From the IronPigs Media Dept.
Behind the Major League arm of the Cliff Lee and three relievers with MLB experience, the Triple-A Phillies won their second straight game in shutout fashion, defeating the Pirates 4-0 Monday afternoon in Clearwater.
Lee, who pitched with the Triple-A team to keep on normal schedule, tossed six innings, allowing just four hits and striking out nine without walking a batter. Justin De Fratus pitched the seventh, striking out one, Cesar Jimenez walked a batter in a scoreless eighth and Jake Diekman faced the minimum three batters in the ninth.
Offensively, INF Cody Asche and C Tommy Joseph collected two hits apiece, while INF Cesar Hernandez singled, scored and drove in two. OF Derrick Mitchell went 1-for-3, capping the Phillies six-hit attack while Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-2, but walked and scored as the team improved to 3-1-1.
The 22-year-old Asche had a breakout year in 2012, his second season in professional baseball. Starting the season at Advanced-A Clearwater, the corner infielder was named a Florida State League midseason All-Star, posting a line of .349-2-25 in 62 games. The Phillies number seven prospect according to Baseball America then earned a promotion to Double-A Reading, finishing at .300-10-47 in 68 games. In eight games in MLB Spring Training this year, the University of Nebraska product went 5-for-14 in eight games.
The Phillies and Pirates are back in action again today, this time traveling to Bradenton with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
UNOFFICIAL BOX SCORE
Teams R H E LOB
PIT 0 5 1 5
TEAM 4 6 0 5
Lineup AB R H RBI
1. CASTRO, LEANDRO-RF 4 0 0 1
2. HERNANDEZ, CESAR-2B 4 1 1 2
3. ASCHE, CODY-3B 4 0 2 0
4. JOSEPH, TOMMY-C 3 0 2 0
5. FIELDS, JOSH-1B 1 0 0 0
6. MITCHELL, DERRICK-CF 3 0 1 0
7. MARTINEZ, MICHAEL-SS 3 0 0 0
ROLLINS, JIMMY-SS 2 1 0 0
8. HEWITT, ANTHONY-LF 3 1 0 0
SUSDORF, STEVEN-LF 1 0 0 0
9. KRATZ, ERIK-DH 3 0 0 0
GILLIES, TYSON-PH 0 1 0 0
RBI- HERNANDEZ 2 (2), CASTRO (3). SB-GILLIES (1).
Pitchers IP H R ER BB KO
1. LEE, CLIFF 6.0 4 0 0 0 9
2. DE FRATUS, JUSTIN 1.0 1 0 0 1 1
3. JIMENEZ, CESAR 1.0 0 0 0 1 0
4. DIEKMAN, JACOB 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
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