Philadelphia Phillies

It’s time for the weekly rundown of minor league notes, taking a look at who is hot and who is not, from each team.  Stats and standing accurate through game action played on Saturday. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (18-24, 4th place, North Division International League)- Hot list… Cody Asche with Reading in 2012 Third baseman Cody Asche has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 contests.  In his last 10 games, Asche is batting .326 with two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.  The 22-year-old was the Phillies’ 4th round pick in 2011 out of the University of Nebraska. Cold list… Joe Savery has allowed nine earned runs in one total inning over his last two appearances with the IronPigs.  Savery, whose season ERA in the International League sits at 5.87, sported a 0.63 mark this season prior to his most recent two appearances. Lefty starter Adam Morgan has a 0-4 record along with an 8.33 ERA over his last five games.  The University of Alabama product was the Phillies’ 3rd round draft pick in 2011.  Morgan, a Georgia native, is 23-years-old. Double-A Reading Fightin Phils (15-25, last place, East Division Eastern League)-  Hot list… Reading OF Tyson Gillies OF Tyson Gillies went 9-for-23 (.391 avg) with six RBI over a stretch of six starts this week.  Overall through 13 games with Reading, Gillies has a .244 average with three doubles and a stolen base. First baseman Jim Murphy is 13-for-30 (.433 avg) with four doubles, a triple, three homers and nine nine RBI over his previous nine games.  Murphy, 27, leads the Eastern League in total bases with 88. Cold list… Right-handed starter Seth Rosin is 0-1 with a 5.51 ERA in three starts this month.  The 23-year-old, who was acquired in the Hunter Pence trade with the Giants last year, is 1-3 with a 3.95 ERA in eight starts this season. Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers (21-20, 3rd place, North Division Florida State League)- Hot list… Maikel Franco with Lakewood in 2012 Third baseman Maikel Franco is 8-for-25 (.320 avg) with a double, a triple and two homers over his last six games.   Franco, a Dominican native, is 20-years-old. Righty reliever Chris Nichols, who was added to the Threshers’ roster this week out of extended spring training, has made three scoreless appearances since joining the active roster.  The 22-year-old University of Sioux Falls product was a 31st round draft choice by the Phillies last year. Outfielder Cameron Perkins leads the FSL in hits with 56 and ranks second in the league in average with a .354 mark. The 22-year-old was the Phils’ 6th round draft selection last year out of Purdue University. Cold list… Shortstop Jose Mojica has gone 3-for-26 (.115 avg) over his last seven games.  Prior to his recent slow stretch, the 24-year-old Mojica was among the Florida State League’s top hitters with a .354 average. Following a four-game stretch in which he went 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA, lefty starter Hoby Milner has thrown back to back outings with no decisions while allowing six earned runs in 11 innings (4.91 ERA).  Milner was a 7th round draft pick out of the University of Texas last year. Class A Lakewood BlueClaws (17-24, 6th place, North Division in South Atlantic League)-  Hot list… Lakewood OF Larry Greene Jr. Larry Greene Jr. posted a seven-game hitting streak that ended on Saturday.  During the streak, Greene was 10-for-23 (.435 average).  Overall in 23 games, Greene, the Phils’ 1st round draft choice in 2011, is batting .227 with four doubles and eight RBI. Outfielder Zach Taylor is 11-for-25 (.440 avg) with four doubles, two home runs and six RBI in his last seven games.  Taylor, who is batting .306 in 22 games, was selected in the 12th round of the 2012 draft by the Phillies. Cold list… Infielder Angelo Mora is 1-for-19 (.053 avg) in his last six games.  The 20-year-old Dominican is batting .109 in 13 games this month. Venezuelan Summer League Phillies (4-0 record,

Jimmy Rollins makes strong case for the Hall of Fame by Scott Butler 5/19/13 Jimmy Rollins scored his 1,200th run on Friday, making him the fourth player since 1921 to score at least 1,200 runs with 400 or more steals. Impressive numbers, indeed, and. . . Hall of Fame worthy?? Jimmy appeared well on his way to a place in Cooperstown after an MVP 2007 season in which he hit .296 with 30 home runs, 20 triples, 41 stolen bases, and 139 runs scored. But Rollins has not come close to replicating that season ever since and from 2009-2013 he is batting .254 with a .315 OBP. Hard to think Hall of Fame for a player with clear deficiencies in his offensive game, but remember that Rollins plays a predominantly defensive position (we'll get into that later) and in comparison to all-time shortstops, the numbers are there. Jimmy Rollins vs. all-time shortstops Here is how Rollins' numbers stack up among shortstops all-time. Continue reading this post This post has been generated by Page2RSS

Carlos Ruiz limped into third base grabbing his right leg Sunday. Soon, the Phillies catcher was removed with what the team called a right hamstring strain.

Thanks to some scheduled off days, the Phillies have been able to get by with just four starters recently, but come Tuesday, the team needs a fifth starter, and before Sunday's game, the final one of the homestand, they announced who will get the ball in Miami. Tyler Cloydwill be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley for Tuesday's game; the Phillies have not announced a corresponding roster move yet. I'd guess they will put reliever Mike Adams, who on Friday was diagnosed with a mild, mid-back strain, on the DL, which would be retroactive to last Sunday. He hasn't pitched since Saturday, May 11.  

By Jason Wolf  Ryan Howard was given off Sunday, replaced at first base by Michael Young. Freddy Galvis took over at third. Howard is batting a woeful .179/.258/.375 this month and is just 4-for-34 (.118) since hitting his last home run May 7 at San Francisco. The 33-year-old is batting .245/.282/.430 with six homers this season. Cloyd to start Tyler Cloyd will start Tuesday at Miami, the Phillies announced. A roster move will be made that day to accommodate him. Cloyd has an ugly 6.57 ERA and 1-4 record in seven starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. But the 26-year-old acquitted himself well in his lone big league appearance this season, hurling 6 1/3 innings of two-hit, two-run ball while striking out four and walking three in a loss at Arizona on May 10. Relief pitcher Mike Adams, who’s dealing with a achey back, could be moved to the disabled list to make room on the roster for Cloyd. Adams hasn’t appeared in a game since May 10, meaning any DL stint could be backdated, allowing him to return as early as next Sunday.

The Phillies can win a series and make it a successful week against the two Ohio teams if they’re victorious Sunday. They’ll need to quickly put Saturday’s 10-0 embarrassment out of their minds. It was the sixth time they’ve been shut out this season, which is the most shutouts of the Phillies through their first 43 games since 1985, according to CSN’s Reuben Frank. The Phils were lifeless and again failed to hit junkballer Bronson Arroyo. On Sunday, they’ll face...

The Phillies have signed players from all over the world and recently they added an outfielder from Germany. Julsan Kamara, a 17-year-old outfielder and a member of the German Junior National Team, was recently signed to a seven-year minor league contract.

If a Phillies relief pitcher enters a game with a runner on base there is a very good chance he will allow that runner to score. The Phillies bullpen has allowed 46.3 percent (25 of 54) of its inherited runners to score, which is the worst mark in baseball. (The Mariners have been the stingiest at just 15.9 percent.) Upon further inspection, the Phillies’ mark is one of the worst in baseball in nearly 40 years. Going back to 1974, the 2013 Phillies’ bullpen has been the second-worst in baseball in allowing inherited runners to score. 1977 Reds: 48.1 percent (74 of 154) 2013 Phillies: 46.3 percent (25 of 54) 1974 Mets: 46.0 percent (63 of 137) 1992 Phillies: 44.8 percent (73 of 163) 1974 Expos: 44.2 percent (69 of 156) The MLB average from 1974 through today is 33 percent. The best Phillies bullpen in that stretch? The 2011 bullpen, which allowed only 25 percent to score. “I have a big concern about our bullpen,” Charlie Manuel said. “If we can’t hold people how can we win the game? You can say you’ve got to score runs to win, but at the same time how many runs do you have to score?” Here is how individuals in the Phillies’ bullpen have fared: Justin De Fratus: 0 percent (0 of 4) Raul Valdes: 33 percent (1 of 3) Mike Adams: 40 percent (2 of 5) Jeremy Horst: 42.9 percent (9 of 21) Antonio Bastardo: 50 percent (1 of 2) Jonathan Papelbon: 50 percent (1 of 2) Chad Durbin: 60 percent (9 of 15) Phillippe Aumont: 100 percent (2 of 2) “I think it’s a matter of pounding the zone, being the aggressor,” Durbin said about pitching better with runners on base. “I think we get 1-0 and 2-0 then you have to throw the ball over the plate and all the pressure is on us. So, the success I’ve had in the past with it has been getting ahead with an offspeed pitch or a well-located fastball to put the pressure on them and kind of let our defense get comfortable.”

Aaron Altherr came back from the “Whatever that’s called that’s not the disabled list” List on Thursday, after recovering from what I’m guessing was a concussion related to his collision last week. He had an interesting night – 1-5 with a triple and 4Ks. He’s hit in 12 straight, wrapped around that “Listing”, but on the downside, he’s got one more K in May than he did in April, and there’s still a week and a half left. A bit of a flag to watch out for on him. Elsewhere, Nic Hanson (I’m not the only one who thinks he omits the “k” from his first name, right?), struck out 9 of the 24 men he faced in 5 2/3 innings, though he allowed 7 hits and 4 runs. The hits and runs aren’t great, but that’s a lot of Ks, regardless. Here’s the affiliate Scoreboard from MiLB. http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=143&ymd=20130518

Per FOXSPORTSREDNEXX, here’s Jake the Snake Robers singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Click here to view the embedded video. Can’t wait until the Marlins get Val Venis next week.