Phillies MLR 6/8/17: Is there hope for Mark Appel?

Weekend Probables:

LHV: Jake Thompson, Tom Eshelman, TBD
REA: Brandon Leibrandt, Drew Anderson, Tyler Viza
CLR: Edgar Garcia, Jose Tavares, Franklyn Kilome
LWD: Nick Fanti, JoJo Romero, TBD

Lehigh Valley 3, Scranton/WB 2

Mark Appel - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 7 GB, 1 FB
Cam Perkins - 2 for 4, SB
J.P. Crawford - 0 for 4, RBI
Jorge Alfaro - 0 for 4, K
Dylan Cozens - 1 for 3, BB, K
Rhys Hoskins - 1 for 4, R, K
Nick Williams - 1 for 4, RBI, 2 K, CS

Here is the good news, Mark Appel has given up only 2 earned runs in his last 3 starts (17 IP). The not-so-good news? He’s allowed 12 hits and issued 11 walks (to 10 strikeouts) in that same span. Should we credit him for working out of jams or just getting incredibly lucky? Anyway, LHV won their 41st game and broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 8th with an RBI single from Nick Williams and a sac-fly from Taylor Featherston. The only batter that might be slumping harder than Crawford (.200 in his last 10 games) right now is Jorge Alfaro (.154).

Reading 4, Bowie 3

Miguel Nunez - 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 6 GB, 1 FB
Alexis Rivero - 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, K
Victor Arano - 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, K, WP
Austin Davis - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K
Zach Coppola - 0 for 4, K (outfield assist, 3B)
Scott Kingery - 1 for 4, R
Andrew Pullin - 0 for 4, R, K
Kyle Martin - 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Carlos Tocci - 0 for 3
Angelo Mora - 2 for 3, RBI, SB
Mitch Walding - 1 for 2, R, 3B, BB, K
Malquin Canelo - 0 for 2, RBI

Kyle Martin delivers the two-run walkoff HR in the 9th inning. That was Martin’s 11th homerun and 4th in his last 8 games. The Fightins crawled back from a 3-1 deficit. You may have noticed Miguel Nunez started this game and it wasn’t because Reading was forced to have a bullpen game. With John Richy demoted to the ‘pen, Nunez is going to be stretched out as a starter for the first time since the 2014 season he was with Clearwater.

Clearwater 7, Jupiter 4

Jacob Waguespack - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K, 8 GB, 3 FB
Luke Leftwich - 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 HR, HBP
Jeff Singer - 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 3 K, WP
Mark Laird - 0 for 5, 2 K
Grenny Cumana - 2 for 5, R, 2B
Herlis Rodriguez - 1 for 5, HR, K
Wilson Garcia - 1 for 4, R, BB, K
Cornelius Randolph - 2 for 3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Deivi Grullon - 0 for 4, 2 K
Jan Hernandez - 1 for 2, 2 R, HR, 2 BB
Cord Sandberg - 2 for 4, R, 2B
Emmanuel Marrero - 1 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K

The Threshers piled on a 6-0 lead that proved to be insurmountable for the Hammerheads to climb back. Jacob Waguespack earned his 3rd win and lowered his ERA down to 2.55. All of the homers in this were of the solo variety with Randolph (6), Hernandez (9) and Rodriguez (7) all going yard. Randolph keeps on hitting that baseball lately, batting .361 in his last 10.

Kannapolis 5, Lakewood 1

Bailey Falter - 5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K, HBP, 4 GB, 7 FB
Felix Paulino - 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, K, HBP
Daniel Brito - 1 for 3, BB
Raul Rivas - 1 for 4, K, SB (fielding error)
Mickey Moniak - 0 for 2, BB, HBP, CS
Darick Hall - 0 for 4, K
Henri Lartigue - 1 for 4, 2B
Edgar Cabral - 1 for 3, 2B, BB, K
Luke Williams - 1 for 3, HR
Carlos Duran - 0 for 2, BB, K
Enmanuel Garcia - 0 for 2, BB, K (outfield assist, 2B)

To no fault of his own, Bailey left a scoreless game that fell apart in his absence. Felix Paulino gave up a run in the top of the 7th, but the BlueClaws tied it up in the bottom of the inning via Luke Williams first HR of the season. However...Paulino then allowed 4 spot in the 8th and that was all she wrote.