Phillies MLR 5/4/21: We’re Back, Baby

Lehigh Valley 6, Rochester 5 (F/11 innings)

Adonis Medina - 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR, WP, 3 GB, 2 FB
Christopher Sanchez - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Jean Segura - 2 for 3
Cornelius Randolph - 0 for 2, 2 R, K
Mickey Moniak - 0 for 4, BB
Austin Listi - 1 for 5, R, RBI (throwing error)
Darick Hall - 0 for 5
Rafael Marchan - 2 for 4, R, BB, K
Scott Kingery - 1 for 1, 3B, 2 RBI

Medina gets off to a not-so-great of the official 2021 season. Jean Segura does well in his first rehab appearance and might be close to returning. Girardi will be asking himself how does he get both Maton and Segura into the lineup. Moniak goes hitless and Scott Kingery plays the hero with a pinch-hit two-RBI triple in the bottom of the 11th to win the game for the IronPigs.

Erie 12, Reading 4

Ethan Lindow - 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 4 K, HR, 3 GB, 1 FB
Julian Garcia - 1.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, BB, 2 K, HR, WP (throwing error)
Arquimedes Gamboa - 1 for 3, 2 R, HR, 2 BB
Daniel Brito - 1 for 4
Matt Vierling - 3 for 4, 2B, RBI (outfield assist, 3B)
Rodolfo Duran - 0 for 4
Luke Miller - 1 for 4, HR, K

Another inauspicious start for a starter in Lindow who racked up 61 pitches through 3 innings (36 for strikes). He gave up both runs in the 2nd inning. Gamboa spent all of 2019 in Reading and is starting there again. The slick fielding shortstop has never quite found his bat in the minors, but launched his first homer of the season last night. He has just 14 through 1420 minor-league at-bats.

Jersey Shore 6, Hudson Valley 2

Ben Brown - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 6 K, WP, 3 GB, 1 FB
Dominic Pipkin - 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 3 K, 3 GB, 0 FB
Jonathan Guzman - 0 for 3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 B
Bryson Stott - 0 for 3, R, BB, 2 K
Jhailyn Ortiz - 2 for 3, 2 R, 3 RBI, K, HBP
Logan O’Hoppe - 2 for 4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
Cole Stobbe - 0 for 4, 4 K

Tons to be excited about with this team/game. Ben Brown is officially back after getting to spend over a year recovering from Tommy John Surgery. The 6’6 righty has decent upside if he can return to form and hopefully last night was a future indication. Logan O’Hoppe, likely our second best catching prospect, launched his first homer. He could be a fast-riser in the organization based on how well he does and how much the organization seems to like him already. Also not a bad start for Ortiz who is repeating High-A (albeit in a different league). To many he may seem like a bust, but there is still upside there because he is an above-average rightfielder and the power is still there.

Lakeland 8, Clearwater 2

Gunner Mayer - 3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 4 K, HR, WP, 2 HBP, 3 GB, 1 FB
Johan Rojas - 2 for 5, R, 2B, K
Luis Garcia - 2 for 5, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K
Casey Martin - 1 for 2, RBI, 2 BB, SB
Abrahan Gutierrez - 1 for 4, K
Ben Pelletier - 1 for 3, 2B, BB, K
Rixon Wingrove - 0 for 4, 3 K
Nicolas Torres - 0 for 4, K
Corbin Williams - 1 for 4, 2 K, CS (fielding error)

Gunner Mayer is an under-the-radar interesting pitching prospect who was pitching fairly well through 3 innings before falling apart in the 4th where he gave up a two-run homer, a sac-fly RBI and allowing another run to score on a wild pitch. The Thresher offense this early-season will be one to watch with top prospects Rojas, Garcia and Martin leading the way. All are off to great starts. One hopes that after a rough 2019 at the plate, that Luis Garcia bounces back.