So, I’m walking toward the backstop on Ashburn Field and I’m overtaken by Sixto Sanchez. I say, “Hi, Cito!” and he says “How’re you doing, man.” and chucks me on the shoulder. Day made.  I’m very aware of Sanchez’ presence at the Complex.  I watch when he is around to see if I can pick up on anything.  Well today, after talking with his friends among the GCL players, he disappears.  As usual.  I go about watching the game and anything that might be peripherally interesting.  I tweet out things of note.  (I’ll get to those later.)  When what do I see coming out of Spectrum Field.  Sixto Sanchez.  And it looks like he is carrying something.  A glove?  A glove!  A baseball glove! And he’s not carrying it.  He’s wearing it! On his left hand!  And what’s that in his right hand?  A ball.  A baseball!  He veers toward Schmidt Field.  I watch him like a cat.  He veers around the fence into the bullpen area between the fields.  I get ready to change positions.  He continues to the dugout and chats with somebody irrelevant.  Not me.  Not Ray Burris.  He restarts his journey and exits the dugout through the gate.   He has to pass me to get to the club house.  As he approaches, Isay”Great to see a glove and ball in your hands.”  Sixto smiles and says”Yeah, mah” as he chucks me on the shoulder with his glove.  I’m barely audible as I ask, “Wanna have a catch?”  This should have been my lead as I’m sure he didn’t hear me.  He stops to talk to his buddies again as I try to determine where he’s likely to throw.  He’s wearing athletic shoes (sneakers) so the mounds are eliminated.  I suspect that, if he does throw, it’ll be on the back of Roberts Field.  But, it starts raining and the game is halted for about 20 minutes.  Sixto peeks out of the club house once but never comes out again.  I make several sortees to the other side of the Complex building to see if there is anything to see. Nada.  Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

In other news, I tweeted out the following – 

• Kyle Young pitched an 8-pitch rehab inning.  He threw 4 FB, 2 SL, a CB, and a CH.  I tweeted velo on his FB but it seems silly for just 4 pitches.  He induced a BGB to Garcia at short, got a K on a slider, and a GB to first base unassisted.
• Young competed his work in the bullpen while Victor Vargas took over.
• Kyle Kendrick was at the Complex.  He lives in the Clearwater area and is going to be joining the staff.  I think he will be working with Ray Burris and rehabbing pitchers.
• For those wondering about Cole Stobbe, I saw him come out of the clubhouse to talk with Ray Burris and a couple pitchers behind the backstop on Schmidt Field.  For those not familiar with the layout, this is an area behind the fence that separates the players paths from the bleachers for Schmidt and Ashburn.

The Clearwater Threshers (69-56) lost to Dunedin, 5-1.  Ramon Rosso got two outs in the first inning then got lit up like a pin ball machine. He gave up 4 runs before he could get the third out.  He gave up another run in the fourth inning and exited with two runners on base.  Alberto Tirado stranded both runners and pitched two additional scoreless innings. Grant Dyer and J.D. Hammer completed the mop up.  

The Threshers offense couldn’t get untracked.  They got runners on base and into scoring position in the first three innings, but came up empty.  Although they drew six walks, they only managed 5 hits.  Henri Lartigue had the team’s only RBI.  Pedro Florimon made a rehab start at SS and went 1-3 with a walk and 2 strike outs.

• #1 Sixto Sanchez (4-3, 2.51) – placed on the 7-day DL in June, 2018
• #3 Adonis Medina (9-3, 4.39)
• #6 Mickey Moniak (.263) went 1-4
• #12 Daniel Brito (.250) went 1-2 with a double and 2 BB
• #11 Arquimedes Gamboa (.213) DNP
• #17 Jose Gomez (.218) went 0-4 with 2 K
• #20 David Parkinson (2-0, 1.00)

GCP Phillies East (29-22) swept the Braves, 1-0 in ten innings and 2-0.  

Game One:  J.D. Hammer and Jose Taveras each tossed a no-hit rehab inning and Domonic Pipkin followed with two no-hit innings before the game was suspended. When the game resumed today, Mark Potter threw three one-hit innings.  And, Eric White completed the combined shutout with three more scoreless innings, including the shootout in the tenth.

The Braves held up their end of the pitchers’ duel as the teams went into extra innings in a scoreless tie.  After the Braves couldn’t score under the new OT rules, the Phillies wasted no time pushing across the runner from second with a sacrifice and Julio Francisco’s walk off, RBI single.  James Smith had 2 hits.

• #25 Dominic Pipkin (1-2, 2.38) – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Game Two:  The Phillies won on Mitchell Edwards 2-run HR in the seventh inning thus avoiding another extra inning game.  Not sure about the pitching.  Carlos Francisco and Anton Kuznetsov are listed as having pitched four and three innings with Anton getting the win.  AK was placed on the 60-day DL on July 21st, so this can’t be correct. My source tells me that Tyler McKay pitched in the second game.  James Smith had another two-hit game.

• #25 Dominic Pipkin (1-2, 2.38) – DNP

GCL Phillies West (28-23) lost to the Tigers East, 3-2.  Kyle Young pitched an 8-pitch rehab inning.  Victor Vargas took over and gave up 2 runs in five innings.  Adam Cox gave up a run that proved to be the margin of victory for the Tigers.  Tom Sutera pitched a clean inning. The Phillies mounted little offense until Stoney O’Brien’s 2-run HR in the ninth.  Logan O’Hoppe had 2 hits including a double.

• #14 Luis Garcia (.363) went 1-3 with a BB, K

Lehigh Valley (76-51) beat Syracuse, 4-2 in ten innings.  Drew Anderson gave up 2 runs in six innings.  Mark Leiter pitched two scoreless and Tyler Gilber tossed one for the win. Pedro Beato earned his 31st save.  Dean Anna had 2 hits.  Mitch Walding had 2 hits and 2 walks.  Danny Ortiz hit a 2-run HR (13).  Andrew Knapp plated the go ahead run in the tenth with an RBI single.  Zack Green forced home another when he was hit by a pitch.

• #8 Ranger Suarez (2-0, 3.19)
• #9 Enyel De Los Santos (10-4, 2.56)
• #10 Cole Irvin (12-4, 2.71)
• #15 Roman Quinn (.296) – recalled by Phillies on 7/27/2018
• #16 Dylan Cozens (.238) entered as a defensive replacement
• #21 Drew Anderson (8-4, 3.75) – 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
• #28 Tom Eshelman (2-12, 5.61)

Reading (60-65) cancelled, rain.

• #4 Adam Haseley (.309)
• #5 JoJo Romero (7-6, 3.80) – placed on the 7-day DL on 7/20/18
• #22 Kyle Dohy (1-3, 5.71) –
• #23 Cornelius Randolph (.238)
• #24 Connor Seabold (1-3, 4.48) –

Lakewood (78-48)  lost to Lexington, 2-1. Damon Jones gave up a run on 3 hits in five innings.  He walked none and struck out five.  Luis Ramirez gave up a run in two innings on 2 hits and 3 walks.  Luis Carrasco struck out 3 in two innings.  Jose Antequera had 2 of the BlueClaws 6 hits, both doubles, and their only RBI.

• #7 Jhailyn Ortiz (.224) went 0-4
• #12 Daniel Brito (.252) promoted to Clearwater, August 3rd.
• #18 Kyle Young (3-3, 2.98) – placed on the 7-day DL on 7/15/18
• #19 Spencer Howard (8-8, 3.92) – DNP
• #20 David Parkinson (8-1, 1.51) – promoted to Clearwater on 8/2/18
• #30 Nick Maton (.264) DNP

Williamsport (26-36) beat State College, 8-1.  Francisco Morales had a fine outing, pitching six innings and holding the Spikes to one run on 3 hits and 2 walks.  He struck out eleven.  Randy Alvzntara earned the three inning save, his fourth.  Ben Pelletier had 2 hits, a double, a 2-run HR (8), and 3 RBI.  Seth Lancaster had a triple and 3 RBI.  Rafael Marchan had 3 hits and an RBI.  Keudy Bocio had 2 hits and an RBI.  Alec Bohm had 2 hits and a walk.

• #2 Alec Bohm (.203) went 2-3 with a run scored, BB
• #13 Francisco Morales (4-3, 5.52) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K
• #26 Kevin Gowdy – 60-day DL
• #29 Jhordany Mezquita (1-0, 3.60) – DNP.
• #29 Colton Eastman (0-2, 3.75) – DNP

DSL Phillies Red (28-39) lost to the Mets1, 6-2.

DSL Phillies White (37-31) walked off against the Mets2, 8-7.

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.

The rosters and lists are up to date as of August 21st.

• organization’s rosters 
• organization’s injury list 
• organization’s Rule 5 eligibility list