester, 7-6 in ten innings.  Tom Eshelman pitched into the seventh inning.  He had given up 5 runs on 10 hits.  He walked none and struck out four. Perdo Beato (5-2, 3.74) picked up the win, pitching two innings during “extra time”.

The PIronPigs walked off in the tenth on a 2-run single by Joey Meneses.  They had tied the game on a 2-run single by Danny Espinosa with two out in the ninth.  The IronPigs had started their scoring with Miych Walding’s 2-run HR (10) in the first.

Reading (41-47) lost to New Hampshire, 14-2.  Franklyn Kilome tossed another dud. Although all four runs he allowed were unearned, he had trouble with the strike zone, walking three and throwing just 54 strikes in 95 pitches (56.8%).  The bullpen was called upon and was equally ineffective, allowing 10 runs on 6 hits and 6 walks.

Solo HRs by Malquin Canelo (7) and Zach Green (17) provided the Phils scoring for the day. They were i the game (5-2) until the eighth when a 9-run inning buried them.

Cornelius Randolph (.217) went 1-3 with a walk.

Lakewood (51-35) beat Kannapolis, 4-3.  Lakewood rallied to beat the Intimidators.  David Parkinson pitched six innings, allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, walked none, and 8 strike outs. Julian Garcia (3-2, 3.82) earned the win with a scoreless 1.2 innings.  Zach Warren (2.56) picked up his sixth save.

The Phillies rallied from a 3-1 deficit with 2 runs in the seventh on RBI singles bt Jose Antequera and Josh Stephen; and a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Jhailyn Ortiz.

Nick Maton (.260), Jose Antequera (.340), and Josh Stephen (.238) had 2-hit games.

Williamsport (9-13) beat Mahoning Valley, 8-4.  Jack Perkins (3.60) and James McArthur (3.60) each tossed three, one-run innings with McArthur (1-0) earning his first win.  Jose Escorcia (4.97) picked up his first save with three, 2-run innings.

Ben Aklinski’s RBI single provided a fifth inning run.  Trailing 2-1, the Cutters took the lead with 3 runs in the seventh on Aklinski’s 3-run HR.  They tacked on 4 important insurance runs in the eighth on Rafael Marchan’s RBI single, a ground out, and Alec Bohm’s 2-run single.  These extra runs helped the Crosscutters withstand a daily bullpen meltdown.

Alec Bohm (.204) went 2-3 with 2 RBI and 2 walks.

Ben Pelletier (second base) and Ben Aklinski each had an outfield assist.

DSL Phillies Red (9-22) no game scheduled.

DSL Phillies White (16-14) no game scheduled.

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.