From the Phillies, last week’s minor league review (games through April 28th).

Pitcher- LHP, Jesse Biddle, Reading… 2 starts- … 1-0, 13.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 26 SO… Honored as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week, 4/22-28… At the time of print, Biddle is top-5 in the EL in the following categories… 1^st in strikeouts (40) & batting average against (.114), 2^nd in WHIP (0.77), 3^rd in innings pitched (31.0) and 4^th in ERA (1.74)… The 21-year-old lefty was a 1^st round (27^th overall) selection out of Germantown Friends School and signed by Eric Valent. Note: For more on Biddle, please see the Reading Fightin’ Phils section.

Player- 2B, Cesar Hernandez, Lehigh Valley… Batted .423 (11-26) in 7 G, 5 R, 3 RBI, 2 3B, 1 HR, 3 SB and 4 BB (currently riding a 10-game hitting streak)… Hernandez is batting .364 (32-88) on the year… His 32 hits rank T-1^st in the organization as well as the International League… The 22-year-old Hernandez was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent on July 2, 2006 by Sal Agostinelli and Jesus Mendez.

(more…)

BlueClaws 1B Art Charles has been named Phillies Minor League Player of the Week for the week of April 15-21. Further, 2010 BlueClaws LHP Nick Hernandez, attempting a comeback after missing the two previous seasons with injury, was named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week. The full story is below. Congrats to both players.

Courtesy of the Phillies:

Players of the Week

Pitcher- LHP, Nick Hernandez, Clearwater… 1 start- 1-0, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 7 SO vs Brevard County… After missing the last two years with a shoulder injury, Hernandez picked up where he left off prior to injury; in 2010 he allowed 1 ER or less in six of his eight starts for Lakewood… On the year Hernandez is 2-0 in 3 starts with a sparkling 2.12 ERA (4 ER, 17.0 IP)… The young lefty has baseball in his blood; his father, Nicolas Hernandez, a catcher, was selected by the Brewers with the 8^th overall pick in the 1978 draft… Furthermore, his Uncle is current MLB umpire Angel Hernandez… The 24-year-old Hernandez was selected in the 12^th round of the 2009 draft out of the University of Tennessee.

Player- 1B, Art Charles, Lakewood… Batted .423 (11-for-26) in 7 G with 5 R, 3 2B, HR, SB, 6 RBI and 2 BB… After beginning the season in a 2-for-24 (.083) funk, Charles has gone 16-for-41 (.390) to raise his average to .277 for the season… Charles has been a force with runners on in front of him hitting .375 (6-16, 10 RBI) with RISP and .500 (1-2, 4 RBI) with the bases loaded. The 22-year-old Charles was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 20^th round of the 2010 draft out of Bakersfield College… The Phillies acquired Charles via trade on 2/23/13 for RHP Michael Schwimer.

(more…)

We knew Monday night would be a special one for Jonathan Pettibone, no matter what happened, as the 2010 BlueClaw made his big league debut.

We didn’t know Monday night would be so special for 2011 BlueClaws LHP Jesse Biddle.

We’ll start with Pettibone, who didn’t earn the win, but gave up just two runs in 5.2 innings with six strikeouts and no walks as the Phillies topped Pittsburgh 3-2.

“The first couple of innings the nerves were going a little bit,” Pettibone said. “Once I settled down, I got in a nice little rhythm there.”

There were a couple of unique layers to Pettibone’s debut with the Phillies. 1) Charlie Manuel managed Jay Pettibone, Jon’s father, in the minors with the Twins. 2) Jon Pettibone is the first player born in the 1990s to play for the Phillies.

Did managing the son of a player he managed in the minors make the 69-year-old manager feel old?

“Not really,” Manuel said. “I think old is about how you feel, what you make of yourself.

“If I manage his grandson, I think that would be great. I’d like that. That’d be super.”

Here is the updated Shore to the Show list, with Pettibone at #50.

“The game plan was being aggressive,” Pettibone said. “I didn’t want to pick around the strike zone. I wanted to pitch to my strengths and go after them.”

He’s earned another couple of starts with John Lannan expected to be out for a little bit.

–

Meanwhile, Jesse Biddle was phenomenal for Reading in a win at Harrisburg.

He retired the first 19 he faced, with 14 strikeouts, losing the perfect game and the no-hit bid in the 7th inning, and picking up strike out #16 in his 105th pitch stranding the bases loaded. The Philly native likes the cooler temperatures.

“I love it out here,” said the Double-A Reading hurler and Pennsylvania native following a game in Harrisburg. “I think in the beginning, it was 53, but in the end it was like 46. For me, I don’t think bats work as much then. But as long as I’m feeling comfortable and controlling everything the way I want, it’s all great for me.”

From MILB.com:

“Tonight what I saw was maybe as dominant a start as I’ve seen in my career as a coach,” said Reading pitching coach David Lundquist. “I mean, when you’re talking command-wise and his overall stuff, that’s probably as good as you’re ever going to see at this or any level of the game.”

Biddle differed slightly on the semantics, but still felt that he had thrown the best outing of his Minor League career, now in its fourth year.

“I don’t like to use the word ‘dominant’ so much, but it’s the most in control I’ve felt for sure,” he said. “In control of my emotions, in control of my composure, in control of the baseball, all that stuff. It all starts with my delivery. If I can get that down, I can get the ball going where I want it too.”

Gregg from Phuture Phillies I noticed tweeted that he’d be heading over to Harrisburg for the game. Good choice!

Courtesy of the Phillies. These are through Sunday’s games. Congrats to one of our favorite former BlueClaws on winning Minor League Player of the Week.

Players of the Week

Pitcher- LHP Adam Morgan, Lehigh Valley… In two starts- 1-0, 1.29 ERA (2 ER, 14.0 IP), 9 H, 2 BB, 9 SO for the week… 4/12 vs Syracuse- W, 8 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 SO, his first triple-A win in only his eighth start above single-A… 1-for-3 as a hitter, first-career RBI… Morgan faced 28 batters on the night; recording 22 four-pitch outs … Retired the lead-off hitter in all 8 IP, topping out at 93 on the gun… Honored by the International League as the IL Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 8-14… The 23-year-old lefty was a 3^rd round selection in the 2011 draft out of the University of Alabama and signed by Mike Stauffer.

Player- 1B Jim Murphy, Reading… Batted .381 (16-for-42) in 10 G with 8 R, 5 2B, 2 HR and 10 RBI… .545 with RISP (6-for-11)… After a hitless, 0-for-4 Opening Day, Murphy roared back with a nine-game hitting streak which is currently tied for the longest active streak in the Eastern League… At time of print, Murphy is in the lead or tied for the organization lead in runs, hits, total bases (27) and multi-hit games with six… The 27-year-old was a 17^th round selection in 2006 out of Washington State University and signed by Dave Ryles.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs- International League North Division…4-5, 4^th place

LHV is home to six (Joseph -3, Pettibone-4, Morgan-5, Martin-6, Asche-7, Ruf-9) of the top ten prospects in the Phillies organization as ranked by Baseball America… First W of 2013 came in walk-off fashion, a 5-4 W over Syracuse (LHV led the IL in 2012 with 13 walk-off W’s, a franchise record)… 2B Cesar Hernandez went 4-for-6 including the game winning walk-off single in the 11^th inning… Hernandez accounted for six-multi-hit games this week on his way to a .389 AVG… OF Darin Ruf, hitting .286 with 5 2B and 4 RBI to begin the season, had a seven-game hitting streak snapped on 4/14 vs Syracuse… That hitless night also snapped Ruf’s streak of reaching base safely in 31 consecutive MiLB games, a streak which began back on 8/11/12… C Tommy Joseph led the team in RBI with eight, also slugged his first career triple-A HR off recent Red Sox call up Alex Wilson of Pawtucket… 3B Cody Asche belted his first triple-A HR off Ruby De La Rosa… RHP Justin De Fratus (4.1 IP), LHP Cesar Jimenez (5.2 IP) and LHP Joe Savery (4.2 IP) have combined for 14.2 IP of scoreless relief to begin 2013; dating back to 2012 Savery has not allowed a run over his last six appearances (8.2 IP).

(more…)

There are just two days worth of games remaining this spring – today and tomorrow. Let’s look back at the results from yesterday.

Lehigh Valley - 4-2 loss at Pirates

• Jonathan Pettibone went 5.2 innings and gave up just three hits and no walks, but gave up three unearned runs. He’s ready to go (more on him later today).
• Justin De Fratus threw a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.
• Cody Overbeck had three hits, while Matt Tolbert and Tyston Gillies each had two.

Reading – 6-6 tie at Pirates

• David Buchanan allowed four hits and three runs over five innings, striking out five with no walks. Juan Sosa followed with two scoreless innings.
• Zach Collier has had a nice spring and went 3-4 with two runs scored. Jim Murphy added a home run and four RBIs on two hits and a walk.
• Anthony Hewitt had two hits as well, while Albert Cartwright had a single and two stolen bases.

Clearwater – 14-3 win vs Pirates

• Nick Hernandez continues his comeback and gave up two runs in four innings. Ryan O’Sullivan threw two shutout innings and Jeb Stefan gave up a run in two innings.
• A big offensive day for the Threshers included a home run and four RBIs for SS Jonathan Roof.
• Kyrell Hudson had two hits and two RBIs. Sebastian Valle had a double and a triple, while Maikel Franco added two hits as well.
• Chris Serritella, Cameron Perkins, and Tim Carver all had hits as well.

Lakewood – 12-4 loss vs Pirates

• Jordan Guth gave up four runs/two earned in four innings in his last tune-up. He figures to be one of Lakewood’s five starters this year.
• Ramon Oviedo gave up an unearned run in two innings while Keivi Rojas threw a scoreless inning. The runs? Manaure Martinez allowed seven in his two innings, five in the seventh and two in the eighth.
• Yan Olmo had three hits including two doubles, and drove in three. Willie Carmona added two hits while Mitch Walding and Angelo Mora each had a hit.
• Roman Quinn had the day off.

We’ll have the last two minor league recaps over the next two days.

We looked yesterday at a possible BlueClaws Opening Day lineup based on the team put on the field Monday. The team put out there Tuesday was largely the same. We’ll have more on that later in today’s rundown.

Lehigh Valley – 4-0 win at Yankees

• Ethan Martin’s final tune-up included four shutout innings with four strikeouts, though he did walk five.
• Joe Savery (two), Jake Diekman (2), and Justin Friend (1) combined for five shutout innings of relief.
• Cesar Hernandez went 3-4 to lead the offense, while Leandro Castro added two hits as well.
• Jermaine Mitchell had a double and Tommy Joseph an RBI single.

Reading – 5-3 loss at Yankees

• Brody Colvin’s last outing was his best of the spring. He gave up just one run in four innings on two hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
• Hector Neris gave up a run in two innings while Jay Johnson tossed an inning of scoreless relief.
• Offensively, Zach Collier went 3-3 with a double, home run, and a walk while Jim Murphy added a pair of hits.

Clearwater – 8-3 win vs Yankees

• Ethan Stewart started and gave up two runs over four innings for the Threshers. Mike Nesseth followed with two scoreless innings. Colton Murray gave up a run in 1.2 innings while Zach Cooper got four outs without allowing a run.
• Harold Martinez homered for the Threshers. He will likely share 3b with Maikel Franco, 1b with Chris Serritella, and the dh slot with both of them this year.
• Serritella, a 4th round pick last season, added another hit. He seems to be having a great spring.
• One other note – the Clearwater SS was Jonathan Roof, a player that I hadn’t noticed in previous box scores. He’s a former Rangers farmhand out of Michigan State who played here when he was with Hickory.

Lakewood – 14-10 loss vs Yankees

• Josh Warner gave up five runs/four earned in four innings, though he struck out five and walked just one.
• Nick Hanson followed and allowed three in fifth and three more in the sixth. Delvy Francisco threw two shutout innings of relief.
• Roman Quinn – we’ve mentioned him before – went 2-2 with two walks, a triple, and two stolen bases. His spring totals, by my count (and this is extremely unofficial): 12-26 with seven walks and seven stolen bases.
• Angelo Mora had two hits including a home run while Yan Olmo also had two hits.
• The lineup: Quinn 6, Tocci 8, Perkins DH, Charles 3, Walding DH, Mora 4, Olmo 9, Numata 2, Tyler Greene 5, John Taylor 7 (yes, that’s 10 players).

There are games today, tomorrow, and Friday. Camp breaks Saturday.

The beginning of the end of Spring Training, that is. It’s certainly a long grind for these players and coaches, who might get a day or two off all month. Camp will finally break this weekend. The Lakewood, Reading, and Lehigh Valley clubs will fly north, and on April 4th, baseball. But until then, a week of games as the rosters begin to shake out.

Programming Note – We have this quick recap, like normal, and then we are going to come back with a more focused BlueClaws look later this morning. This would be a good day to subscribe to the blog via Google Reader.

Lehigh Valley – 6-3 loss vs Yankees

• Kyle Kendrick started the game for the ‘Pigs before giving way to Justin De Fratus, who threw a scoreless 6th inning.
• Mauricio Robles gave up a run in the 8th and Austin Hyatt threw a scoreless ninth.
• Offensively, Carlos Ruiz and Cody Overbeck each had two hits. Tommy Joseph and Michael Martinez each had doubles.
• Darin Ruf, Josh Fields, and Jermaine Mitchell each had singles.

Reading - 9-4 loss vs Yankees

• Chad Durbin started and gave up two runs in his lone inning.
• Tyler Cloyd followed and allowed six runs on eight hits in four innings of work. BJ Rosenberg gave up one run in four innings.
• Edgar Duran, with the BlueClaws in 2011, has had a nice spring. He added three more hits in this game. Jim Murphy added a home run.
• Albert Cartwright, Cameron Rupp and Derrick Mitchell each had doubles.

Clearwater – 4-2 loss at Yankees

• Seth Rosin, a pitcher acquired by the Phillies in the Hunter Pence trade, gave up a run in five innings.
• Felix Santos (one run in one inning), Luis Paulino (two runs in one inning), Tyler Knigge (one scoreless) and Mario Hollands (one scoreless) each threw for the Threshers.
• Kyrell Hudson went 2-4 including a double while Chris Serritella added another home run.
• Aaron Altherr, Alejandro Villalobos, and Miguel Alvarez were all 1-3.

Lakewood - 4-3 win at Yankees

• Miguel Nunez gave up three runs on five hits in his three innings of work.
• Yoel Mecias followed with four scoreless innings. Chris Nichols and Geoff Broussard each threw a scoreless inning as well.
• Art Charles had a triple and an RBI while Chad Carman drove in two with a single and Chace Numata one.
• Carlos Tocci, Willie Carmona, Mitch Walding, Brian Pointer, and Yan Olmo (double) all had hits as well.

As per this schedule, minor league spring training games will continue through Friday, with the break camp date on Saturday.

Sorry for the delay in posting this – our site was down earlier – but we’re back now and we are going look at the Saturday recap from minor league spring training.

Lehigh Valley – 3-0 loss vs Toronto

• Roy Halladay threw the first four innings of this game (reported). Tom Cochran threw the last five, allowing three hits and no runs.
• The ‘Pigs had just three hits, two by catcher Tommy Joseph and the third by Carlos Ruiz, who played here so he could catch Halladay.

Reading – 5-1 loss vs Toronto

• Austin Wright started and gave up five runs/four earned in four innings of work, striking out 3.
• Jake Diekman (2) and Colby Shreve (2) plus Kyle Simon threw scoreless relief.
• Albert Cartwright was 4-4 with three doubles while Kyrell Hudson homered.

Clearwater – 5-4 loss at Toronto

• Percy Garner started and allowed three runs in five innings but struck out seven.
• Carlos Tocci, possibly the Lakewood centerfielder, had three hits.
• Angelo Mora, Anthony Hewitt, and Logan Moore each had two hits.
• Cameron Perkins had one hit, a double.

Lakewood – 7-2 loss at Toronto

• This 7-2 Blue Jays win completed a sweep of the Phillies affiliates on Saturday.
• Kevin Brady gave up four runs/one earned in 3.2 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
• Jeb Stefan threw two scoreless innings of relief.
• Willie Carmona was 2-2 with two walks.
• Andrew Pullin, Art Charles, and Tim Carver had the other BlueClaws hits.

There were no games Sunday, just intra-squad scrimmages.

We’ll get to Monday’s report soon, one that becomes more and more relevant for both lineups and roster composition.

Of the notes from the minor league spring training games on Friday in Clearwater, perhaps the most notable is another great outing by top Phillies prospect Jesse Biddle, who was dominant in the AAA game. We have more on this below, as well as some notes from around camp.

Lehigh Valley - 6-5 loss at Toronto

• Biddle threw six shutout innings yesterday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven. By my count he’s allowed one run in 13 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts so far. Remember, he’s gotten off to slow starts both with Lakewood and Clearwater. Maybe this year with Reading is the year he gets out of the gate strong and sets himself up much better for another great year.
• Justin Friend threw two scoreless innings as well.
• Delmon Young, in a rehab game, hit a three-run home run, and Cody Overbeck hit a two-run home run for the ‘Pigs.
• Tyston Gillies, Cesar Hernandez, Edgar Duran, and Tyler Henson all had two hits.

Reading – 6-5 loss at Toronto

• Hoby Milner was sharp, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Brandon Erbe got four outs. Tyler Knigge struggled, allowing five runs in two innings, and Jay Johnson gave up a run in two.
• Roman Quinn had another hit, this a triple in two at bats, bringing him to 10-23 this spring.
• Sebastian Valle and Harold Martinez both homered for the Fightin’ Phils. Harold Martinez had two hits.

Clearwater - 8-3 loss vs Toronto

• Shane Watson, a possible BlueClaw, gave up two runs/one earned in 3.2 innings of work. Luis Paulino got seven outs and allowed a run. Zach Cooper struggled, allowing five runs in 1.1 innings.
• Chris Serritella had three hits including a double while Yan Olmo went 2-3 with a double and a triple.

Lakewood - 9-0 loss vs Toronto

• Not a lot happened here, as Lino Martinez gave up four runs in 2.1 innings and Keive Rojas allowed three in two.
• Offensively, Chad Carman had two hits, while Samuel Hiciano, Andrew Pullin, Zach Green, Chace Numata, and Josh Ludy each had one.

Typically, we unveil the Opening Day rosters the Saturday before Opening Day, which in this case would be the 30th, a week from today. I have no idea if that will be the plan again this year, but we will find out.

Nick Hernandez has had two surgeries on his shoulder in the last two years and hasn’t pitched in a regular season game (outside of a GCL rehab appearance) since May of 2010, when he took a no-hitter for the BlueClaws into the 8th inning of a game in Greensboro.

He’s working his way back, and Tony Graham caught up with Nick, as well as Joe Jordan, Phillies Director of Player Development, in Clearwater.

You can watch the video here.

Jordan notes that Hernandez has been one of the best stories of the camp (not sure if Tony recorded that video before or after Nice threw three shutout innings yesterday), his velocity is already up to 88-89, and he has no restrictions.

We’re certainly wishing Nick the best this season (he’ll likely start with Clearwater).

Less than two weeks to go until Opening Day. Let’s take a look at some results from the minor league spring training games from Thursday afternoon.

Lehigh Valley – 4-3 win at Yankees

• Jonathan Pettibone will be one of the most watched starters in the upper minors this year, opening with Lehigh Valley, and he signaled his readiness for the season with five shutout innings yesterday (four hits, no walks, four strikeouts).
• Justin De Fratus gave up three runs in two innings. Kyle Simon and Austin Hyatt each threw shutout innings in relief.
• Josh Fields had three hits including a home run. Tyson Gillies had two hits along with Edgar Duran.

Reading – 4-4 tie at Yankees

• David Buchanan gave up two runs in four innings, while Mauricio Robles and JC Ramirez threw two scoreless innings. Colton Murray gave up two unearned runs in his lone inning.
• Reading had 11 hits in the game, with five players each having two and Maikel Franco adding one.
• Two hits apiece for: Carlos Alonso, Sebastian Valle, Kyrell Hudson, Jim Murphy, and Miguel Alvarez.

Clearwater – 6-3 win vs Yankees

• Really cool to see Nick Hernandez in the box score. He threw three shutout innings. The lefty was drafted by the Phillies back in 2009 and was tremendous for Lakewood early in the 2010 season before injuries set in. Aside from a few GCL rehab appearances, he hasn’t pitched in a game since May of 2010.
• Gabriel Arias gave up two runs in three innings, Brendan Lafferty one run in two innings, and Mario Hollands tossed a scoreless inning.
• Chris Serritella continued his strong spring, hitting a home run as part of a 3-4 afternoon. Cameron Perkins, who could be the BlueClaws Opening Day left fielder, added two hits.
• Angelo Mora had a hit, as did Logan Moore, Gabriel Lino, John Taylor, and Alejandro Villalobos.

Lakewood – 10-6 loss vs Yankees

• Jordan Guth started and gave up a run in three innings. Andrew Aizenstadt followed and allowed four runs on six hits in three innings of work.
• Chris Nichols gave up three unearned runs in one inning while Felix Santos and Troy Marks each allowed one run.
• Dylan Cozens led the offense with three hits including a triple and two RBIs. Jiandido Tromp was 2-4 as the leadoff hitter and centerfielder.
• Art Charles hit a mammoth home run and Zach Green cleared the fences as well.

Normally we don’t mention “days off” in these write-ups but we’ve talked about Roman Quinn so much that I figure we should note that he’s not in the write-up because it looks like he had one.

Tony Graham of the APP is in Clearwater. You should follow him on Twitter here.

We’re getting closer and closer to the end of spring training. Rosters will be set by the end of next week and by Easter, players and coaches from Lakewood, Reading and Lehigh Valley will leave the warmth of Florida for the colder temperatures of the northeast. Of course, April 4th is Opening Day.

So the games, in theory, become a little more important with each passing day. On to the recaps from yesterday (Monday):

Lehigh Valley - 9-1 win at Pittsburgh

• Tyler Cloyd gave up a run on four hits in three innings of work while Brian Bass (3), Hector Neris (2) and Justin Friend (1) threw six combined innings of scoreless relief.
• Cody Overbeck and Josh Fields each had two hits, with Overbeck’s hits both doubles.
• Tommy Joseph added a home run for the Pits.

Reading - 6-2 loss at Pittsburgh

• Seth Rosin gave up two runs/one earned in four innings for the Fightin’ Phils.
• BJ Rosenberg followed and allowed four runs/three earned in three innings with three Ks and no walks. Brandon Erbe and Mauricio Robles each threw a scoreless inning.
• Guess who showed up in the AA game again? Roman Quinn went 2-2 with a walk and a stolen base and continues to play extremely well over the past week in the higher-level games.
• Harold Martinez added two hits while Zach Collier homered.
• Kyrell Hudson and Miguel Alvarez also had hits for Reading.

Clearwater – 2-2 tie vs Pittsburgh

• Colin Kleven threw four shutout innings for the Threshers with no walks and two strikeouts, allowing just three hits.
• Mike Nesseth gave up two runs in two innings while Luis Paulino, Joe Savery, and Tyler Knigge threw scoreless innings.
• Mitch Walding went 2-3 with a double, triple, and RBI to lead theo ffense.
• Carlos Alonso, Logan Moore, and John Taylor each had hits for Clearwater as well.

Lakewood - 3-1 win vs Pittsburgh

• Ranfi Casimiro threw three scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts for the ‘Claws.
• Yoel Macias gave up a run in three innings while Nicholas Hanson (2) and Zach Cooper (1) combined for three innings of scoreless relief.
• Offensively, Gustavo Martinez had two hits and Dylan Cozens homered. Art Charles, Chad Carman, and Jonathan Knight each had doubles.

Back later or tomorrow morning with the Tuesday recap, and we’ll have something later today as well.

The Monday minor league spring training game recap as we inch closer and closer to Opening Day 2013:

Lehigh Valley - win 4-0 vs Pittsburgh

• The ‘Pigs were bolstered by a lefty they just added. He threw six scoreless innings in the win. His name? Cliff Lee (who was just getting some work in a minor league game, no big deal).
• Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman, and Cesar Jimenez each threw shutout innings in relief.
• Codey Asche and Tommy Joseph each had two hits while Cesar Hernandez drove in two runs.

Reading - tie 3-3 vs Pittsburgh

• Tom Cochran gave up a run on four hits in four innings of work. Austin Hyatt and Kyle Simon each threw two scoreless innings while JC Ramirez gave up two runs in one inning.
• Roman Quinn (dh) was in the AA lineup again and got six plate appearances (batting order sometimes has a loose interpretation in these games). Quinn went 0-3 but drew a walk and was hit by two pitches. He added a stolen base.
• Zach Collier had a triple and two RBIs while Cameron Rupp, who seems to be having an excellent spring, drove in the other Reading run.
• Aaron Altherr, Harold Martinez, and Kevin Quaranto all had hits as well.

Clearwater – 8-1 loss at Pittsburgh

• Austin Wright gave up three runs/two earned in four innings for the Threshers and all the relievers gave up at least one run as well (Mario Hollands – one run in two innings / Jeb Stefan – three runs/two earned in two innings / Brendan Lafferty – one run in one inning).
• Clearwater had just four hits in the game: one by Carlos Tocci (cf), two by Cameron Perkins (rf) and one by Logan Moore (dh).
• If Tocci does make it to Lakewood, as we’ve said before, he’d be the youngest player in franchise history.

Lakewood - 4-2 loss at Pittsburgh

• Percy Garner gave up four runs/three earned in 3.2 innings of work, though four relievers combined to throw shutout ball the rest of the way (Troy Marks 1.1 IP, Chris Nichols 1.2 IP, Keivi Rojas 1.1 IP, Elniery Garcia 1 IP).
• Chace Numata went 2-2 with a walk, while Andrew Pullin, Art Charles, and Samuel Hiciano added hits for the BlueClaws.

Back later.

We have some catching-up to do his morning as we start the final two full-weeks of Spring Training, just 17 days away from the start of the minor league season on April 4th.

We’ll take the weekend box scores in order, and remember, as more and more players come over to minor league camp from big league camp, these minor league rosters begin to take shape, and any playing team notes become a little more relevant with each passing day.

First, these results are from the games on Friday -

Lehigh Valley – 7-7 tie at Blue Jays

• Ethan Martin, acquired last year in the Shane Victorino trade, was excellent, tossing five shutout innings with four strikeouts.
• Mike Cisco struggled, allowing four runs in 1/3 of an inning. He was traded to the Angels on Sunday.
• Edgar Duran, likely headed for Reading, played here and had two hits including a home run.
• Jim Murphy had two hits, as did John Taylor. Cody Asche was 1-1 with two walks and was hit by a pitch.

Reading – Win 7-5 at Blue Jays

• Brody Colvin started and gave up six runs/three earned in 2.1 innings of work. Colby Shreve gave up a run in 1.1 innings while Jordan Whatcott threw two scoreless frames. Tyler Knigge struck out both hitters he faced.
• Roman Quinn continues to play very well and went 2-4 with a double in the AA game.
• Miguel Abreu, Sebastian Valle, Kyrell Hudson, and Miguel Alvarez each had two hits. The aggressive placements of Quinn and Hudson (and of course their performance) is noteworthy from this angle.

Clearwater – 3-1 loss vs Blue Jays

• Ethan Stewart gave up two runs in three innings while striking out three.
• Manaure Martinez and Ryan O’Sullivan each threw two scoreless innings of relief.
• Carlos Tocci played cf in this game and was 0-2. Chris Serritella, who could skip Lakewood and go to Clearwater (4th rd pick last year), went 1-3 with a triple.
• Brock Stassi, Angelo Mora, and Gabriel Lino all had extra-base hits as well.

Lakewood - 2-1 win vs Blue Jays

• Josh Warner, one of our projected BlueClaws starters, was sharp, allowing a run on one hit in three innings, while striking out four and walking none.
• Jesen Dygestile-Therrien two two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Troy Marks threw two scoreless innings.
• The lineup produced six hits, one each by the following players: Art Charles, Willie Carmona, Zach Green, Chad Carman, Yan Olmo, and Josh Ludy.

Saturday, there were only intra-squad games. Sunday’s results are below the fold.

(more…)