Wednesday Instructs include an intrasquad game in Bright House Field.  Today’s game offered the added incentive that Kevin Gowdy would return to the mound after taking a ground ball off the forearm of his throwing arm.   Continue reading Florida Instructs; October 12, 2016 →

The Phillies played uninspired ball against the Blue Jays as Instructs entered its final week. The pitchers and defense surrendered nine runs on seven hits, three walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch, and a balk.  Six of the runs were unearned as the Phillies committed five or six errors.  The offense was equally ineffective, scoring only one run, and that came in the bottom of the ninth inning.

However, there is good news.  I spoke with Kevin Gowdy.  His arm feels better.  He has a little swelling, but the discoloration from the bruise was hardly noticeable.  And, he will pitch Wednesday during the intrasquad game.

And there were some good performances. Continue reading Florida Instructs; October 10, 2016 →

The Phillies traveled to Dunedin to scrimmage against the Blue Jays.  The game was played at the Blue Jays Mattick Complex under beautiful conditions at 10:00 AM.  The Phillies pitched and played well.  One guy has continued to “up” his stock and will likely be protected from the Rule 5 draft.  But first, let me relay some of the information I picked up around the cage. Continue reading Florida Instructs; October 8, 2016 →

Since my last report, the Phillies have played 2 games against the Yankees, 2 against the Blue Jays, and 3 intrasquad games.  I attended 4 of the seven, I’ll give you what I’ve got here. Continue reading Florida Instructs Update; October 5, 2016 →

The Phillies continued their Instructional League schedule on Tuesday by hosting the Yankees at Bright House Field.  The game quickly got out of hand with the Yankees posting crooked numbers in the second, third, and fourth innings.  The Phillies trailed 11-0 before getting their first hit in the bottom of the fourth inning.

So, rather than go through this gore fest inning by inning, I’ll just cover the highlights and low lights.   This is an instructional league.  The coaches are introducing players to new/correct ways of doing things.  So, if a player runs into a bad stretch, it is probably because he is trying to master some new skill.

I apologize for the lack of pictures and video today.  I wrenched my back and couldn’t get up and down the stairs as easily as on Monday.  So, I concentrated on velocity for a while. Then I took advantage of my seat close to “a person of interest” to see if I could pick up some interesting tidbits.

Kevin Gowdy got the start.

The starting line up and substitutions –

• 4 Daniel Brito went 1-3 with a BB and RBI.
• DH/7 David Martinelli went 1-3 with an HBP.
• 5 Josh Tobias went 1-4 with a 2B.
• DH/7 Gregg Pickett went 1-4 with a 2-run HR.
• 2 Rodolfo Duran went 0-1 with an HBP.
•    Lartigue went 0-1 with a BB.
• 9 Jhailyn Ortiz went 1-4.
• 3 Luis Encarnacion went 0-4 with 3 K.
• 8 Juan Luis went 1-3.
• 6 Jonathan Guzman went 1-3.
• 7/DH Josh Stephen went 0-2.
•    Brett Barbier went 0-1.
• 1 Kevin Gowdy –         2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
•    Alberto Tirado –      0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
•    Adonis Medina –     1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
•    Sixto Sanchez –       2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
•    Bailey Falter –           2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
•    Andrew Brown –     1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Bench – Keudy Bocia and Jesus Henriguez

Two players joined the Instructs and pushed the roster total to 64 players.  The new additions are LHP Oscar Marcelino  and the PTBNL in the Carlos Ruiz trade, OF Joey Curletta.  The updated roster also includes assigned numbers for Instructs.

And now the highs, lows, observations, and other stuff.

1.  Kevin Gowdy looked sharp in a 1-2-3 first inning that featured 2 strike outs on off speed pitches (85 and 88 mph).  His FB was 92-94 mph.  He mixed his velocity well. The middle of the Yankees order squared up several balls in the second inning.  He was getting ahead with fastballs, but seemed to be leaving pitches up in the zone.
2. Daniel Brito made a web gem on a ground ball to his right, slid, back handed, spun, and threw out the runner.
3. Alberto Tirado struck out his first two batters.  An infield pop two-base error prolonged the inning and the Yankees scored 5 unearned runs.  On the pop up, Guzman drifted into shallow and called for the ball.  Josh Stephen who had collided with Guzman on an earlier catch, peeled off.  The ball landed on the infield dirt behind second base as the runner jogged into second.  Scored an error.  I don’t know on whom.
4. Adonis Medina was cruising with a couple of strike outs after an infield single when he gave up back to back home runs.
5. Sixto Sanchez struck out three in two innings.  He would have had a fourth if the umpire didn’t miss a strike on a 2-2 pitch.  The batter walked on the next pitch. Sanchez got two of his Ks looking at his off speed pitch, a slider I think.
6. Falter was hit hard in his first inning, but retired the Yankees in ordeder in his second inning on a weak ground ball to second and two infield pop ups.
7. Andrew Brown got 2 Ks on 81 mph pitches in a solid ninth.
8. Greg Picket played the field in a game for the first time since XST.  He was on the 60-day DL all summer.  He took a step back on a fly ball in the ninth and couldn’t recover in time to make the catch.  It’s also the first time I’ve seen him in left.  I remember him playing right last year.
9. Pickett looked good at the plate and finally had something to shoe for all his hard work with a blast to right.  The two-run HR accounted for 2 of the Phillies 3 RBI.
10. Daniel Brito had the other RBI on an infield single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning.  The Phillies other two runs scored on a PB and WP.  The final was 13-5.
11. Caleb Eldridge, who disappeared during the GCL season, was sitting in the stands with his right arm in a half cast.
12. An hour before the game, most of the pitchers were doing PFPs on Robin Roberts Field at the Carpenter Complex.
13. Org meetings this weekend will determine which MiLB free agents they re-sign.
14. Just like many of us, the Phillies anticipate losing some players during the Rule 5 draft again this year.
15. Pitcher velocities –
16. Gowdy FB 92-94, off speed 86-88, and 83-84.
17. Tirado FB 94-96, off speed 88 and 84.
18. Falter FB 87-89, off speed 80-81 and CB 73-75.
19. Brown FB 90-91, off speed 80-81 and CB 75.
20. No readings on Sanchez and Medina.

And some video of Gowdy.

Extra Innings

• No transactions.
• Organizational Rosters are up to date.