The performance tonight of prospect JA Happ is worthy of special recognition.  Happ started and went seven dominant innings giving up only one run (in the 7th) on 4 hits.  He walked two and struck out thirteen.  He threw 110 pitches, 75 of them for strikes and lowered his ERA to an outstanding 2.72.  He was pinch hit for in the bottom of the 7th and left with a 3-1 lead.  This is the fourth consecutive excellent performance by Happ, and I would hope discussions have begun about the possibility of replacing Adam Eaton, who has drifted back into the same doldrums that have followed him the last several years as a Phillie.

The kid is on FIRE since coming back from his hand injury. His overall season line now looks like this

80 AB: .350/.453/.488 — 12 BB, 17 K, 4 SB

The only “downside” is just 6 extra base hits. But we’re nitpicking now. He’s quickly adapted to AA, the toughest jump for a prospect, and is hitting the ball extremely well. Now, do we ask him to give 3B a try at Reading?In any event, hes elevating his profile, whether it means hes our utility infielder next year or used in a deal to acquire a player of need for the big league club.

Dan Romano has joined the team, and will be helping out with the weekly Lakewood report. I want to say thanks to all of those who inquired, we had over a half dozen responses in just a day. Dan has experience using WordPress, so he had an inside track here, and I look forward to his contributions. I’ll keep all of you who got in touch with me in mind for future projects, of which I’m sure there will be many. Thanks again for all of the inquires.

Bob, our Lakewood go getter this season, hasn’t had as much time as originally anticipated because of other commitments, so I’m looking for someone to help out with a once a week Lakewood report. You don’t need to live in Lakewood or go to Blueclaws games, obviously that would be a plus, but all you really need is internet access, to check the box scores and newspaper every day, keep tabs with the team, and then write a 3-4 paragraph entry once a week, on Tuesdays, to just give an overview of the last week’s worth of action, cover basic transactions, etc etc. If you’re interested, drop me a line (email is at the top right) and put “Lakewood Correspondent” or something similar in the title. Thanks.

As you may or may not have seen, the news on Scott Mathieson is not good. Per Scott Lauber

Just got finished writing this for The Paper, but I want to post it here, too. Scott Mathieson’s string of tough luck seemingly won’t stop. Mathieson, a hard-throwing 24-year-old right-hander, could be headed for his third elbow surgery in less than three years. He felt tightness in his elbow two weeks ago while long-tossing, and after being examined separately by noted orthopedic surgeons Dr. Lew Yocum and Dr. James Andrews, those doctors are going to meet with Phillies physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti to discuss a course of action.

Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies hope to have a verdict by Wednesday, but he said another surgery is “a possibility.”

Uh.

Next time someone says “its just Tommy John surgery, he’ll be ok”, point them to Scott Mathieson and ask him how he feels. I think this basically means his 2008 is lost, and probably a chunk of next season too. A shame, because he definitely could have had an impact this year.

Also, can someone tell me why Pat Gillick isn’t sharing this news with us? Are we experiencing a Weekend at Bernies thing here?

Just some random tidbits to start off your Monday

* Antonio Bastardo made his AA debut this weekend, and the results weren’t bad; 5.2 IP — 1 ER — 5 H — 3 BB — 4 K.

* Josh Outman’s first bullpen experience didn’t go quite as well; 3.1 IP — 2 ER — 4 H — 2 BB — 2 K

* Lou Marson is 7 for his last 17, and for the season is hitting .329. Marson is clearly the best catching prospect we’ve had since Mike Lieberthal, and frankly, is the first guy I check on every morning in the box scores. If he continues to hit, we’re looking at a special prospect here.

* Drew Naylor had arguably his best professional appearance yesterday, going 8 innings and allowing 1 ER on 5 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 11. Naylor has pitched well at Lakewood and probably should be moved up to Clearwater in the next month or so, as he is 21 going on 22 (May 31st) and needs to pitch against more advanced competition. But so far so good.

* Travis Mattair,  who hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts at Lakewood, now has 5 hits in his last 13 AB’s. This might not seem significant, but he’s been in the high .100’s all season, and is now hitting .212. He still isn’t showing power, but if he begins to hit a little bit, he’ll start making adjustments and the power should come. He’s very young for Lakewood, so holding his head above water is the big thing. His last 3 games are a pretty good sign, as far as I’m concerned.

Friday was a busy day for the ‘Pigs as they attempt to revamp their roster towards medicority and remove some of the dead weight they acquired.

Infielder Chris Woodward was released presumably to make room for Oscar Robles on the roster.  Woodward, 31, was somewhere between bad and horrible during his month with the ‘Pigs hitting .206 with no homers and 1 RBI in 63 at bats, while commiting numerous critical errors.  Having watched Woodward several times in person, it was clear his head was somewhere else, disappointing for a player with the major league expereince he had.

Continue reading ‘Pigs Roster Moves →

The Reading Eagle has the scoop

Word came down from Philadelphia Thursday to shake up the Double-A club’s pitching staff, with Josh Outman and Fabio Castro sent to the bullpen.

The move of Castro isn’t a surprise: All but one of his 26 appearances with Philadelphia over the last two seasons have come out of the bullpen.

For the 23-year-old Outman, however, it’s big news since he’s been projected as a starter and a potential member of the rotation in Philadelphia.

The order to get him accustomed to coming out of the bullpen signals that the Phillies see him helping them, and soon. He could very well be in the big leagues by mid-June.

“They feel like the need in the major leagues (right now) is for a left-handed reliever,” said Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller. “I think he suits that (role). I have no doubt that he’s got the stuff to do it.”

Veeeeeeery interesting. If the goal is to break Outman into the majors as a reliever, with the ultimate goal of having him start next season, then I like this move. If they have already given up on him as a starter, then I don’t like the move at all. Only time will tell.

KG has offered his knowledge to us and will answer some questions as he’s done in the past, so if you have specific questions you’d like answered, post them in the comments section here and I’ll pick and choose the best ones to send his way.

This note was in Mike Radano’s column today

Finally, reliever Scott Mathieson scheduled a visit with Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., for a third opinion on his surgically repaired right elbow. Mathieson saw Dr. Lew Yocum in Los Angeles as well as the Phillies’ doctors. Even though he has some discomfort, he appears to be going through the natural progression of recovery.

“It’s not a setback,” Steve Nowryta, the Phillies director of the minor leagues, said. “(Mathieson) wanted to get another opinion, and that’s understandable.”

Forgive me for being slightly skeptical of the Phillies PR machine. Mathieson had Tommy John Surgery in September 2006. The normal recovery period is anywhere from 12-18 months. Last summer Mathieson pulled himself out of game after feeling discomfort in the elbow and then had surgery in the offseason to relieve discomfort, which was just a product of the TJ surgery. The team said he’d be fine, but its now almost May, but its now 20 months since he’s had the surgery, and clearly something isn’t right.