Lehigh Valley

Michael Schwimer, 25, 42 games, 7-1 with a 1.76 ERA; 9 saves; 61.1IP 45H 19BB 79K; 1.04 WHIP; 0.79 GO/AO; .199 opp. avg., .289 vs. LH, .140 vs. RH, .159 with RISP. 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA since July 1st.  Has been simply dominant.

Drew Carpenter, 26, 26 games, 5-1 with a 1.66 ERA; 48.2IP 36H 9BB 52K; 1.46 GO/AO; .202 opp avg; 0.92 WHIP; .221 vs. LH, .191 vs RH, .216 with RISP; Carpenter has been excellent out of the ‘Pigs pen, however that success hasn’t translated in his limited action with the Phils.

Mike Zagurski, 28, 35 games, 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA and 10 saves; 39.2IP 31H 22BB 49K; 1.34WHIP; 5.0BB/11.1K rates; .244 vs. RH, .219 vs. LH, .200 with RISP; 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 games since July 1.  Zagurski has been very good, albeit with some limited control issues.  Continue reading Around the System, Bullpen, Top Half →

Lehigh Valley has seen their division lead dwindle to just a half game over second place Pawtucket after losing two out of three in Scranton and now stand at 63-49 with 30 games left in the season.  Their half game lead is their smallest lead since May 17th. The ‘Pigs begin a long road trip in Durham on Thursday.

‘Pigs Leaders: Hitting: Rich Thompson is 6th in runs (62), is 5th in triples (5) and 2nd in steals (33); Brandon Moss is 3rd in homers (20), 9th in RBI’s (62),5th in SLG (.514), 9th in OPS (.868)and 8th in walks (50); Erik Kratz is 8th in OBP (.383). Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →

Well, it appears that it has finally happened. The Phillies have been linked to Hunter Pence for the better part of the last 2 months, with Charlie Manuel openly campaigning for a righthanded batter. In the last few days, talks intensified, rumors began to fly wildly, and the deal has finally concluded. According to reports, the Phillies are parting ways with 1B prospect Jon Singleton, RHP Jarred Cosart, and 2 PTBNL, neither thought to be major prospects. As I start writing this, hopefully we get names and I can update it. I’m going to try and tackle this trade from both sides, just as I did the Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee deals the last two years. There are 2 sides to every trade, and its normally never as simple as “Team A won and Team B lost”. There are tons of variables here, so lets address them one by one. If you want to simply react and say “this sucks” or “this is great”, feel free to use the instant reaction post here. I’d hope that if you come here, you’re interested in what I have to say, so I’ll give it a go.

Continue reading The Phillies acquire Hunter Pence →

A look at the time period from 7/23–7/29. Sebastian Valle and Darin Ruf continue red-hot, while Freddy Galvis notches another week on the hot list.  Austin Hyatt is showing he is worthy or AAA callup while Jared Cosart gets back on track after a rough week.  Also, Trevor May continuing to put up huge strikeout numbers.

Hot Hitters:(Min 10 AB’s):Steve Susdorf (.545); Maikel Franco (.474, 5 RBI); Sebastian Valle (.463, 6R 2HR 8 RBI); Kyrell Hudson (.444); Tim Kennelly (.429); Delwyn Young (.423, 4R 2HR 6 RBI); Darin Ruf (.417, 6R 3HR 7 RBI); Mike Spidale (.400); Carlos Valenzuela (.400); Freddy Galvis (.391, HR 3 RBI, 2SB) Honorable Mention: Cesar Hernandez, Travis Mattair, Troy Hanzawa Continue reading Hot or Not →

Lakewood

David Buchanan, 22, 20 starts, 11-5 with a 3.38 ERA; 125IP 115H 32BB 86K; 1.17 WHIP; 1.13 GO/AO; .246 opp. avg., .240 vs. LH, .250 vs. RH, .262 with RISP; 3-0 with a 3.09 ERA in 5 July starts.  Buchanan has had a very good season and may end the season in Clearwater depending on the movement around the system.

Garrett Claypool, 22, 22 games (18 starts); 3-7 with a 3.70 ERA; 109.1IP 89H 41BB 123K; 0.55 GO/AO; .224 opp. avg; 1.19 WHIP; .214 vs. LH, .231 vs. RH, .232 with RISP; 0-4 with a 5.16 ERA in 5 July starts. Claypool has been very good this year, averaging 10.1K/9 but is slowing down as the innings add up. Continue reading Around the System–Starting Pitchers, Lower Half →

A solid week for Lehigh Valley, a week that included a four game winning streak that allowed the ‘Pigs to extend their lead over second place Pawtucket to three games.  Lehigh Valley now stands at 61-43 with 38 games remaining in the season. Pawtucket remains in town to close out their four game series against Lehigh Valley on Friday, before Lehigh Valley hosts Buffalo for a short two game series over the weekend. Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →

A look at the Starting Pitchers in the top half of the organization. I have included the number of innings pitched for each pitcher in 2010, as that becomes an issue as we get into the seasons final weeks.  Teams rarely want to extend a pitcher more than 30-40 innings over the previous season.

Lehigh Valley

Brian Bass, 29, 20 starts, 5-8 with a 4.03 ERA; 116IP 121H 43BB 73K; 2.58 GO/AO; .273 opp. avg, 11 HR allowed; .277 vs. LH, .270 vs. RH, .262 with RISP; 3.05 ERA in his 10 starts since June 1.  IP in 2010 (76.1).  Bass started slowly but has been the most consistent ‘Pigs starter over the last two months.  Has been consistently going deep into games.

Scott Mathieson, 27, 22 games (4 starts); 0-1 with a 3.05 ERA; 5 saves; 41.1IP 35H 21BB 52K; 1.30 WHIP; 0.68 GO/AO; .227 opp. avg.; .172 vs. LH, .260 vs. RH, .184 with RISP; 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA in his 4 starts.  2010 IP= 66.0; 2011 IP= 46.1. Mathieson has been put back into the rotation and looked good in his last start, striking out 8 in 4.1 IP.  He needs to get hitters out earlier in the count, adjusting his mindset against striking out every single hitter. Continue reading Around the System–SP, Top Half →

Lehigh Valley

Erik Kratz, 31, .291/.379/.491 in 234 AB’s; 13 HR 37 RBI; 2SB; 10%bb/19% k rates; .319 vs. LH, .278 vs. RH, .279 with RISP; .321 in July; Thrown Out 15/48 (31%); Caught 68 games 3 errors (.995); 9 passed balls. Has been very consistent both at the plate and behind the plate. Should be the Phils 3rd catcher call up come September.

Dane Sardinha, 32, .097/.200/.129 in 62 AB’S; 0 HR and 0 RBI; 10%bb/32% k rates; .000 vs. LH; .125 vs. RH, Thrown Out 5/19 (26%); Caught 19 games with one error (.994); 4 passed balls.  Has been as close to an automatic out as you can be for Lehigh Valley and amazingly does not have an RBI in 70 plate appearances.  Continue reading Around the System–Catcher →

The good, the bad, and the ugly from the 7/15–7/21 time period.  Ramon Oviedo throwing seven no hit innings, leads the way with Julio Rodriguez two very strong starts not far behind.  Jarred Cosart has been awful since the Futures Game, while Trevor May and Brody Colvin both got banged around this week as well. At the plate, Cameron Rupp continues swinging the hot stick and Harold Martinez has a very nice week. Freddy Galvis makes another appearance on the hot list, while Cody Overbeck and Kelly DUgan struggle. Continue reading Hot or Not →

Lehigh Valley has hit a significant rough patch following the All Star break, as they have been decimated by injury and other roster attrition.  Their lead over second place Pawtucket has dwindled to a single game, with five more games against the Red SOx coming up over the next week.  The ‘Pigs now sit at 56-42 on the season and return home for a 10 game home stand starting Friday.

‘Pigs Leaders: Rich Thompson is 7th in runs (55); 9th in triples (5)and second in stolen bases (29); Brandon Moss is 4th in homers (17); 9th in walks (44); Delwyn Young is 10th in k’s (87). Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →