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With Lakewood’s win last night and a loss by West Virginia, the BlueClaws are now just one game out of first place, though they sit in fourth, behind a three-way tie between WV, Hagerstown, and Hickory. RHP Gabriel Arias takes the mound for the BlueClaws tonight in the second game of a series with Kannapolis.

Click here for today’s game notes.

On Arias…RHP Gabriel Arias (3-6, 3.95) makes his 33^rd appearance and 4^th start for Lakewood…Since moving to the rotation, he has allowed just two ER in 13.2 innings over three starts, and he gave up one unearned run in five innings last time out at WV on Thursday…He has 45 Ks and 8 BBs in his last 43.1 innings pitched…Arias, 22, turns 23 in December…Went 1-2, 2.97 with Williamsport last year.

State of the Claws…The BlueClaws continue a four-game series against Kannapolis (1-0)…The BlueClaws are now one game out of first place behind West Virginia, Hagerstown, and Hickory…Lakewood was last tied for first place entering Friday’s game at West Virginia…The BlueClaws have not yet held sole possession of first place in the second half, but have been tied for first in seven days…Their largest second-half deficit has been four games and their largest in the first was 22 games behind eventual champion Greensboro.

With a Win…With a win, the BlueClaws would win three games in a row for the first time since July 11-15, and the sixth time this year (third in second half).

A Tale of Two Halves…3B Maikel Franco hit .207 with six home runs 27 RBIs in the first half and is now hitting..318 with six home runs and 39 RBIs in the second half…He had three hits in the game on Wednesday night and has 16 multi-hit games in the second half after having just 14 in the entire first half…Franco is Lakewood’s youngest regular and will not turn 20 until August 26^th.

On Point…Brian Pointer returned to the BlueClaws from Williamsport on July 25^th and since then is 15-46 and has hit safely in his last six games (7-21)…He drove in three runs in Lakewood’s Wednesday win over Kannapolis…Pointer hit .222 with seven home runs with Lakewood in the first half and .245 with three home runs with Williamsport from June 18^th through July 24^th…Pointer was a 28^th round pick in 2010 from Reno, Nevada.

Hook ‘Em…Hoby Milner, a 7^th round pick this year from Texas, has thrown 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last three starts (3-0)…He most recently threw 6.1 shutout innings on Wednesday against Kannapolis…In those three starts, Milner has lowered his ERA from 5.32 to 2.88…Milner’s father, Brian, played five years in the Blue Jays organization.

Home Run Tracker…The BlueClaws have hit 59 home runs this year, 26 at home and 33 on the road…23 of their home runs have come since July 1^st and the 20 hit in July were the most in any month…Maikel Franco leads the team with 12 while Kelly Dugan has 11…Dugan tied Franco for the team lead on Sunday in West Virginia, but Franco broke the tie one hitter later (see below)…Brian Pointer has seven with Lakewood (all in the first half) and Aaron Altherr has seven but is currently on the disabled list.

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The BlueClaws are back home tonight after a stretch of 16 games out of 19 away from home. They return to Lakewood for a four-game series with Kannapolis just two games out of first place with 25 games left (for what it’s worth, all 25 games are

against teams that currently have a losing record).

Click here for today’s game notes.

Hook ‘Em...LHP Hoby Milner (3-2, 3.41) makes his 8^th start for Lakewood…He has not allowed a run in his last two starts, including throwing seven shutout innings at Delmarva on Thursday, a career-long outing…He was named SAL Pitcher of the Week (first BC so honored this year)…He threw 5.1 scoreless innings vs West Virginia on July 28^th…Milner began the year with Williamsport and gave up one run in 5.1 innings pitched…He was a 7^th round pick this year out of the University of Texas…His father Brian played in the big leagues with the Blue Jays.

State of the Claws…After 16 of their previous 19 games on the road, the BlueClaws return home for a four-game series with Kannapolis, who swept them in a four-game set in North Carolina from May 31 – June 3…The BlueClaws are two games out of first place behind West Virginia and also trail Hickory and Hagerstown by one game…The BlueClaws have not yet held sole possession of first place in the second half, but have been tied for first in seven days…Their largest second-half deficit has been four games and their largest in the first was 22 games behind eventual champion Greensboro.

Welcome Home…The BlueClaws went 8-11 on a stretch of 16 road games out of their previous 19 games and are back home, where they are 12-8 in the second half 30-26 overall this year…Lakewood’s team ERA at home is 3.82 compared to 5.17 on the road.

On Point…Brian Pointer returned to the BlueClaws from Williamsport on July 25^th and since then is 14-45 and has hit safely in his last five games (6-19)…Pointer hit .222 with seven home runs with Lakewood in the first half and .245 with three home runs with Williamsport from June 18^th through July 24^th…Pointer was a 28^th round pick in 2010 from Reno, Nevada.

Close It Down…The BlueClaws have six saves on their active roster…Zach Cooper and Luis Paulino each have two, while Yari Sosa and Gabriel Arias each have one…Arias is currently in the starting rotation…Matt Campbell, presently on the disabled list, has three saves…Cooper’s save on August 6^th at West Virginia was Lakewood’s first non-Kenny Giles save since Cooper on July 13^th vs Hickory…Kenny Giles (5), Colton Murray (4), Mike Nesseth (3), Ryan Duke (3) have all been promoted to Clearwater.

Welcome Back Bill…Bill Rice, a Sewell, NJ native who played at Washington Township High School, is back in town with Kannapolis…Rice, who signed with the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent last year, hit .293 with the BlueClaws last year…He spent time with the Camden RiverSharks before signing with the White Sox in May.

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BlueClaws LHP Hoby Milner was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the week for the week of July 31-August 5. Milner threw seven shutout innings in his lone appearance of the week in a win at Delmarva on Thursday.

The seven innings was a career-long outing for Milner, and he struck out seven, gave up just three hits, and did not walk a batter.

Milner has won his last two starts, after throwing 5.2 scoreless innings on July 28th in a win over West Virginia. He is 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA in his first seven starts with the BlueClaws.

A native of Fort Worth, Milner went to the University of Texas and was a 7th round pick of the Phillies this year. The left-hander said that one pitcher he especially likes watching is fellow lefty, former BlueClaw, and current Phillie Cole Hamels.

He is the first BlueClaw to win South Atlantic League Player or Pitcher of the Week this year and the first BlueClaw to be named winner of the award since Lisalberto Bonilla won Pitcher of the Week in July of 2011.

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Good afternoon from an overcast Appalachian Power Park in Charletston, West Virginia where today the BlueClaws try to snap a two-game losing streak. they dropped the series opener 2-0 on Friday and fell 9-1 last night, getting a run in the 9th

inning to avoid being shutout in back-to-back games for the first time since 2008. First pitch today is at 2:05.

Click here to read today’s game notes.

State of the Claws…The BlueClaws continue their 8-game road trip (3-3)…Last night, Hagerstown lost to Lexington and Hickory beat Greenville…The BlueClaws are now in fourth place, two behind Hagerstown and West Virginia, and one game back of Hickory for third place…The BlueClaws have not yet held sole possession of first place in the second half, but have been tied for first in seven days…Their largest first-half deficit was 22 games behind eventual champion Greensboro.

Need a Win…The BlueClaws need a win today to avoid falling back to .500 in the second half…They have been as many as six games over .500 in the second half and have not been at .500 since June 28^th when they were 4-4…They also need a win to avoid what would be their second three-game losing streak of the second half (July 22-24 at HIG and HAG2)…It would be their 8^th three-game losing streak this year.

Of The Month…BlueClaws RF Kelly Dugan was named Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for July…He hit .374 in July with eight multi-hit games…Chris Duffy was Phillies Minor League Player of the Month in June as well as South Atlantic League Topps Player of the Month in June. Clearwater LHP Adam Morgan was named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month.

RISPing…The BlueClaws, on the current road trip, are 14-65 (.215) with runners in scoring position and 29-141 (.206) dating to July 22^nd.

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BlueClaws RF Kelly Dugan was named Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for July, it was announced the the Phillies on Saturday.

A Phillies second-round pick in 2009, Dugan hit .374 in July, with three home runs and 23 RBIs. He has 12 multi-hit games in July, including two three-hit games and one four-hit game.

On July 15th against Savannah, Dugan went 4-4 with three runs scored. He raised his average from .246 to .290 in July and is hitting .337 with runners in scoring position this year.

Dugan is originally from Encino, California and played at Notre Dame High School.

Clearwater pitcher Adam Morgan, a 3rd-round pick last year from the University of Alabama, went 2-1 with a 1.56 ERA in July and was the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month.

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Zach Cooper was a 15th round pick this year from Central Michigan and after opening his career with Williamsport, joined the BlueClaws three weeks ago. So far, in 10 innings, he has allowed just one earned run.

Cooper sat down for an intervi

ew prior to the BlueClaws game on Saturday in West Virginia.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or by listening below.

He talks about his transition to the pros, and the development of his new change-up that started in college this year and has helped him greatly so far this season.

After a 2-0 loss on Friday, Colin Kleven takes the mound for the BlueClaws tonight in West Virginia. About 40 minutes after the BlueClaws game ended, Matt Skole of Hagerstown hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Suns a win over Lexington, and pu

t the BlueClaws two games out of first place. Kleven threw eight shutout innings last time out, Monday at Delmarva.

Click here to read today’s game notes. Listen live here.

About Kleven…RHP Colin Kleven (6-7, 4.40) makes his 22^nd start on Saturday night…Kleven has allowed 11 earned runs in 11.2 innings pitched against West Virginia in two starts this year…Last time out, he threw eight shutout innings against Delmarva on Monday, a career-long outing…Kleven struck out a career high 11 hitters on July 3^rd against Hagerstown…One of two Canadians on the roster (Stewart), Kleven spent last year with Williamsport, going 4-6 with 4.84 ERA.

Putting Up Zeros…The BlueClaws have allowed five earned runs in their last 61 innings pitched and a total of 15 runs in their last seven games (4-3), including three shutouts…Lakewood blanked West Virginia on July 28^th behind Hoby Milner, blanked Delmarva on July 30^th behind Colin Kleven, and blanked Delmarva on August 2^nd behind Milner…The BlueClaws have thrown seven shutouts this year, four since July 12^th.

Tough Go…The BlueClaws have lost two games in the last week (July 29^th vs West Virginia and August 3^rd at West Virginia) in which they have not allowed an earned run.

Good Starts…In Lakewood’s last six games, their starting pitchers have allowed a total of three earned runs in 41.2 innings pitched…The most allowed was two, by Lino Martinez on Wednesday night.

Since Returning…Alejandro Villalobos is 8-27 since July 25^th, when he returned to the lineup after missing two weeks with a groin strain, including 4-8 in his last two games…Brian Pointer is 10-34 since July 25^th, when he re-joined the BlueClaws from Williamsport…Pointer hit .222 with seven home runs with Lakewood in the first half before going to Williamsport on June 18^th, where he hit .245 with three home runs.

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Entering tonight’s game in West Virginia, the BlueClaws are in a three-way tie for second place (with WV and Hickory) and one game back of first-place Hagerstown. The BlueClaws are 3-1 on the current road trip, winning three of four in Delmarva for just their second road series win this year, but now they start what might well be the biggest series of the season. It’s the final series of the year between the BlueClaws and any of the teams they are duking it out with for the final playoff spot.

Click here to read today’s game notes.

Welcome to West Virginia…The BlueClaws start a four-game series tonight at West Virginia against the Power…Lakewood is 5-10 against West Virginia this year, including 2-5 at Appalachian Power Park…Most recently, West Virginia took two of three in Lakewood last weekend…Lakewood went 2-3 in Charleston in a five game series that started on the 4^th of July…Alen Hanson is 25-61 with 12 RBIs against the BlueClaws, while Greg Polanco is 20-51 with eight stolen bases.

Putting Up Zeros…The BlueClaws have allowed five earned runs in their last 53 innings pitched and a total of 13 runs in their last six games, including three shutouts…Lakewood blanked West Virginia on July 28^th behind Hoby Milner, blanked Delmarva on July 30^th behind Colin Kleven, and blanked Delmarva on August 2^nd behind Milner…The BlueClaws have thrown seven shutouts this year, four since July 12^th.

Good Starts…In Lakewood’s last six games, their starting pitchers have allowed a total of two earned runs in 36.2 innings pitched…The most allowed was two, by Lino Martinez on Wednesday night.

A Tale of Two Halves…3B Maikel Franco hit .207 with 27 RBIs in the first half and is now hitting .321 with 38 RBIs in the second half…Franco has 15 multi-hit games in the second half after having just 14 in the entire first half…His average currently sits at .252, its highest point since sitting at .261 on April 26^th…Franco is Lakewood’s youngest regular and will not turn 20 until August 26^th.

Just Grand…Tim Carver’s grand slam on Thursday was the first professional home run of his career and the 5^th grand slam hit by a BlueClaw this year…Lakewood hit three in 2010 and one last year…Carver was a 19^th round pick of the Phillies this year out of the University of Arkansas and hit two home runs with the Razorbacks this year…He is 7-20 with three doubles and a home run in his last five games.

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The BlueClaws are in Salisbury tonight for the final game of a four-game series with Delmarva. Lakewood dropped game three last night but they still have a chance to take three of four in the series. LHP Hoby Milner will throw for the BlueClaws

opposite RHP Parker Bridwell of Delmarva.

Click here to read today’s game notes.

State of the Claws…The BlueClaws continue their 8-game road trip (2-1)…After a Lakewood loss last night, a Hickory loss against Kannapolis, and a Hagerstown win over West Virginia, the BlueClaws are tied for third place with Hickory and one game behind a first-place tie between Hagerstown and West Virginia…The BlueClaws have not yet held sole possession of first place in the second half, but have been tied for first in seven days…Their largest first-half deficit was 22 games behind eventual champion Greensboro.

RISPing…The BlueClaws have scored 22 runs in the first three games of the series but they are just 7-35 in the series with runners in scoring position.

Going Strong…Kelly Dugan has started all but one game in the second half (July 1^st in which he pinch-hit) and has played right field in all but one game in the second half (served as DH on July 17^th)…Dugan played first base for the first two months of the season but has not played first base since June 1^st…Maikel Franco has played third base for the BlueClaws in every game since June 7^th, in which he served as the designated hitter…He has been in the lineup every day since June 1^st.

On Milner…LHP Hoby Milner (2-2, 4.28) makes his 7^th start with Lakewood and first against Delmarva…Last time out, he threw 5.1 innings of scoreless ball, winning his second game…His first win was against Hickory on July 12^th, also throwing 5.1 innings of scoreless ball…Milner, drafted in the 7^th round this year by the Phillies from Texas, allowed one run in 5.2 innings with Williamsport before joining the BlueClaws…His father Brian played in the big leagues with the Blue Jays.

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Playing on the road has been a struggle at times for Lakewood this year (they’re 17-35 away from home), but not this week. They’ve taken the first two from Delmarva by a total score of 17-1. Tonight, they go for their third straight win over the ‘Birds and they enter the night just one game out of first place.

Click here for today’s game notes.

State of the Claws…The BlueClaws continue their 8-game road trip (2-0)…After a loss by Hagerstown in West Virginia and a loss by Hickory in Augusta, the BlueClaws are now tied for second place with Hagerstown and Hickory and one game back of West Virginia…The BlueClaws have not yet held sole possession of first place in the second half, but have been tied for first in seven days…Their largest first-half deficit was 22 games behind eventual champion Greensboro.

On the Road…With wins in the first two games of this series, the BlueClaws have now won two in a row on the road for the third time this year…They have not yet won three games in a row away from home, which they can do with a win tonight…The BlueClaws are 17-35 on the road this year and 9-10 on the road in the second half.

Good Pitching…The BlueClaws have allowed just one earned run in their last four games, covering 36 innings pitched…They shut-out West Virginia on Saturday 2-0 behind Hoby Milner…All four runs West Virginia scored on Sunday were unearned after three errors…Lakewood then shut-out Delmarva on Monday night behind Colin Kleven…The only run Delmarva scored on Tuesday was a leadoff home run in the 5^th inning by Jason Esposito.

Going, Going…The BlueClaws hit two home runs on Tuesday night, one each by Kelly Dugan (10) and Maikel Franco (11)…It was the 11^th game this year in which the BlueClaws hit multiple home runs, seven times were in July…The BlueClaws hit 20 home runs in July, more than any other month…This year, the BlueClaws have hit 56 home runs, 26 at home and 30 on the road…In the last five years (2007-2011), the BlueClaws hit 232 home runs on the road and 126 home runs at home…The closest they have come to hitting more home runs at home was in 2007 when they hit 23 in Lakewood and 30 on the road.

A Tale of Two Halves…3B Maikel Franco hit .207 with 27 RBIs in the first half and is now hitting .315 with 35 RBIs in the second half…Franco is Lakewood’s youngest regular and will not turn 20 until August 26^th.

Wrapping Up July…The BlueClaws went 15-14 in July and hit .280 as a team, their best month offensively (2^nd best was .252 in June)…Kelly Dugan hit .374 (3 HRs, 23 RBIs)…Maikel Franco hit .327 (4 HRs, 22 RBIs)…Chris Duffy, since promoted, hit .369 (8 HRs, 32 RBIs)…Brian Pointer was 8-23 with the BlueClaws.

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Last night, BlueClaws RHP Colin Kleven threw eight shutout innings in a win over Delmarva and he sat down for an interview prior to Tuesday’s game. Here is some background on Kleven’s outing last night:

Just Missed…Colin Kleve

n threw eight shutout innings for Lakewood on Monday night at Perdue Stadium against Delmarva…He became the first BlueClaws pitcher to throw eight innings in a game this year and it was the first time Kleven reached eight innings in his career…The last time a BlueClaw threw a complete game shutout at nine innings was Derek Griffith on July 21, 2005 at West Virginia…Since then, the BlueClaws have had complete game shutouts in shorter games from Maximino de la Cruz (2005, 7), Josh Outman (2006, 7), Matt Maloney (2006, 7), and Jarred Cosart (2010, 6)…Lakewood had nine-inning complete games from Lisalverto Bonilla and David Buchanan last year and prior to that, their most recent nine-inning complete game was from Carlos Monasterios in 2007.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here or by listening below.

A few snippets of the interview:

- “Just the fastball command and getting strike one right from the beginning is huge…Going right after them and getting strike one is crucial. Once you get that you get the hitters on the defensive.”
- “When I came back after the 8th they didn’t say anything and I toweled up like usual. When we scored a few runs, Les came up to me and told me that was it. Basically if we stayed at 4-0, I was going to go back out there but since we put up another four spot, they wanted to give (Chris Nichols) some work plus it was a long inning.”
- “All three pitches were working. The slider was still go-to for the strikeout pitch. All around whenever I need to throw it for a strike I could.”

After a series opening 8-0 win last night, the BlueClaws go for their second straight win tonight at Perdue Stadium in game two of their series with Delmarva.

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