The BlueClaws will finish up their three-game series at Delmarva this morning (10:35 first pitch) with LHP Mario Hollands on the mound, making his first start of the season.

Here are today’s game notes.
Listen Live link.

From Delmarva…The BlueClaws are 33-17 against Delmarva over the last three seasons including 20-9 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium…The BlueClaws will play 13 games are Perdue Stadium this year (1-1) and Delmarva will come to Lakewood three times for nine total games…Delmarva will be in Lakewood next week and then the teams will play six straight days (three in Delmarva and three in Lakewood) between June 8-13.

With a Win…The BlueClaws would take two of three in the series with a win…It would be just third series win of the season (4/28-30 vs Greenville and 4/12-15 vs Hagerstown)…The BlueClaws are just 4-14 away from home, a road record better than just West Virginia (4-15) and Rome (4-15) in the South Atlantic League this year.

Welcome Back…1B Kelly Dugan (.254 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs) was activated off the disabled list Monday and went 2-3 and scored twice on Tuesday night…It was Dugan’s 4^th multi-hit game of the season…Dugan had been out since spraining his right ankle on April 20^th at Hagerstown…C John Hill was transferred to Clearwater.

H-Mart…Harold Martinez had a two-run triple on Tuesday, his first RBIs since May 3^rd and his 3^rd and 4^th since joining the BlueClaws on April 24^th from extended spring training…The Phllies 2^nd round pick last year, Martinez is the first BlueClaw ever from the University of Miami…Philadelphia had not drafted a Miami player since RHP Dave Gil in the 7^th round of the 1999 draft…Pat Burrell was the top pick of the 1998 draft by the Phillies out of Miami.

April showers and May flowers normally mean baseball season. That’s no different this year, with the BlueClaws having already played 18 of their 70 home games. But one ballpark fixture has had somewhat of a lighter schedule thus far this season – PA announcer Kevin Clark, for whom April showers and May flowers have meant additional time at the ice-level.

Clark, as he has been since the Devils moved into the Prudential Center five years ago, is the Devils PA-announcer, and with their run into the Eastern Conference Finals, he’s been at fewer BlueClaws games so far.

“People at work with and a few season ticket holders have asked about me, want to know if I’m OK,” Clark said. “They haven’t heard me. They’ve been asking if I quit or if I’m done. But with the hockey going on, that’s my focus now and the schedule hasn’t fallen the right way. And I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

This is the first time the Devils have won a playoff round since Clark started – and they’ve won two, beating the Panthers and Flyers in the first two rounds. Last night, they lost game one of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Rangers, 3-0, but don’t ask Clark how the game went.

“When they’re on the road, I can’t watch – I’m a nervous wreck. Whatever my wife wants to watch we’ll have on,” he said. “It’s like watching a scary movie under a blanket. Every so often you poke your head out.”

At home, as they will be this weekend, it’s far less stressful, even though he’s working. It’s also a lot different than a BlueClaws game.

“It’s night and day,” he said. “I’m down on the ice for the hockey games and you feel more removed in a baseball game. It’s so loud (hockey) and it’s crazier down there.” (Clark is in the top left in the photo with the off-ice officials)

One thing that makes baseball a bit easier – you don’t have too many of these: “If you get a Kovalchuck, Zubrus, Ponikarovsky goal announcement, I probably need a little oxygen.”

Clark will be back to FirstEnergy Park on a regular basis soon, and he’ll still do a handful of games as his schedule permits, but that’s up to the Devils (and the Rangers) right now.

“I want to be there but I hope this goes all the way into June,” he said. “It’s been an incredible ride.”

BlueClaws pitching coach Les Lancaster sat down for an interview prior to Monday’s game at Delmarva.

He talked about some of his current pitchers including Colin Kleven, Lino Martinez, and Matt Campbell. Lancaster mentioned some between start adjustments made with Martinez prior to his last start against Greensboro. They worked, as he was named Phillies minor league pitcher of the week last week.

Lancaster was an independent league manger for 13 years prior to joining the Phillies last year as the pitching coach for the GCL Phillies.

Click here to listen or use the player below:

The BlueClaws will be the next team to take a crack at Dylan Bundy, the 4th overall pick in last year’s MLB amateur draft, who has not allowed a run in 20 innings pitching for Delmarva (2 hits, 32 Ks). The Stat of the Night in the Delmarva game notes is that including his final year of high school, Bundy has struck out 191 hitters in his last 91 innings. He has strikeouts in 18 of his 20 innings.

Here are today’s game notes. First pitch is at 7:05.

Pitching coach Les Lancaster joins the pre-game show tonight at 6:59. We’ll post that here a bit later today.

BlueClaws Against Top Picks…The BlueClaws have played 12 games this year (tonight is the 13^th) started by an opponent who was selected within the top two rounds of the 2011 amateur draft…Greenville (Boston): Matt Barnes, 19^th pick, twice, 1-1 & Henry Owens, 36^th pick, twice, 0-2; Greensboro (Marlins): Adam Conley, 72^nd pick, three times, 1-2 & Jose Fernandez, 14^th pick, twice, 0-2; Hagerstown (Nationals), Alex Meyer, 22^nd pick, once, 1-0; Savannah (Mets): Michael Fulmer, 44^th pick, once, 0-1…Total Record: 3-8…The BlueClaws have scored 16 runs in 55.1 innings against this group, including five in .2 innings against Meyer on April 12^th and five in three innings against Owens on April 7^th.

The Bundys…Tonight the BlueClaws face Delmarva RHP Dylan Bundy…In 2010, they faced his older brother Bobby, an 8^th round pick in the 2008 draft…The elder Bundy gave up five ER in 20 innings over three starts against Lakewood…He is the last pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game against the BlueClaws, when he beat Lakewood on August 16^th, 2010 (9 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER).

Welcome Back…1B Kelly Dugan (.245 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs) was activated off the disabled list today…Dugan had been out since spraining his right ankle on April 20^th at Hagerstown…C John Hill was transferred to Clearwater.

Lakewood left-handed pitcher Lino Martinez was named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week, the Phillies announced on Monday.

Martinez, a 19-year old left-hander from Zulia, Venezuela, threw seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Greesnboro on Thursday night at FirstEnergy Park, though he did not factor in the decision. He became the first BlueClaws pitcher to throw seven innings in a game this year. He is the youngest player on the BlueClaws roster.

The minor league hitter of the week is Cody Asche, a 4th round pick last year from Nebraska who went 11-25 with Clearwater. He’s hitting .364 on the season. Asche skipped Lakewood, going straight from Williamsport to Clearwater.

Below the fold, the full minor league review.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lefty Ethan Stewart takes the mound for the BlueClaws this afternoon at FirstEnergy Park as the BlueClaws look to win this four-game series from Greensboro after a 5-3 win yesterday afternoon, giving them wins in two of the first three games.

The catalyst yesterday was the BlueClaws bullpen, which did not allow a run in 6.1 innings of relief yesterday and has given up just five in their last 29 innings pitched.

Ethan Stewart: 0-2, 2.61 ERA
Last time: Monday at Savannah, Stewart threw six scoreless innings before walking three hitters in the seventh, all of whom scored, and he took his second loss of the year.
Run Support: In his six starts, Lakewood has scored a total of nine runs, which is how the BlueClaws are 0-6 when he pitches despite Stewart leading the rotation in ERA.

Looking at Jake Diekman’s numbers with the BlueClaws in 2009, one might see a somewhat pedestrian season, a 2-0 record and a 4.09 ERA with an opponents batting average of .266. But you have to look a little deeper to see what was truly a remarkable turnaruond for the lefty.

After the first half was complete, Diekman, who appeared in just two games from May 22 through June 21, had an ERA of 7.09 and opponents were hitting .333 against him. During the break, he threw a bullpen session, which was typical, but this session had an atypical aspect to it. He threw sidearm. It changed his career.

Diekman came back a new pitcher in the second half, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings on June 28th and went on to allow just 4 ER in 29 innings (1.77) in the second half, holding opponents to a batting average of .186. After that June 28th game, Phillies adviser Dallas Green, after watching Diekman’s first game as a side-armer, said he thought Diekman could be a situational lefty in the big leagues.

He was right. Diekman was called up to the Phillies Friday. When he makes his debut, he’ll be come the 43rd player to go From the Shore to the Show, as we say here in Lakewood, and he might have had the bumpiest journey.

A rocky beginning for Diekman saw him start 2008 with Lakewood but finish with Williamsport. The beginning of his 2009 season didn’t go according to plan, but the change in arm angle catapulted him through the system: to Clearwater in 2010, Reading in 2011 (where lefties hit .090 against him) and Lehigh this year, where he gave up one run in 15.1 innings pitched.

Here is an interview we did with Dusty Wathan (then Lakewood’s manager) in August of 2009, about six weeks into the side-arming career of Diekman.

“He’s got a lot of confidence right now and thinks he can get anyone out, and that’s half the battle. When you’re throwing from the side at 90 mph and you can control a breaking ball and get it over the plate, you don’t see that every day, especially at this level.”

That was the one thing that was unanimous about Diekman when he dropped his arm angle: everyone was super-impressed that when he did that, no velocity was sacrificed. In fact, he’s now up to 93-94, so he’s throwing harder then he ever was before.

The Phillies had to make a decision on Diekman after last season so they sent him to face the game’s best prospects in the Arizona Fall League. He gave up one run in 11.1 innings with 14 strikeouts, enough for the Phillies to put him on their 40-man roster. He almost made the team out of spring training, and his pitching coach, Rich Dubee, loves him.

“I asked him first if he had an agent,” Dubee said. “He told me he did. I said, ‘Fire him. Because I’ll jump on and be your agent and hopefully I’ll be able to retire soon.’ I think he’s got tremendous upside. Seriously. That’s what I told him. I expect to see him this year. If the call comes, I expect him to be ready.”

The call has come. And Diekman is ready.

“It was probably the best feeling I ever felt in my entire life,” Diekman said hours before Friday’s game at Citizens Bank Park against the San Diego Padres. “When I found out I called my dad right away, and making him cry was pretty cool.”

Indeed, and the BlueClaws are ecstatic for Diekman too. Good luck!

Today is Bark in the Park, which means there will be a few hundred dogs at the game today, taking in the BlueClaws and Greensboro Grasshoppers at 4:05.

We’ll have some pictures throughout the day on the video board of players and their dogs, such as Haley, Kenny Giles’ dog. Giles will start today for Lakewood.

Here are today’s game notes.

Giles (0-1, 3.86) was a 7th round pick last year from Yavapai CC in Arizona. The Albuquerque native last pitched on Sunday, throwing four shutout innings in a win over Savannah.

We’re back with another edition of the Gold Coast Cadillac Manger’s Report, sitting down before today’s game with BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini.

Topics included the win last night, the outing by LHP Lino Martinez, the impact of C Bob Stumpo, and a great defensive play in center by Kyrell Hudson that saved two runs in the first inning. Here’s the big quote:

“I’ve seen him out there for a year and a half now and I said this last year but he could go into Philadelphia right now and play centerfield out there. He’s that good right now.”

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

After a 1-0 win last night over Greensboro, the BlueClaws are back in action tonight against the Grasshoppers with a 7:05 first pitch from FirstEnergy Park, thrown by LHP Ervis Manzanillo.

Tonight is the 11th BlueClaws game started by an opposing pitcher who was selected in the first two rounds of the 2011 MLB entry draft. Jose Fernandez, the 14th overall pick last year (from Tampa, FL) takes the hill for the Grasshoppers.

Click here for today’s game notes.

Déjà vu…Lakewood has two walk-off wins this year, and both have been Maikel Franco driving in Brian Pointer with the winning run…He did so in an April 28th win over Greenville and again on Thursday night for the
game’s lone run.

Go Deep…Lino Martinez became the first BlueClaws pitcher to throw seven innings in a game this year, tying his career long outing and giving up just three hits in seven scoreless innings…Martinez, Lakewood’s youngest
starter at 19, has an ERA of 6.19 on the year, an ERA which would be 3.55 not counting his April 20th start at Hagerstown in which he gave up 12 runs in 3.1 innings pitched…Martinez has allowed three ER or less in 19 of his last 21 starts dating to last year.

BlueClaws Transaction…BlueClaws SS Tyler Greene, who was hitting .147 with 1 HR and 7 RBIs, has been transferred to extended spring training…The BlueClaws have received SS Stephen Malcolm from extended spring training…Malcolm was an 8th round pick of the Phillies in 2010 (Delta College) who hit .253 with 0 HRs and 10 RBIs as a member of the GCL Phillies in 2010 and missed last year.

On April 28th, Maikel Franco’s game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Brian Pointer and gave the BlueClaws their first walk-off win of the season.

Last night, Maikel Franco’s game-winning double scored Brian Pointer and gave the BlueClaws their second walk-off win of the season, 1-0 over Greenville.

It was a much needed win for Lakewood, who certainly did not want to waste a brilliant outing from Lino Martinez, who tossed seven scoreless innings on three hits to shut down a Greensboro team that had won seven straight games, was 23-8, had three hitters (1-2-3) hitting over .330 and was hitting .297 as a team, 20 points better than anyone else.

“He got a few outs on his changeup,” catcher Bob Stumpo said to Tony Graham of the Asbury Park Press. “If he can command it like he did tonight he can keep guys off balance. He threw a heck of a game.”

The BlueClaws continue their series with Greensboro tonight, sending LHP Ervis Manzanillo to the mound.

–

We want to acknowledge Tyler Cloyd’s performance yesterday for Lehigh Valley. the 2009 BlueClaw gave up one run in seven innings for the Pigs yesterday. Between Reading and Lehigh Valley this year, Cloyd is 6-0 with a 1.40 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 7 walks.

After a week on the road, the BlueClaws return to FirstEnergy Park tonight to start a series with Greensboro, against whom they are 2-4 so far this year.

Click here for today’s game notes.

Here’s an interesting statistic for you. Today is the 10th game (of 31) this year that will be started by a BlueClaws opponent selected in the first two rounds of last year’s draft. They’ll face three more over the next five days (Greensboro’s Adam Conley today and Jose Fernandez tomorrow), including Orioles top prospect Dylan Bundy on Monday at Delmarva. The full note is below.

Top of the Draft…The BlueClaws have played nine games this year started by an opponent who was selected within the top two rounds of the 2011 amateur draft…Greenville (Boston): Matt Barnes, 19th pick, twice, 1-1 & Henry Owens, 36th pick, twice, 0-2; Greensboro (Marlins): Adam Conley, 72nd pick, twice, 0-2 & Jose Fernandez, 14th pick, once, 0-1; Hagerstown (Nationals), Alex Meyer, 22nd pick, once, 1-0; Savannah (Mets): Michael Fulmer, 44th pick, once, 0-1…Total Record: 2-7…The BlueClaws have scored 15 runs in 41.1 innings against this group, including five in .2 innings against Meyer on April 12th and five in three innings against Owens on April 7th.

Tough Schedule…The BlueClaws have played five of the six teams in the South Atlantic League with a winning record (all but Hickory) and they are 7-16 in those games…They have only played seven games against a team with a losing record, going 3-4 against Greenville…The BlueClaws do not play against a team with a non-winning record next until a three-game series at Delmarva that begins on May 14th.

Tonight’s Starter: LHP Lino Martinez 2-2, 7.67…Last time out, he allowed five runs/four earned in five innings at Charleston on May 4th. He beat Greensboro in NC on April 10th, allowing three runs in five innings. Martinez won’t turn 20 until September 17th and is from Zulia, Venezuela.

Colin Kleven takes the ball tonight for Lakewood, as the BlueClaws try to get a split of this four-game series in Savannah after a 5-0 loss last night.

Click here for today’s game notes.

On Kleven…
Stats: 1-2, 3.86, 25.2 IP, 22 H, 14 BB, 23 K
News & Notes: RHP Colin Kleven (1-2, 3.86) makes his sixth start of the year on Tuesday in the series finale…Kleven threw six shutout innings at Charleston on Thursday but got a no-decision as Lakewood’s bullpen let a 2-0 lead slip away…He has allowed just two ER in his last two starts (12 IP, 5 BB, 14 K)…Nine of the 11 ER that he has allowed have come in two innings (4/9 at GBO and 4/19 at HAG)…The 21 year old was taken by the Phillies in the 33^rd round of the 2009 draft from high school in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Which famous music album is this?