Clearwater Threshers Recap – 9/5/2018

Box Score Recap

The Clearwater Threshers (77-60) missed an opportunity to close out the Tortugas after a 4-run first inning and eventually lost 6-5.  

Alejandro Requena was the beneficiary of the early runs, but was lifted after 53 pitches in 1.1 innings and 6 runs on 6 hits, a hit batter and 2 wild pitches.  Now, granted three errors played a part in the scoring, 3 runs were unearned.  But, both wild pitches moved four runners into scoring position and they all scored on run-scoring singles.

The Threshers’ bullpen was more efficient tonight.  Alberti Tirado, Jonathan, Hennigan, J.D. Hammer, and Jake Hernandez combined to toss 6.2 scoreless innings, and held Daytona to just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out five.

Clearwater jumped out to a first inning lead again with 4 runs in the top of the first inning.  Daniel Brito singled and Arquimedes Gamboa reached on a fielding error to start the game.  One out singles by Henri Lartigue, Luke Williams, and Edgar Cabral; and a sacrifice fly by game one hero Grenny Cumana built a 4-0 lead.  They closed to within one run in the fourth.  With two out, Brito was hit by a pitch.  Gamboa singled to move him into scoring position, and Mickey Moniak brought him home with an RBI single.

Unfortunately, the Tortugas’ bullpen was equally efficient.  The Threshers managed just 3 base runners the rest of the way on a fielding error, a single, and a walk.

Henri Lartigue and Luke Williams had 2 hits each.  Daniel Brito had 2 RBI

Mauricio Llovera is scheduled to pitch the deciding game.  The victor faces the Fort Myers Miracle who swept the Palm Beach Cardinals.

  • #1 Sixto Sanchez (4-3, 2.51) – placed on the 7-day DL in June, 2018
  • #3 Adonis Medina (10-4, 4.12)
  • #6 Mickey Moniak (.270) went 1-5 with an RBI, 2 K
  • #11 Arquimedes Gamboa (.214) went 1-5 with a run scored
  • #12 Daniel Brito (.250) went 1-2 with 2 runs scored, 2 BB
  • #16 Jose Gomez (.224)
  • #19 David Parkinson (3-0, 1.24)

Lehigh Valley (84-56) dropped the first game of their best of five series with Scranton, 3-2 on a walk off HR.  

Enyel De Los Santos pitched six innings and held the RailRiders to 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk.  He struck out six.  Edgar Garcia pitched a scoreless inning, issuing just a two-out walk.  Tyler Gilbert pitched into and out of trouble in the eighth.  A lead off walk, single, and sacrifice put two runners in scoring position.  After an intentional walk, he got an around the horn double play to escape the inning unscathed.  Gilbert started the ninth and got two outs before relinquishing a game-winning HR.

The IronPigs had fought back to tie the game with 2 runs in the sixth inning.  Jesse Valentin singled with one out.  After a force out, Joey Meneses singled to put the tying run on base, albeit with two outs.  Andrew Knapp and Trevor Plouffe followed with RBI singles to tie the game.

The IronPigs did have a base runner in each of the final three innings.  But, twice they came with two outs, and in the ninth they could only advance a lead off single to second base.

As in the Threshers’ game, the IronPigs helped the opposition.  A De Los Santos wild pitch moved the RailRiders’ first run into scoring position.  And, a fielding error in the outfield allowed the second run to score from first base.

The Game Two starter is scheduled to be Cole Irvin with Drew Anderson, Ranger Suarez, and Tom Eshelman following in the subsequent games.

  • #8 Ranger Suarez (2-0, 2.74) –
  • #9 Enyel De Los Santos (10-5, 2.63) – 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
  • #10 Cole Irvin (14-4, 2.57) –
  • #20 Drew Anderson (9-4, 3.87) –
  • #27 Tom Eshelman (2-13, 5.84) –

Lakewood (87-51) rallied from an early 2-run deficit to beat Kannapolis, 4-2.

Andrew Brown regrouped after some early struggles to pitch six solid innings.  He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks.  He hit a batter and struck out four.  Brown hit the second batter he faced.  Two singles scored the Intimidators first run and put runners on first and second.  With two out, a wild pitch moved the lead runner up to third and a single brought home another run.

Brown gave up two singles to start the second, then totally shut down Kannapolis on two walks through the end of the sixth inning.  Meanwhile, the BlueClaws had tied the game in the fourth inning on Rodolfo Duran’s lead off HR, Jhailyn Ortiz’ ground rule double, and Nick Maton’s RBI triple.  However, with nobody out, the Blue Claws were unable to push across the go ahead run.

James McArthur pitched two scoreless innings for the win.  Zach Warren struck out the side in the ninth for the save.

Lakewood scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead.  Madison Stokes led off with a double.  Colby Fitch lifted a soft fly to center and pinch runner Dalton Guthrie had to hold and only made it to third, but the hustling Fitch reached second on the throw to third. A wild pitch by a new reliever brought home the go ahead run, and an RBI single by Jose Antequera provided an insurance run.

The BlueClaws only other hit was a single by Simon Muzziotti who also had a stolen base.

Matt Vierling had an outfield assist at home..

Spencer Howard and Damon Jones are penciled in for games two and three.

  • #7 Jhailyn Ortiz (.225) went 1-3 with a run scored, double, BB, K
  • #17 Kyle Young (3-3, 3.10)
  • #18 Spencer Howard (9-8, 3.78)
  • #29 Nick Maton (.256) went 1-4 with a triple, RBI, 2 K
  • #30 Simon Muzziotti (.263) went 1-5 with a K

Prospects who have finished the 2018 season.

  • #1 Sixto Sanchez (RHP, Clearwater Threshers) spent most of the 2018 season on the DL.  He was sidelined on June 2018 with an elbow injury.  Up to that point he had posted a 4-3 record with a 2.51 ERA in 8 starts and 46.2 innings.  His 45 strikes gave him a career-best 8.7 SO9.  He also posted a 2.1 BB9 and a 1.071 WHIP.  The good news is that Sanchez was selected by the Phillies to attend the Arizona Fall League.
  • #2 Alec Bohm  (3B, Williamsport Crosscutters) finished the season with a .224 SVG. The Phillies first round pick saw limited action due to a knee injury he suffered when he was struck by a pitched ball on July 9th.  The 22-year old lost valuable development time and wasn’t activated again until August 20th.  He was hitting .192 when he went down.  He finished the season 14-55 (.255).
  • #4 Adam Haseley (OF, Reading Phils) batted .316 for the Phils.  He was promoted mid-season after posting a .300 AVG for the Threshers in High-A in 79 games (354 plate appearances).  He hit a combined 11 HR across both teams.
  • #5 JoJo Romero (LHP, Reading Phils) made 18 starts and tossed 106.2 innings before going onto the DL on July 20th.  He posted a 7-6 record and 3.80 ERA.  He struck out 100 batters (8.4 SO9).  Romero ended the season on the DL.
  • #13 Francisco Morales (RHP, Williamsport Crosscutters) showed marked regression after a promising 2017 campaign in the GCL.  He made 13 starts and pitched 15 more innings but stumbled to a 4-5 record and 5.27 ERA.  He was young for the league and his SO9 ticked up to 10.9, but his BB9 also ticked up to 5.3.  Morales problem in XST was consistency.  It was still a problem in Low-A.
  • #14 Luis Garcia (SS, GCL Phillies West) finished the season with a league best .369 AVG.  His .433 OBP placed third, his .488 SLG placed 13th, and his .921 OPS placed seventh.  These were not only team leading but also the best of both Phillies GCL entries.  Garcia’s 33 runs scored were fourth in the league following team mate Yerwin Trejo’s 40.  He led the league with 62 hits.  Placed second with 32 RBI.  Trejo’s 23 stolen bases led the league, Garcia had 12.
  • #15 Dylan Cozens (OF, Lehigh Valley IronPigs), at first glance, might have had an indifferent 2018 season.  He posted a  .246/.345/.529/.873 slash with 21 HR, 58 RBI, 46 BB, and 124 K in 348 plate appearances.  He also struggled to a .095 AVG when called up to the parent club during the season.  But, his Lehigh Valley slash is in line with his career norms, which are probably skewed by his time in Reading.  However, he’ll need to approve on his K% which is still around 35%, although his BB% ticked up to 13.2%.  Cozens was probably the first victim of the “feud” about development that we are just learning about.  I saw him progress in Clearwater while working with Charley.  But during spring training, the analytics/statcast/trakman group undid the changes that Charley made that Dylan had showed sucess with.  IMHO.  I’ll probably delete the portion in italics when I wake up tomorrow.  But, I believe it.
  • #21 Kyle Dohy (LHP, Reading Phils) zipped across 3 levels in his second season.  He posted a 0.80 ERA in 24 games and 16.8 SO9 in 33.2 innings for Lakewood.  He posted a 1.64 ERA and 14.7 SO9 in 11.0 innings for Clearwater.  In 22.2 Double-A innings, Dohy has a 5.56 ERA but still posted an 11.9 SO9.
  • #22 Cornelius Randolph (OF, Reading Phils) hit .241 as a 21-year old at Reading.  He struggled mightily for the first 3 months, hitting .187 on the last day of June.  But, he rebounded during the final two months (July 1st thru September 2nd) with a .314 AVG.  He posted a .352 AVG in July.
  • #23 Connor Seabold (RHP, Reading Phils) was promoted from Clearwater midway thru the season.  He posted a combined 5-8 record with a 4.28 ERA.  He struck out 132 in 130.1 innings (9.1 SO9) and walked 33 (2.3 BB9).
  • #24 Dominic Pipkin (P, GCL Phillies West) finished with a 1-2 record and 3.64 ERA in 10 appearances, 8 starts.  In limited action, he pitched 29.2 innings.  In a SSS, he posted a 1.180 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, and 5.5 K/9.
  • #25 Kevin Gowdy (RHP, Williamsport Crosscutters) never made it off the DL as he spent the summer rehabbing from TJ surgery.  He has been throwing off a mound and should see action during Instructs.  Hopefully.
  • #26 Jhordany Mezquita (LHP, Williamsport Crosscutters) made 9 starts before being mysteriously shutdown on August 23rd.  He posted a 1-0 record and 3.60 ERA in 35.0 innings, striking out 41.  However,he spent the final days of the season on the GCL Phillies West roster.
  • #28 Colton Eastman (RHP, Williamsport Crosscutters) made 8 starts but was on an innings count and only pitched as many as three innings in his last two starts.  He went 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA, but struck out 23 in 18 innings.

The Reading Fightin’ Phils finished the season in fourth place in the Eastern League Eastern Division with 64-73 (.467) record.

The Williamsport Crosscutters finished the season tied for last place in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division with a 32-44 (.421) record.

The GCL Phillies East finished in first place in the GCL North Division with a 30-24 record. They lost a one-game semifinal on the road against the Palm Beach Cardinals.

The GCL Phillies West finished in second place in the GCL Northwest Division with a 30-24 (.556) record.

The DSL Phillies Red finished the season 31-40 (.437) in fifth place in the DSL South Division.

The DSL Phillies White finished the season 39-33 (.542) in fourth place in the DSL San Pedro Division.

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.

The rosters and lists are up to date as of September 5th.

Transactions (newest transactions in bold text)
9/5/18–Kansas City claimed RHP Ben Lively off waivers from Philadelphia
9/5/18–Lehigh Valley placed RHP Tom Eshelman on the reserve list
9/5/18–SS Malquin Canelo assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
9/5/18–RHP Tyler Viza assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
9/5/18–RHP Ismael Cabrera assigned to Lakewood from Reading
9/5/18–RHP Luis Cedeno assigned to Lakewood from Reading
9/5/18–1B Matt Kroon assigned to Lakewood from Williamsport
9/5/18–LHP Kyle Young assigned to Williamsport from Lakewood
9/5/18–RHP Luis Ramirez assigned to Williamsport from Lakewood
9/5/18–RHP Tyler Fallwell assigned to Williamsport from Lakewood
9/4/18–Philadelphia sent 3B Jesmuel Valentin outright to Lehigh Valley
9/4/18–Philadelphia recalled SS J.P. Crawford from Lehigh Valley
9/3/18–Philadelphia activated RHP Jerad Eickhoff from the 60-day DL
9/3/18–Philadelphia designated RHP Ben Lively for assignment.
9/3/18–Ranfi Casimiro assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
9/3/18–Lehigh Valley activated 2B Trevor Plouffe from the 7-day DL
9/3/18–Luis Cedeno assigned to Reading from Lakewood
9/3/18–RHP Ismael Cabrera assigned to Reading from Lakewood
9/3/18–Keylan Killgore assigned to Lakewood from Williamsport
9/3/18–Lakewood activated LHP Kyle Young from the 7-day DL
9/2/18–Philadelphia activated 1B Justin Bour
9/1/18–Philadelphia activated LHP Austin Davis from the 10-day DL
9/1/18–Philadelphia activated SS Pedro Florimon from the 60-day DL
9/1/18–Philadelphia activated RHP Edubray Ramos from the 10-day DL
9/1/18–Philadelphia designated 3B Jesmuel Valentin for assignment.
9/1/18–Toronto claimed RHP Mark Leiter Jr. off waivers from Philadelphia
9/1/18–Philadelphia recalled RF Dylan Cozens from Lehigh
9/1/18–Philadelphia recalled RHP Yacksel Rios from Lehigh
9/1/18–Philadelphia recalled CF Aaron Altherr from Lehigh
9/1/18–LHP Jeff Singer assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
9/1/18–Clearwater placed 1B Kyle Martin on the 7-day DL
9/1/18–1B Quincy Nieporte assigned to Clearwater from Lakewood

16 thoughts on “Clearwater Threshers Recap – 9/5/2018”

  1. You said you’d probably delete it, but personally I’d love to hear more about that portion in italics…Not even the names, more about the baseball part.

    There are a couple extra Reading players with the IronPigs who could be activated if there were an injury or we run out of pitchers.

    1491 at the game in Scranton last night. I’d say at least half had IronPigs or Phillies gear on. De Los Santos pitched well—touched 98 a couple times but sat mostly 93-95 when hitting spots—which he did well with all pitches. First run scored after Anna couldn’t find the handle and a 6-4-3 turned into a fielders choice. Second run was unearned when a single skipped past Danny Ortiz and went all the way to the wall.

    I know Knapp hasn’t graded well at all defensively in Philly, but I hadn’t really seen him catch in a while. For a AAA game he blocked well and called a decent game—looked kinda better than I’d remembered from last season—for whatever that’s worth.

    Bottom three had opportunities to drive in runs all night and couldn’t get it done. Irvin on the mound tonight—I’ll sit this one out and get ready for Friday.

    1. Knapp blocked well? He had a passed ball. One error every six games (AAA) is not good. He needs a new position if he is going to get back to the majors. Besides there are three better catchers on the ironpigs currently. Knapp can be the DH and put someone good behind the plate.

  2. Who is the next player to be promoted to the major leagues that has impact potential? Haseley, probably, and after him it’s hard to see anyone. Not great, although a solid set of minor league teams.

    1. If Medina keeps it up, he’ll get promoted next year. Position player-wise, we’re not top heavy…

  3. Another inning … another three K’s for Zach Warren.
    Here’s another (not so) far out prediction: In 2021, the Phillies will have two Vineland born players on the team. Zach Warren and Mike Trout. Yes, Trout was born in Vineland.

    1. Warren has really fine a great job in the 2nd half after Dohy and Russ left. Sign that new pitching coach to an extension!

  5. it will be interesting to see what they do with the starting rotation. Irvin, santos are ready or close to ready for a real shot at the starting rotation as is Suarez ( yes they could use a little more seasoning esp Suarez ) but not sure Irvin has any more to prove in AAA.

    1. srussell…………”it will be interesting to see what they do with the starting rotation.”….a GM with some fortitude may trade one of the three musketeers with the highest value…Velasquez/Pivetta/Eflin… and then let Irvin and DLS compete for that open spot next season.
      I am willing to bet there are many GMs out there who would want one of those three.

  6. 8mark – It’s hard not to look at this year as two seasons. The Phillies got off to a good start in April-May, and it was supposed to come to an end with a brutal June schedule, but somehow it didn’t. Despite the first few games, I gave Gabe a long leash. One thing that made no sense to me was his decision to convert Kingery to a super utility player in the big leagues. That’s the kind of thing that teams do when the players are in the minors. When Crawford got injured, Kingery found himself at SS. In my mind, I justified Kapler’s playing Hernandez every day to be that the Phillies were showcasing Cesar to trade at the deadline. Even though I never heard his name mentioned in the rumors, I think Klentak tried, but didn’t have any takers.
    By the All Star game we were in first place! Our expectations were sky-high, and a lot of us forgot that this was still a developing team. Realistically speaking, the Phillies are a fundamentally bad team, both at bat and in the field. The solution is simple to everyone not named Gabe Kapler. Stop moving the players all over the field like chess pieces, and have a set lineup. It’s September and the Phillies have used the same lineup 5 times. Scott Kingery has started 1 game at second base. The recent additions have cluttered matters even more, and half the players who were in first place in July, are being benched (Kingery, Herrera, Williams with Knapp in the minors).
    For better or worse, the front office has said “To Hell with developing young talent”. It’s hard to argue with being 3 1/2 games out with 23 left to play. I’m a patient man. This was all supposed to happen next year, but here we are, so go for it. I’d just rather see them do it with players who will be on the actual team next opening day.

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