We’ve reached the point where enough guys have been reassigned to the minor league camp from major league spring training that the groups are becoming confusing.  There are several players crossing between groups, and the lines that define groups are becoming blurred.  Even though the Reading and Clearwater staffs are managing Groups 1 and 2, they are starting to look like the rosters that will become Lehigh Valley and Reading.

Dusty Wathan’s  Group 1 fielded the following line up –

• Quinn CF,
• Mastroianni RF,
• Altherr LF (Pointer as his 6th inning replacement),
• Franco 3B,
• Moore C (Bass in the 6th),
• Tyler Greene SS,
• Joseph DH,
• d’Arnaud 2B,
• Stassi 1B,
• Perkins bench.

Greg Legg’s Group 2 fielded the following line up –

• Tocci CF,
• Valentin (Alonso 6th),
• Knapp DH,
• Cozens RF (Harris 7th),
• Henson LF,
• Pierre 3B (Charles 1B),
• Serna SS,
• Lino C (Mayorga 7th),
• Martinez 1B (3B in the 6th).

I watched the Group 2 game where Ben Lively started but first I have a bunch of random information from the Group 1 game –

• Chad Billingsley pitched 2 innings.  He gave up one hit and induced 5 ground balls.  His fast ball was 90-91 mph.
• Adam Morgan pitched 4 innings.  He looked good, his fastball was 89-90 mph and his curve and slider were really working.  I think he opened the 1st inning with a K, then a 1B and an inning-ending double play.  He struck out the side in the second inning.  He induced 3 ground ball outs in the third inning which included a one-out, line drive double.  In the 4th inning he he gave up a long fly out to left that the wind probably kept in the park, a single and two more Ks.
• Roman Quinn batted left-handed and gapped a triple to right center field.
• Seve Gonzalez was on hand to bunt lead off base runners over to second.  He was success in the one attempt I saw.
• Ben Revere got 6 or 7 at bats switching between games and totallly wrecked my score card.

In the Group 2 game, Lively pitched 3 innings –

1^st inning

• Fly out, F8
• K, looking
• 2B over the RF’s head
• 3B over the CF’s head
• K

2^nd inning

• K
• Line drive 1B to CF
• Pop out, P3
• Ground out, 6-3

3^rd inning

• K
• Hustle 2B to shallow RCF
• K, looking
• 2B over the LF’s head
• Home run to RF
• K (and left the mound with an “expletive deleted!”

Lively had an inconsistent outing.  He struck out 6 and didn’t walk anybody, but 5 of the 6 hits he allowed went for extra bases.  He threw about 63 pitches, 41 for strikes.  He faced Aaron Judge twice, striking him out looking in the first inning.  In his second AB, Judge flared a ball into shallow right center that the wind knocked down as Dylan Cozens tried a diving catch.  Judge busted out of the box and never broke stride.  When Cozens left his feet, Judge continued on to second beating Tocci’s soft throw by a wide margin.  Lively was clearly aggravated with himself as he left the mound after finishing the 3rd inning with a K after allowing the home run.

Reinier Roibal pitched the next 2 innings.

4^th inning

• Ground out 4-3
• BB
• Stolen base
• Stolen base
• BB
• Fielder’s choice, 6-4
• Stolen base
• K

5^th inning

• K, looking
• Pop out, P3
• K

Roibal struck out Judge to end the 4th inning.  It was Judge’s last AB for the day.  He finished 1-3 with 2 Ks.  The Yankees stole at will during his appearance.  They must have spotted something in his wind up.  They didn’t try to run on Lino when Lively, Stewart, and Ridenhour were on the mound.

Ethen Stewart pitched a scoreless 6th inning that included a strike out, walk, and a successful pick off.

Lee Ridenhour pitched 2 scoreless innings.

7^th innng

• Ground out, 5-3
• Fly out, F8
• K

8^th inning

• Fly out, F8
• Ground out, 3-1
• Fly out, F7

When Ridenhour’s first fast ball popped the mitt, a friend asked me how fast Ridenhour threw.  I don’t know how fast any of the pitchers were on Schmidt Field were throwing today.  They moved the guns to the other side of the cage where we can’t see them.  Regardless of speed, Ridenhour looked effective.

Mark Leiter pitched a scoreless 9th inning, recording a pop up to short and 2 swinging strike outs.

Offensively, the Phillies managed 4 hits.  Tocci singled to lead off the 1st inning and was erased when Ben revere grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.  Casey Serna grounded a double down the left field line with one out in the 3rd inning.  He scored when Gabriel Lino popped out down the right field line and the fielder threw wildly to third base when Serna faked a tag.  He was awarded home when the ball left the field of play.  The final 2 hits and runs came on solo home runs to left by Andrew Knapp.  Both balls were hit well and didn’t appear to be aided by the wind that was blowing from right to the third base line.

The complete box score is too sad to print, here are the highlights –

• Tocci:      1-3
• Knapp:   2-3; R, 2 RBI, 2 HR
• Serna:     1-2; 2B
• Only 3 Phillies struck out – Tocci, Alonso, Martinez, none walked
• 5 Phillies’ pitchers recorded 13 Ks and walked 3
• 4 Phillies’ relievers held the Yankees hitless over the last 6 innings
• Lively:             3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
• Roibal:            2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Stewart:         1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Ridenhour:   2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Leiter:             1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

I’m going to the Phillies’ game against the Yankees Friday, no minor league report.  Aaron Nola is scheduled to pitch 3 innings.  I hope the monsoon outside my window stops in time for the field to drain.  I saw a few players in a restaurant last night.  One of our group approached a player I recognized and asked how he injured his oblique.  He was told that it happened while fielding a batted ball.

Today Aaron Harang started for Shawn Williams’ group.  He brought along Carlos Ruiz as his battery mate.  While I would much prefer watching prospects pitch, at least the game offered a chance to see some prospects in the line up.  Unfortunately, Chooch knocked Deivy Grullon out of the start.  He wouldn’t enter the game until the 6th inning.

The line up showed a little shuffling among the groups.  Willians Astudillo, Zach Green, Drew Stankiewicz, and Cord Sandberg dropped down from Greg Legg’s group for today’s game.  Jan Hernandez and Chase Harris moved up from the lower group.  Continue reading MiLB Spring Training 2015; March 24th vs. Pirates →

The line up for today’s Alumni Day game has some interesting features.  In addition to the  marquee pairing of starting pitchers Cole Hamels and R.A. Dickey, today marks the first appearance of Chase Utley at second base. Continue reading Utley Plays the Field, Revere … →

Two A games at the Complex today. Lakewood manager Shawn Williams’ group was on the bad end of a 12-2 decision.  I posted the following line up on twitter, but in these games the line up is often just a suggestion.  Changes came earlier than in the 6th inning and for players not scheduled to be replaced.  Oh well, that happens a lot down here.

Continue reading MiLB Spring Training 2015; March 18th vs. Pirates →

I arrived at the Carpenter Complex as the teams took the field. I was drawn to Ashburn Field, traditionally the AAA field, when I thought I saw Carlos Alonso at shortstop, not a normal position for Carlos. Turns out it was free agent signee Tyler Greene. But since Ethan Martin was on the mound, I chose to stay. I recognized Aaron Brown, Cameron Perkins, and Roman Quinn in the outfield and was satisfied with my game selection.

Ethan Martin started and retired 3 of 4 batters fairly easily. The only base runner reached on a softly hit flare to shallow left field. There were no scouts around the cage, so I don’t have any velocity on his fast ball. Continue reading MiLB Spring Training 2015; March 17th vs. the Blue Jays →

Todd Zolecki has reported the Phillies first roster moves.  Left-hander Jesse Biddle, right-hander Ethan Martin, left-hander Adam Morgan, and outfielder Aaron Altherr have been optioned to the minor league camp.  Right-hander Sean O’Sullivan and catcher John Hester have been reassigned to the minor league camp.

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All these moves would be characterized as expected, but I am mildly surprised that O’Sullivan as a healthy starter would have been reassigned this early.

The Phillies made their first roster cut this morning when they released outfielder Xavier Paul, as reported by Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors.  Paul hit the Phillies first home run this spring, and had one of the eight they hit so far in March.

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