Threshers Recap – 7/26/2019

Box Score Recap

A couple notable individual achievements last night.  Spencer Howard made his Reading debut.  He struck out ten batters in 4.2 innings and started the evening by striking out the side.

Lakewood’s Manuel Silva and Ethan Lindow pitched a combined shutout, walking none.  Lindow thew just 49 pitches in four innings, 78.7% for strikes, and struck out six.

In Williamsport, Logan O’Hoppe has an 8-game hitting streak in which he is slashing .452/.438/.935/1.373 with 9 extra base hits.  And, Chris Micheles (pronounced Michaels) threw 3.1 relief innings for a save, striking out five.

For your viewing pleasure, here are Howard’s first three strike outs in the first inning from Mitch Rupert.

Clearwater (18-20, 54-50)  beat Charlotte, 6-5.

Andrew Brown induces a lot of ground balls.  He started the night with a ground ball to third that resulted in an error that led to a couple first inning runs.  He ended the evening with five innings pitched, 3 runs allowed (2 ER), 6 hits, and a walk.  He got 12 ground ball outs.  Kyle Arjona came in and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk.  Austin Ross picked up the win with two, scoreless innings.

The Threshers scored single runs in the third and fifth innings on Daniel Brito’s sac fly and a balk.  They tied thew game with 2 runs in the sixth on Nick Maton’s 2-run single.  They tied and took the lead in the eighth on RBI singles by Madison Stokes and Matt Vierling.

Nick Maton (.285) went 2-4 with a run scored and 2 RBI.  Matt Kroon (.218) went 2-2 with a run scored, triple, walk, and stolen base.  Dalton Guthrie (.246) went 2-3.

The Stone Crabs final threat was erased when Simon Muzziotti caught a ball on the warning track and gunned the ball into second base to double up a runner who tried to tag up on the play.  The double play meant the bases were empty when Wander Franco lined a single following the play.

Lehigh Valley (5-52)  beat Norfolk, 11-2.

Enyel De Los Santos pitched seven, two-hit innings.  He allowed one unearned run and 2 walks.  Kyle Dohy pitched the final two innings and allowed a run on 2 hits.

The IronPigs scored 3 runs in the second innings on Malquin Canelo’s sac fly Ali Castillo’s 2-run double.  They scored 3 runs in the fourth on Castillo’s RBI single, a double play, and Austin Listi’s RBI single.  They tacked on 2 in the fifth on Shane Robinson’s 2-run HR (5).  And 3 more in the seventh on Mitch Walding’s RBI double, a force out, and Deivy Grullon’s RBI double.

Ali Gosselin and Ali Castillo had 3 hits each.  Shane Robinson and Mitch Walding had 2 hits each.  Castillo had 3 RBI and Gosselin had 2 RBI.

Reading (22-14, 61-43)  lost to New Hampshire, 5-1.

Spencer Howard went 4.2 innings in his AA debut.  He allowed one run on n4 hits while walking two and striking out ten.  He threw 82 pitches, 55 strikes (67.1%).  He struck out the side in the first, and struck out three in the second.  His FB was clocked at 98 mph on several pitches.

Jonathan Hennigan allowed 4 runs on 4 hits on 2 walks.  Jake Hernandez tossed a perfect eighth.  The Phils scored their only run in the sixth inning on Alec Bohm’s RBI single.  Luke Williams (.225) went 3-4 with a run scored and 3 doubles.  Josh Stephen (.263) went 1-2 with a double and 2 walks.

Lakewood (13-20, 42-61)  beat Greenville, 2-0.

Manny Silva (4.12) and Ethan Lindow (2.40) combined to shut out Greenville.  Silva pitched five innings of one-hit ball, striking out five.  Lindow earned his second save with four shutout innings.  He allowed 3 hits and struck out six.  He threw 49 pitches and 37 strikes (78.7%).

The BlueClaws scored 2 runs in the fourth inning on RBI singles by Hunter Stovall and Yerwin Trejo.

The BlueClaws had 11 hits.  Five Claws had 2 hits each – Rafael Marchan (.271), Malvin Matos (.222), Seth Lancaster (.227), Stovall (.235), and Trejo (.244).

Williamsport (13-27)  beat Batavia, 5-3.

Brett Schulze opened with two, shutout innings.  He allowed 2 hits and walked one.  He struck out four.  Spencer Van Scoyoc pitched one inning, walked three, but got the win.  Anton Kuznetsov gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in 2.2 innings.  Chris Micheles finished with 3.1 scoreless innings, stranded an inherited runner, struck out five, and earned his 1st save.

The Cutters opened the scoring in the second inning on DJ Stewart’s sac fly.  They pushed the lead out to 4 with 3 runs in the sixth on Logan O’Hoppe’s 2-run double and Herbert Iser’s RBI double.  They added an insurance run in the ninth on a throwing error.

Logan O’Hoppe (.269) went 2-4 with 2 runs scored, 2 doubles, and 2 RBI.

Herbert Iser added 2 hits, a run scored, and an RBI.

GCL Phillies East (12-9)  double header postponed.

GCL Phillies West (15-7) suspended leading the Yankees East, 7-1 in the fourth inning.

Eduar Segovia pitched two, one-run innings.  He allowed 2 hits and struck out three.  They scored 4 runs in the second inning on Luis Rojas’ sac fly with a fielding error, a ground out, and Edgar Made’s RBI single.  They scored one in the third on Keaton Greenwalt’s RBI double.  They added 2 in the fourth on solo HRs by Edgar Made (1) and Andrick Nava (1).  Made (.277) had gone 3-3 with 2 RBI when the game was suspended.

DSL Phillies Red (30-12)  beat the Mets1, 8-3.

DSL Phillies White (27-20)  lost to the Mets2, 8-4.

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.

The rosters and lists are up to date as of July 26th … there are 397 players in the org

Today’s Transactions (newest transactions in bold text)
7/26/19 – LHP JoJo Romero assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
7/26/19 – RHP Spencer Howard assigned to Reading from Clearwater
7/26/19 – Clearwater activated C Jack Conley from the 7-day IL
7/26/19 – Clearwater placed C Rodolfo Duran on the 7-day IL
7/26/19 – LHP Chris Micheles assigned to Williamsport from GCL East
7/26/19 – GCL West sent OF Ben Aklinski on a rehab assignment to GCL East
7/26/19 – DSL White released RHP Cristofer Cruz
7/26/19 – SS Erick Brito assigned to DSL White
7/26/19 – 1B Arturo De Freitas assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/26/19 – RHP Raul Mendoza assigned to DSL Red
7/26/19 – Jose Taveras assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
7/26/19 – Ezequiel Ventura assigned to DSL White from DSL Phillies Red
7/25/19 – Kyle Dohy assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
7/25/19 – Jhordany Mezquita assigned to Williamsport from Lakewood
7/25/19 – RHP Luke Leftwich assigned to Reading from Lehigh Valley
7/24/19 – Phillies activated SS Sean Rodriguez from the 10-day IL
7/24/19 – Phillies placed 2B Brad Miller on the 10-day IL, right hip flexor strain
7/24/19 – Clearwater sent OF Ben Aklinski on a rehab assignment to GCL West
7/24/19 – Lehigh Valley placed Logan Morrison on the 7-day IL
7/23/19 – Reading placed RHP Tyler Viza on the 7-day IL
7/22/19 – Lehigh Valley sent RHP Luke Leftwich on a rehab assignment to GCL East
7/22/19 – RHP Connor Seabold assigned to Reading from Clearwater
7/22/19 – RHP Colton Eastman assigned to Clearwater from Reading
7/22/19 – Reading placed RHP Luis Carrasco on the 7-day IL
7/22/19 – RHP James McArthur assigned to Clearwater from Lakewood
7/22/19 – RHP Dylan Castaneda assigned to GCL West
7/22/19 – LHP Cam Beauchamp assigned to GCL East
7/22/19 – Kyle Dohy assigned to Reading from Lehigh Valley
7/22/19 – Austin Davis activated by Lehigh Valley
7/21/19 – Phillies designated RHP Fernando Salas for assignment
7/21/19 – Phillies signed free agent LHP Drew Smyly
7/20/19 – Victor Santos assigned to Williamsport from Lakewood
7/20/19 – Phillies transferred Seranthony Dominguez from the 10- to the 60-day IL, UCL
7/20/19 – Phillies optioned RHP JD Hammer to Lehigh Valley
7/20/19 – Minnesota traded RHP Mike Morin to Phillies for cash
7/20/19 – RHP Omar Maldonado assigned to Lakewood from Williamsport

33 thoughts on “Threshers Recap – 7/26/2019”

  1. Great outing by Howard, He was pumped up.

    If you told me, at the start of the season, that Josh Stephen would play in AA all year, I would have told you to get the he!! out. If you told me, at this point in the season, Josh would be hitting .263/.347/.458 and he would be matching Moniak (.264/.327/.433); I’d ask you what you were smoking. Even if Moniak was having a very bad year, I’d ask you to pass what your smoking. But it’s happening. The #1 overall pick and the Phils 11th round pick in 2016 are even and at the same level. Stephen is about 8 months older but still.

    There are some other notable names from that 2016 draft. Gowdy, still working his way back from injury), Romero, Irvin, Dyer, Julian Garcia, Hall and Young were also 2016 Draft alums.

  2. Here’s a weird stat that almost seems unbelievable. Yerwin Trejo’s played in 48 games with 137 ABs at LKW and he has exactly 6 RBIs. That’s not a misprint. He’s hitting .152 with runners in scoring position and he only has 33 ABs with RISP. Maybe that’s a testament to LKW as a team.

  3. Howard, O’Hoppe, Enyel DLS and Lindow all with exceptional outings.
    Very encouraging.

      1. Yet only 2 walks, one line drive, compared to 7 his last game in six innings, and 66% strikes thrown last night ….so he induced a lot of off the barrel hits, with an additional 8 GB outs.
        It is not all about the swing and miss when you want to go deeper into the games….Velasquez proves that.

        1. Pre-game report from beat writer Tom Housenick, who talked with pitching coach, suggests they made some corrections in his arm slot and delivery. Will be interesting to watch.

  4. Great job, Spencer Howard !!!!
    Congrats, Mr. H. This has got to be exciting for you and your family.
    Still think Spencer should have started the season in AA, but he’s there now and it looks like he shouldn’t spend too much there. Get him to AAA so he can get used to the MLB “juiced” ball.

    BTW … you can click here https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/phillies/phillies-top-pitching-prospect-spencer-howard-electric-his-double-debut for video of 8 of Spencer’s K’s.

  5. Howard was electric. He really throws an easy 98. He looks a little like Syndergaard without the stupid hair.
    How come Jake Hernandez hasn’t gotten moved up to LHV? He really seems to have earned the promotion.
    I’m hoping Jo Jo found something with his better July and will do better in his return to LHV.
    O’Hope is really turning it on. We have a lot of catchers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the catchers traded in the next week. That’s our surplus area.
    Lindow just keeps getting outs.

  6. I am fairly new to following the minors and the prospects. So I am trying not to get to excited about Howard. This being said, can anyone tell me if Nola or Hamels looked as good as Howard during their minor league career?

    1. Hamels was more dominant. His problem was stupid injuries, but his changeup was a spectacular pitch. Nola was not as electric or dominant as Howard (keep in mind Nola’s stuff jumped in his third mlb season), but to this point he is the polished pitch I have ever seen in the minors. He had the best command of his pitches that I have seen at that level.

      1. Thanks Matt.

        It would be nice to see Nola and Howard in the rotation together.

        Not sure why but I always compare, by position, where the Phillies are today to the 2008 team. Not sure if the 2008 had a 1-2 tandem as potent as Nola and Howard could be.

        Other than that we are a long ways from any comparability to the 2008 team.

        1. In the 2008 era, rosters were constructed differently. You didn’t see an average of 5 or 6 pitchers being used back then like you do today. Crazy how much things have changed. Apples to oranges, even 10 years ago.

          1. Probably not fair to compare 2008 team to any other team. I have been a fan since early 70s. It is possible that the 2008 team had 5 best positional players in my lifetime. Howard, Utley, Rollins, Werth and Victorino. Abreu and Maddox might challenge Werth and Victorino but I think Werth and Victorino were better.

            1. He’s a first-class dirtbag, but Lenny Dykstra amassed 23+ fWAR between 1990 and 1994, even though three of those seasons were cut short by injury. Without him in center, there is no ’93 World Series appearance (during which he hit .348 with 4 HR). He is the best Phillies CF in your lifetime.

              Not the place for this, but I’ve got to defend my guy! 🙂

  7. Mr. Howard, if you don’t mind (and if you do that’s certainly ok too) could you kindly post a profile of Spencer – his personality, demeanor (as in demeanor da better😆), likes and dislikes, nothing too personal but just an idea of what and who we have to look forward to next season….if not sooner. Thanks and God bless!

    1. I want to be careful and not jinx the mojo he’s got going. But if you haven’t heard his interview last week on 610 ESPN Philadelphia it’s a must hear. But he loves music and plays a mean Ukulele!

      3. It’s so nice that you post on here, Mr. Howard. It’s hard for me to imagine what it must be like to have a son who has so much ability and the possibility of a big league baseball career. I hope he’s enjoying the experience.

      4. It’s so nice that you post on here, Mr. Howard. It’s hard for me to imagine what it must be like to have a son who has so much ability and the possibility of a big league baseball career. I hope he’s enjoying the experience.

  8. Howard looked dominate last night. What is more impressive is it looked like he got squeezed quite a bit. AA umps are different I know but Howard wanted a couple of those pitches and I thought they were there. Hard for an ump to be consistent when ball is coming in that hard. Most happy about is that Howard kept his cool out there. Very impressive start. Future is good for Spencer Howard. Congrats

  9. Is Reading a 5 man rotation? I want to see Howard there. It’s looking like August 7th?

    1. You are correct…the rain-outs also played a factor in the juggling…then they had one or two bullpen games also..
      Use to be a few weeks ago:
      1. Parkinson
      2.. Medina
      3..Romero.
      4.. Viza
      5..Seabold
      6..Taveras

      Now Howard slides in there ..assume Viza goes to relief.

  11. Romero went to lehigh and Tavares has been up and down from Reading to Lehigh-Viza had 1 start and so did Seabold, Now with Spencer who to be greedy on my end I would like to see stay for 3 or 4 starts? (not sure-he is to good and I think ready for more challenge.

    1. Looks like Seabold will be in the rotation for now….he started in CLW a few games after coming off the IL before his promotion to Reading…they evidently want to see what he has, but notice he is on a 75/80 pitch count in his last few starts.

      Medina needs to start picking it up to get that LHV promo.

      Parkinson will stay still in the rotation for the remainder of this season.

      Taveras…I assume that shuttle will stop in Reading for a few more starts before he heads back to LHV.
      So with Howard it should become a 5 man rotation.

Comments are closed.