Two BlueClaws, Jim Murphy and Anthony Hewitt, will participate in the South Atlantic League Home Run Derby before the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Salisbury, Maryland, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds.

Murphy, who hit two home runs last night (Friday), now has 16 in the first half. He’s second in the league in that category and set the franchise record for most HRs in a half, breaking Juan Richardson’s 15 from the second half of the team’s inaugural 2011 season.

Below, Murphy and Hewitt share some thoughts on the upcoming HR Derby.

For audio: Anthony Hewitt (click here) and Jim Murphy (click here).

Murphy: It will be fun. I did one in 2007 in a summer league (with the Corvallis Knights) and hopefully I do better this time (he went 0-for). In Safeco in 2001 I went to the Derby. My mom asked if I wanted to go to the All-Star Game or the HR Derby and I picked the HR Derby. I saw Giambi knock out 13 in one round and that was pretty cool.

Will you make any adjustments? No. I’m not going to change anything. I just want to have a good time and knock some balls out. I’ve heard horror stories about guys changing their swing a little and then having horrible second halves so I’m not interested in doing that.

Hewitt: It should be lots of fun. This is the first one I’ll play in. I’m pumped and excited to participate in it. I’m going to alter something a bit but I’m not going to stray from the regular season string.

All of your home runs have come since May 1st. What’s been the difference? Relaxing more and trusting my hands. I’ve been able to see the ball a bit deeper and let it fly.

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The five derby participants from the Northern Division will be: Bryce Harper (Hagerstown), Jim Murphy (Lakewood), Brady Shoemaker (Kannapolis), Trayce Thompson (Kannapolis) and Anthony Hewitt (Lakewood). The five derby participants from the Southern Division are: Adam Duvall (Augusta), Kyle Parker (Asheville), Adam Bailey (Lexington), Chris Wallace (Lexington) and Bryce Massanari (Asheville).

Read Delmarva’s official HR Derby release here.

Before Friday’s game in West Virginia, we sat down with BlueClaws LHP Jay Johnson, who threw 3.1 innings (career long outing) of scoreless relief last night for the BlueClaws in a 4-3 loss to the Power.

You can listen to the whole interview here.

Johnson, from Sussex Corner, New Brunswick in Canada, played for Texas Tech in the Big 12 after spending time at a Canadian Junior College. He was drafted by the Orioles and Blue Jays previously but never signed and he joined the Phillies this year. Find a few snippets below:

Last night, his longest outing of the season: “I felt good. This is a team that I’ll hopefully be successful against because they have all the lefties in the middle of the lineup…I haven’t run out there that many times in a while so it’s nice getting extended a little bit. I was rolling a little so they let me stay out there.”

Did you play hockey growing up? “I played hockey for a year. I didn’t play a whole lot of hockey. I did play basketball but the seasons intertwined so I didn’t play that much. My older brother played baseball so I just followed him around.”

Where did you go after high school? “After high school I went to Prairie Baseball Academy and then from there I went to Texas Tech and was drafted last year.”

How does Canada compare to Lubbock, Texas? “I went to JC in Alberta and that was prairies too but just not as many dust storms as West Texas in Lubbock. It was pretty nice. Not much to look at but the school was fun and it was fun being around all those guys.

The intermediate nine months from the end of his season last year until he signed with the Phillies this year? “It was long. I wasn’t playing. I worked with my dad (a fisherman) and worked out to get ready for the season. I was out in Arizona with the Mariners at the start of this spring, and I threw for them but failed my physical so they couldn’t sign me. I got a hold of Pat Gillick and he got a scout in Arizona to look at me and they flew me to Clearwater and I signed 2 or 3 days later. Nothing really happened but I have bone chips in there. But I feel good and it’s never really bothered me.”

Before today’s game is resumed against Hagerstown (11th inning), Sean Houston sat down with both Anthony Hewitt (click here) and Jim Murphy (click here).

They talk about their upcoming trips to the All-Star Game in Delmarva among other topics.

Sean Houston sat down with BlueClaws RHP David Buchanan earlier today for a ClawClast that will air between games today but your sneak preview is right here.

BlueClaws OF Anthony Hewitt has hit seven home runs since May 1st, including one last night in Greensboro. Before Sunday’s game in Hickory, we sat down with Hewitt, a former first-round pick of the Phillies from 2008 who grew up in Brooklyn.

Click here to listen to the interview, or read the snippets below.

Difference between this year and last year? The biggest difference is I’m relaxed and I’m having a lot more fun.

How important is it to relax and have some fun? That’s the most important part. Find something to laugh at and something to make you happy. If you don’t, it’s a long year. Whatever you do, find a reason to smile…That clicked in at the end of last year. I thought about it a lot in the offseason…I took a month off, went on a cruise to get my mind off the game, and then game back and went after it.

Vs Last year…Physically I’m a little stronger, but mentally, it’s a totally differnet ballgame.

Do you look back at the draft (draft starts tomorrow)…I look back at it a lot. I was watching the draft from my brother’s bed and I got the call and the rest is history…I told them (Vandy) that if was picked in the first round I’d think about it. But being picked in the first round is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that might not be there. Education will bethere.

Favorite player growing up?…It used to be Soriano, but he got traded. A-Rod, Mariano, Bernie Williams…I love baseball. I like watching it. I enjoy watching the players and learning how they go about their business.

What can you learn then when a Shane Victorino comes in…I just want to pick his brain mentally. When 7:05 hits, I want to learn where he is mentally and how he stays even-keel. That’s all I’m focused on.

BlueClaws 1B Jim Murphy leads the South Atlantic League in home runs (13) and RBIs (41) and entering play Thursday night, has driven in 16 runs in his last 13 games. Before Thursday’s game in Greensboro, we sat down with Murphy for this ClawCast.

Click here to listen to the full interview, or read a few snippets below:

How do you feel at the plate right now? I feel solid. My approach is simple and I don’t think about mechanics at all. I get a good pitch to hit and I’ve been getting some good results.

What’s been the difference for you from the early part of the year until now? Early, I was trying to find a swing that was going to work on a daily basis. Wroking with Legger (hitting coach Greg Legg), Hendo (hitting coordinator Steve Henderson), Manso (IF coordinator Doug Mansolino) on a lot of stuff, like the swing and approach and it’s been pretty conssitent since the second or third week.

What have you been working on? I just want to stay in the zone as long as I can with a flat plain and try to cover as much of the plate as you can. I think I got something pretty good right now and hopefully it stays that way.

Hitting is contagious? Absolutely. You see someone get hot, it doesn’t matter who it is, and you’ll feel confident yourself. The early part of the year we had a lot of double-headers and rain outs and that stuff. We got into a groove lately. Collier’s been awesome lately. Hewitt and Santana too, Dabbs had two HRs last night. We’ve had a lot of guys step up lately.

How have you guys played your way back into the race? The starting pitching has been unbelievable. We haven’t been playing too much different but the starters have been great and we’ve been cashing in when early in the year we weren’t.

Is this as well as you’ve played since being drafted? Definitely. I think over the last month or so is probably the best ball I’ve played in awhile.

We sat down with Zach Collier before Saturday’s game in West Virginia, an interview which you can listen to in full by clicking here. Collier homered last night to break a 1-1 tie in the 6th inning in what would become a 3-2 BlueClaws win.

Some snippets…

“I’ve been trying to catch the ball out in front and see it early…get the head of the bat out in front of the plate.”

“Growing up I was the biggest Griffey fan ever, but I can definitely see Garret Anderson. I had never really compared myself to anyone until high school when the draft was coming around and people started to say Garett Anderson. I can definitely see that.”

“I just want to get the head of the bat out and hit low line drives…It’s not really starting the swing sooner but being quick with the hands and not having a long swing. You have to be ready soon and when you see the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, you’re ready to decide if it’s a ball or a strike.”

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Collier is 16-49 over his last 11 games.

Before Friday’s game in West Virginia, we sat down with BlueClaws LHP Jesse Biddle, who threw six shutout innings on Wednesday at Delmarva to earn his second win in his last three starts. Below, find some snippets from the interview, which you can listen to in full here.

Shameless plug: I would definitely listen to the interview, as Biddle does a great job going into some depth on some of the things that he’s been working on, why he wants to work quicker and the different benefits that can come from that. It’s a nice look inside-the-mind of a young pitcher.

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“Tempo is the biggest thing. As soon as I get a tempo I trust, I trust my body. That’s what separated my last few starts from the ones before.”

“If I’m working quick, I’m not going to think to much and that will help keep the hitters off balance.”

“The stuff [in my last start] was better. The fastball is coming in a little harder and the curveball had a little more depth to it and the change-up, I’m throwing it for more strikes…The biggest thing with the curve is to break late. I have an early-breaking curveball because it has to break more…Your grip is something you can adjust but also the harder you throw it, the later it’s going to break…If it’s faster, it won’t have as much time to break as if it was slower.”

“The change-up has made big strides, but not enough. I want to say I’m really happy with it but I’m not. I kept using the excuse that it was a new pitch but it’s becoming something that I’m getting used to. But in my last start, I can feel better about throwing it and that’s good.”

“He just wanted to give me a breather. One of the things about workign really fast is that your body can only handle so much, so [pitching coach Steve Schrenk] came out and wanted to slow me down a little bit. He loves my tempo. The umpires don’t, and the hitters don’t, but when they ask for late timeout, that makes me feel great because they’re off-balance. But if I’m going to pitch that quick every game, I’m going to have to be in great shape.”

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Biddle has allowed 9 ER in his last 22 innings after allowing 11 in his first 16.1 innings pitched. Four of those nine came in the 2nd inning of a 5/13 start against Hagerstown, the only runs he allowed in that game. He followed that start up with his best, a six scoreless inning outing on Wednesday against Delmarva.

Before Tuesday’s game in Greensboro, we sat down with BlueClaws relief pitcher Chase Johnson for a quick interview. Johnson, a 21st round pick in 2009 from Avondale, Arizona, has allowed just one earned run in 15 innings so far this year.

Click here to listen to the full interview and we have some clips below.

Scouting report on yourself:I throw a two-seam fastball and a slider and a change-up, and want to get a lot of groundballs and get ahead in the count. That’s a big key.

This year vs last year: A lot better. I have a better command of all my pitches and I’ve mixed it up more. Last year I was a one-inning guy so I threw mainly fastballs. This year I’ve been able to mix it up more…In the off-season I wanted to work a lot more on off-speed pitchers, and slider command.

Growing Up in Arizona: I was a Diamondbacks fan. We went to a fair amount of games. They had Randy Johnson, Schilling, and all those guys. My favorite pitcher to watch was Randy Johnson…He’s a fun guy to watch, throwing 99 with that slider.

Goals: Just to have fun and get a fair amount of innings and do well.

What did you learn last year that you apply this year? I learned a lot, especially about how quick to warm up as a reliever. The road trips are long and you have to get used to those. Playing every day, you have to get used to that too.

Before Tuesday’s game against Charleston, we sat down with BlueClaws RHP Garett Claypool, who has allowed just three earned runs and fanned 17 in his first 12 innings. He was an 11th round pick last year by the Phillies out of UCLA.

You can listen to the full interview by clicking here. Below are some snippets:

How do you feel so far? I feel good. I’m throwing strikes, that’s all you can really ask right now, just try to get ahead of the hitters.

Biggest difference between college and the pros: It’s a big adjustment from college. There’s a lot more time off between starts and throwing so you have to get adjusted to throwing between starts a lot and get into a routine.

Why UCLA? UCLA is one of the best schools out there. The combination of academics and sports, plus a great location, helped get me there.

Was it an interesting dynamic getting drafted while you were still playing? In college when you get drafted while your season is going on is a distraction. You can’t get caught up in your new team, you just have to focus on your season. When that’s over, you can soak it up and take it all in.

We sat down with BlueClaws RHP Tyler Knigge yesterday for a few minutes and you can listen to the interview in full by clicking here. We have some snippets below.

Knigge was a 12th round pick of the Phillies last year out of Lewis & Clark State. Overall, 117 Lewis & Clark State baseball players have been selected in the MLB Draft, and Knigge joined that list last year when the Phillies took him in the 12th round.

On the draft process: I went in not really knowing who was going to draft me but the Phillies were a top pick for myself since they are such a great organization. I spoke with the scout before the draft three or four times and we emailed back and forth and every time I talked to him the organization seemed that much better.

Draft day: I was in the basement at my parent’s house and we were watching along and he called a few rounds earlier and said ‘Are you ready to go?’ and I said ‘Absolutely.’

On Lewis & Clark St: LC is a very tough and competitive program. The coach is very tough on his players but that prepares you for the pros. It’s a tough school to play at and if you can play there you can play anywhere…I think LC drafts more players than any school in the nation (see numbers above).

Work on in the offseason: I wanted to get stronger. I knew coming in that making a full season squad wasn’t going to be easy, especially here with the tough and experienced pitching. I wanted to show off good velocity and have the control or else I wasn’t going to be able to make a full season squad.

Pitcher growing up you liked watching: I’ve always felt he was an underrated pitcher and I always grew up watching John Lackey. He’s very competiive on the mound and I feel I’m pretty similar to him. We have about the same body type and the same types of pitches…I can say I am NOT an Angels fan, I was a Mariners fan growing up. Even though he pitched against the Mariners I would always expect a great outing even though I’d hope he lost.

We had a chance to sit down with BlueClaws catcher Cameron Rupp, a 3rd round pick of the Phillies out of the University of Texas. Take a look below.

Click here to listen to the full audio interview, or read some snippets below.

Best experience in college: College World Series, definitely, was the best thing that’s ever happened to my baseball career. Growning up, there’s a tournament up there for 9-10 year olds and I got to go play up there and we saw a few games at Rosenblatt. To play there later meant so much more.

Did you play football like most kids growing up in Texas? I played football from the time when I was 10 through my senior year in high school, I loved every minute of it. I had a few chances to play college football but I committed to play baseball at Texas. A few smaller schools looked at me. Iowa was probably the biggest one. I was a middle linebacker.

Why did you settle on baseball? Growing up, my dad played baseball, so did his whole side of the family. My dad played for the Expos. My grandfather played in the Dodgers organization. Growing up, the first thing my dad had me do was play baseball, from when I was four.

What does it mean for a Texas high schooler to go on and play athletically at Texas? It means a lot. I knew that as soon as I decided on baseball, when Texas calls, that’s where I’m going. Right away, the first day they can talk to you was July 1st. I was committed by July 6th. I grew up a few hours north of Austin and went to a few games.

Favorite player growing up? Pudge Rodriguez. That guy has been around since I was growing up throwing a baseball. He played for the Rangers. I was a Rangers fan. We had season tickets for a few years. Ever since then, still, that’s who I look up to.

With the BlueClaws pitching staff throwing to a 1.85 ERA through the first eight games, we sat down with pitching coach Steve Schrenk for a State of the Staff Q&A prior to Sunday’s double-header in Hagerstown.

You can listen to the full Q&A by clicking here. Here are a few snippets:

On his staff: They’re having a good time out there pitching, they got the nerves out, the tempo is great and hopefully we can keep it up.

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So far out of the bullpen everyone has been throwing the ball well. Knigge has been throwing the ball well, he’s a nice surprise. Sosa has thrown the ball well too.

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On David Buchanan: He’s a sinker ball pitcher so he has to be aggressive in the zone and he’s done that. His first game was good and his second game was good, a little rough in spots where he didn’t get ahead of as many hitters as he would like. But he gave us a chance to win and that’s big, especially here where you never know what’s going to happen.

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On Jesse Biddle: He’s got tremendous arm speed and really competes out there. He’s working on his change-up and threw some real good ones (last Sunday). Right now, fastball command like we do every year. Get the fastball command first and that’s what he still needs to work on.

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On his trip to Australia in the winter: It was nice. I had a great time, the family did too. Obviously we didn’t have the record we wanted to. Hopefully I’ll be able to go back next year. We’re still early in this season, which I enjoy, but it was nice to visit another country. I’d been there in 1987 in high school. A few guys remembered me, which was kind of cool. The baseball is really good over there and they’re going to have a good league…Schoenberger got me a few times. I have to trade for him next year.

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First pitch today at 1:05.

BlueClaws pitcher David Buchanan started his 2011 season by throwing seven shutout innings in Sunday’s 16-inning loss to Kannapolis. Drafted in the 7th round out of Georgia State, the seven inning outing was his longest as a pro, and we spoke to him on Monday afternoon.

Click here to listen to the full interview, and here are some snippets:

Strengths as a pitcher: Using the wood bats, its so different than aluminum, so you try to get the ball some movement and in on the hands because it’s so hard to drive. The more you attach the zone, the better off you are. Ground balls can’t go out of the park.

This year vs last year: I’m much more confident in my stuff, and working on the mental game, I’ve been able to slow it down and keep it simple. Being able to stay calm and take it pitch by pitch has helped a lot.

The draft process: I talked to the Phillies before the draft and I had a feeling that’s who was going to take me. So on draft day, I was waiting my turn, and when I got the call, it was great. I was hitting refresh, but I didn’t hear my name called because my internet froze right when they picked me. But then I saw my name and we all got real excited.

My sister wasn’t too excited because we’re from Atlanta but of course they’re still pulling for me.

Favorite pitcher to watch: I’ve always been a big fan of Tim Hudson. We live in the same town and I’ve seen him work out there in the off-season is cool. He’s a groundball pitcher, he attacks the zone, and he’s very successful.

He’s scheduled to start next on Friday in Hagerstown in Bryce Harper’s home debut, a night that promises to be awfully hectic.