Here’s the weekly Minor League Review courtesy of Larry Shenk:

Players of the Week

**Pitcher: RHR Eric Pettis, Clearwater.  Relieved twice, 0 runs in 5.1 innings; allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.  Since joining Clearwater from Lakewood on May 5, he has 11 scoreless outings out of 13.  He’s given up just 2 runs, solo home runs in back-to-back games, June 3 and 6.  For June, he’s 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA.  The 23-year-old was selected in the 35^th round in 2010 out of UC Irvine and signed by Demerius Pittman.  He broke in at Williamsport last season, finished 8-0 with a 1.37 ERA for 20 games (5 starts).

**Player: 2B Cesar Hernandez, Clearwater.  In an All-Star Game shortened week, Hernandez hit .500 (9-18) in 4 games.  His 9 hits led the organization.  Included were 2 homers.  He’s hitting .390 in his last 10 games and .328 in June, improving his average from .214 to .249.

The 21-year-old hit .325 in 65 games a year ago at Williamsport.  He was signed as an amateur free agent out of Carabobo, VZ, by Sal Agostinelli and Jesus Mendez.

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There were a bunch of moves today in the Phillies minor league system. While none involve the BlueClaws, some former BlueClaws are on the move including fan favorite Justin De Fratus from 2009.

RHP Justin De Fratus is heading from Reading to Lehigh Valley along with 3B Cody Overbeck, LHP Ryan Edell, and RHP Phillipe Aumont.

1B Joe Savery goes from Clearwater to Reading along with RHP Justin Friend and RHP Chance Chapman (who comes from Lehigh and is a 2008 BlueClaw).

De Fratus, who is on the 40-man roster, was 4-0, 2.15 with Reading this year.

Why all the moves? Vance Worley is going to the Phillies to pitch Saturday. Eddie Bonine is injured and so too is Nate Bump. Brian Gordon is now a Yankee (read about this here).

It’s been years since Brian Gordon has pitched in the majors. It also has been years since Gordon’s even been in New York.

Today, the right-hander will be the Yankees’ starter against the Rangers in The Bronx when he makes his pinstriped debut in place of the injured Bartolo Colon.

Gordon will pitch in the big leagues for the first time since 2008 and, at age 32, start a major league game for the first time in his life.

2:29: Yankees/Rangers are 1-1 in the 5th.

Here’s the Phillies Minor League Week in Review as provided (as always) by the great Larry Shenk. Read his “Phillies Insider” blog by clicking here.

Players of the Week

**Pitcher: RHS Trevor May, Clearwater. 1-0 for 1 start, 8 innings, 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 1 walk, season-high 12 strikeouts.  Victory was his 4^th straight, improving his season record to 4-2, 3.54.  Leads all Phillies minor league hurlers with 80 strikeouts (61.2 innings).  The 21-year-old was selected in the 4^th round of the 2008 draft out of Kelso High School (WA) and signed by Dave Ryles.

**Player: 1B Jeff Larish, Lehigh Valley. Hit .478 in 6 games, 11 hits including 3 doubles, 1 triple and 4 homers.  Drove in 12.  Triple, 2 homers and 7 RBI came in 12-2 romp on Monday at Gwinnett.  For the season, he’s hitting .265 in 48 games, 12 homers and 31 RBI.  The 28-year-old was signed as a minor league free agent on 11/22/10.

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The BlueClaws, who have won five in a row and 11 of 12, have swept the Phillies Minor League Player of the Week honors, with Jim Murphy (Player) and Garett Claypool (Pitcher) having won.

Here is the weekly report from the great Larry Shenk.

Players of the Week

**Pitcher: RHP Garrett Claypool, Lakewood.  Made 1 start last week, a no decision in which he allowed 1 run on 2 hits in 7 innings.  He walked 1 and struck out a season-high 11 (7 looking).  For the season, he is 1-2 for 12 games (8 starts) with a 2.30 ERA, which ranks second in the South Atlantic League to teammate Dave Buchanan (1.97). Opponents are batting .188. The 22-year-old was selected in the 11^th round a year ago out of UCLA and signed by Shane Bowers.

- Noted on Claypool: His Monday start in which he threw seven shutout innings, didn’t even count for last week (it will for this week). He’s allowed 2 ER in his last 26 innings pitched.

**Player: 1B Jim Murphy, Lakewood. Batted .364 in 6 games with 5 runs scored, 8 hits, 3 doubles, 3 homers and 9 RBI.  He homered in three straight games starting Thursday night and ended the week riding a 7-game hitting streak.  For the season, he is hitting .264 with 13 homers (matching Reading’s Cody Overbeck for the most in the organization) and 36 RBI, which are tops in the organization.  His 13 homers also lead the SAL.  The 25-year-old was selected in the 17^th round in 2006 out of Washington State University and signed by Dave Ryles.

Rest below the fold:

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BlueClaws OF Domingo Santana was named Phillies Minor League Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday. He went 10-25 last week and hit his 5th home run of the season on Sunday at West Virginia. Here’s the full rundown from Larry Shenk:

**Pitcher: RHR Michael Schwimer, Lehigh Valley.  2 appearances, 1-0, 0.00, 1 save; 5.1 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts.  First save of the season came on Tuesday when IronPigs moved into first place.  Last 10 outings, 1-0, 1.84 ERA, opponents batting .137.  For the season, 2-0, 1.90 ERA, 33 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.  The 25-year-old, 6-foot-8 right-hander was the Phillies 14^th-round selection in 2008 out of the University of Virginia and signed by Paul Murphy.

**Player: RF Domingo Santana, Lakewood.  In 6 games, .400 with an organization-high 10 hits.  Ended the week 6-10 in last 2 games, 2 doubles, a triple, 5th home run and 4 RBI. Hitting .350 in his last 10 games.  The 18-year-old was signed by Sal Agostinelli and Bernardo Perez as an amateur free agent out of Santo Domingo, DR, 3/23/09.

More below

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Domonic Brown (BlueClaws 2008) was recalled to the Phillies today to take the spot of the injured Shane Victorino on the Phillies active roster. He was 14-41 with Lehigh Valley after a brief and successful rehab with Clearwater, though he played May 17 and 18 (2-7) after missing five games with a thumb injury.

Dave Murphy has more with High Cheese.

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Read this excellent piece on Reading 1B Matt Rizzotti by Jay Floyd at PhoulBallz.com.
Parent does admit that it’s just a matter of time before his “butcher” moves back up to higher levels.

“Eventually, they’re gonna see if he can (compete at higher levels) or not. So far this season, he’s improved in his defense, he’s conditioning better. These are all things he’s gotta work on. If he was to get called up, or taken to another club and go to the big leagues, he could go from (this level),” Parent said when speaking of the difference between Double A and Triple A in Rizzotti’s case.

2010 BlueClaws catcher Sebastian Valle was named Phillies Minor League Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, Below, find more on that and a few other things from around the farm and the desk of Larry Shenk.

Player of the Week: C Sebastian Valle, Clearwater. Batted .647 in 5 games (11-17) with 3 doubles, 2 homers and 5 RBI. Had 5 multi-hit games.  His homer on Wednesday cleared the Tiki Pavilion roof at Bright House Field (see photo). Left Friday’s game after a home plate collision and was placed on the DL the next day with a concussion.  Hitting .447 in his last 10 games, improving his season average to .337.  The 20-year-old was signed as an amateur free agent, 10/6/06, by Sal Agostinelli and Norman Anciani out of Los Mochis, Sal Aloa, Mexico.

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Brian Gordon, Lehigh Valley.  Made 2 starts, 1-0, 0.66 ERA, allowing 1 run, 6 hits and 1 walk in 13.2 innings.  He struck out 9. Lost a no-hitter in Sunday’s win on a bunt single leading off the 6^th inning.  Wound up with a no-decision, 1 run in 7 innings, 3 hits.  He was also named the IL Pitcher of the Week by MiLB.com.  In 7 games (4 starts), the 32-year-old is 1-0 with a 0.36 ERA.  He was signed as a minor league free agent, 1/29/10 and was originally drafted in the 7^th round by Arizona in 1997.

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Forgot to post this yesterday, but congrats to 1B Joe Savery and RHP JC Ramirez, who were the Phillies Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for April. The Phillies announced this yesterday.

Savery, with Clearwater, hit .450 in his first month with Clearwater as a position player (converted pitcher), while, Ramirez, acquired in the Cliff Lee trade, was 4-1, 1.03 with Reading.

Meanwhile…

Player of the Week: RF Domonic Brown, Lehigh Valley.  Hit .409 in 6 games with 7 runs, 9 hits, 2 homers, 5 RBI and a stolen base. Extended his AAA hitting streak to 13 games (.373), dating back to 2010.  Joined LV on Monday after hitting .368 in 5 games at Clearwater I  rehab assignment.  The 23-year-old was signed by Chip Lawrence after being selected in the 20^th round in 2006 out of Redan High School (GA).

Pitcher of the Week: RHS Julio Rodriguez, Clearwater. 2-0 for 2 starts, 13.2 innings, 6 hits, 0 runs, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts.  Extended his scoreless streak to 16 innings. Dating back to Lakewood in 2010, he has won 7 in a row.  Leads the FSL with a 5-0 record and is third with a 1.67 ERA. The 20-year-old was signed by Chip Lawrence after being selected in the 8^th round in 2008 out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy.  He has a 13-6 record in 3-plus pro seasons.

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This came across from the great Larry Shenk.

Player of the Week: OF Anthony Hewitt, Lakewood.  Hit .333 in 7 games, leading his club with 10 hits. Included were 3 doubles, 1 triple and 2 homers.  He ended the week riding a 12-game hitting streak that has seen his average rise from .074 to .253.  The 22-year-old was selected by the Phillies in the 1^st round (24^th overall) in 2008 and signed by Gene Schall. He was a player of the week at Williamsport, July 6-12, 2009 (OUR NOTE: Hewitt’s hit streak ended on Tuesday night and finished at 13 games, over which he went 20-55 with two home runs and five doubles…it’s the second straight week a BlueClaw was named Player of the Week [Edgar Duran])

Pitcher of the Week: RHR Justin Friend, Clearwater. Hurled 4 scoreless innings and recorded 2 saves in 2 appearances; 2 hits, 0 walks and 4 strikeouts.  For the season, the 24-year-old has 8 saves in 8 opportunities with a 0.77 ERA.  Opponents are hitting .111.  Selected by the Phillies in the minor league Rule 5 draft last December.  He was originally drafted by Oakland in the 13^th round in 2007.

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BlueClaws shortstop Edgar Duran has been named Phillies Minor League player of the week for the week of April 18th - 24th. He is the first BlueClaw to be so honored in 2011.

Here’s the full rundown from the great Larry Shenk.

Player of the Week: SS Edgar Duran, Lakewood.  Hit .381 in five games, three runs scored and eight hits, boosting his average from .231 to .286.  He began the week with multi-hit games of 2-3-2.  In his last 10 games, he is batting .324. A switch hitter, Duran is batting .333 vs. LHP, .270 vs. RHP.   The 20-year-old is in his fourth pro season after signing as an amateur free agent, 12/20/07, out of Valencia, VZ. He was signed by Sal Agostinelli and Jesus Mendez.

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Jonathan Pettibone, Clearwater.  Was 2-0 for 2 starts with a 0.00 ERA, 9 hits in 13 innings, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts.  He was also named the FSL pitcher of the week by MiLB.com. He’s 3-0 for the season with a 0.38 ERA, third lowest in the FSL, with just 2 walks in 24 innings.  Opponents are hitting .190. The 20-year-old was selected between the  3^rd and 4^th rounds in June 2008 out of Esperanza (CA) High School.  He was signed by Darrell Conner.  He was 8-6 at Lakewood a year ago and is 13-11 for his minor league career.

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Congratulations to 2008 BlueClaws pitcher Mike Stutes, who was called up to the Phillies yesterday to replace Jose Contreras (disabled list) on the roster.

Stutes was a 3rd round pick out of Oregon State in 2008 and joined the BlueClaws (5-1, 1.48) for  seven starts.

After skipping Clearwater, he was a starter with Reading in 2009 and was converted to a relief pitcher last year and nearly made the big club out of Spring Training.

When he appears in a game, he’ll be the 37th former BlueClaw to appear in a big league game.

From the Philadelphia Daily News:

It also thins an already thinning bullpen. Closer Brad Lidge has been on the disabled list all season with a shoulder injury and is not expected back until June at the earliest. Lefthander J.C. Romero is on the disabled list with a calf injury.

Stutes seemingly had a chance to make the big-league roster out of spring training. He is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in seven appearances for the IronPigs. He has allowed nine hits with 14 strikeouts in 10 innings.

“It’s thin,” Amaro said. “It is what it is.”

Love when these come in from the desk of the great Larry Shenk.

PHILLIES MINOR LEAGUE REVIEW

April 7-17

Player of the Week: DH-1B Joe Savery, Clearwater. Hit .550 in 11 games (22-for-40), with 4 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBI and a .725 slugging percentage. Easily led organization in hits and average. First 5 games were multi-hit games, 4-2-4-2-2. Added 3 more 2-hits games along the way. After spending the first four pro seasons as a LHP (28-31, 4.29), the 25-year-old has made the transition to an everyday player, something he did at Rice University. In 68 collegiate games, he hit .355. Last year at AAA, he batted .348 in 23 games. Savery was the Phillies No. 1 selection in the 2007 draft.

Pitcher of the Week: RHR Phillipee Aumont, Reading, 0-0, 1 save, 4 appearances, 5.1 innings, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts. He faced 18 hitters are retired 17, including the last 14 (7 on strikeouts). The 22-year-old was a starter/reliever last year at Reading and Clearwater (3-11). He returned to the bullpen this spring. He came to the Phillies in the Cliff Lee trade with Seattle in December 2009. Aumont was the Mariners No. 1 selection in the 2007 draft.

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As our buddies at Lehigh Valley tweeted last night:

Phillies’ minors go 4-for-4 tonight. @RPhils @Threshers @blueclaws #PIGSFLY #PHILSPHIGHT #THRESHERSBITE #CLAWSPINCH

Here’s a quick rundown:

Lehigh Valley beat Rochester 9-4 behind some strong relief pitching: three shutout from Andrew Carpenter and two from Michael Schwimer. Ronnie Belliard and Delwyn Young each had two hits and Kevin Fransden had three.

Reading got a late home run from Matt Rizzotti (hitting .485-2-6) and pulled away from Akron to win 9-5 when Carlos Rivero added a later HR. Mark Parent in the Reading Eagle on Rizzotti:

“That’s some Babe Ruth stuff right there,” said Reading manager Mark Parent, impressed with Rizzotti’s approach and results.

“He’s been battling, he’s been working hard, he’s been out early, working on his defense,” Parent said. “Everything he’s doing is well-deserved right now.”

Clearwater scored three in the 8th and one in the 9th to beat Brevard County 4-2. Brian Gump had two hits and Travis Mattair a three-run double.

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Tonight in Hagerstown we have Jesse Biddle and Bryce Harper facing off for the first time. That is, of course, weather permitting, and most likely it will not permit. Someone at the park yesterday said that we could see two inches of rain today.

Here are the game notes. Keep in mind that the BlueClaws had 11 runs in seven games going into last night when they scored eight, first time in the road grays.

Minor league spring training games are finally complete and rosters have been announced. Let’s take a look at some results from yesterday. By the way, after a morning workout today in Clearwater, members of the Lakewood, Reading, and Lehigh Valley clubs will depart Florida for their summer destinations.

Lakewood (Win 6-5 vs Pittsburgh)

• Chris Truby’s lineup: Altherr 8, Collier 7, Barnes 5, Murphy 3, Mendez DH, Santana 9, Rupp 2, Batts, DH, Perdomo 2, Duran 6 (that’s 10, yes).
• Ervis Manzanillo started and allowed four runs in five innings.
• Altherr was 2-4, Collier was 2-4 with a triple, and Barnes was 2-4 with a home run.
• Domingo Santana capped a strong spring by going 2-3 with 2 triples.
• While he did not appear in the BlueClaws game, Mario Hollands, threw three scoreless in the Williamsport game. Hope to get a rotation for you today.

Clearwater (Win 9-2 vs Pittsburgh)

• Jarred Cosart started, allowing just two runs over five innings while striking out five.
• Jacob Diekman, Derrick Loop, Jordan Ellis and Ebelin Lugo each threw a shutout inning.
• Cesar Hernandez, who skipped Lakewood after starring for Williamsport last year, hit 2nd behind Jiwan James and went 2-3.
• Leandro Castro and Troy Hanzawa had two hits each and Brian Gump drove in two.

Reading (Loss 5-4 vs Pittsburgh)

• Chris Kissock needed just 69 pitches to navigate 7 innings (Pirates have a plane to catch or something?), allowing five hits and two earned runs.
• Chris Frey, Matt Rizzotti, Freddy Galvis and Carlos Rivero all had two hits for the R-Phils.

Lehigh Valley (Tied 3-3 vs Pittsburgh)

• Vance Worley, who will start Opening Day on Thursday, gave up three runs in 5.2 innings.
• Strong bullpen for the Pigs, who sent out Mike Zagurski, Michael Stutes, Scott Mathieson, and Tyson Brummett for 3.1 scoreless.
• Jeff Larish homered for Lehigh Valley.

Final records if you care: LHV 8-6-2, REA 7-6-3, CLR 6-7-2, LAK 8-7