Phillies Minor League Roundup - April 9, 2014

Buffalo 5, Lehigh Valley 3 (Game 1 of doubleheader)

Greg Smith - 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 5 GB, 4 FB
Jeremy Horst - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Luis Garcia - 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K
Clete Thomas - 1 for 2, HR, 3 BB, HBP
Maikel Franco - 0 for 5, BB, 3 K
Cameron Rupp - 1 for 6, 2 K
Leandro Castro - 1 for 4, K
Tyler Henson - 3 for 4, 2B, RBI, BB, K

Clete Thomas leads off the bottom of the 1st with a homer and walks three times in the game (including one IBB). Despite picking up 9 walks in the game, Lehigh Valley went 2 for 12 with RISP and left 15 on base. Journeyman Greg Smith with a mediocre start. He was saved by some masterful work in relief by Horst and Garcia who combined for 4 innings of no hit, no run baseball with 7 K's. The game would go into extras tied 3-3 before Shawn Camp and Kyle Simon gave up the go ahead runs in the top of the 11th. Former (briefly) Phillies prospect Rob Rasmussen would eventually load the bases with 2 outs. This would bring up "Not Andy" Reid Brignac to fly out unceremoniously to end the game. Maikel Franco with the uncharacteristic 3 strikeout performance. He didn't have a 3 strikeout game last season until 8/31. Rupp also ended his homer streak...infinite sadness.

Lehigh Valley 1, Buffalo 0 (Game 2 of doubleheader, makeup from 4/7)

Cesar Jimenez - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 3 GB, 1 FB
Clete Thomas - 0 for 1,  R, BB, K
Maikel Franco - 1 for 2, BB
Cameron Rupp - 0 for 3, 2 K
Jim Murphy - 0 for 1, 2 BB

Weird game in which the Iron Pigs win despite not scoring an earned run. Jimenez is stretched out to be a starter for this game and does pretty darn well, almost matching Blue Jays prospect Marcus Stroman. The Iron Pigs would score their lone run in the bottom of the 3rd when Clete Thomas drew a walk, Susdorf would reach on a fielding error, Franco then GIDP with Thomas moving to 3rd and would eventually score on a passed ball before Rupp would strikeout to end the inning. A win is a win right? Franco with a rare infield single in this game and drew a walk! Slump is over!

Reading 4, New Hampshire 1

Severino Gonzalez - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 7 GB, 6 FB
Ken Giles - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
Carlos Alonso - 3 for 4, R, RBI, BB
Cam Perkins - 0 for 3, K
Kelly Dugan - 1 for 3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K
Tommy Joseph - 1 for 4, R, 2B, K
Anthony Hewitt - 1 for 4, RBI, 2 K

Severino pitched well...yet again. Despite all reports of his stuff not being of a higher quality prospect, he continues to command the plate and get hitters out. If there was ever a helium player in this system, this is it. He has adjusted to AA well thus far. Reading would score 3 in the first inning and never look back. Dugan with an two RBI single and another walk. He now has 4 walks and only 3 K's to begin the season in 20 at-bats. If there were ever concerns of what it would take Dugan to succeed, it will be to cut down on the K's and get on base. So far so good. Extra extra: Ken Giles throws hard and is making hitters look foolish. He only has so many 100 MPH fastballs in that arm. Give him a few throws in AAA and get him on the big club. Can he be any worse than what we have now?

Tampa 5, Clearwater 3

Ethan Stewart - 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, K, HR, 9 GB, 1 FB
Mike Adams - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 2 K
Lino Martinez - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 K
Freddy Galvis - 0 for 4
Peter Lavin - 1 for 5, HR, 2 K
Anthony Phillips - 1 for 1, 3B, 2 RBI

Holy cow, what a weird game. Stewart was actually pitching relatively well for Ethan Stewart. He gets to the top of the 5th and after a 1 out error from KC Serna it all seemed to fall apart. He got another out before giving up a 2-out RBI double and then a 3 run homer. Mike Adams with his first poor outing on his rehab tour. The offense didn't do much despite making a late comeback getting a 2 RBI pinch hit triple from Phillips in the bottom of the 9th.

Greensboro 2, Lakewood 1

Mark Leiter - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR, 9 GB, 2 FB
Carlos Tocci - 0 for 4, K
Andrew Pullin - 1 for 4, R, K
Dylan Cozens - 1 for 4, 2B, RBI
Zach Green - 2 for 4, 2 2B
Larry Greene - 1 for 4, 2 K
Gabriel Lino - 1 for 3, BB, K

Help me JP Crawford, you're our only hope! If you haven't noticed, Crawford has been out the last two games and is considered day to day with a knee injury. The offense could sure use him. His replacement Robinson Torres has gone 0 for 6 with two K's in his absence. Mark Leiter with another good performance. Another guy like Severino who doesn't dazzle with the stuff, but knows how to get hitters out. The Lakewood crowd (wish I could go) gets a look at Hagerstown (Nats A- team) pitcher Lucas Giolito today. The kid is touted as being a future #1 by all major scouts and prospectologists. Do the Nats really need another prospect like this?