Threshers’ and Affiliates’ Recap – 7/2/2021

Box Score Recap

Last night we had two wins, two losses, a suspended game, and a postponement.  Clearwater lost big.  Lehigh Valley lost and had their second game suspended with them trailing.  Reading won a rain-shortened game that had a two-plus-hour delay.  And Jersey Shore picked up a win and a postponement.

Clearwater (27-25) got pounded by St. Lucie, 14-4.

Mick Abel threw two perfect innings then struggled through a nightmare two-thirds of an inning.  He gave up 4 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks.  He struck out four.  Even with spotty control in the second, he still threw 32 strikes in 52 pitches (61.5%).  Maikel Garrido stranded two runners and started the third inning.  But, he really struggled with the strike zone and got just one out and gave up 6 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks.  Brendan Bell finished the inning on one hit but allowed 3 inherited runners to score.

Rodolfo Sanchez pitched one inning and gave up 3 runs (2 ER) on 2 hits and a walk.  Leonel Aponte pitched 2.2 innings and gave up one run on 2 hits and a walk.  He struck out four.  Tyler Adams got the final four outs including 2 strikeouts.

The Threshers actually took the lead with a solo HR by Abrahan Gutierrez (3) in the second inning.  They pulled within one run with 2 runs in the third on a 2-run fielding error on a Luis Garcia single.  They added an inconsequential run in the sixth on Juan Aparicio’s solo HR (5).  Kendall Simmons went 2-3 with 2 walks.  Every other Thresher had a hit except Rixon Wingrove.

Yhoswar Garcia is sidelined with a leg contusion.  He was replaced in the lineup by Jadiel Sanchez who was called up from the FCL.  Garcia is day-to-day and hasn’t been placed on the IL.

Lehigh Valley (21-30) was scheduled to play two games.  They lost the first game, 5-2, the second game was suspended in the fifth inning with them trailing 4-1.

Mark Appel threw 55 pitches (21 strikes, 38.2%) to retire 5 batters.  He gave up 2 runs on one hit and 6 walks.  David Paulino stranded three baserunners but took the loss with 3.1 innings of relief.  He gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and one walk.  Brady Lail pitched one inning and gave up a solo HR.

The IronPigs scored single runs in the first and second innings.  They scored in the first on Matt Vierling, and they scored in the second on Dalton Guthrie’s RBI single.  Darrick Hall went 2-3 with a run scored and a double.

In game two, David Parkinson gave up four runs in four innings on 6 hits and a walk.  They scored their lone run in the fifth inning on Matt Vierling’s RBI double.

Reading (20-32) beat Erie, 2-1 in seven innings.  

Victor Santos earned his first win with 5.2 innings of one-run ball.  He gave up 3 hits and walked a batter while striking out six.  Braden Zarbniskey [icked up his third save with 1.1 innings of one-hit ball.

The Phils tied the game in the third inning on Daniel Brito’s RBI double.  They took the lead in the sixth on Jorge Bonifacio’s solo HR (11).  Brito (.305) went 2-4 with a double and RBI.

Jersey Shore (21-29) beat Hudson Valley, 8-2, in the first game.  The second game was postponed and will be played on July 3rd.

Adam Leverett pitched 4.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks.  He struck out four.  Blake Brown finished the inning and allowed one of 2 inherited runners to score on a sac fly and walked a batter.  Jonathan Hughes finished the game and took the win with four perfect innings and five strikeouts.

The BlueClaws scored in the second inning on Jhailyn Ortiz’ solo HR (7).  They scored twice in the fourth on Herbert Iser’s 2-run single.  The game became close until the ‘Claws scored 5 runs in the eighth on Ortiz’ 2-run HR (8)  and Iser’s 3-run double.

Ortiz went 2-3 with 3 runs scored, 2 HR (8), a walk, and 4 RBI.  Iser went 3-4 with a double and 4 RBI.  Casey Martin went 0-4 with 4 Ks.

FCL Phillies (3-1) no game scheduled.

DSL Phillies Red and DSL Phillies White seasons run 7/12 thru 10/2.

The Affiliate Scoreboard 

Recent Transactions –

7/02/2021 – Phillies activated SS Didi Gregorius
7/02/2021 – Phillies optioned SS Nick Maton to Lehigh Valley
7/02/2021 – Lehigh Valley IronPigs activated 3B Austin Listi from the TIL
7/02/2021 – SS Jose Tortolero assigned to Jersey Shore from Clearwater
7/02/2021 – OF Jadiel Sanchez assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies
7/02/2021 – SS Uziel Viloria assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies
6/30/2021 – FCL Phillies placed RHP Andy Reyes on the 7-day IL
6/30/2021 – FCL Phillies placed LHP Riley Wilson on the 7-day IL

23 thoughts on “Threshers’ and Affiliates’ Recap – 7/2/2021”

  1. Vierling and Brito continue and hit and both stay over 300 while Ortiz has found his power again which could be a big deal. Abel’s inconsistency concerns me but is is probably to be expected. Also, I’d like to see Martin start hitting after his promotion because he’s really struggling. Sometimes we have to remember the human side of this as these young kids get promoted mid season and it’s very new for them. Have to find a place to live, bond with mostly new teammates, etc.

  2. Jonathan Hughes is another 2020 UDFA with upside. There are many. I didn’t see it but Hughes’ 4 perfect innings (w/5 Ks) may be showing flashes of why he was a 2nd Rd pick out of HS (who chose to go to local Georgia Tech). He started strong as freshman and then spent years recovering from an elbow injury (not TJ). I’m definitely interested to track his progress this year.

    Victor Santos. Only 20 at AA, with great numbers. His split change is apparently quite good but hard to get too excited when his FB velo is so poor.

  3. Anxious to see how Ortiz powers the ball at FirstEnergy in Reading.
    And it now getting close for both him and Brito to get their promotions.

    1. Romus, every time a guy has a good week you scream for a promotion. Brito definitely seems ready or nearly ready for a promotion, but, to me, with some rare exceptions, you promote a player, when it looks clear that he is dominating or simply has nothing left to prove at that level. Ortiz hit .261 in June during n his second go-round at A+ ball – he definitely has something left to prove. Let’s check back in a few weeks to see if he’s still doing well.

      1. Not just a good week ….but a good two weeks!
        Yeah Ortiz will still need a little more time in Jersey City, but his power is unmistakably his best asset and in Reading it could really be a ‘beautiful thing’ in the words of John Kruk.
        My guess a week or so after the draft is completed on July 13th, and some UDFA signings….Ortiz may get his chance hitting in FirstEnergy Stadium…the one in PA.

        1. I don’t think you can understate how incredibly important Ortiz is. The Phillies have got to get something out of one of Randolph, Moniak, Haseley or Ortiz. And I mean SOMETHING. Not some 4th-5th OF type. Right now Ortiz seems the most likely. He is still a long way off.

    1. NL….you are correct…Phillies have to get something out of those four players.
      As for Ortiz……ETA can still be end of 2022 or spring 2023…if everything breaks right for him….no injuries, is able to hit around that .275 mark, but does not lose his ISO/power bat at both the AA and AAA level.
      Timeline….Reading August/Sept this season…..Reading/LlHV next season…..he has to sustain and maintain for the next two assignments.

  5. Ah, but that’s the cruel thing about sports. You can feel the Phillies should get something out of one of these guys, but it’s entirely unrelated to whether they actually will and the odds right now of any of them being more than a 4th outfielder are, in my view, less than 50/50 – it’s not good (and, while I’m at it, thanks for nothing Matt Klentak and Johnny Almaraz). At one point, Haseley, was on track, but he’s fallen way off the radar. Ortiz I suppose is their best hope, but a lot of things have to go right to make that dream a reality. Reading will be key – very good hitting prospects who make the majors for the Phillies almost always dominate in Reading.

  6. What a night Sat night was. 5-0! Pitching galore including a no hitter. Howard, Morales, Pipkin, and Segovia all with great starts. Brito with 2 hits and a homer and Luis Garcia with a homer. First 5-0 night of the season. And they won in Philly too.

  7. People were writing off Morales last month….but his last three starts he is the pitcher the Phillies expected him to be,
    …..16 IP….25- Ks…5-BBs….2 ER,
    …. hopefully he can continue this for the remainder of the season.

    1. Agreed Romus. Morales is a top prospect and his struggles were concerning but I’m also very exciited for his turnaround. Those are some dominant numbers anywhere, especially AA/Reading

      1. If he and Howard can step up….the Phillie’s rotation will get a real boost next season…maybe Howard at the start and Morales in the 2nd half.

        1. Hard for me to get excited about what appears to be right now little more than a piggy back candidate, and the Phillies seem averse to trying him as a closer. If it worked out, he’d be a much cheaper option than what’s currently on the market.

          As for Morales, I need to see sustained success for the rest of the season.

          1. Hard to figure out why Howard cannot sustain his velo for more than 3 or 4 innings….he is able to do it in the moors.
            But if he ever figures it out……I do not think there will be many piggy-backing going on with him as a starter.

        2. I’ll say it again , Pipkin looks really interesting to me. 21 years old in High A and seems to be coming into his own. Fb was 93-98 last night with a good slider at 86-88

          1. Pipkin does have a chance to break out….sort of like Falter did.
            Here is Fangraph’s Eric Longenhagen’s scouting report on him:

            “Pipkin’s fastball velocity was very volatile during his amateur and early pro career, but it has been pretty consistent for a while now. After he topped out at 94 in 2018, Pipkin was up to 98 in ’19 and sat 94-95 during instructs last Fall. His secondaries are still not very good (I think the changeup has the best chance to be an impact pitch), but he’s quite good at killing spin on his changeup (1600 rpm on average) and, as I’ve written before, I think that’s the pitch that has the best chance of developing into a real weapon, while whatever breaking ball he ends up with will need to be hard. He remains a slow-burn frame-based projection arm. (Fall Instructional League)”

        3. Morales has had 11 appearances. 7 of them were pretty bad. Which means he would have to have 3 more “good” appearances” just to be an average pitcher. Morales needs to be lights out the rest of the season.

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