Two wins and two suspended games on Sunday. Lehigh won taking four of six games from Scranton and have themselves a four-game winning streak. Reading won taking four of six games from New Hampshire. Jersey Shore was suspended in the fourth inning trailing by a run. And, Clearwater was suspended in the top of the 11th. Andrew Painter was the starting pitcher on Sunday.
Clearwater (9-9) suspended in the 11th with the game tied 4-4.
Andrew Painter (0.00) pitched four shutout innings allowing 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out six. He threw 68 pitches, 40 strikes (58.8%). He wasn’t as sharp as in his previous starts. That may have been due to the umpire. Both teams questioned calls. But, both teams used their challenges up early and every call by the umpire (who was making the calls, not the ABS) was upheld when checked against the ABS.
Jordi Martinez (4.50) made his first appearance and gave up 3 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks. Tommy McCollum (2.35) pitched 0.2 innings and loaded the bases on walks. Alex Garbrick (0.79) stranded all 3 inherited runners, but gave up an eighth-inning run that tied the game,. Rodolfo Sanchez (0.00) pitched scoreless ninth and tenth innings.
The Threshers scored 4 runs in the third inning on Lee Hao Yu’s2-run double and Marcus Lee Sang’s 2-run HR. Lee went 2-5, Lee Sang 3-4.
The team announced on Twitter that the game would be completed during the May 17-22 series. The 19th is already an off day and a doubleheader was scheduled for the 20th. I don’t know how they are going to insert 2 rained-out games and a suspended game into that series as they’ve already announced. They do visit Fort Myers in July. I don’t know why the rush.
Lehigh Valley (13-11) beat the Scranton/WB RailRiders, 9-3. link
Connor Eastman (3.20) pitched 4.1 innings and gave up one run on 2 hits and 3 walks. Jake Hernandez (6.48) stranded an inherited runner and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings. Jake Newberry (6.30) blew the save when he gave up 2 runs on 4 hits in the seventh inning. Braeden Ogle (1-1, 4.91) stranded two inherited runners and tossed 1.1 perfect innings. Nick Duron (2.89) pitched a scoreless ninth allowing 2 meaningless hits.
The IronPigs took the lead with a run in the third inning on Dustin Peterson’s RBI single. They retook the lead in the fourth on Will Toffey’s RBI single. And, they retook the lead again in the eighth on RBI singles by Bryson Stott and Drew Maggi. They put the game out of reach with a 5-run barrage in the ninth on Darick Hall’s leadoff HR, a throwing error on Nick Maton’s base hit, a forceout, and John Andreoli’s 2-run HR.
The IronPigs mounted a 19-hit attack. All ten players who got into the game had a hit. Yairo Munoz had 3 hits. Maggi, Hall, Peterson, and Toffey had 2 hits each. As did Bryson Stott who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth. Hall’s HR was his tenth of the season.
Reading (8-13) beat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 10-9. link
Jack Perkins (10.54) was pulled after a 39-pitch (26 strikes, 66.6%) first inning. He gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk and struck out one batter. Mike Adams (1-0, 11.32) pitched two shutout innings allowing a hit and a walk and striking out three. Braden Zarbnisky (2.31) pitched two innings and gave up 2 runs on 2 solo HRs. McKinley Moore (3.27) pitched 1.1 innings and gave up an unearned run on a walk and a hit while striking out two. Francisco Morales (0.00) allowed one of 2 inherited runners to score and struck out four in 1.2 innings. Brian Marconi (4.00) got roughed up in one inning giving up 4 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks striking out two.
The Phils went ahead to stay with 6 runs in the second inning on Sal Gozzo’s RBI single, Vito Friscia’s game-tying sac fly, Josh Ockimey’s 2-run double, and Jhailyn Ortiz’ 2-run HR. After NH scored a couple runs, they restored their 4-run lead when they added single runs in the sixth and seventh on a wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk. NH trimmed a run of the lead, but the Phils added 2 insurance runs in the eighth on solo HRs by Friscia and Ockimey. That gave them a 5-run lead which turned out to be just enough.
Ockimey went 4-5 with 2 doubles, a HR, and 3 RBI. Jack Conley went 2-2 with a double, 3 walks, and an RBI. Sal Gozzo went 2-5 with an RBI. Ortiz went 3-5 with a double, HR, and 2 RBI.
Jersey Shore (6-14) suspended in top of the 4th trailing the Aberdeen IronBirds, 2-1.
The game will be completed on June 14th.
Matt Russell (6.17) pitched three innings and gave up 2 runs (one of them unearned) on 2 hits and a walk. He struck out six. Russell had retired the first six batters he faced before a bases-loaded sacrifice fly and a throwing error on the play surrendered the lead before the game was suspended.
The BlueClaws had been retired in order in the first two innings. Nicolas Torres reached on a two-out, ground-rule double. He scored on Johan Rojas’ RBI single.
Rosters and Stuff
- organization’s rosters (5/1/2022)
- organization’s injury list (5/1/2022)
- organization’s Rule 5 eligibility (5/1/2022) (includes player info, assignments, …)
Transactions
LHP Jose Acuna placed on the 60-day IL
5/01/2022 – Phillies optioned Cristopher Sanchez to Lehigh Valley
5/01/2022 – Phillies optioned Damon Jones to Lehigh Valley
Phuture Phillies 
I really love what the Phillies did with their catcher position this off-season. They brought in a whole bunch of players with some upside – just as they did with their relief pitchers – and let thing play out on their own. This is something good organizations do and that the Klentak group (and Amaro before him) never seemed to do.
This has netted us some interesting arms and Camargo in the majors and Donny Sands in the minors, among others. Sands is off to a fabulous start, drawing 25 walks and a .438 OBP in 85 at bats. If he keeps this up, we are going to have to start calling him “Donny Base-on-Balls”. And he’s 25 (26 soon) so he’s still within a developmental window and is not yet a AAAA player. The same is true of Darick Hall. It’s rare that guys turn the corner at age 26 or 27, but it does happen, particularly when a new staff is brought in to develop talent as seems to be happening here.
Actually the whole ‘age concept to prospect level’ should be put on hold for awhile.
The COVID pandemic really disrupted that concept.
One could actually say close to two years were wasted with many prospects as, except for the select few prized prospects within organizations that attended the Alt Sites in 2020., many had to fend for themselves in their own development from the end of FILs in 2019 thru .ST in 2021.
IMO, Hall is an example of one that falls into that category.
Eh, maybe a little bit, if a guy was like 23 or 24, but not really in Hall’s case. He’s a much older prospect (although, as a I said, not totally out of the developmental window) and he played all of last year in AAA and was, frankly, mediocre so I don’t see his very pedestrian statistical history being a byproduct of the pandemic year.
That said, Hall’s numbers so far are fantastic and maybe it’s real. I am hoping the new coaches have done something new to unlock his ability. But for him to get big league playing time he’s going to need to show it in AAA and then the majors. At bats are not going to be just handed to him in the big leagues.
Darick Hall’s 2021 season is really interesting because, on the surface, it does look mediocre, but he got off to such a terrible start that it sort of masks how he finished the season and kind of shows this run right now is a continuation of how he finished, albeit with more power.
In his first 41 games last year Hall slashed 162/277/280/556 with a .190 BABIP. He had 4 homers and 14 RBIs, with 42 Ks and 21 BB.
In his final 71 games, he slashed 276/379/485/865 with a .324 BABIP, 10 homers, 46 RBIs, 58 Ks and 34 BB.
He posted the highest walk rate of his career last season (11.7%) and the second-lowest strikeout rate of his career (21.2%).
He’s hit for power before (29 HR across two levels in 2017; 26 HR across two levels in 2018; 20 HR in 2019).
If you watch the videos of his home runs I’ve posted on Twitter this year, there’s a good chunk of them coming on off-speed pitches. He’s punishing mistakes right now, not just mashing fastballs. He’s striking out at the lowest rate of his career (17.3%). All that and his BABIP is at .266 this year.
Does that mean he’s going to be a good Major Leaguer? I have no idea, but I believe he’s probably ready for a shot. I just don’t know that it happens in Philly. And what is a realistic return in a trade? A high upside lottery ticket minor leaguer or a middle reliever of some kind?
He’s really interesting right now, and a lot of fun to watch.
Thanks, Mitch. I wasn’t aware of his late season stats last year. That’s good information.
His trade value is likely almost non-existent, so it’s worth more for them to keep him around this year and probably next as the Hoskins situation resolves itself.
If the Phillies think that what Hall is showing is legit, they can just put him on the 40 man at the end of the season.
Yup – that’s what I’m hoping will happen if he continues to hit like this.
I always resort to upper echelon big leaguers rarely struggle in the minors.
If Rhys Hoskins continues at the pace he’s giving, I’d move him and give Hall a shot. What would the difference be? And for the record, Hoskins is the most hyped, beloved .190-.230 hitter with occasional bursts of power I have ever seen.
Agreed on Hoskins. Dudes in an incredible hitting situation too with the bats around him, he should be mashing. Philly tends to be slow to move on from their guys, but idk how much longer Rhys is going to be mediocre at best before the team realizes that he peaked his rookie year
Having watched all of the Clearwater games last week that weren’t washed out, here are some observations:
Andrew Painter wasn’t as overpowering as advertised but he clearly was the hardest thrower on either team. He sat 96-97, touched 98 five times among his 44 fastballs and never threw one under 95. Interestingly, the last out he recorded was a three-pitch affair that started with a 98 mph fastball followed by an 82 breaking pitch then an 83 breaking pitch.
As Jim mentioned, he didn’t appear as sharp as I would have expected, but one can’t nitpick no runs, two hits, two walks, six Ks. Jersey by June or July?
Yhoswar Garcia was the most impressive position player. He gets on base — bunt, walk, ground-ball singles, line drives. Once on, he’s almost a guaranteed stolen base or two. He runs the bases hard. He advances to the next base when he’s supposed to. He hustles on every play. He made zero mental or physical errors.
(Visited my doctor today for a routine examination. He’s a huge baseball fan and a Latino. I asked him how to pronounce Garcia’s first name — JoSwar is the best I can replicate. Dr. V pronounced it a little differently, but JoSwar is an improvement over the YoShar of the public address announcer.)
Shortstop Yu Lee was next on my list. A solid hitter and fielder who delivered at the plate when needed.
Ditto outfielder Marcus Lee Sang.
Kendall Simmons hits the ball hard. He also misses it with mighty swings.
Painter isn’t the only hard thrower. The Threshers had several Sunday: Jordi Martinez 93-94, Tommy McCollom 93-94, touched 97, Rodolfo Sanchez 94-95.
Thanks Frank for that report…..very good.
Yhoswar Garcia hopefully avoids any nagging injuries and keep up his exciting brand of baseball.
Seems to me many of those jack-rabbit players, end up with nagging tendon adn assorted soft-tissue issues.
Romas, Garcia is a more wiry body build than, say, Roman Quinn. Hopefully that suggests his body is tougher, too.
An interesting note: I just happened upon the Threshers roster from April 30, 2019. Here are the players among the 28 who made it, at least for awhile, to the parent club. Recall, the Threshers were High A then:
Connor Brogdon
Spencer Howard
Damon Jones
Alex Bohm
Nick Maton
Simon Muzziotti
Matt Vierling
Two interesting names still to make it but still hopefuls:
Jhailyn Ortiz
Daniel Brito