Phuture Phillies

Game Recaps: 4/9/07

2007-04-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

Stars of the Day:
Ottawa Lynx: Danny Sandoval
Reading Phillies:

AAA: Ottawa Lynx 3 v. Buffalo Bisons 8
The Ottawa Lynx faced 2003 first-round pick Andrew Miller. Andrew Miller pitched a solid 6 innings scattering 10 hits and surrendering 4 runs. Matthew Childers, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, did not fare as well. He only last 3 innings in his first start of the 2007 season. He gave up 6 earned runs (7 total) on 10 hits.

Designated hitter Gary Burnham drove in 2 runs for the Lynx. Danny Sandoval added 2 hits (1 two-bagger) in a losing effort. All of the starters for the Lynx had one hit except Sandoval who had 2.

AA: Reading Phillies
Home against Bowie @ 6:35PM EST.

Hi-A: Clearwater Threshers
Away at Dunedin @ 7:00PM EST.

Lo-A: Lakewood BlueClaws
Away at West Virginia @ 7:00PM EST.

Game Recaps: 4/8/07

2007-04-08T14:34:00.000-04:00

AAA: Ottawa Lynx
Off day.

AA: Reading Phillies
Off day.

Hi-A: Clearwater Threshers
Off day.

Lo-A: Lakewood BlueClaws
Off day.

2007 Season

2007-04-08T14:31:00.000-04:00

I'll be back in game mode for the 2007 season. Everyday there will be game recaps of the previous days minor league games. We will also provide you with "Stars of the Day" for each team in the Phillies minor leagues.

Ryan Howard called up, Thome goes on the DL

2005-07-01T20:38:00.000-04:00

I was busy packing today thus no reports. There will be no reports for the upcoming week because I'll be on vacation in Ocean City, New Jersey but I do have a few notes.

Jim Thome was placed on the 15-day DL due to his elbow and Ryan Howard has been recalled. This is Howard's chance to shine!

Tim Worrell pitched 2 perfect innngs in another rehab start.

6/29 Minor League Recaps

2005-06-30T13:58:00.000-04:00

Buffalo 3 @ Scranton W/B 4

Ryan Howard (.372/.470/.696) hit his 16th homerun of the season as well as his 19th double of the season while driving in his 52nd and 53rd runs.

In his second game with the Red Barons, Jorge Padilla (.286/.286/.429) went 2-4 and smacked his first double in Triple-A.

Pedro Liriano (4-7, 4.00) pitched 6 1/3 strong innings. He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 4 and walking 2.

Franklin Perez (1-4, 5.06) saved his 5th game of the season despite giving up 1 run on 2 hits in 1 inning pitched.

Akron 6 @ Reading 7

Randy Ruiz (.369/.412/.679) currently appealing his second suspension due to the substance abuse went 4-5, 3 singles, 1 double and 2 RBI's. Ruiz is tearing it up in Double-A but he is too old to be considered a top prospect. Ruiz also helped the Phillies with three errors.

Michael Bourn (.281/.367/.384) went 2-5 and stole his 23rd base of the season. Chris Roberson (.302/.358/.430) also showed off his speed and stole his 19th of the season.

Clearwater vs. Tampa

The Clearwater / Tampa game was postponed due to rain for the second straight night.

Lakewood

All-Star break.

Batavia 5 @ Mahoning Valley 2

Clay Harris (.370/.414/.556) is smoking hot right now, going 3-4 last night and driving in 2 runs while scoring 1.

Scott Mitchinson (1-0, 1.50), after one game with the GCL Phillies was promoted to Batavia, and in his first start he went 6 solid innings giving up only 1 run and scattering 5 hits.

GCL Phillies 2 @ GCL Braves 4

Tom Paterson (.286/.286/.571) hit his first triple of the season in a 2-3 effort while scoring a run.

6/28 Minor League Recaps

2005-06-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

Sorry for no report yesterday but I was very busy with packing for the shore. I'll be away from July 2nd - July 9th and will have no internet connection.

Buffalo 3 @ Scranton W/B 6

Chris Coste (.286/.369/.487) hit his 13th homerun of the season which was a solo shot in the 8th inning in a 2-4 effort that included 2 RBI's.

Ryan Howard (.369/.470/.680) went 0-3 with 3 K's but did manage to work a walk.

Mike Bacsik (4-5, 4.26) earned his 4th win of the season by pitching a solid outing. He went 7 innings, scattering 4 hits and giving up 1 run (a solo HR) while walking 2 and striking out 4.

Yoel Hernandez (4-1, 1.56) has been phenomenal for the Red Barons. He earned his 3rd save of the season by going 2/3 of an inning giving up 1 hit and striking out 1.

Akron 2 @ Reading 3

Michael Bourn (.279/.367/.384) reached base 4 times in a 3-4 night that included his 11th double of the season while walking once.

Jim Deschaine (.272/.361/.461) had a night! He went 3-5 with two homeruns, 2 RBI's and a double as well as two runs scored.

Keith Bucktrot (1-1, 4.13) went 6 innings, giving up 2 runs and 5 hits. Bucktrot was relieved by Tim Worrell (0-0, 0.00). Worrell continues his rehab assignment and made his first appearance for the Reading Phillies last night going a perfect inning.

Travis Minix (0-1, 2.23) pitched 2 innings giving up 1 hit and striking out 3. Ryan Cameron (3-3, 2.55) earned the win by pitching a perfect 10th inning while striking out 2.

Clearwater v. Tampa
Postponed due to rain.

Lakewood

All-Star Break

Batavia 3 @ Mahoning Valley 10

In his 2nd start of the season, Carlos Carrasco (0-1, 6.55) was hit hard in 5 2/3 innings of work. He gave up 6 runs on 6 hits. Jose Correa (0-0, 6.23) came in on relief and didn't fare well at all. In 1 1/3 innings he gave up 4 runs on 5 hits.

Clay Harris (.304/.360/.522) went 2-4 for the Muckdogs. He hit his first homerun of the year in the 6th inning with one one and one out. They were his 3rd and 4th runs driven in on the season.

GCL Yankees 3 @ GCL Phillies 7

Cooper Osteen (.364/.364/.364) went 2-5 and drove in his first run of the season.

Alberto Cambero (.364/.500/.455) had a nice effort, going 2-4 with 2 runs scored, a double, 2 RBIs and a walk.

Kelvin Pichardo (0-0, 5.40) started the game and went 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and striking out 5 while walking none.

Lenin Gazo (1-0, 0.00) did a great job and earned his first win by pitching 4 innings of almost perfect relief. His only mistake was giving up 1 walk.

Tidbit...

2005-06-27T14:49:00.000-04:00

Just a little tid bit...head over to www.minorleagueball.com for a "Prospect Retro" on the Phillies own Bobby Abreu. Minorleagueball.com is, of course, John Sickels' very well written blog.

6/26 Minor League Recaps

2005-06-27T11:44:00.000-04:00

Charlotte 3 @ Scranton W/B 4

Gavin Floyd (3-5, 6.68) had his first solid outing in a long time by going 8 strong innings, scattering 9 hits, 2 runs while striking out 6 and walking NONE. This type of outing is exactly what Floyd needed to get started on the right track again. He needs to build up his momentum and this is where he will start and feed off of.

Danny Sandoval (.332/.373/.471) added an RBI for the Red Barons in a 1-4 effort.

Reading 2 @ Trenton 7

The Reading Phillies were held to 2 runs on 3 hits while Trenton gathered 15 hits and 7 runs.

Mike Smith (3-7, 3.45) gave up all 7 runs in 4 innings which included 3 homeruns.

Since being demoted, reliever Sean Fesh (0-0, 0.00) has appeared in 3 games and has pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Prospect Francisco Butto (0-3, 5.40) was promoted to Double-A Reading on May 25th and since then has appeared in 13 games, 16 2/3 innings and was shaky in the beginning but since then has calmed down which is a very good sign.

Clearwater 11 @ Tampa 3

Cole Hamels (2-0, 0.00) has not missed a beat since last year. In his start against Tampa he pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball while giving up 3 hits and showing great command by striking out 5 and walking none.

Jake Blalock (.278/.370/.399) had a great game. In a 3-5 effort, Blalock smashed his 8th homerun of the year, a solo shot, as well as a double and 4 RBI's.

Fellow prospect Jorge Padilla (.333/.390/.407) also went 3-5, all singles with 2 runs scored.

Delmarva 5 @ Lakewood 4

Tim Worrell (0-0, 2.08) made his 3rd rehab appearance and went 2 innings giving up 1 hit and striking out 3 while keeping Delmarva scoreless.

Greg Golson (.279/.364/.390) went 2-4 with a run scored, an RBI, and a walk.

Sean Gamble (.260/.333/.322) added a triple in a 1-3 effort with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Batavia 8 @ Jamestown 9

Patrick Overholt (0-0, 1.35) was the star pitcher for the Muckdogs even though he came in on relief. He pitched 4 scoreless innings only giving up 3 hits while striking out 6 and 1 walk.

The Phillies first pick Mike Costanzo (.269/.345/.423) went 1-5 with his fourth double of the season.

Julian Williams (.276/.300/.310) had a good day going 3-6 with 3 runs scored with a double and his 4th RBI of the season.

Game 73: Phillies (39-33) vs. Mets (34-37)

2005-06-23T12:56:00.000-04:00

The Phils lineup for the matinee:
Rollins SS
Michaels CF
Abreu RF
Burrell LF
Thome 1B
Bell 3B
Utley 2B
Pratt C
Lidle P

And for the Mets:
Reyes SS
Cameron RF
Beltran CF
Floyd LF
Piazza C
Anderson 2B
Wright 3B
Mientkiewicz 1B
Ishii P

Kenny Lofton and Mike Lieberthal have an off day today. I'd like to see Utley and Thome flip flopped in the lineup to see what happens. Thome is slumping and he needs to get out of it but you don't want him in the middle of the lineup while he is going through this. Even though he hit a homerun last night he also struck out 3 times.

Cory Lidle against the Mets:
GS: 3
W-L: 3-0
ERA: 0.75
IP: 24.0
H: 15

Whoa! Lidle owns the Mets.

2005-06-23T11:21:00.000-04:00

Sorry for no report yesterday. I woke up late and had to go to work. By the time I got home it was time for the College World Series and the Phillies and a little bit of a long toss with my brother.

Rob Tejeda goes 6 shutout innings!

Scranton W/B 6 vs. Columbus 5

In his 8th start of the year Eude Brito (3-1, 6.67) had a disappointing outing. He gave up 5 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings. Brito didn't show much control by walking 2 and only striking out 1. He was also charged with a wild pitch and a balk.

Kevin Hodge (0-0, 2.25) acquired from the Astros organization pitched 3 innings of 1 hit ball that included 4 strikeouts.

Terry Adams (1-1, 3.18) got the win for the Red Barons by pitching an almost perfect 9th inning.

Ryan Howard's (.382/.477/.719) 24 game hit streak was snapped but he still walked twice, including an intentional walk.

Danny Sandoval (.308/.353/.414) smacked his 8th and 9th doubles of the year, in a 4-5 effort to drive in 3 runs.

Reading 5 @ Akron 3

Jim Deschaine (.270/.361/.434) hit his sixth homerun of the year, in a 2-3 effort that drove in 3 runs.

Randy Ruiz (.364/.411/.671), however, continues to be the offensive star for the Reading Phillies. Ruiz went 2-3 and drove in his 52nd run of the season.

Mike Smith (3-6, 3.13) earned the win held Akron to 3 runs in 7 innings while striking out 5 and walking 1.

Clearwater 4 vs. Sarasota 5

Carlos Rodriguez (.274/.341/.419) went 4-5 while hitting his 3rd homerun of the season in the 9th inning but it still wasn't enough for the Clearwater Threshers. Rodriguez's 4-5 effort included his 8th double of the season and his 9th and 10th RBI's.

Scott Mathieson (1-2, 3.88) gave up only 3 runs on 9 hits in 7 innings of work while striking out 9 and walking 2.

Matt Squires (0-0, 0.00) pitched a perfect 9th inning for the Threshers as he struck out 2 batters.

Lakewood 7 vs. Hagerstown 5

Andrew Baldwin (2-5, 4.04) earned his 2nd win of the season in his 14th start by going 6 innings while surrendering 3 runs and 6 hits.

Ryan Frith (.289/.357/.473) hit his 8th homerun of the season in a 2-4 effort in which he drove in 2 runs.

Batavia 4 vs. Auburn 0

Batavia improved to 2-0 on the season. Michael Zagurski (0-0, 0.00) went 3 shut out innings for the Muckdogs. He only had one baserunner (1 walk) and struck out 4.

Ronald Hill (1-0, 0.00) relieved him for 2 innings and earned the win. Hill's line was almost identical to Zagurski's except that Hill had one less strikeout (3) than Zagurski.

Pete Henyan (0-0, 0.00) took the hill for 2 2/3 innings. Henyan surrendered 2 hits but was rescued by Fernando Quijada (0-0, 0.00) who earned his first save of the season by going the rest of the way, 1 1/3 innings.

Mike Costanzo (.375/.375/.625) smashed his 2nd double of the season while going 2-4. Costanzo has done pretty well so far but one thing to watch out for is his 4 strikeouts so far. Despite his 4 strikeouts, I wouldn't be THAT worried because these are his first two games of professional baseball and he will need some time to adjust.

Game 71:

2005-06-21T18:51:00.000-04:00

Look for Pat Burrell's numbers to go up this series as he has killed Mets throughout his career.

Phillies lineup:
Rollins
Lofton
Abreu
Thome
Burrell
Utley
Bell
Lieberthal
Myers

Mets lineup:
Reyes
Wright
Beltran
Floyd
Piazza
Anderson
Mientkiewicz
Diaz
Benson

6/20 Minor League Recaps

2005-06-21T13:26:00.000-04:00

Cole Hamels will make his first start of the season after breaking his pitching hand, tonight for Clearwater.

Scranton W/B 3 vs. Columbus 5

Ryan Howard (.390/.481/.721)...I'm getting tired typing this but he is KILLING International League pitching. He went 3-3 in the Red Barons loss to Columbus and has raised his batting average to .390, a league lead. Howard had 2 walks to compliment his 3 hit (1 double) night.

Start Clay Condrey (4-5, 4.24) shut out Columbus through 5 innings by scattering 5 hits and 2 walks.

Erick Burke (0-0, 0.00) appeared in his first game for the Red Barons and pitched 2/3 of an inning. He was almost perfect but he did give up 1 walk.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz (.293/.354/.455) added a double, and drove in 2 of the Red Barons three runs.

Reading 9 @ Akron 2

Chris Rojas (7-5, 4.17) went the full 9 innings to earn his 7th win of the season. Rojas surrendered 2 runs on 3 hits while showing good control by striking out 7 and giving up zero walks.

Randy Ruiz (.367/.412/.683) helped the Reading Phillies by hitting his 16th homerun of the season. It was a two-run shot in the third inning. Ruiz also scored two runs and added another single as well as his 3rd RBI of the game.

Chris Roberson (.310/.367/.437) singled and scored twice in five at-bats to raise his batting average to .310.

Clearwater 10 vs. Sarasota 5

Gabe Ribas (1-1, 4.43) earned a no decision for the Clearwater Threshers. Ribas went 3 1/3 innings while giving up 5 runs on 7 hits.

Those 5 runs scored off of Ribas would be the only five runs that Sarasota would score all game. Chris Honsa (2-1, 5.19), Matt Squires (0-0, 0.00), and Adam Shafer (0-0, 4.50) pitched 4 innings of shutout ball. Matt Squires pitched in his first appearance for Clearwater and gave up one hit in one inning.

Marc Tugwell (.315/.396/.482) added a solo shot in the 2nd inning, his 6th homerun of the year.

Jorge Padilla (.297/.350/.378) went 2-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI as he starts to heat up for the Threshers.

Clearwater
Off day.

The Batavia Muckdogs, the short-season Class A affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies, will start their season tomorrow. You can check out the roster by clicking here: http://www.muckdogs.com/players.htm

The Phillies first pick of the 2005 draft, Mike Costanzo, will be playing for Batavia.

Sunday Minor League Recaps

2005-06-20T12:14:00.000-04:00

Scranton/WB 3 @ Norfolk 1

Ryan Howard (.379/.468/.710) continues to annihilate Triple-A pitching. Howard went 2-3 against Norfolk pitching including a walk to extend his hitting streak to 21 games.

Mark Budzinski (.280/.358/.390) also had two hits, both doubles (17), and added two RBI's (19). The Red Barons scored all three of their runs in the second inning and two came off of Budzinsi's first double.

Pedro Liriano (2-7, 4.45) went 6 2/3 innings, giving up a run on three hits and striking out two. Red Barons pitching yielded only four hits to Norfolk hitters.

Yoel Hernandez (1-1, 0.71) came in to relieve Pedro Liriano and pitched a 1 hit inning including one strikeout. Hernandez has dominated Triple-A batting in 12 2/3 innings this season.

Reading 2 vs. Harrisburg 1 (11 innings)

Jim Deschaine (.266/.360/.417) won the game for the Reading Phillies in the 11th innings by launching his 5th homerun of the season over the left field wall.

Seung Hak Lee (3-1, 1.97) pitching 6 innings in his 11th start of the season. Lee scattered 7 hits giving up only 1 run while striking out 6 and giving 2 free passes. The Reading bullpen was nearly perfect. They allowed two baserunners in five innings. Ryan Cameron (2-3, 2.80) pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings while striking out 2 and lowering his ERA to 2.80. Cameron was followed by Travis Minix (0-1, 2.40) who surrendered 1 hit in 1 inning of wor. Minix and Cameron have been the anchors of the Reading bullpen so far this season. They have both pitched over 40 innings for Reading and have continued to be consistent.

Clearwater 0 @ Fort Myers 3

The Clearwater Threshers are 15-50 this year and are 30 games out of first place. It showed last night when they scattered 6 hits and could not come up with a single run while starting pitcher Zach Segovia (1-9, 6.72) pitched 5 innings and gave up all 3 runs.

Jae Blalock (.272/.366/.387) went 1-4 as did Brad Correll (.266/.311/.385), Bryan Hansen (.219/.308/.375), and Carlos Rodriguez (.235/.316/.353).

Center fielder Brian Sellier (.228/.279/.437) added two hits for the Threshers. Amazingly, out of the 6 hits the Threshers accumulated none of them went for extra bases.

Lakewood 12 @ Delmarva 2

The Lakewood Blueclaws raced up 12 runs on 19 hits.

Designated hitter Doug Gredgvig (.308/.404/.521) hit his 8th homerun of the year while going 2-4 with 2 walks, 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored.

First basemen Michael Dzurilla (.348/.406/.511) should be due for a promotion by the end of the year. He is hitting Low-A ball pitching and should get a chance in Clearwater. Dzurilla went 3-6 last night and that included 2 doubles as well as 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's.

Maximino De La Cruz (3-7, 4.41) earned his 3rd win of the season by pitching 7 quality innings. He gave up two runs on three hits while striking out and walking 3 batters.

2005-06-16T14:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lateness of this post but better late than never.

Randy Wolf was placed on the disabled list with tendinitis in his elbow which is his third throwing elbow problem within the last two years. The Phillies team doctor recommended Tommy John surgery after looking at Wolf's MRI. Wolf will go to Birmingham, Alabama to visit Dr. James Andrews and then travel to Los Angeles to seek a third opinion from Dr. Lewis Yokum.

Robinson Tejeda will step into Wolf's rotation spot for now. Tejeda will most likely have a short leash. If Gavin Floyd was doing somewhat good in Triple-A, he'd be next in line but right now he is getting rocked down there. You have to think that with Floyd doing this bad, would Cole Hamels get a shot? Hamels would probably be in Double-A, dominating the opposing teams IF he was healthy.

Tejeda went 5 innings in his first major league start filling in for Vicente Padilla. Skipper Charlie Manuel didn't want Tejeda to stretch out his arm too much because he was primarily used in the bullpen while he has been with the major league team. Tejeda threw 81 pitches his last outing and I'd like to think that if he pitched the same way through 5 innings he'd be allowed to go longer.

Ryan Howard continues to tear up Triple-A pitching making him the biggest trade bait for the Phillies come July 31. Howard has raised his average to .371 from .291 during a 17-game hitting streak.

Pitching Moves

2005-06-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

Randy Wolf (6-4, 4.39) goes on the disabled list again with tendinitis in his throwing (left) elbow. Robinson Tejeda (0-0, 3.00) will stay in the rotation to replace Randy Wolf and Amaury Telemaco (0-1, 2.45) will be recalled from Triple-A to replace Tejeada in the bullpen.

Telemaco has appeared in 4 games for the Phillies pitching 3.2 innings while striking out 4 and walking 3. He has held opponents to a .091 batting average and will most likely be used in long relief situations or when games are not close.

Tejeda has primarily been used out of the bullpen since being called up but started on June 8th against the Texas Rangers so Vicente Padilla would not have to go on short rest. Robinson went 5 scoreless innings giving up only 2 hits while walking 2 and striking 4.

The Phillies will open a six day West Coast road trip starting in Seattle. Jon Lieber (8-4, 4.62) will take the hill for the Phillies tonight and he will be opposed by Gil Meche (5-4, 4.76).

Reliever Tim Worrell, on the 15-day DL due to personal reasons, is expected back during the first week of July at the latest. Once Worrell comes back, Telemaco is probably going to be designated for assignment again.

Jim Thome is 4-9 (1 HR) against Gil Meche.

If you're on the east coast the game will start at 10:00.

Phils, Rollins agree to 5 year, $40 million extension

2005-06-13T11:49:00.000-04:00

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins and the Philadelphia Phillies have reached a 5 year, $40 million agreement. This is a good move by the Phillies because Rollins would have been a free agent after the 2006 season and he probably would have signed somewhere else for more money.

The parameters of the contract:
$5 million signing bonus
2006- $4 million
2007- $7 million
2008- $7 million
2009- $7.5 million
2010- $7.5 million
2011- $8.5 million (club option) or $2 million buy out.

Minor League Reports for Sunday, June 12th

2005-06-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

Scranton/W-B 9 Durham 13

Starter Clay Condrey pitched 2 innings for the Red Barons giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits. Seung Hak Lee, just promoted from Double-A Reading, pitched the next 2.2 innings and did horrible. In his first game in Triple-A, Lee gave up 7 runs on 5 hits (2 were homeruns).

Ryan Howard reached base all four times at bat. Howard, batting .367/.463/.694 in Triple-A, went 2-2 with 2 walks and 2 RBI's.

Reading 6 Harrisburg 7

Michael Bourn (.269/.360/.359) hit his 3rd triple of the season while going 3-5 and driving in 2 of Reading's 6 runs.

Juan Sosa (.360/.407/.540)went 3-4 while scoring a run, driving in his 8th run, and working a walk. Since being demoted to Double-A, Sosa has been an on-base machine by getting on-base 40% of the time. I'm sure the Phillies would like to see him drive in more runs and show some more power before being promoted to Triple-A again.

Mike Smith (2-6, 3.05) pitched 6 mediocre innings but he got a no decision. He gave up 6 hits, 5 runs and didn't show much control by walking 4 and striking out 6.

Clearwater vs. Sarasota

Postponed due to rain. They will make it up as part of a double header tomorrow starting at 5:00.

Lakewood 0 West Virginia 5

Bradley Harman (.314/.386/.418) went 2-3 at the plate for Lakewood to improve his batting average to .314. Harman was also caught stealing for the 4th time this season.

First basemen Michael Dzurilla (.341/.387/.512) went 1-4, his only hit was his 13th double of the season.

Derek Griffith (2-5, 4.08) pitched 7 innings. He gave up 1 run on 7 hits and struck out 11 while only walking 1. On the season, Griffith has 59 K's and only 19 BB's but he has given up 66 hits in 64 innings of work which worries me a bit.

Matt Sweeney (0-0, 2.25) was called in to hold West Virginia but in one inning of work he gave up 4 runs (0 earned) on 3 hits while committing a throwing error.

Look for tomorrow's minor league reports at about the same time.

2005-06-09T12:17:00.000-04:00

The Phillies unloaded second basemen Placido Polanco yesterday to the Detroit Tigers for reliever Ugueth Urbina and utility infielder Ramon Martinez. The Phils added a good bullepn arm in Ugueth Urbina who will be used as a setup man to closer Billy Wagner.

Urbina has appeared in 25 games this year for the Tigers and has spent the majority of the season as their closer due to Troy Percival being on the disabled list. Ugueth has pitched in 27.1 innings giving up 21 hits and holding opponents to a .208 batting average.

He is maing $4 million in the last year of his contract.

32-year-old utility infielder Ramon Martinez was born in Philadelphia in 1972. In 19 games Martinez is batting .268/.300/.286 with no homeruns and 5 runs batted in.

Placido Polanco will take over as the starting second basemen for the Detroit Tigers and Omar Infante, their previous starter, will move to a utility role.

Robinson Tejeda made his first major league career start yesterday against the explosive lineup of the Texas Rangers. Charlie Manuel hoped that Tejeda did good and kept the Phillies in the game. Tejeda did that and more. Robinson went 5 innings surrendering 2 hits and 0 runs while giving 2 free bases and striking out 4. He also lowered his ERA to 3.00 from 4.50. Tejeda was pushed into starting so Vicente Padilla was given an extra day of rest. Padilla will start tonight against the Rangers.

The Phillies first pick in the 2005 draft has already signed. Mike Costanzo, a product of Archbishop Carroll High School, will report to Clearwater, Florida on June 13th where he will join the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League.

Ryan Howard was ranked the #12 prospect by Baseball America in their latest weekly rankings. Howard is the only Philadelphia Phillie to make the list.

Chris Roberson hit his 3rd homerun, a solo shot, of the season for the Reading Phillies in a win over Portland. Roberson, 3-4, improved his batting average to .302 and also scored a run. Roberson also stole his 12th base of the season.

Shortstop Juan Sosa has been tearing apart Double-A hitting since he was demoted on April 27th. Since joining Reading Sosa is hitting .375/.429/.656 in 35 plate appearances. Could he be this year's breakout prospect? Two of his three doubles came last night in his 3-4 effort including a 2-run homerun in the 7th inning.

Seung Hak Lee turned out a solid performance. He pitched 6 scoreless innings allowing 5 hits. Lee improved to 3-1 on the season and lowered his earned run average to 2.02.

Scott Mathieson fell to 0-2 on the season in High-A Ball. Shortstop Carlos Rodriguez had 2 of the teams 4 hits which included his 3rd homerun of the season and his 7th RBI. In 21 games, Rodriguez is batting .273/.356/.429.

In Lakewood, Nathan Johnson pitched 6 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits to earn his 5th win of the season. Johnson has only start 3 of the 18 games he has pitched in but he has a 5-2 record with a 3.11 ERA. He has shown excellent control thus far. He has 31 strikeouts compared to only 4 walks.

First basemen Michael Dzurilla continues to wreck Low-A pitching. He went 1-3 last night with a triple and 2 runs batted in. On the season Drzulli is batting .361/.401/.537 with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homeruns and 23 RBI's in 36 games. He is showing that he is a contact hitter with mediocre power but he is definitely showing that he can produce runs. Look at for Mike in the upcoming weeks.

Right fielder Ryan Frith added 2 doubles (.317/.373/.509) from the leadoff spot. Frith is also hitting the ball for Lakewood. Along with 13 doubles on the season he has added 6 homeruns and 26 runs batted in. He needs to show more patience and needs to have more control over the strike zone. Frith is striking out (44) a lot more than he walks (12) and that could be his biggest weakness.

The Phillies take on the Rangers tonight at 7!

Polanco out, Utley in.

2005-06-08T16:46:00.000-04:00

Placido Polanco was just traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for P Ugeuth Urbina and IF Ramon Martinez. More in the next edition of Future Phillies.

6th round - 18th round picks

2005-06-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't keep you up to the minute but I'll be sure to provide you with a lot of information on the Phillies draft picks in this entry of Future Phillies.

6th round (187th overall)- Justin Blaine / LHP / University of San Diego

Blaine is a 6'4'' 188 lb. junior coming out of the University of San Diego. In 19 games (18 starts), Justin compiled a 8-5 record in 116.2 innings pitched. He has showed okay control (106K/58BB) but he has given up about a hit an inning (117 hits allowed). Justin led U of SD's pitching staff in wins (8), K's (106), innings (116.2) and starts (18) and he was named to ESPN's Academic All-America team for District 8.

Blaine will need work on his control, that's a given. Scouting Director Martie Wolever is excited about grabbing two lefties in Justin Blaine and Matt Maloney (3rd round).

7th round (217th overall)- Jermaine Williams / OF / Los Angeles HS

According to MLB.com, Wolever expects to sign Williams very soon and hopes to get him started as soon possible to work with him. "He's got a chance to be something very special if it all comes together for him," Wolever said. I expect Williams to develop slowly and become a 4th or 5th outfielder in 5 years.

8th round (247th overall)- Jeremy Slayden / OF / Georgia Tech

The 6', 185 lb. right fielder was going to be drafted last year but he injured his shoulder early in the season, ending his sophomore campaign. Slayden has quick hands, good plate coverage and hits off speed pitches as well as he hits fastballs. Slayden has very good power to all fields and I'd expect him to be a surprise in a few years.

9th round- Clay Harris / 2B / Louisianna State University
10th round- Josh Outman / LHP / Central Missouri State University
11th round- Tuffy Gousewisch / C / Arizona State University
12th round- Michael Zagurski / LHP / University of Kansas
13th round- Matt Olson / RHP / Western Branch High School (VA)
14th round- Aja Barto / OF / Stratford High School (TX)
15th round- P.J. Antoniato / SS / St. John's University
16th round- Matt Edwards / 1B / Notre Dame
17th round- Ronald Hill / RHP / UNC Wilmington
18th round- Darren Byrd / RHP / Pine Forest High School (FLA)

That wraps up the first day of picks.

3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks

2005-06-07T17:14:00.000-04:00

The Phillies picked left handed pitcher Matt Maloney out of the University of Mississippi with their 3rd round pick (97th overall).

Mike Durant was the second third basemen taken by the Phillies so far this draft. He is out of Berekely High School in California and he is the 127th overall pick. Baseball America had this to say about Durant; "The Phillies drafted corner infielder Mike Durant out of Berkeley (Calif.) High in the fourth round. Durant has a huge 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame with plenty of raw power, but he is also very light on his feet and did not make an error this season. Durant is a patient hitter with a great idea of the strike zone--six of his 11 home runs this year came with two strikes. He's not fast, but he is a good, intelligent baserunner, as evidenced by his nine stolen bases in 10 attempts."

The Phils' 5th round pick (157th overall) was used on a right hand pitcher out of the College of Charleston, South Carolina, Brett Harker.

65th Overall Pick

2005-06-07T14:25:00.000-04:00

With the 65th overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft the Phillies select third basemen Michael Costanzo. Not only has Costanzo played third base but he has experience as a first basemen and a closer. He hit .379/.525/.658 this past season.

Draft Day

2005-06-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was just a practice day in posting and today will mark the first official post of the Future Phillies blog. I will be bringing up to the minute updates of the Phillies draft picks starting with their 65th pick of the draft. Stay tuned!

2005-06-06T19:22:00.000-04:00

The Phillies front office will be busy tomorrow with the first-year player draft that will start at 1 p.m. and run to approximately 6 p.m. However, the Phillies will not draft in the first round due to them forfeiting their first round pick to the New York Yankees because of the signing of "Type B" free agent pitcher Jon Lieber. The first pick they have will be the 65th overall and Mike Arbuckle has acknowledged that they will choose the best overall player available and will not be looking at just one position.

The Phillies players will be busy trying to start another win streak after their 6-game streak was snapped by the Arizona Diamondbacks today who beat the Fightin's 10-8. Cory Lidle, the Phillies starter, took the loss (5-4) as he only lasted 3 innings giving up 7 runs (6 earned) on 8 hits. 5 of those 7 runs came in the first inning which included a Shawn Green triple that scored Luis Gonzalez and Tony Clark.

The Phils got one back in the 1st and made a comeback in the 9th. The Phillies were down 10-4 going into the 9th inning. Mike Lieberthal started off the inning with his 6th hit-by-pitch of the season and pinch hitter Placido Polanco followed it up with a single to center. A ground rule double to right by Jimmy Rollins scored Lieberthal. Kenny Lofton (.391/.461/.511) went 3-5 today including a single to left that scored Polanco. Bobby Abreu struck out looking on a questionable call by the homeplate umpire and Jim Thome followed suit by looking on a called third strike that was too close to take. Chase Utley (.315/.382/.562) was the last one to deliver by singling to center and driving in Kenny Lofton and Jimmy Rollins. Pinch hitter Todd Pratt struck out swinging to end the game after Javier Lopez replaced Brian Bruney as the Diamondbacks pitcher for the last out.

The Phillies fall to 30-28 on the season and will face the dangerous batters on the Texas Rangers (32-23) tomorrow at 7:05 in Citizens Bank Ballpark. The Rangers have a .5 game lead over the L.A. Angels in the American League West.

Pitching probables for the 3 game series:
Tuesday
Ryan Drese (4-5, 6.04 ERA)
Jon Lieber (7-4, 4.54 ERA)

Wednesday
Chris Young (5-2, 3.03 ERA)
Robinson Tejeda (First start of season.)

Thursday
Pedro Astacio (2-6, 5.22 ERA)
Brett Myers (5-3, 2.24 ERA)

Robinson Tejeada will be starting on Wednesday because Charlie Manuel does not want Vicente Padilla pitching on short rest. Tejeda is a 23-year-old reliever in the major leagues who was in the rotation in Triple-A Scranton-W/B. In the bullpen this season Robinson has pitched 10 innings and has limited lefties to a .125 batting average and righties to a .118 average.

The Beginning

2005-06-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Future Phillies blog. My goal here is to give the Phillies minor league teams and players a little bit of recognition and to provide the fans with some news and updates on their favorite prospects. I will, hopefully, have daily posts that will include recaps of each minor league game for each affiliate and links to scouting reports on players, etc. It is a busy time of year right now as the draft is quickly approaching and I will provide some information on the draft as soon as possible. Right now I'll be setting up this site with some links on the side as well as an entry later today. I may not be able to post daily because I'm a busy 15 year old (yea right!). I play Legion baseball and the June schedule is very hectic but I'll try to my best to keep everyone updated on the Phillies farm system.

Dave Mullen