All four games seemed to run late.  Our guys split 2-2, again.  Clearwater walked off with the most exciting walk off in baseball, a grand slam, smoked by DJ Stewart.  Lakeland’s poor base running and foolish challenges of Abrahan Gutierrez’ arm helped.  Lehigh Valley walked off in the ninth on a wild pitch.  Reading lost big (again) and was three-hit.  Jersey Shore was shut out on two hits.

It’s after 3:00 AM.  If I missed anything, I’m sorry. Goodnight.

Clearwater (1-1) walked off on DJ Stewart’s grand slam beating Lakeland 13-11.

Quite an interesting game.  Clutch home runs.  Bad base running.  Caught stealings.  24 runs, 24 hits.  19 walks, 22 strikeouts.  And, a shootout to decide the game cause nine innings wasn’t enough.

Mick Abel made his professional debut.  It started like it would be a Disney story as he struck out the first batter on 3 pitches.  He breezed through the first inning needing just 9 pitches and throwing 7 strikes.  His second inning was more like an Indiana Jones movie.  Abel retired the first batter but allowed his first hit a double to the next batter.  The next batter became his first walk.  An RBI single to center led to the first run.  But, the runner on first rounded second too far.   Johan Rojas threw to Edgar Made at third.  He ran the runner back to second and then froze him with a pump, placing the tag before the runner could reach the bag.  The inning ended on Abel’s second strike to the batter when Abrahan Gutierrez threw out a base runner at second.

The Threshers tied the game on a sac fly by Edgar Made after singles by Gutierrez, Ben Pelletier, and Nicholas Torres.

Continuing with the movie comparison, I guess the third would be any disaster movie.  Abel started with his second strikeout then gave up a solo HR.  A fielding error put a runner on base.  A walk followed and then a 2-run double.  Abels night was over.  His line – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 48 pitches, 26 strikes, 95-96 in the first two innings dropping off to 93-94 in the third.  He also threw a changeup, slider, curve, and 2-seamer(?).  The pitches on which he got hurt looked like they might be up.  I hope they aren’t having him pitch up in the zone like they tried with Eflin in 2019.

Alejandro Made relieved and issued a walk before striking out the next two batters.

Dylan Castaneda came on to pitch the fourth  He walked two batters then induced a flyout and a ground ball back to the mound.  Castaneda stabbed the ball out of the air and threw it offline to second base.  Casey Martin stretched like a first baseman to catch the ball and made an acrobatic throw to first where DJ Stewart also up the line to complete the double play.  It wasn’t pretty, but it was spectacular.

The Threshers put together a big inning in the bottom of the fourth.  Gutierrez and Ben Pelletier opened the inning with singles.  Rixon Wingrove singled sharply to center and the bases were loaded.  Nicolas Torres walked to force in a run.  Edgar Made lined a single to center to bring home a second run.  Johan Rojas doubled home 2 more runs.  Luis Garcia hit a sac fly to bring home the fifth run of the inning and give the Threshers a 6-4 lead.

Castaneda returned for the fifth.  He loaded the bases with one out on a single and two walks.  After a strikeout, he gave up a 2-run single to center.  Rojas threw to third and another runner was caught between bases.  After a rundown, DJ Stewart applied the tag at third.  Game tied at six.

Castaneda still in for the sixth.  A one-out walk was erased on a strike-em-out throw-em-out, inning-ending double play.  Gutierrez’ second runner cut down at second this game.

Castaneda begins the seventh with a strikeout and single.  Gutierrez cuts don another runner, his third today.  A walk, wild pitch, and single gave the Tigers the lead and ended Castaneda’s night.  Nick Lackney and got an inning-ending ground out to end the inning.

Lackney pitched a quiet eighth allowing just a two-out walk.

The Threshers took the lead in the bottom of the eighth without a hit.  Gutierrez walked but was erased on a double play.  Wingrove, Torres, and Made walked to load the bases.  Corbin Williams who had been inserted as a pinch runner for DH Wingrove scored on a wild pitch.  Torres scored when the catcher threw wildly into center trying to get the trailing runner, Made who broke late for second.  Threshers, 8-7.

Tyler Burch came in to lock up the save.  Looked good until a two-out HR tied the game.  The next batter singled and was thrown out by Gutierrez when he tried to steal second.  This was the fourth runner he threw out trying to take second base, but he is only credited with two caught stealings.

Neither team could score during the first shootout. In fact, neither team could advance the ghost runner to third.

Fernando Lozano entered to pitch the eleventh.  A single scored the ghost runner.  A HR tallied two more runs.  11-8 Lakeland.

Edgar Made opened the home eleventh with a 4-pitch walk.  Johan Rojas singled home a run.  (11-9)  Luis Garcia singled to short to load the bases.  After a strikeout, and after I called the shot in the press box, DJ Stewart crushed a grand slam home run to walk off the 13-11 win.

Rojas went 2-6 with a run and 3 RBI. Garcia went 2-5 with a run and RBI.  Gutierrez went 2-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI.  Pelletier went 2-5 with a run scored.  Torres went 1-3 with 3 runs, an RBI, and 2 walks.  Edgar Made went 1-2 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, and 2 walks.

Rojas had 2 outfield assists and I have Gutierrez with 4 caught stealing.  If someone can explain to me how he doesn’t, I would appreciate it.

The stadium gun started working in the second inning.

Piggyback continues with –

• 5/6 – Segovia/Vargas
• 5/7 – Castillo/Marcano
• 5/8 – Jordi Martinez/Rodolfo Sanchez
• 5/9 – Mayer/Hernandez (again)
• 5/10 – Monday, off day

Lehigh Valley (2-0) walked off on a wild pitch in the 9th beating Rochester, 8-7.

Spencer Howard (0-0, 0.00) started and pitched 2.0 innings and threw 44 pitches.  That’s a good stretching-out as the Phillies groom him to start this season.  He gave up no runs, one hit, walked two, and struck out two.  Rob Kaminsky (0-0, 0.00) pitched a one-walk inning, striking out two.  David Parkinson (0-0, 27.00) pitched 1.2 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out one.  Kyle Dohy (0-0, 13.50) pitched 1.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on one hit and one walk, striking out two.  Bryan Mitchell (0-0, 0.00) pitched 2.0 hitless innings, walking one and striking out one.  Neftali Feliz (1-0, 0.00) pitched a scoreless ninth, walking two and striking out two.

The IronPigs built a 4-0 lead with 2 runs in the first on RBI singles by Darick Hall and CJ Chatham, an RBI single by Luke Williams in the second, and a sac fly by Edgar Cabral in the third.

They tied the game with a run in the fifth on a fielding error.  They tied the game again in the eighth on RBI singles by Williams and Cornelius Randolph.  Josh Stephen walked to lead off the ninth.  After a failed sac bunt, he advanced to second on a balk.  Travis Jankowski was intentionally walked.  Consecutive wild pitches provided the margin of victory.

Jean Segura led off and went 1-1 with 2 runs scored.  He was hit on the wrist by a pitch.  Jankowski went 2-3 with 2 R, 2 BB.  Williams went 3-5 with 1 R, 2 RBI.  Chatham went 3-5 with 1 R, 1 RBI.  Randolph stole a base.  Kaminsky and Dohy each stranded a baserunner.

Reading (0-2) lost to Erie, 14-2.

Reading scored 2 unearned runs on Rodolfo Duran’s 2-run double following Daniel Brito’s two-out walk and Matt Vierling’s “reached on error”.  Reading had 2 other hits, a double by Luke Miller and a single by Matt Kroon.  That plus 4 walks was their entire offense.

Francisco Morales started well.  He threw an 8-pitch 1-2-3 first inning.  He followed that with a one-walk, 2-strikeout second.  He got the first batter to strike out on 3 pitches in the third, then “bad” Morales showed up.  He issued a 5-pitch walk, 2-0 single, 6-pitch walk before a mound meeting.  After a popup, he gave up a 2-run single then left for a shower.

Joel Cesar relieved and took up where Morales left off – 4-pitch walk grand slam, walk before getting the third out.  Six nothing. Erie.

Cesar pitched a one-hit, scoreless fourth inning.

Zach Warren relieved and pitched a 1-2-3 fifth.  He continued into the sixth and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits before striking out two batters to end the inning.

Tyler Carr escaped two hits and a walk in the seventh when the batter tried to stretch his single into a double and a ground-rule double held a runner at third.  He followed that with a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

Jonathan Hennigan took over to start the ninth.  He got a strikeout and gave up a run on 4 singles before a mound visit.  That led to a sac fly and a bases-loading infield single.

Jake Hernandez was called on to get the final out, which he did on two pitches – a grand slam and a popup.

Duran threw out a runner at second.  Kroon had an outfield assist.

Jersey Shore( 1-1) lost to Hudson Valley 8-0 on two hits.

Kevin Gowdy threw 57 pitches, 29 strikes as he struggled through 2.1 innings.  He gave up 4 runs (3 ER) on 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 HBP, and 4 strikeouts.  Brian Marconi relieved with the bases loaded and allowed an inherited runner to score.  He pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless ball, walking two and striking out four.  Noah Skirrow pitched 2.2 innings of 3-hit ball.  He walked none and struck out five.  Blake Brown pitched 1.1 innings and allowed a walk and a hit, striking out three.  He also stranded both runners he inherited.  Mike Adams pitched 0.1 innings and gave up 4 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks,  He recorded a strikeout on his only out.  Mark Potter came in with the bases loaded, allowed an inherited runner to score on a sac fly, and recorded a strikeout.

Logan O’Hoppe and Rudy Rotthad the hits.  Bryson Stott walked 3 times and stole a base.

And this is how the MLB Top Thirty did –

It’s a little too early to start this.  I have to get back in the swing of things.  My game ran late.  I’ve combined the MLB Top 30 and our Reader Top 30 with a bunch of players I want to track and have 60 or more.  Over eighty when the Complex league starts.  So gimme about a week to talk myself out of doing so many.  (Question.  Is that an appropriate use of “the” before MLB in the fourth sentence?  I think it is!)

GCL Phillies East and GCL Phillies West (runs 6/28 thru 9/12)

DSL Phillies Red and DSL Phillies White (starts 5/30)

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.

The rosters and lists are up to date as of May 2nd … there are 303 players in the org

• organization’s rosters (5/2)
• organization’s injury list (5/2)
• organization’s Rule 5 eligibility list (5/2)