Phillies MLR 5/5-7/17: Doubleheaders aplenty

Monday’s Probables:

Lehigh Valley: TBD vs. Rochester

Reading: Thomas Eshelman vs. Bowie

Clearwater: Jose Taveras vs. Charlotte

Lakewood: Bailey Falter @ Columbia

Lehigh Valley

Friday: PPD

Saturday: Buffalo 8, Lehigh Valley 0 [box] Friday PPD game PPD again to Sunday

Sunday: Lehigh Valley 1, Buffalo 0 [box] / Lehigh Valley 5, Buffalo 4 [box]

Ricardo Pinto didn’t stand a chance in his start Saturday against the Bisons. He was roughed up for seven earned runs in his three innings of work. He walked four and struck out just one. As this was scheduled to be a seven-inning affair due to it being a doubleheader, the Pigs didn’t have to dig too much deeper in the bullpen to get through the rest of this one. Jorge Alfaro had two hits, including a double.

Mark Appel put together what was probably his best start of 2017 in Sunday’s doubleheader, as he lasted 5 ²⁄₃ innings and allowed just two hits. He did walk four but struck out five. The lone run in the first game came on a Dylan Cozens homerun, his 5th of the season.

Sunday’s second game turned into a bullpen affair, with all the rain and Jake Thompson’s call-up to the Majors included as well. Rhys Hoskins crushed a grand slam in the first inning. Cesar Ramos did allow four earned runs in his 2 ²⁄₃ innings of work, but Michael Mariot shut the door in the 7th for the victory.

Reading

Friday: Doubleheader PPD, PPD game from April moved to 7/6

Saturday: Portland 5, Reading 0 [box] / Reading 2, Portland 0 [box]

Sunday: Reading 13, Portland 8 [box]

The Fightin Phils have had a tough time avoiding the rain in Portland in 2017. With Friday’s doubleheader rained out, they’ll try it again in July. Saturday’s action included a pair of shutouts by each team, and Sunday’s action involved a major comeback from the Fightin Phils.

Reading fell behind 8-0 before plating 13 unanswered, yes, 13, to win the game. Scott Kingery was 2-for-5 with a homerun. Andrew Pullin added a homer in the 6th inning and had 2 RBI. Brandon Leibrandt was roughed up for seven earned runs, but the bullpen did a fairly good job to keep Portland in check.

Clearwater

Friday: Florida 17, Clearwater 11 [box]

Saturday: Clearwater 7, Florida 4 [box]

Sunday: Florida 3, Clearwater 2 (10 innings) [box]

You don’t have a much of a chance to win if you give up nine runs in the first inning. That’s what happened to the Threshers in a 17-11 drubbing Friday night. Alberto Tirado allowed eight earned runs and didn’t make it out of the first. Ranfi Casimiro didn’t do much better, as he allowed eight runs (four earned) in his three innings of work. Drew Stankiewicz had a big 4-for-5 night with a homerun and 2 RBI, and Zachary Coppola, Cornelius Randolph, Damek Tomscha, Wilson Garcia and Jose Pujols each had two hits, but it wasn’t enough.

The offense didn’t rest Saturday night either, and some better pitching helped the cause. Herlis Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, his 5th of the season, and Stankiewicz had two more hits; he’s now slashing .345/.385/.512 this year.

Cornelius Randolph hit his 4th homerun of the season Sunday, a two-run shot, in a 3-2 loss. Seranthony Dominguez pitched six innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He has a 1.74 ERA on the season.

Lakewood

Friday: Lakewood 12, Columbia 2 [box]

Saturday: Lakewood 1, Columbia 0 [box]

Sunday: Lakewood 10, Columbia 7 [box]

We’ve got ourselves a no-hitter! And plenty of offense, too. Mickey Moniak was 2-for-5 with an RBI, Jose Antequera picked up three hits, and Cord Sandberg went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Friday’s win. Adonis Medina went four innings and allowed two earned runs.

The big story, and also controversy of the weekend: Nick Fanti and Trevor Bettencourt combining to no-hit the Fireflies on Saturday night. Yes, that means Tim Tebow didn’t have a hit, and neither did anyone else. Fanti went 8 ²⁄₃ innings but was at 113 pitches, and despite being one out away from a no-hitter, was pulled from the game. Bettencourt did finish it off, and it was the right decision, but it’s never fun to see someone pulled from a no-hit effort. Fanti is now 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA this season, and has been a standout in the Lakewood rotation.

Moniak went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday’s 10-7 win. Darick Hall was 2-for-5 with a homer, his 4th of the season. He had 3 RBI in the process. Sixto Sanchez gave up four earned runs in his five innings of work. He threw 79 pitches, 58 for strikes. The Blue Claws have a wraparound game tonight and go for the four-game sweep in Columbia.