Phighting On

Despite Questionable Managing Choices, Phillies Beat Mets 9-4

Sometimes, things are too good to be true. Take the lottery as an example, though you may "win" hundreds of millions of dollars, the chance of you winning the lottery are slim to none, and even if you manage to win, more than half the winnings will be taken in taxes. Though Tuesday's Phillies game wasn't nearly as drastic as winning the lottery, the 9-4 win had it's flaws, some that could have been seriously harmful, and others that were easily avoidable.

The game began with a tough 1st inning from rookie starter Vance Worley, an inning in which he would throw 33 pitches, working his way out of a bases-loaded jam. He would get some run support in the middle innings, as the Phillies would score a total of nine runs from the 4th inning to the 6th, including home runs by Shane Victorino (14) and John Mayberry Jr. (14). With a nine run lead, it looked as though the game was all but over, and the Phillies might as well go into cruise control.

By the end of the 5th inning, Worley had struggled through 80 pitches, allowing four hits, but stranding all of the Mets runners. Though on paper it looked as if Worley had been doing fine, it was clear, especially from his pitch count, that it took him a lot of effort to get through the first five innings. Worley had averaged only 76 pitches per game coming into the match-up, so just five innings of work had given him a good amount of pitches.

With the nine run lead and the amount of pitches that Worley had thrown, it was the logical choice to take out Worley in order to protect his arm, as he would still be in line for the win. Of course, it would have been disappointing to see a pitcher with a shutout going be taken out of the game, however, with Cole Hamels' recent injury, earlier injuries to Roy Oswalt, the Phillies need to be protective of their starters in case any serious injuries were to occur. However, Charlie Manuel went against better judgement leaving in Worley for the 6th inning.

The move to keep Worley in for a 6th inning was understandable, especially since on paper, it looked as though Worley had been putting the Mets in a stranglehold all night. Worley got out of the inning unharmed, however, he threw 12 pitches, raising his total to 92. Add Worley's pitch count to a Phillies bullpen that rarely gets work due to the workhorse mentality of the rest of the rotation, and you have a perfect reason to take out the rookie Worley.

However, once again, Charlie Manuel left Vance Worley in the game. Worley would get through the inning, but not before allowing a run, breaking up his shutout. Though Worley's line of seven innings pitched, five hits, one earned run, one walk, and nine strikeout looked good, at what price did they come? Worley's 109 pitches could have seriously done damage to his arm, and though they didn't Manuel needs to start being more precautionary with his pitchers. Yes, it's true that nobody likes to be taken out of a start no matter what the reason (Eg. Roy Halladay looking like he's about to murder someone after being taken out of a game) but it's Charlie Manuel's job as the manager and the leader of the team to protect his players and think not only of the current game, but also for the future of the team.

The Mets were able to score three more runs after Worley was taken out, against Michael Stutes. Stutes, who has struggled as of late, allowed four hits and three runs in just two innings, including a home run. Though this is nothing to be totally worried about, as poor performance are expected from rookie pitchers, Stutes should be monitored more closely, especially when the playoffs come around.

Phillies Dominate Mets in 10-0 Win

When the New York Mets come to town, you can usually expect a fierce, intense rivalry, with Mets fans coming into Citizens Bank Park looking to steal a few wins. However, with Cliff Lee on the mound against a rookie in the Mets Dillon Gee, this game was anything but usual, and by the 3rd inning it was evident the Mets would have no chance tonight. The Phillies would go on to score 10 runs, but they would show no mercy, allowing the Mets to get just five hits all game. No matter which way you look at it, this game was dominated by the Phillies.

The Phillies started scoring in the 2nd inning when Wilson Valdez singled, followed by a triple by Shane Victorino, giving the Phillies a three run lead. John Mayberry Jr. would join in on the action the next inning, smashing a Dillon Gee offering to left field, giving the Phillies five runs. The runs wouldn't stop though, as the Phillies would get five more topped off with Hunter Pence's 16th home run, a moonshot that scored Ryan Howard. The Phillies earned 11 hits from eight different players, definitely a good sign for the team's offense.

One of the players who contributed to those 11 hits was Cliff Lee, who also pitched tremendously, allowing just three hits over the seven innings he pitched. He was able to strike out seven batters while only walking three on a night where he showed total control. The seven inning shutout lowers Lee's August ERA to a microscopic 0.58, a number comparable to his incredible June ERA of 0.21, a month where he won pitcher of the month. Lee has been nothing short of incredible at times this year, and the Phillies will need him to keep up the performance if they want to go far in the playoffs.

Tonight's performance by the Phillies was great, however, games like this should be expected more often. The Phillies realistically have the best team money can buy, showcasing three if not four of the game's best pitchers at the moment. Coupled with an incredible lineup made even better by Hunter Pence, a 10-0 win over a team that is now mediocre at best should be routine. Now, obviously it's ridiculous to expect these types of games all the time, but the point is that this team is the real deal. Teams like the Phillies team this year are very rare, and this success is something that doesn't come around often. However, with the way this team is playing, fans might as well get excited and expect great things for this team, because with a team like this, the sky is the limit.

Jimmy Rollins Put on the DL, While Placido Polanco is Activated

Earlier today, Jimmy Rollins announced via twitter that the mild day-to-day groin strain that he suffered yesterday was actually a "mild grade 2 strain" and that he would be "gone till September". The Phillies confirmed this today, placing Rollins on the 15 day disabled list. Rollins injured the groin yesterday while making a throw on the move. No other info to how serious the injury is has been released, however, Rollins is first eligible to come off of the DL on September 6th.

The injury to Rollins gave the Phillies the perfect oppurtunity to activate Placido Polanco from the DL, which he was placed on due to a sports hernia on August 16th, though the move was retroactive to August 7th. Polanco last played August 6th, however, this is second stint on the DL this year. Polanco has been on of the Phillies better hitters this year with an average of .275, however he has cooled off significantly since batting .321 at the end of May.

This injury, while still detrimental, comes at a good time for the Phillies, as they likely would have had to send down a young player, maybe someone like Michael Schwimer, and now, the younger Phillies will get some more big-league playing time. The injury also allows back-up infielders Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez to continue to get playing time, something that may come in handy come October.

Left to Scratch Their Heads in D.C, Phillies Head Home to Face the Mets

By: Greg Frank

Overview:

The Phillies rolled into Nationals Park with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games and a 7-4 record against the Nationals for the season and had no reason to believe that they wouldn’t be able to continue in their winning ways. A couple of blown saves later, one by Ryan Madson and another by Antoino Bastardo with a win sandwiched in between, left the Phillies to ponder why they couldn’t close the door on what could have been a sweep, but turned out to be a series loss. Factor in the fact that they lost the series on a hit batter in the bottom of the 10^th inning of Sunday’s game and you’ll realize that although they won the middle game 5-0, it wasn’t a very good weekend. Nevertheless the Phillies return home to Citizens Bank Park to play a struggling New York Mets team. The Mets got swept this weekend by the Milwaukee Brewers and have lost 9 of their last 11 games. The Mets sit at 60-66 on the year, good for 4^th in the NL East, and it’s clear that they’re looking to the future as they moved closer Francisco Rodriguez and Center Fielder Carlos Beltran prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. For the Phillies, the future is now as they look to rebound in the middle three games of this 9-game NL East stretch.

Pitching:

Before addressing the starting pitching matchups for these next three games, it’s worth noting that hopefully the two games the Phillies dropped to the Nationals were just bumps in the road. Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo have been excellent all season out of the pen and entered this series with 1 blown save between the two of them. While they each blew saves this weekend, an optimistic fan would look at and think that this was bound to happen to both Madson and Bastardo and now that it’s over with both should revert back to form. Being the first full season that either pitcher has had a significant number of save opportunities I’d say Ryan Madson’s 23/25 and Antonio Bastaro’s 8/9 is still pretty good.

For the series opener, the Mets will send southpaw Jonathan Niese to the mound in a battle of lefthanders. Niese will be opposed by Cliff Lee on Monday night. Niese has faced the Phillies four times already this season posting a 2-2 record in those four games having pitched 23.2 innings in those four starts and allowing 11 runs, nine of which were earned. While those numbers aren’t bad for a combined four starts against the Phillies it’s his numbers at Citizens Bank Park this season that should open people’s eyes. Niese is 0-2 at the Bank this year and allowed eight earned runs in those two starts in a combined total of 10.1 innings pitched. Lee on the other hand has only faced the Mets once this season and it was way back on the first of May in which he tossed seven strong innings but wasn’t supported enough offensively in what ended up being a 14-inning 2-1 Phillies loss. Lee has won his last four starts and hopefully a similar outing to the 7 innings he threw on May 1^st against the Mets will make it five straight wins for Lee.

Tuesday’s matchup has Vance Worley (8-1 2.76 ERA) slated to go against Dillion Gee (11-4 3.92 ERA) for the Mets. Worley has had two previous starts against the Mets this season, one of which was his season debut and a win for the rookie, while the other was his only loss of the season and he allowed eight earned runs in a two inning span. Though that game was in New York and Tuesday night Worley is back at Citizens Bank Park where he shut down the Mets in late April to earn his first win of the 2011 campaign. Gee has not started against the Phillies yet this year but on April 29^th allowed four earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched out of relief in Philadelphia. While there’s really not a whole lot to read into because Gee’s numbers indicate he’s having a decent 2011 season, if Gee continues down a similar path Tuesday he could be in for a long night.

Wednesday afternoon’s matinee has Kyle Kendrick currently scheduled to go against Mike Pelfrey. There has been no further information released on the status of Cole Hamels so it looks as if Kendrick will get another start. He pitched in relief three times against the Mets earlier in the season but has only started against them once on July 17^th. In that outing Kendrick looked good over a 7-inning course allowing only 1 earned run. Nothing against Kendrick, but I think all Phillies fans are hoping this is his last start for the season and Hamels gets back in the rotation healthy and ready to go for the stretch run as soon as possible. As mentioned before, Pelfrey will take to the hill for the Mets. Pelfrey’s 6-10 record with a 4.61 ERA indicates that this isn’t the best of years for the right-hander. Against the Phillies in three starts he’s 0-1 allowing 17 runs, 16 earned, in 19 innings pitched. The Phillies look to add to those numbers as the series concludes Wednesday.

Hitting:

Offensively the Phillies weren’t terrible, but certainly could have been a lot better in the three games in Washington. Scoring 12 runs in three games isn’t bad and for the pitching the Phillies have, four runs a game shouldn’t be a problem. It wasn’t for the starters, but as alluded to earlier the bullpen surprisingly failed to close the door. They did get homers from Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley in the series finale and Hunter Pence went deep in Saturday’s win. Noted in the last series preview was Ryan Howard’s pursuit of his 6^th consecutive season with 100+ RBIs. He sat at five RBIs shy of the century mark heading into the Nationals series and only added one to that total in the three games as the Nats seemed to cool him off as he was on a tear previously. However, four more and Howard will hit the plateau. For the Mets, they’re offensive woes have been a big reason for their recent struggles. As mentioned earlier the Mets have lost nine out of their last 11 games. In those nine loses the Mets have scored more than three runs only three times and totaled 30 runs in those nine games, just over three runs a game. Ideally the Mets will stay cold for three more in Philadelphia.

Recap:

The Nationals series was rough there’s no doubt about it. But the Phillies have not lost a series to the Mets all year and let’s hope that doesn’t start now. The Mets and Phillies have played a couple of one run games this year but the Phillies have still won all four series between the two teams and are 8-4 against the Mets this year, taking two of three from them all four times. The Mets have struggled lately and I wouldn’t expect a couple of rough losses in D.C. to all of a sudden cause for some more losses against a team that statistically is worse than the Nationals this year. Look for the Phillies to get back on track back home these next three games.

Phillies Lose to Nationals in Extras, Spoil Michael Schwimer's Major League Debut

There are some moments in life that you never forget, and for a Major League baseball player, one of those moments is your MLB debut. Today, four days after being called up to the big club, Phillies rookie Michael Schwimer was able to make his highly anticipated major league debut today, after Roy Halladay was forced out by yet another rain delay, this one coming during the 5th inning. Schwimer went a full three innings, in his roller-coaster ride of a debut.

Michael Schwimer would come into his first major league game with a 3-2 lead thanks to home runs from Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley, as well as a decent performance by Roy Halladay who went five innings allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out five batters. It was apparent that Schwimer was nervous early, as his second pitch was a hanging pitch that was hit 420 feet by fellow rookie Danny Espinosa, tying the game at 3-3. After that though, Schwimer would absolutely shut down the Nationals, striking out four batters and allowing just one more hit, completing a very impressive debut.

The Phillies would get a go-ahead run off of a Michael Martinez singe in the 9th, putting the rookie Schwimer in line for his first career game. Antonio Bastardo would get within one strike of closing the game and giving the Phillies and Scwimer the win, when Bastardo would allow a game tying home run to Ian Desmond, bringing the game into extra innings. The Phillies would fail to score in extras, allowing the Nationals to load the bases against Brad Lidge, only to let Lidge hit a batter, ending the game 5-4 in favor of the Nationals.

This is the third time this week that the Phillies have lost in the last inning of a game, however, it's no cause for alarm. The Phillies are still owners of the best record of baseball by four games, and they still have three of the NL's best starters (four if Oswalt continues to improve at this rate). In a 162 game season weeks like this are bound to happen, and it can't help that the Phillies have seen so much rain. Had the rain never delayed this game, there is a good chance that Roy Halladay would have continued and possibly shut down the Nationals for the rest of the game. The point is, things like this will happen, and the Phillies will pull through this.

Roy Oswalt Avenges Last Night's Walk-Off, Shuts Down Nationals in Win

Just a day after Roy Oswalt got the start offensively for the Phillies, he was back on the mound to start as the Phillies pitcher. Oswalt was forced out of the game before he was able to even take the field last night due to a rain delay lasting over two hours. However, Oswalt came back tonight after last night's embarrassing loss looking to get the Phillies back to their dominating ways. Eight innings and 115 pitches later, Oswalt would come out of the game, having done exactly that, getting his sixth win of the year.

Oswalt came into the game a little slowly, allowing the Nationals to get two hits and runners onto second and third, however, he would strand both runners and shut down the Nats from there on. He would strike out a total of nine batters, walking just one. He would allow eight hits, but wouldn't allow a single runner to cross home plate, stranding all four of the Nationals runners in scoring position.

The Phillies offense would give Oswalt enough run support, breaking open the game's scoring in the 4th with a Wilson Valdez triple that scored two runs. The Phillies would add three runs in the 6th with a Hunter Pence solo home run (15), and a two run single for Jimmy Rollins. That would leave the game at 5-0, a score that wouldn't change for the rest of the game.

The win is the Phillies 81st of the year, guaranteeing them their 9th straight season at .500 or better at the end of the year. While there was very little doubt about the Phillies ability to finish the season with a winning record, it's certainly reassuring to know that the team has been able to live up to the hype the media created in the pre-season, despite the injuries this team has faced. It's even more special to get this win with Oswalt on the mound, as Oswalt has arguably the most injury-prone this year, with multiple stints on the DL. However, after tonight's game, it looks like Oswalt is back to being the ace that the Phillies traded for last season.

Another encouraging sign from tonight's game was Wilson Valdez' triple, giving him his eighth straight game with a hit. The hit also gives him an average of .279 for the month of August, a month where he has also raised his batting average by six points. If Valdez can keep up this performance until Placido Polanco comes back (which may be soon), for the second year in a row he will have proven as an effective replacement player, and exactly the player the Phillies needed.

Hunter Pence to Auction Off His Old Spray-Painted Cleats

Hunter Pence seems like the nearly perfect baseball player. He can bat for average (.311), power (14 home runs, 73 RBIs), and he has been flawless in the outfield since coming to Philly (1.000 fielding percentage since the trade). The All-Star is also an entertainer, owning one of the more interesting twitters in the Phillies organization, and now, Pence seems to be as good a person as he is an athlete.

Earlier today the Phillies' right-fielder tweeted that he would auction the cleats he spray-painted and wore in his first game as a Phillie on ebay, and he would use the proceed to benefit his baseball academy. The academy tries to teach youth athletes skills for both on and off the field, saying "Our goal is to introduce young players to an academy that closely mirrors that of a professional organization." While it may not be as useful as donating to, say cancer, this is a cause that Pence is truly passionate about, and for that he should be commended.

The auction can be found on Ebay, and is going for more than $500 dollars and rising. Pence describes the cleats as "a one of a kind item you can not find anywhere else", and also goes on to say "As you can see he went straight Picasso with red spray paint and added in the red shoe laces to really accent the Philly red!" The auction doesn't end for another eight days, so if you want them, there is still plenty of time remaining.

Today in the Minors: Reading Routs, 'Crabs and Threshers Play Extras

The name of the game tonight was pitching. With baby ace Julio Rodriguez (15-7, 3.14 ERA) and top R-Phillie Austin Hyatt (11-6, 4.12 ERA) getting the starts for Clearwater and Reading respectively, great outings were expected from the beginning. Both delivered, as Rodriguez went seven scoreless innings allowing six hits and striking out nine and Hyatt went six innings allowing an unearned run on two hits while striking out six.

The R-Phils gave Hyatt more run support than he could have dreamed for, winning the game 11-1 over the Altoona Curve. The big run producers in the game included the awesomely-named catcher Tuffy Gosewisch (2 run homer in the 5th), PhightingOn player of the month 3B Carlos Rivero (3-4 with 2 RBIs) and journeyman 2B Steve Singleton (3-5 with a pair of doubles and RBIs). Other runs were contributed by 1B Matt Rizzotti (2 tonight, 71 RBI on the season), RF Brent Clevlen (1,13) and CF Derrick Mitchell (1, 68).

Rodriguez didn't have as much luck in the run support category, as the game went scoreless until the 11th inning. The tie-breaking homerun came off the bat of 3B Jeremy Barnes, who hit a long line-drive over the left-field wall in Lakeland. Jordan Whatcott came in to pitch a scoreless 12th and earn his eighth save of the season. The winning pitcher of the game was Colby Shreve, who was recently promoted to Clearwater from Class A Lakewood.

Down in Lakewood, the BlueClaws came out on the other end of a extra-innings thriller, losing to the Greensboro Grasshoppers 3-2 in 12 innings. 'Claws starter Austin Wright, who was called up from Williamsport on August 2, pitched five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out nine. The 'Claws could not capitalize on two first-inning runs, as reliever Mike McGuire gave up two runs on four hits in an one and two thirds innings. The tie remained until the 12th inning, when Chase Johnson gave up the go-ahead run on an RBI single by Grasshopper Ryan Fisher. The BlueClaws are scheduled to continue their series against Greensboro this weekend, and PhightingOn's Bryan Sheehan will be in attendance Sunday to scout the team.

Elsewhere on the farm, Lehigh Valley lost to Rochester 8-5 after starter Brian Bass (6-9, 4.21 ERA) gave up four runs in three plus innings before being pulled for the all too familiar Andrew Carpenter. Although the young reliever pitched two scoreless innings, his replacement, Aaron Heilman, gave up four runs in two innings of relief. On the bright side, 3B Pete Orr had two doubles and a homerun and Mike Zagurski (one of my favorite pitchers in the farm system) pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Newcomer Jack Cust, who was brought on last week, picked up an RBI on a fourth inning groundout that scored Josh Barfield. The 'Pigs are one game back off the division leading Pawtucket Red Sox with about a month to go in the season (they currently hold the wild-card lead).

In Williamsport, the CrossCutters completed the sweep of the Tri-City ValleyCats with a 6-2 win.

Phillies Get Delayed Again, But This Time They Fall in the 9th to the Nationals

There are some things that rain can be great for. Take watering plants as an example. When it rains, there is no need to go out and water plants, making your life that much easier. Baseball, however, is not something that goes well with rain, as games are easily delayed or even cancelled due to precipitation. However, the weather has not been cooperative lately, and for the second straight night in a row, the Phillies have had a game delayed by rain. Tonight's game started, but the rain came shortly after, allowing the teams to complete less than half an inning before a two hour and twenty four minute rain delay.

Before the delay, the Phillies had Roy Oswalt scheduled to pitch, however, before even taking the field, Oswalt was replaced by Kyle Kendrick who was slated to start Saturday's game. The move, which was likely an attempt to keep Oswalt's back healthy ended up helping the Phillies, as Kendrick's start was a good one. The sinker-baller threw six strong innings, giving up just two runs on five hits while striking out four batters. More than two thirds of Kendrick's pitches were strikes, and the righty really looked on top of his game, despite the fact that he didn't know he would be starting until the rain delay. All in all, it was a very good spot start for Kendrick, especially considering the conditions.

The Phillies offense would also come out of the rain delay well, scoring four runs during the 3rd inning, all started by a John Mayberry Jr. triple that drove in Jimmy Rollins. Ryan Howard also got an RBI, improving his league-leading RBI total to 96. The Phillies cooled down after the 3rd though, managing just a single hit from the 4th inning on.

Four runs would be enough up until the 9th, however, with just a half inning left in the game, Ryan Madson would step in and blow just his second game of the year, allowing three hit before retiring a single batter. He would allow the Nationals to tie the game, getting two outs before Ryan Zimmerman stepped up to the plate, crushing a 3-2 slider to give the Nationals a walk-off grand slam and an 8-4 win.

The loss is just Madson's second of the year, and though the game will most likely be a non-issue at the end of the year, the performance of Ryan Madson has to be a little scary. It took the mad dog 38 pitches to get through the inning, despite only getting two outs. The entire 9th inning had a feeling as if Madson wasn't totally ready to pitch, and the Nationals could tell, getting five hits off of the closer. The main thing Madson will have to do after this game is forget about the bad outing, something may not be easy since he will likely get the day of after pitching in three straight games. Madson has proven that he is a capable closer, however he has proven that he is easily shaken (Eg. Breaking his toe last year) so it will be key for him to keep his composure.

Something else not to be overlooked tonight was Kyle Kendrick's above average performance. Thought he was by no means a shutdown pitcher, Kendrick did much better than expected, especially with the late decision to give him the start. Kendrick has been much better than people have given him credit for this year, going 7-5 with an ERA of 3.24. While he is no ace, Kendrick has definitely been a force this year, both in the bullpen and in the rotation.

After Reaching 80 Wins, Phillies Look to Add to Total in Washington D.C

By: Greg Frank

Overview:

The Phillies came home from a 10-game road trip, took two out of three from the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks, and with Thursday night’s win became the first team in Major League Baseball to reach 80 wins. Now, before heading back home for a 6-game home stand, the Phillies will play their first three games of a nine game stretch against the NL East. It starts in our nation’s capital Friday as the Phillies look to improve upon their record of 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Nationals are coming off of a series win against Cincinnati and another win against the Phillies in one of the two games last weekend in Philadelphia. While they’re 4 games under .500 and in no position to make a run at the postseason, most of the time the Nationals give the Phillies a good game. We’ll see if that continues this weekend.

Pitching:

Coming off of his 1^st win since returning to the team from his injury, Roy Oswalt will head to the mound in Washington Friday night. In that win against the Nationals last Saturday night, Oswalt allowed three earned runs in seven innings of work while giving up six hits, striking out five, and only walking one batter. Fortunately he received plenty of run support in the 11-3 win and did not go home a hard luck loser like he did in his first start off the DL when the Phillies dropped one to Tim Lincecum and the Giants 3-1. Livan Hernandez will go for the Nats and he, like Oswalt won his last start. It just so happens that his last start was against the Phillies in which he allowed only one unearned run, surrendered only four hits, walked just one batter, and struck out three. The Phillies added a run in the 9^th but it wasn’t enough as Hernandez and the Nats won 4-2. Hernandez has been up and down all year as he allowed nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits in his start in Colorado on August 6^th, prior to beating the Phillies, so, it will be a case of which Hernandez shows up Friday night at Nationals Park.

Saturday night has Kyle Kendrick slated to go for the Phillies in place of Cole Hamels who has a case of shoulder inflammation, and though he may not be headed for the DL, he gets the night off Saturday. In stints as a starter and as a reliever Kendrick has put together a respectable 7-5 record with a 3.25 ERA. For Washington, they send Jon Lannan to the hill in the middle game of the series. Lannan’s 8-8 record and 3.55 ERA may not look too bad, but he’s facing the Phillies, who he is a pitiful 1-11 against. One of those 11 losses came last Saturday night in Philadelphia when Lannan opposed Roy Oswalt. Lannan was the victim of weak defense, as a couple of Washington errors led to him leaving the game after three innings and despite allowing seven runs, only one was earned due to the large majority of mistakes made by the fielders behind him. It is worth noting that his one career win against the Phillies did come this year on June 1^st back down in Washington. It’s also worth pointing out that Lannan has an ERA of 2.86 at home and almost a run and a half higher on the road of 4.26. Maybe Nationals Park will prove to be Home Sweet Home for Lannan like it did on June 1^st.

Sunday’s finale has Roy Halladay on the hill for the Phillies. Halladay is 11-1 lifetime against the Nationals, ironically the reverse of Lannan’s record against the Phillies. Halladay’s numbers speak for themselves so there’s not a whole lot else to say here. The Nationals have former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang on the hill Sunday, who is 2-0 in his last two starts and his ERA went from 6.00 before those two wins, to a respectable 4.22 now.

Hitting:

In the first game of the Arizona series the Phillies’ bats were quiet aside from a Shane Victorino 2-run home run. It looked as if that would be enough until Lyle Overbay connected for a 2-run double off Halladay in the 9^th. The Phillies failed to score in the bottom half and lost a head scratcher 3-2. However, they came back the next two nights to outscore Arizona 13-3 and win the series. A notable for the Phillies offensively this weekend is Ryan Howard, who currently sits at 95 RBI. Five RBIs in this weekend series would give baseball’s league leader in RBI’s as of 8/19/11, his 6^th consecutive season in which he’s driven in 100 or more. Washington scored just 10 runs in three games against Cincinnati though it proved to be enough to win the series. Rookie of the Year candidate Danny Espinosa had two hits in the series finale Thursday night, and former Phillie Jayson Werth joined him with two hits of his own Thursday. However, it was the 2-run single by former Red Johnny Gomes that proved to be the difference. All of these players have shown flashes of brilliance and times and that’s not to take anything away from Michael Morse who is hitting .319 on the year with 21 homers and 71 RBIs, a career year for the first basemen. These are all some of the pieces to the puzzle in Washington that look to be staying around in D.C. for a little while.

Recap:

While Tuesday night was a tough loss, the Phillies proved why they are baseball’s best in rallying to win a series. They haven’t had a long losing streak all season and having said that it’s hard to see one starting anytime soon. Washington may have beaten them last weekend but the Phillies are still way above .500 against the Nationals this year and playing behind all the Phillies fans that always make the trip to D.C, (myself included as I will be in attendance Sunday) must be encouraging. Hopefully the Phillies send them all back to the Delaware Valley with smiles on their faces.

Phillies Down Diamondbacks Despite Two Hour Rain Delay

Starting pitching is never an issue for the Phillies, with three of the team's starters already reaching 13 wins. Their collective 2.99 ERA is the best of any rotation in the majors by .25, and they also average the third most strikeouts per starting rotation in the majors. The Phillies bullpen however, is not as good, (though they still are not bad) with the seventh best ERA of any bullpen and the ninth most wins. So when tonight's game was delayed for more than two hours and fifteen minuets in just the 3rd inning, it was a cause for alarm, as rookie Vance Worley would be forced out of the game. However, a great showing from the bullpen coupled with a few runs from the Phillies lineup gave the Phillies their 80th win of the year.

Starter Vance Worley would come into the game looking for his ninth win of the year, and he would get help early from Wilson Valdez who hit a 2nd inning double to put the Phillies on top 1-0. After that though the rain set in, delaying the game and ending Worley's quest for win number nine. He would go three innings allowing just one hit while striking out two batters.

The Phillies would come back from the delay, picking up right where they left off, getting two more runs from a John Mayberry Jr. home run, his 10th of the year. The Phillies would a final run from Raul Ibanez in the 5th, his second of three hits on a night that he would go 3-4.

The Phillies batters wouldn't be the only ones to come out of the rain delay well, as David Herndon would come out and throw three scoreless innings. He would allow a single hit, and double Worley's strikeout total sitting down four batters. Michael Stutes would make the only mistake of the night, allowing a solo home run to Paul Goldschmidt, his second of the series. The bullpen as a whole would allow just three batters to reach base over six incredibly strong innings.

The win gives the Phillies 80 on the year, and they are the first team to reach that mark so far, five wins ahead of the Red Sox and Yankees who are tied for second. The Phillies have been truly dominant this year, and they showed it today, winning with just four regular starters in (five if you count Valdez as a regular now). It's not easy to beat a division-leading team in the MLB, and it's even harder when you are using players that don't normally play. The win proves not only that the Phillies are a truly better team than the Diamondbacks, but also that their bench is deep, something that, come October will be very important.

Wilson Valdez Sparks 7th Inning Attack, Helps Phillies Defeat Diamondbacks

When many people think of Wilson Valdez they think of the 19 inning epic the Phillies played back in May, where the back-up infielder pitched the 19th inning, earning the win for the night. However, rarely do the talk about his batting ability, and for good reason, as his .239 career batting average is unimpressive. However, sometimes even Valdez can come through with a big hit, just what he did today. Valdez' 7th inning gave the Phillies the lead, and they never looked back, scoring five runs after that to finish off the Diamondbacks.

After last night's loss, Cliff Lee took the field looking to redeem teammate and fellow ace Roy Halladay's complete game loss. He did a fine job, allowing just two runs on a two run home run in the second inning. He allowed just two hits after that, lasting until the 7th inning, and collecting seven strikeouts along the way. The win was Lee's 13th of the year, tying him with Cole Hamels for second most on the team.

Tonight though, was about the Phillies bats which were able to collect a total of 12 hits and nine runs. Other than Valdez who got the go-ahead RBI for the Phillies, John Mayberry Jr. played a large role, going 3-4 with an RBI and two runs. Mayberry hasn't played much this month, but when he has played, he's managed to hit the ball well, with an average of .333. With Raul Ibanez struggling to hit this month, it may not be a bad idea for Charlie Manuel to start Mayberry more often, and let the 27 year old get some more playing time. In fact, tomorrow would be another great opportunity for Mayberry, as the righty Ian Kennedy is set to take the hill, and Mayberry's numbers against right-handed pitching are significantly better than Ibanez'.

The Phillies send rookie Vance Worley to pitch tomorrow, looking to rebound from one of his worst games of the season. Tomorrow's game will be important for Worley to prove that he has the ability to bounce back from such a bad loss, as he hasn't truly proven that he has that skill yet. A win from Worley would give him nine on the year, tying him with Mariners rookie Michael Pineda and seriously putting him in the running for NL rookie of the year.

Welcome to the Bigs Michael Schwimer

A couple of moves within the Phillies' organization today, as third baseman Placido Polanco was moved to the 15-day DL, and Joe Blanton was moved from the 15 to the 60 day DL. The Polanco move, retroactive to August 7 (meaning Polanco can come back as early as Monday), opened up a spot on the active roster, which was filled by Lehigh Valley hurler and PhightingOn July AAA Pitcher of the Month Michael Schwimer. The 25 year old reliever, who has compiled a 9-1 record with a 1.88 ERA in 67 innings for the IronPigs this year, was also put on the 40 man roster in Joe Blanton's spot (hence the importance of moving Blanton from the 15 to the 60 day DL), making him available for the roster expansion roster in September.

Walking to the bullpen today, it was funny to see a pink feather-boa and matching backpack slung over Schwimer's 6-8 frame, but his dominance on the mound is nothing to laugh about. His 86 strikeouts give him a K/9 of 11.6, which is well above average.

Schwimer is also very active in social media, frequently updating his twitter @MSchwimer, as well as guest-writing for the blog Phuture Phillies. Phighting On wishes Michael the best of luck in the majors.

Roy Hallday Falters in the 9th, as Phillies Fall to Diamondbacks

Roy Halladay is an eight time All-Star, a two-time Cy Young award winner, and arguably the best pitcher in the MLB. However, one thing that Halladay is not is a god. The Phillies are a stunning 20-5 with the ace on the mound but sometimes, even Halladay can fail, subjecting the Phillies to a loss, something that they haven't seen much of lately. Tonight was one of those times, and despite Halladay's complete game, 14 strikeout performance, he ultimately ended up being handed his fifth loss of the year after allowing two 9th inning runs.

Halladay allowed a 2nd inning single to put the Phillies into an early 1-0 deficit, a rarity, as Halladay's 2nd inning ERA coming into the game was an incredible 1.88. Halladay would cruise from there though, striking out 12 batters and walking just one batter, though the walk was intentional.

The Phillies did little to support Halladay, scoring just once on a two-run home run by Shane Victorino in the 5th, which gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately they were shut down from there, gathering just two hits after that, and forcing Roy Halladay to be nearly flawless.

Unfortunately, Halladay would struggle in the 9th, allowing two runs on a Lyle Overbay double, nearly sealing the loss. The win puts the Diamondbacks 3.5 games over the San Fransisco Giants in the NL West.

Probably the biggest storyline of the night came after the game though, as the Phillies called up triple-A reliever Michael Schwimer, who had been stunning during his time in Lehigh Valley. Schwimer was 9-1 with a 1.88 ERA and a WHIP of 1.075, all incredible numbers. Many people anticipated this move, as Schwimer has been arguably the best reliever in the Phillies minor league system this year. He was called up to replace Placido Polanco who is a likely candidate for surgery. Polanco will probably be shut down for the season, forcing Michael Martinez and Wilson Valdez to take his place. However, that hasn't been a problem lately, and now with Polanco's injury the Phillies are able to add depth to their bullpen.

Domingo Santana Sent to Houston As PTBNL From Pence Deal

It may have started over two weeks ago, but the Hunter Pence trade was completed today, as the PTBNL (player to be named later) was identified as Domingo Santana and was sent to Houston (the Class A Lexington Legends to be exact). Santana, who was ranked by Baseball America as the Phillies' 9th Best Prospect at the beginning of this season, hit .269 in 96 games for the Lakewood Blueclaws. The 19 year old also had 32 RBIs, 7 homeruns and 29 doubles. Santana's major asset so far in his career is his physical strength, allowing him to have a great outfield-arm. He may be a solid outfielder down the line, but for now the Phillies' Organization isn't losing much more.

The Lakewood Blueclaws are looking to capture their third straight league championship, though they are five games back of the division leading Kannapolis Intimidators in the second half (the first half division winner plays the second half winner in the playoffs).

In other minors news, top draft pick outfielder Larry Greene was signed to a contract, cutting it close to the midnight deadline today. Greene received a $1 million signing bonus, the most of any non-first rounder this year. Greene, who has a Ryan Howard-esk build of 6-2, 235, hit .562 with 19 homeruns and 52 RBIs as a senior at Berrien High School in Nashville, GA. Scouts have compared him to Jon Singleton, who (bringing this story full circle) was part of the Hunter Pence trade that was completed today with the movement of Domingo Santana to Houston.

Phillies Trample Nationals, as Ryan Howard Continues to Heat Up

In the past few years, the Philadelphia Phillies have been a team that has blossomed in the second half, going on incredible win streaks while blowing their opposition out of the water. They proved it last year, coming back from seven games out of first place in the NL East in late July, to having the best record in all of baseball. This year, the Phillies are an incredible 20-7 since the All-Star break with tonight's win. These late runs are usually helped by a power surge from Ryan Howard, a player who's career OPS rises from .867 in the first half of seasons to 1.006 in the second half. Howard's batting average also takes a leap, going from .262 to .292 in the second half of the season.

The Phillies utilized Howard's second half surge today, getting the slugger to go 2-4 with four RBIs, including a first inning home run, Howard's 26th of the year. They would also get contributions from Carlos Ruiz, Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins, and Hunter Pence giving the Phillies 11 total runs.

The copious amount of runs would make Roy Oswalt's start easier, allowing him to go seven strong innings, allowing just three runs on six hits, while striking out five batters. Oswalt really hit his spots tonight, as nearly 70 percent of his pitches were strikes. The win, Oswalt's fifth, is his first since June 12, also the last time he pitched more than six innings. It doesn't look as though Oswalt will be the ace he once was with the Houston Astros, however, it seems like he is at the same level he was at before his injury.

Tonight, in the Phillies spread out offensive attack, Ryan Howard really stood out, and it looks as though he is about to hit his stride as he usually does at this point in the season. Just this month, he has been batting .302, great number for a power hitter, and a whole 47 points above his batting average for the whole season. Howard's power output has also increased drastically, and he's gone from slugging .476 in April-July to .698 in August, a number that would lead the MLB if he could have kept it up all season.

The Phillies have been doing great things lately and if the Phillies can stay on this pace, they should have no problem cruising into the playoffs and possibly even winning 100 or more games. The Phillies have shown time and time again that they can beat almost any team with ease, and that they're almost definitely the best team in the NL. However, there are still more than 40 games to go, and right now the Phillies just need to keep on playing their game, and staying relaxed, because whatever they are doing to win, it's working.

Home Sweet Home: Phillies Back From Road Trip to Face Nationals

By: Greg Frank

Overview:

The Phillies ended their 10-game road trip with a thrilling come from behind victory in LA 9-8, closing the trip with an 8-2 record. After a day off Thursday, the Phillies welcome the Washington Nationals to Citizens Bank Park, a place where the home team has yet to play a game this month. Washington is coming off a series loss at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, who have perhaps been the National League’s 2^nd hottest team going 9-2 in their last 11. Despite having already played 9 of the 18 games in the season series, the Phillies have not played a game against Washington since June 1^st. In those first nine games of the season series the Phillies are 6-3.

Pitching:

Looking to continue his masterful 2011 campaign the Phillies send Cole Hamels to the bump Friday night. Of the pitchers in the starting rotation Cole Hamels has the 2^nd best ERA at 2.53, worse only to Roy Halladay’s 2.51 mark. Hamels tossed a complete game earlier this year against Washington in a May 3^rd, 4-1 win. Hamels will be opposed by Livan Hernandez who sports a 6-11 record to go with a 4.11 ERA coming into Friday night’s outing. Hernandez was the losing pitcher in that May 3^rd complete game for Hamels, though Hernandez beat the Phillies back on April 12^th. Saturday night’s matchup features Jon Lannan for Washington, a pitcher who took home a win in the last meeting between these two teams on June 1^st, against Roy Oswalt for the Phillies. Oswalt was the loser in that same game on June 1^st though it’s unsure how healthy he was as that was shortly before he was sent to the disabled list. The Sunday finale has Roy Halladay slated for the Phillies while Washington has yet to announce their starter for the matinee.

Hitting:

In the first two games of the series against the Dodgers the Phillies offensive production wasn’t great but like most games this year it was enough. Scoring 7 runs in the first two games the Phillies erupted for 9 runs in the third game and they needed all 9 of them. Ryan Howard had a big game Wednesday going 2-3 with the go-ahead 2-run home run in the 7^th as well as walking twice. Washington struggled offensively in their three games in the windy city as they failed to score more than 3 runs in a single game during the 3-game series. Despite that they have some young talent in their lineup in Michael Morse and Danny Espinosa, and we’ve all seen what Jayson Werth can do when he’s swinging a hot bat.

Recap:

The way the Phillies have played lately nothing can stop them and Wednesday’s game is a great example of that. Down 6-0 the Phillies could have easily decided to pack it in and be content with a 7-3 trip and head back home. Instead, they rallied for an impressive victory. There’s no reason to think that Washington is going to come into Philadelphia and slow them down. The pitching’s been great, the hitting has been opportunistic, and while the Nationals seem to be improving this year, they’re not ready for the big stage just yet.

Phillies Sweep Dodgers With the Help of Their Offense

A win is a win. What the score is, how long it took, or how a team wins a game, is totally irrelevant as long as that team has more runs than their opponent at the end of the game. The Phillies have certainly learned that this year, winning with their pitching staff of aces against weak-hitting teams, and picking up their bats and overpowering teams when necessary. The latter of the two statements has been especially true lately, as five of the last six times the Phillies have scored five runs (including today) their opponent has challenged them, by coming within three runs of the Phillies. The Phillies have reacted to the challenge of other teams scoring runs, especially today, making a six run comeback over a mere three innings.

The Phillies came into the game today looking to sweep the Dodgers, team they beat in consecutive years to reach the World Series, and finish their road-trip 9-1. The only thing standing in their way was a Dodgers team featuring Matt Kemp, and the Phillies young pitcher Vance Worley. Despite his incredible 2.35 ERA coming into the game, Worley struggled, allowing five runs in the first inning. The Dodgers would add a run in the 3rd, and send the rookie packing just one inning later, giving Vance Worley six earned runs over four innings with six strikeouts and three walks.

The Phillies wouldn't be beaten easily though, scoring three 4th inning runs with the help of a Hunter Pence home run, and a Vance Worley single. They would continue to chip away at the lead with two runs in the 5th, pulling within a run. The Dodgers would push the lead back to two runs in their half of the 5th, but the Phillies would take the lead on a Ryan Howard two run home run after Chase Utley tied the game with a single.

Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson helped close the game, capping the Phillies best 10 game road-trip in franchise history. Today's 9-8 win, showed that the Phillies are easily the best team in the National League, if not all of the majors. They proved that they're not just a team that can out-pitch any major league team, but they can also out-hit many teams if necessary. This incredible road trip the Phillies have put together caps off a tiring 20 games in 20 days, exemplifying even further how special this Phillies team is.

Possibly the only negative of today's of today's game was Vance Worley's poor performance. Worley lasted just four innings, his second shortest start of the season. Worley has been great so far, even putting himself in contention for NL Rookie of the Year, however, lately he has been vulnerable to big games. This is the second time in three starts for Worley that he has allowed four or more runs, and since July 26th, Worley's ERA has risen 0.83 points, a significant amount for just two weeks. Whether Worley is the incredible pitcher we have seen, or the not-so-incredible pitcher we have seen, it's evident that only time will tell, and that it won't be possible to judge Worley's true value for some time.

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Phillies Hitting Backs Up Roy Halladay's Pitching, as Phillies Beat Dodgers

It's not often that a pitcher like Roy Halladay comes around, a perfect combination of smart, hard-working, and dominant. With a pitcher like Halladay, wins are a second thought and the real question is whether or not the opposing team will be able to score. Even when a Halladay-type pitcher has an off day, it's still a notable performance usually keeping the team in position to win. These are the games teams need to take advantage of, taking full advantage of their ace. Tonight was one of those nights for the Phillies, as Cy Young candidate Roy Halladay was seemingly not on top of his game lasting just 6.1 innings. However, Halladay allowed just one run, allowing the Phillies offense to boost themselves over the hosting Dodgers.

Halladay didn't pitch well tonight, not showing nearly as much dominance as Phillies fans are used to, and allowing nine hits through his 6.1 innings. He also walked two batters, a number that wouldn't be bad through eight or nine innings, but something that could be a problem if Halladay continues to pitch less than seven innings.

Luckily for Halladay, the Phillies offense would be able to gather four runs and 11 hits, with every Phillies position player but Raul Ibanez getting a hit. The offensive show wasn't great, but the effort was food enough to get the win, and at the end of the day, that's really all that matters.

The Phillies win wouldn't come easily though, as the Phillies bullpen almost surrendered their three run lead in the 8th inning. It would take 26 pitches before the combined effort from Michael Stutes and Brad Lidge would stop the Dodgers' offense at two runs salvaging a 4-3 lead.

The Phillies would add an insurance ryun with a Shane Victorino homer in the 9th, his 12th of the year, shutting down all of the Dodgers momentum and all but finalizing the Phillies win.

The win for the Phillies tonight was actually pretty impressive, despite the lack of dominance from Roy Halladay and poor performance from the bullpen. Tonight's performance from the Phillies was mediocre at best, and nobody played the way you would expect the best team in baseball to play. But that's exactly why the game was so great. In spite of all of these factors, the Phillies were still able to beat a team that has some solid hitters, and that started a pitcher that has historically been a Phillie killer. Halladay could have easily taken the mound tonight and thrown a complete game shutout, aided by the offense putting up ten runs. If that had happened, the Phillies would have been able to defeat any team, no matter how well they played. And that, is why they're the best team in baseball.

Phillies Travel to Los Angeles Looking to Start a New Win Streak

By: Greg Frank

Overview:

The Phillies winning streak came to an end Sunday in San Francisco in a 3-1 loss as Tim Lincecum proved to be too good yet again. Nevertheless through seven games on the 10-game trip so far the Phillies sit at 6-1, and playing a sub-par Dodgers team for the next three games look to end on a high note heading back to Philadelphia. While the Dodgers are coming off a series win in Phoenix against the Dbacks, unlike 2008 and 2009 they will not be destined for October, as they sit at 52-61 coming into this 3-game set.

Pitching:

Luckily the Phillies will not see NL strikeout king Clayton Kershaw in this series, as he pitched Sunday against Arizona. However, they will see Hiroki Kuroda in the 1^st game of the series. Kuroda’s record of 7-13 for the 2011 campaign does not indicate the kind of pitcher he is. A sub-3 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP are more indicative of the season for the right-hander, as he hasn’t gotten enough offensive support to boast a better record. Last season, in a game in Los Angeles, Kuroda took a no-hitter into the 8^th inning only to see Shane Victorino break it up. Throw in Kuroda’s 0.84 ERA lifetime against the Phillies and don’t be surprised if the Phillies struggle to score in the series opener. The Phillies send their ace of aces Roy Halladay to the mound Monday night. Halladay coming off a shaky outing Wednesday in Denver at Coors Field looks to rebound and show why he’s 1 of 5 pitchers in Major League Baseball history to win the Cy Young award in both leagues. Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Gaylord Perry, and Randy Johnson are the other four. Pretty good company huh? Tuesday night’s matchup features Cliff Lee for the Phillies coming off his masterful complete game shutout Thursday night in San Fran while the Dodgers counter with former Cub Ted Lilly. The matinee on Wednesday has Vance Worley slated to go for the Phillies while Los Angeles sends Chad Billingsley to the hill.

Hitting:

As eluded to earlier, Hiroki Kuroda doesn’t get a whole lot of run support from his offense. Well, he’s not alone. In 6 games so far in the month of August, only three times have the Dodgers scored more than 3 runs. Don’t expect the offensive production to get any better in these next three games against the Phillies pitching staff. As for the Phillies, they haven’t blown the doors off of anybody lately, aside from the 9-2 Friday night victory, but offensively it seems like they’ve done just enough to win. 2 runs in win Saturday, 4 runs in a Thursday night win aren’t exactly eye-opening offensive statistics but it’s been good enough to win. We all know with the pitchers the Phillies have, it doesn’t take much offensively in order to secure the W.

Recap:

There’s no reason to think the Phillies can’t at least take two of three from LA. While Kuroda has a good history against the Phillies, there’s no reason to think Halladay won’t be able to match him pitch for pitch. Other than Kuroda there is no one on the Dodgers with a similar kind of previous success against the Phillies. After all when the two teams met in the 2008 NLCS and then the 2009 NLCS the Phillies won both series in 5 games, and won the season series in 2010. Given this prior success in years past against the Dodgers, don’t expect one loss to cool the Phillies off. Expect them to return to their winning ways against Los Angeles.

Roy Oswalt Stumbles in His First Start Since Injury, Allows Giants to Avoid Sweep

The road to recovery is never easy, especially when what you're recovering a bulging disc in your back, exactly what Phillies fourth ace Roy Oswalt sustained in June. When it came time for Oswalt to begin his rehab starts, Oswalt said he felt good enough that he only needed one rehab appearance before returning to the majors. However, Oswalt needed two starts before he was ready. Though most people thought Oswalt would be totally ready and able to take on the Giants today, he wasn't, struggling through his six innings, allowing 12 hits.

Oswalt's game wasn't a total failure though, holding the Giants to only three runs, and stranding five Giants in scoring position. He also struck out four batters, a highlight of his return. However, Roy Oswalt (or "little Roy") had to face the Giants ace and two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum who pitched like the All-Star he is. Lincecum held the Phillies to just one run and seven hits. He also rendered the struggling slugger Ryan Howard useless, striking him out three times in three chances.

Despite not winning, not sweeping, and not continuing their nine-game winning streak, the Phillies proved this series that they can defeat the Giants. Throughout the series, the Phillies held the Giants to just 1.5 runs per game, scoring nine more runs than the Giants in the series. The Phillies have shown that they are a better team than the Giants offensively, and though the Giants have great pitching, the Phillies aces will most likely be able to match them. This series should give the Phillies some real confidence in case they have to face the Giants in the playoffs, a very real possibility.

The Phillies will have to face the Dodgers next, a team that is very beatable. With an eight and a half game lead in the NL East, this series could help the Phillies maximize their distance from the Braves, possibly even putting them in position to be eliminated in mid-September.

The Baby Aces: Julio Rodriguez Gains Minors' Best 15th Win

When the Phillies' aces are talked about, usually the names Halladay, Lee and Hamels are brought up, but in Clearwater, a new batch of aces have popped up. The 'Baby Aces', a nickname given to the best pitching prospects in the system, have proven that they are nothing to overlook. The group consists of righthanders Brody Colvin (20) and Trevor May (21), and lefthanders Julio Rodriguez (20) and Jon Pettibone (21) (the group did have a fifth ace, Jarred Cosart, who was part of the Hunter Pence trade). At the FSL All-Star Game, the Baby Aces (minus Colvin) were perfect, each throwing a hitless inning.

The star of the group, at least so far this season, has been Julio Rodriguez, who picked up his Minors' best 15th win last night, allowing three runs on two hits and striking out seven over five innings. Rodriguez, who has won his last seven starts and hasn't lost a game since June 29, has a record of 15-6 this season, with a 3.13 ERA and 126 Ks in 126.2 innings. A close second is Trevor May, who has already the Threshers' single season strikeout record (story here) with more than a month to go in the season. May has struck out 10 or more batters in six of his 22 starts, and his season total sits at 169 in only 124.1 innings pitched, giving him a Randy Johnson-esk K/9 ratio of 12.23, better than any of the Phillies' Aces. His record currently stands at 8-6, and he has a 3.60 ERA.

Unfortunately though, not all the Baby Aces have had a great year. Jon Pettibone (8-9), started the year off strong, coming into the all-star break with a 6-4 record and a 2.47 ERA. But, post all-star game Pettibone struggled, collecting a 2-5 record with a 3.90 ERA. Pettibone is a solid pitcher, his 1.19 WHIP proves that, and with time the 21 year old will mature into a decent starting pitcher.

And then there's Brody Colvin. His 2-6 record and 4.25 ERA do not reflect the kind of potential this guy has. Coming off of a back injury earlier this year, his numbers may be affected by pain that he still has. Being young, though, he can hopefully pull through and improve as time goes on.

Week in Review Clearwater: May Sets Strikeout Record, Homeruns Galore

This past week certainly has been interesting for the Clearwater Threshers, with both players leaving and joining, records being set and a back-to-back-to-back homerun performance. The week included great pitching performances as well as nights where the bats light up, all combining for a record of 4-2 since last Friday.

Last Friday, July 29, was of course the day that the Phillies acquired Hunter Pence. This meant that it was first baseman Jon Singleton's last game in a Thersher's uniform, going 2-4 before being pulled in the bottom of the eighth for RF Brian Gump (Darin Ruf moved to first base, and has started all games there since). The Threshers won the game, 2-1, thanks to 7th inning RBIs by Jiwan James and Jeremy Barnes. Starting pitcher Trevor May, one of the Farm's "Baby Aces" (the other "Baby Aces" are ~~Jarred Cosart~~, Brody Colvin, Jon Pettibone and Julio Rodriguez), threw seven and a third innings, giving up a run on two hits and striking out eight. That brought his season strikeout total to 159, a new single-season record for the Threshers (the previous record, 156, was held by Austin Hyatt, who now plays for Reading). May has recorded his 169 strikeouts over 124.1 innings, and holds a record of 8-6 with a 3.40 ERA (he threw five innings with ten strikeouts on Thursday).

On Saturday, the Threshers' offense didn't show up, the team losing 5-1 to Palm Beach. Starter Jon Pettibone had a quality start, going six innings and giving up three runs, but the combination of a near-nonexistant offense and reliever Juan Sosa giving up two runs in as many innings. The only run came from a RBI single by Jeremy Barnes in the eighth inning. Pettibone (8-8, 2.89 ERA) gets the start tonight against the Tampa Yankees, gametime is 6:30.

The Threshers bounced back on Sunday, though, winning 3-2 on the heels of another great pitching performance by Julio Rodriguez (14-6, 3.03 ERA). Rodriguez pitched six innings, giving up two runs and striking out six (119 Ks on the year). Barnes contributed his third RBI in as many games, hitting an RBI double during a big 5th inning. All three of Clearwater's runs came in this inning, with Ruf and Travis Mattair also contributing RBIs.

After a 7-3 loss in Monday, in which starter Brody Colvin (2-6, 4.25 ERA) gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings against the Palm Beach Cardinals, the Threshers won big on Tuesday, 10-3. The wrap-up from this game is available here (http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html.)

The Threshers continued to beat up on the Tampa Yankees on Thursday (after an off-day on Wednesday), winning 8-4. The offense turned on late, including a back-to-back homerun display by catcher Sebastian Valle (5) and RF Brandon Tripp (3), who hit two homeruns in the game. Trevor May got a no-decision after a five inning, two run, ten strikeout game. Juan Sosa pitched an inning and a third and picked up his first win of the season for the club (Sosa was called up from Lakewood on July 11).

Phillies Go to San Fransisco Looking for Redemption

By: Greg Frank

Overview:

The Phillies kept their winning streak going out in Colorado as they left Philadelphia having won three straight and now head to San Francisco with a 6-game streak. While the Phillies have been clicking on all cylinders as of late, if there’s a team to slow them down, it’s the Giants. Dating back to last regular season, and including the playoffs, the Giants are 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Phillies. After winning the first game of the 3-game series last week in Philadelphia against the Giants, the Phillies had won 6 of their last 7 games, only to be cooled off the next two nights and lose the series to the Giants. Here, the Phillies come in having won 6 straight with an offense that now features Hunter Pence in the 5-slot behind Ryan Howard. Will the Giants cool them off for a 2^nd time in as many weeks?

Pitching:

The series opener is a battle of lefthanders as the Phillies send Cliff Lee to the mound while the Giants turn to Madison Bumgarner. Lee is coming off of a win in his last start at home against Pittsburgh, while Bumgarner got lit up in Cincinnati his last start allowing 7 runs (5 earned) on as many hits in 4 innings pitched taking the loss. Friday night’s game has Vance Worley slated to go for the Phillies, who was masterful in beating the Giants 7-2 last week in the only Phillies win of the series, as Worley earned his first career complete game. San Francisco will send another lefty out to the hill Friday night as Jonathan Sanchez gets the nod. Sanchez is known for his command problems from time to time, however, he has thrown a no-hitter in his career and has the ability to shut down the opposition. Saturday the Phillies and Giants play a matinee in a rematch from one of the pitching matchups in the series last week in Philadelphia. Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.62 ERA) toes the rubber for the Phils while the Giants have Matt Cain (9-7, 3.10 ERA) on the bump in that one. It was Cain who came out on top when these two collided in Philadelphia. To close it all out on Sunday, as of today, 8/4/11, the Phillies have Roy Oswalt scheduled to return from the disabled list and pitch against Tim Lincecum, who also beat the Phillies last week in Philadelphia.

Hitting:

For the first 8 innings of the Colorado series there wasn’t much to cheer about offensively for the Phillies. But when John Mayberry Jr. connected deep to left off Rockies closer Houston Street to tie the game at 3, everybody seemed to wake up. After the 8^th inning of Monday night’s game, in the final 20 innings of the series the Phillies scored 16 runs. Don’t expect Giants closer Brian Wilson to be blowing any saves the way Street did in the 1^st game of the Colorado series so the Phillies must cash in on their chances early on against the starters for the Giants. If there’s one player who has contributed the most during this 6-game winning streak offensively it has to be the big man Ryan Howard. Howard was 4-13 in the Colorado series but 3 of those hits were homers as he totaled 6 RBIs all in the last two games of the series. Throw in his 4-for-4 game last weekend against Pittsburgh and he’s been the main source of the Phillies offense, hitting well over .300 in his last 10 games. San Francisco struggled to score in the first two games of their 3-game series against Arizona as they scored only 3 runs in those two games, both losses. However, in the 3^rd game they broke out with 8 runs in an 8-1 win, lead by Carlos Beltran’s 3-5 day with two runs scored and an RBI. Maybe the final game of the Arizona series was a telling sign of what’s to come for the Giants offensively, and if that’s the case they will be tough to beat down the stretch. Or maybe the Phillies pitchers will prove the 8-1 San Francisco win to be merely a fluke. Only time will tell.

Recap:

While some prognosticators are forecasting a rematch between these two teams in the NLCS, for the Giants, they have to get to the playoffs first. Last year the Giants clinched the NL West on the final day of the regular season. This year looks like it will be another nail biter for San Francisco. Currently, the Giants hold a 1-game lead in the NL West over Arizona, who recently gained a game on the Giants having taken 2 of 3. Arizona is 2.5 games behind Atlanta for the National League Wild Card. Basically you’ve got 3 teams fighting for 2 spots in the NL. While the Giants can get into the playoffs via the divisional title again or the wild card, and still be seen as a threat regardless, they must get there first. While they did show some vulnerability in those two games they lost to Arizona this is the perfect opportunity for the Giants to let people know they’re not going away. For the Phillies the situation is a little bit different. They hold baseball’s best record at 71-39 and also hold an 8-game lead in the National League East. While there aren’t questions about the Phillies fate, as it seems evident they will playing baseball in October, this Giants team has given them fits lately. As said in the overview the Giants are 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Phillies dating back to last season and until the Phillies can prove to be able to beat this team on a consistent basis, there will still be question marks as to what went wrong against the Giants and what is it about the Giants that the Phillies can’t seem to handle. So this series gives the Phillies a perfect opportunity to push those questions aside and prove that there is no team that they cannot beat. While the situations for both teams aren’t the same, these two teams always bring out the best in the other, and I expect that to continue. Some late nights for us here on the East coast, then a couple of late afternoon first pitches…buckle up Phillies fans. This is going to be fun.

Phillies Defeat Rockies Despite a Poor Outing From Roy Halladay

It's no surprise that the reason the Phillies have been winning games is their superb pitching staff, consisting of three of the best starters in baseball. Their rotation is the only in the MLB who can say that their ERA is below three (2.99), and the next closest team has an ERA of 3.32. Needless to say, any team with a rotation like that could easily be playoff contenders, no matter how bad the rest of their team was. Of course, baseball is an unpredictable sport, so it's no surprise that even with the reigning Cy Young winner having a day to forget, the Phillies middle-of-the-road offense was able to produce eight runs on the way to another victory.

Though the Philies offense had not been playing great baseball this year, it hasn't hurt them that recently some of their key players have started to heat up. Ryan Howard continued his hot streak, taking advantage of the thin Denver air and hitting another home run, his 24th of the year. Howard went 2-4 with four RBIs, boosting his average to .255 and putting him in first place in the NL RBI race. Howard got some help from the rest of the top half of the lineup, with everyone except Chase Utley (who still went 2-3 with two runs) driving in a run.

The Phillies bats would choose a nice day to put up eight runs, as Roy Halladay would struggle, allowing four runs in seven innings of work. He would strike out seven batters and get his 14th win, but Halladay didn't seem like his usual, dominant self. In fact, with the exception of the game against the Pirates, Halladay's ERA was 3.21, which is still good, but it's not the absolute domination that you would expect from a two-time Cy Young winner, and arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Though there is a good chance he may be trying to save himself for the rest of the season, Halladay's performance is certainly something to keep an eye on.

The 8-6 win for the Phillies caps off their second sweep in a row, and their sixth straight win. This all coming after they lost their first series in months against the San Francisco Giants, reigning world champs, and the team that defeated the Phillies in the playoffs last year. The Phillies will get another chance at them starting tomorrow during a three game series in San Francisco.

Although this will be just another four games, these games are going to be important for the Phillies. Of course, at the end of the series they will probably have the best record in baseball, but this holds more significance. The past nine times the Phillies have faced the Giants, they are a mere 3-6, a poor record for a team that has steamrolled almost all of their other opponents. This is the one of the few teams the Phillies haven't beaten in a series, and right now they seem to be the only threat in the NL, and the Phillies need to prove to themselves mentally that this is simply another team that they can beat.

Today in the Minors: A Night of Impressive Debuts

Even after top players Jarred Cosart and Jon Singleton were traded to Houston, the Clearwater Threshers had no problem crushing the Tampa Yankees 10-3. During the course of this absolute rout, 7 of the 9 Threshers' starters had RBIs, 2B Cesar Hernandez and catcher Sebastian Valle, who both went 1-4, being the only two not to contribute an RBI. Included in this great show of offense was a back-to-back-to-back homerun display by RF Brandon Tripp (1), Cyle Hankerd (1) and 3B Travis Mattair (6). This was Hankerd's debut for Clearwater, and the 26-year-old went 2-4 and scored twice. "It feels awesome to be back," said Hankerd, "I've been working hard to get picked up by a team and I'm blessed to be here." PhightingOn.com Class A+ Player of the Month Darin Ruf also contributed three RBIs and a homerun, bringing him to a season total of 67 RBIs.

Hankerd was not the only one making his Clearwater debut last night, though. Starting pitcher David Buchanan, who had spent the first part of the season with Lakewood before being called up to fill the hole left by Jarred Cosart, threw six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits on the way to his first win at the Class A+ level. Buchanan, who was named the Topps South Atlantic League Player of the Month for May and a SAL all-star with the BlueClaws in June, was 11-5 and had a 3.38 ERA with Lakewood before his call-up.

Buchanan's replacement in Lakewood, Austin Wright, pitched six innings and gave up a run on a homerun to pick up his first win with the club. The Blueclaws won the game 6-2, with RBIs coming from PhightingOn.com Class A Player of the Month Cameron Rupp (29,30), Zach Collier (24), Domingo Santana (31) and Carlos Alonso (4). PhightingOn.com Class A Pitcher of the Month Colby Shreve pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

In Reading, the R-Phillies won 8-4 thanks to a pinch-hit grand slam by SS Steve Singleton (4) in his Reading debut. This was Singleton's fourth homerun of the season in the Eastern League, as he started the year off with New Britain. Singleton was called up from Lakewood after 3B Carlos Rivero and SS Freddy Galvis were promoted to Lehigh Valley. Tyler Brummett (3-5) picked up the win after a six-inning, 4 run (3 earned) start.

In Their AAA debuts, Rivero and Galvis both went 1-4, as the IronPigs lost 3-2 to Scranton. Former MLBer Drew Carpenter (5-1 in Lehigh), lost his first game for the 'Pigs this season, giving up one run in two innings of relief.

Roy Oswalt Ready for the Return, Eyes Sunday

Yesterday in Lehigh Valley, Phillies' ace Roy Oswalt pitched in his second rehab game after a back injury. Oswalt threw six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. His fastball velocity, which was down in his last rehab start, was back up to the usual 91-92 MPH. Roy threw 90 pitches, 61 of them strikes, during the course of a solid, pain-free performance. "The back feels great," said Oswalt, "I don't have any pain. Right now it's just getting back into that rhythm of pitching." He is scheduled to rejoin the team tonight in Denver, throw a bullpen session in San Francisco on Thursday, and make his return Saturday or Sunday (though Hamels in scheduled to start Saturday, so Oswalt is likely to start Sunday in Kendrick's spot). Before his injury, Oswalt was 4-6 with a 3.79 ERA in 13 starts.

The IronPigs, who played a double-header Monday night against the Scranton Yankees, managed to salvage a win in extra innings after Oswalt's performance, with Brandon Moss hitting a 2-run homerun (20) in the 8th inning (minor league teams play 7 inning games during double headers). Domonic Brown, who was sent down to make room for Hunter Pence, went 2-3 with a stolen base and a run scored. The Phillies are in the process of grooming Brown to be Raul Ibanez's future replacement, moving him to Left Field for the remainder of the season. THe IronPigs dropped the second game of the double header 4-1, with Ex-Phillie J.C. Romero pitching a scoreless inning in relief for the Scranton Yankees. In related Ex-Phillie relief pitcher news, the Phillies officially released Danys Baez Sunday.

Off to Denver, Let the Road Trip Begin!

By: Greg Frank

Overview:

After closing out a 10-game home stand in which they went 7-3, the Phillies will now embark upon a long road trip playing 10 games in 10 days, visiting three different cities. The first of those three cities is Denver, Colorado where the Phillies will play the Rockies for three games at Coors Field. The Rockies made some noise over the weekend trading their ace Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland for several prospects. While Jimenez was not having a year similar to that of years past (6-9, 4.46 ERA as of 8/1/
11), when he is on his game he can be one of baseball’s best hurlers, and the Rockies have seen him when he’s at his best which is why the trade was a bit of a surprise. However, 10 games out of the division race they must see themselves as out of it, and a team like Cleveland, 2.5 games out in the AL Central, could use someone like Jimenez. So, the deal got completed and Colorado bolstered their minor league system while Cleveland bettered their team for the stretch run. As we all know, the
Phillies made a move of their own over the weekend acquiring Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros in exchange for some minor leaguers Friday night. So, while the teams look different that doesn’t change the fact that for the next three days they will go to battle.

Pitching:

Monday night’s matchup features a couple of young guns. 23-year old Jouhlys Chacin toes the rubber for Colardo. boasting an 8-8 record with a respectable 3.50 ERA on the season. Cole Hamels, 27, goes for the Phillies. Hamels is having one of the best seasons of his young career as he has posted a 12-
6 record to go with a 2.61 ERA so far in the 2011 campaign. While this would figure to be a low scoring affair, at Coors Field, one of the more hitter-friendly ballparks in Major League Baseball, there still may be some unexpected offense from unlikely sources. Tuesday night’s pitching matchup features Kyle Kendrick and Aaron Cook. Cook (2-5, 5.05 ERRA) has struggled this year despite being an All Star in 2008. To close out the series Wednesday the Phillies will send Roy Halladay to the mound while
Colarado counters with Jason Hammel.

Hitting:

The Phillies swung the bats well over the weekend against Pittsburgh. Scoring 23 runs in three games, as the Phillies won three straight. Friday night it seemed as if everyone contributed en route to a 10-run outburst. Saturday belonged to Ryan Howard as he was 4-4 with a walk, and a triple shy of the
cycle. Sunday was all about Raul Ibanez and his two homers and a later walk off in the bottom of the 10th. If different players continue to contribute then expect the Phillies to score some more runs especially in the previously mentioned, hitter-friendly Coors Field. Coming off a series victory in San Diego this weekend, the Rockies displayed some inconsistent, yet good offense. They scored three runs Friday in a 3-2 victory, and then broke out for ten Saturday night in a victory, only to fall 8-3 in the final game of the series. They do have some guys in their lineup that can do some serious damage, including veteran Todd Helton hitting .311 this year, as he always seems to be over 300. Not to mention electrifying shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. So, we might see some runs especially in that Tuesday night game between Cook and Kendrick.

Recap:

While Colorado has made the postseason two of the last four seasons, it doesn’t look like they’ll be making a run this year and the Jimenez trade confirmed that. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. As mentioned they have some bats that in the order that can pose problems, Chacin is a young up and coming talent, and Huston Street is still clutch for them in the back end of the bullpen. While the Phillies are coming off a good home stand, nothing’s going to come easy on this road trip. I
expect three hard fought games in the Mile High City.

Danys Baez Released as Phillies Continue to Move Forward

Yesterday at exactly 4:00 PM eastern standard time, the MLB ended team's ability to make non-waiver trades. However, just because the trade deadline had come and go, didn't mean that they would stop their effort to move players around in order to create a more perfect, championship ready team. They would move froward today by moving backwards, releasing relief pitcher Danys Baez, who was sent down to triple-A Lehigh Valley about a week ago, and he hasn't pitched since.

Baez' stay in Philadelphia was a less than ideal one, posting two of the worst ERAs in his career, averaging out to 5.81 over the two seasons. He also collected a pitiful of 5-8, making it nearly impossible to believe that he was once an All-Star. Not even sabermetrics could salvage Baez time in Philly, as he combined for a WAR of -1.5, meaning any average player in triple-A could have been substantially better.

Baez had one shining moment in Philadelphia, throwing five one-hit innings during the Phillies 19 inning epic with the Cincinatti Reds, however, even in that game he was overshadowed by Wilson Valdez who got the win for his perfect 19th inning.

This move by the Phillies, though very predictable, shows that the front office is willing to cut ties with whoever they have to in order to better the team. Charlie Manuel had made it a point that he liked Baez, and multiple times said he was going nowhere. However, with the new "this year or bust" mentality, it seems all bets are off. For now, all that matters is winning.

Best of the Minors: July

Every month, Phighting On will be looking at each of the Phillies’ affiliate teams (GCL, VSL and DSL Phillies are excluded), and picking the position player and pitcher from each team that have performed the best over the last month. To be eligible, the player must be on the team’s roster at the end of the month. Here are the top players for the month of July.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs:

Delwyn Young, RF/DH. Young had a terrific month of July, hitting consistently throughout the whole month, and ending the month with a nine game hitting streak (it was ended on July 31). His July batting average, .350, is 90 points higher than his season average of .260, an incredible improvement in anyone’s eyes. His 4 homeruns and 17 RBIs are also the most he’s had in any month this year.

July Stats: .350 BA in 28 Games, 4 HR, 17 RBIs, 11 Doubles, .975 OPS

Michael Schwimer, Relief Pitcher. We’ve come to expect amazing performances from this 25 year-old prospect, as he’s compiled a 1.79 ERA in 41 appearances this season. The month of July has been no different for him, going 3-1 with a 1.15 ERA. His opponents’ batting average is .220, which is a little bit higher than his season average of .202, but his dominating performances, including 21 strikeouts and only two earned runs allowed in 15.2 July appearances.

July Stats: 3-1, 1.15 ERA in 11 Games, 15.2 IP, 4 Saves, 21 Ks

Reading Phillies:

Carlos Rivero, 3B. At 23, Rivero is already in his seventh year of professional baseball, and sixth in the United States. As the fourth youngest player on the 40-man roster, Rivero has already caught the eye of the Phillies organization early into his career. This season for Reading, Rivero is batting .285, but in July Rivero really turned it on, hitting a whopping .373 with 22 RBIs. His slugging percentage for this month, .573, is over 120 points better than his season average of .449. In short, Rivero killed it the month of July.

July Stats: .373 BA in 28 Games, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 13 Doubles, .968 OPS

Justin Friend, Relief Pitcher. This decision was tough. The R-Phillies didn’t really have a standout star in pitching this month, but Friend was probably the closest thing. Up until his last game of the month, a terrible performance in which he blew a save and gave up two runs (and had a balk) in one-third of an inning, Friend hadn’t given up a run in July. In nine appearances, Friend shut down the competition, striking out 10. Unlike Schwimer, Friend’s dominance is not as common, with a season ERA of 2.51.

July Stats: 0-1, 1.86 ERA in 10 Games, 9.2 IP, 5 Saves, 10 Ks

Clearwater Threshers:

Darin Ruf, 1B. Saying that Ruf had a great month of July would be a gross understatement. Hitting for both power and average, Ruf knocked in 23 RBIs and had 6 HRs, in addition to a .366 average. His slugging percentage was .634, much better than his usual .496, shows just how much power a guy like Ruf has. Ruf has improved on his stats every month so far this season, so expect August to be even better for the 25 year old infield prospect.

July Stats: .366 BA in 29 Games, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 9 Doubles, 1.078 OPS

Julio Rodriguez, Starting Pitcher. With prized prospect Jarred Cosart traded to Houston, Julio Rodriguez has to step into the role of top prospect. If July is any indication of if he’s ready, I’d say he’s accepted the new role. Rodriguez went 6-0 in July, holding hitters to a .189 batting average against and only giving up 8 earned runs in 36.2 innings. This adds up to a 1.96 ERA in the month of July, bouncing back from a horrible month of June in which he had a 5.76 ERA. All in all, Rodriguez has a 14-6 record, 3.03 ERA and 119 Ks, but the month of July was much better than these still-solid stats.

July Stats: 6-0, 1.96 ERA in 6 Starts, 36.2 IP, 38 Ks

Lakewood BlueClaws:

Cameron Rupp, Catcher. When you think of offense, a 22 year old Class A catcher is probably the farthest thing from your mind. But in his 21 games in July, Rupp hit .370, driving in 15 RBIs, more than he collect in every other month combined. I don’t want to say fluke, but his .269 BA says otherwise. Let’s hope that Rupp can continue his recent success, but don’t count on it happening.

July Stats: .370 BA in 21 Games,1 HR, 15 RBI, 8 Doubles, .935 OPS

Colby Shreve, Relief Pitcher. Colby Shreve was perfect in July. Pitching 17 innings over 9 games, he didn’t give up an earned run (he did give up 4 unearned runs). The .230 BAA in July is not amazing, but is solid and is also better than his season average of .265. His control was good, only giving up three walks in the month. His season record stands at 5-5, with his season ERA being 2.91

July Stats: 2-1, 0.00 ERA in 9 Games, 17.0 IP, 23 Ks

Williamsport Crosscutters

Kelly Dugan, Outfielder.

July Stats: .324 BA in 28 Games, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 4 Doubles, 1 Triple, .823 OPS

Mike Nesseth, Starting Pitcher

July Stats: 2-0, 2.03 ERA in 6 Starts, 31.0 IP, 12 Ks, .187 BAA