Monthly Archives: June 2013

Just a quick update on recent IronPigs roster changes:

• Several days ago, INF Miguel Abreu was sent back to Reading from Lehigh Valley–prior to the road trip.
• C Carlos Ruiz, on Major League Rehab over the weekend, as activated to the Phillies, and played last night.
• To make room, C Steven Lerud was optioned to AAA Lehigh Valley.
• Today, C John Suomi was reassigned to AA Reading
• OF Derrick Mitchell was promoted to the IronPigs
• 3B Maikel Franco was promoted from A+ Clearwater to AA Reading

Discussion:

Abreu was an extra INF who was promoted to help out while Cesar Hernandez was with the Phillies.  He wasn’t playing a ton in Reading with Cartwright and Duran getting much of the middle infield work.  He didn’t play much with the IronPigs, either, but had a modicum of success and was observed working hard during batting practice and infield groups on Saturday.

Ruiz looked good over the weekend.  And, while he didn’t hit the cover off the ball, did move around VERY well and reportedly felt very good.  Additional games in Reading were not necessary, and the Phillies needed his bat and his glove right away.  I think promoting him immediately was the correct decision.  As you know, Chase Utley starts rehab in Reading tonight (it was to be last night, but was scrubbed because of the weather).  He reportedly will need “several starts” but I wouldn’t count on him lasting until the IronPigs come home on Tuesday.  Reading is home through Sunday, but if I had to guess, I’d say that Chase will be in the Phillies lineup by the Mets series starting Friday at Citizens Bank Park.  I’d expect to get Michael Martinez back in the deal, unless they want to jettison another of the ineffective bullpen pieces.

And what of Carlos Zambrano?  Well, by all accounts, it sounded like he raised his game a bit last night.  He shut down a hot-hitting MudHens team, looked sharper doing it (less pitches) and was observed a few MPH faster on the gun (Toledo stadium gun).  Pettibone is scheduled to pitch Friday versus the Mets, so Z won’t be ready to jump in there.  It is assumed that if Zambrano is going to be of use to the Phillies, it would be in that spot.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  Lannan is the scheduled pitcher on Sunday when Z is due to pitch again.  Zach Miner would be available for the ‘Pigs if need be should they want to push Lannan back to get Z in the rotation.  All speculation on my part of course.  At this point, they could keep Z to start versus Columbus on Sunday early evening, call him up (would need to be signed to the Major League roster–there are several 40-man moves that could be made to make room), or release him.

We welcome back Steven Lerud.  He was not tremendously successful over the past few days in Philly, but he did have some experience up there from last season.  He’s given the IronPigs some good defense and some really good at-bats this year.  I’ve nothing against Suomi (the money), but happy to have Lerud back in the fold to go along with Rupp, who will probably get the majority of the time at C.

Our old friend Derrick Mitchell comes back to us from Reading.  He was hitting .253 with  6 HR in 51 games before breaking his hand last season.  He was really heating up when that happened, too–I remember he was kind of the hero of those Pawtucket games around the time of the day-night doubleheader last season.  He didn’t hit well when he returned, though.  Hand and wrist injuries always make me nervous for hitters.  Derrick has hit .229 with 5HR in Reading this season, but has had to share time with Gillies, Collier, and Hewitt.

I added the Franco transaction, because he could be a reason to make the drive to Reading.  He’s a top-5 kind of prospect rising up the system at 3B putting pressure on Cody Asche (who’s responded well, of course).  He leads all Phillies minor league-ers with 16 HR in Clearwater.  It will be interesting to see how he does in the usually HR-friendly Reading park.

See you at the park tonight for softball!

@Kram209

I’m looking backward.  I’m looking forward.  My head’s on a swivel and here’s what I’ve got for this June Tuesday:

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IronRail Update:

The IronPigs prevailed in the first series versus our upstate rivals taking 3 of 4 games this past weekend.  We now lead the Rail Porcupines 3-1, with 12 games yet to play.  First one to 9 gets the IronRail trophy for the year–and if it’s a tie it’ll all come down to the August 31 matchup at Coca Cola Park.  I’m really into this trophy thing, and here’s why:

1. We’ve taken it pretty hard from them over the years.  It’s time for a changing of the guard.
2. It gives a “College Football” -type feel to the rivalry.
3. Any kind of hardware is good.  I’m assuming Kurt will let the season ticket holders barrow the trophy for 24hrs each.  Right? (probably not…)
4. It adds a layer of competition beyond the league standings.  Even a last-place team can win a trophy.  That’s cool, right?
5. It’ll be nice for the Yankees’ fans to NOT get to win all the time.  There were plenty of them at Coca Cola Park this past weekend, all decked out in their Yankees attire and not at all quiet about their support for the Shoulda-Been-Trolley-Frogs.  Not one of them had RailRiders gear.  It’s not the real Yankees.  If I see a true RailRiders fan from the Wyoming Valley visiting in their RailRiders jersey, I will be sure to welcome them to Coca Cola Park as a good host should.  God Bless.  Cheer for your team as loudly as you like.  But if you’re a local Yankees fan just showing up to be obnoxious?  Forget it.  We want the trophy.  I hope they make T-Shirts for us to sport.  (We usually get some of this from the local Red Sox faithful, as well.)

What I don’t care about:

1. Cross-dressing General Managers who may or may not be able to sing.  Although, now that I think about it, if (Rail-Yankee GM) Rob Crain has to sing “Swing it Like an Iron Pig” that might be OK.  Let him wear regular clothes, though.  Or, maybe an IronPigs jersey and a pig nose.  Let him hold an Aw-Shucks corn in one hand and a pork sandwich in the other.  I could be OK with that.  

Other stuff from the weekend:

We did film the first episode of “NoiseNationTV’s Wide World of Pigs.”  The video is in the editing room right now.  We’ll get it out as soon as we can.  The players were great.  The host, maybe not so much.

I visited the Tiki for the post-game party on Saturday night.  I admit, I wasn’t in the best mood after the beating we took, but it was a nice time.  Players and their guests were around.  It is very casual.  It’s too bad there aren’t any bathrooms in the vicinity.

A fellow fan (Ed) Saturday night said, “Once we get behind, it’s like the team gives up.”  But, on Sunday the team did rally for a walk-off win to take the series.  It was good to see.  It was also a lot of fun to throw the ball on the field with the kiddos after the game; that’s got to be one of my favorite things about the past two seasons.  It’s too bad there aren’t any bathrooms out on the field (kidding!).

I sampled a couple of the sandwiches this past home-stand at the Pig Stop.  All good.  Kudos to the new chef.

About Last Night:

The ‘Pigs took the lead in Toledo last night 4-1 on a monster home run by Leandro Castro.  It didn’t hold up as Tyler Cloyd re-adjusts to AAA hitters following his outstanding turn with the Phillies.  I think he’ll be back up there soon enough, as I’ll chalk the 8 runs up to adjustment.  Jermaine Mitchell (the “J-Train”) added a homer late, but seven straight K’s by the good guys and we couldn’t complete the comeback.  The final was 8-6.  Greg Smith and JC Ramirez combined for 3 2/3 scoreless to give the ‘Pigs a chance.  Overbeck and Mitchell had good games at the plate.  Old buddy Mike Cervenak came up a triple short of the cycle to do his old club some damage.

Tonight:

Carlos Zambrano gets another AAA start as he tries to make his case for a return to the Majors–for the Phillies or elsewhere.  He’ll face another old friend of ours, veteran lefty Pat Misch.  He’s 2-3 on the year sporting a 5.36 ERA.  We’ve hit leftys reasonably well this season I think, so I’m hopeful for a win this evening.  (note:  I looked it up, and we’ve a losing record against lefty starters.  But, it’s been my observation that we’ve hit them reasonably well, and we can stack the lineup with big right-handed bats.  We’ll see.  Misch used to destroy us when he was with Buffalo, though.  Hmmff.)

Looking further ahead:

As far as I can tell, Professional FastPitch Softball is still “on” for Wednesday and Thursday at Coca Cola Park.  There hasn’t been a lot of coverage of it so far, so perhaps we can get you some more information.  I know many from the ‘Nation are going to be there to support the teams and see the park transformation for softball.  More news to come.

See you at the (softball) park,

@Kram209

Hey NoiseNation!  Happy Flag Day!  Go put your flag out right now, if you haven’t done so already.  I’ll wait.

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Ok, now that we’ve taken care of that, lets talk IronPigs.  We’ll put aside the fact that the ‘Pigs are now 34-32, two games above .500 on the season.  Put aside that the ‘Pigs are on an 8-2 run over their last 10 games.  Put aside rehab starts and media hub-bub.  Never mind that the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Rail-Yankee-Frogs are 29-35 and in second-last place, only two games above Syracuse.  None of that matters.  All that matters is the trophy.  And the ‘Pigs took the first step toward securing the coveted IronRail.

As we learned yesterday, we’ve got something else to play for now.  We’ve got to take 9 of the 16 games vs. the Trolley Yankees to win the hardware.  If the series is tied 8-8, the trophy goes to the winner of the final meeting: Saturday 8/31 at Coca Cola Park.  Yesterday we took the first step towards our ultimate goal.  The ‘Pigs need a trophy–and I’m not conceding the Governor’s Cup–but I think we’ve got a good shot at this one, this year.  I’m not underestimating the competition, though.  Rail Frogs manager Dave Miley is one of the best in the IL.  Every year I think he’s got a weaker team, and every year he’s winning the division.

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About Last Night: 4-2 win

The IronPigs had runners on base all evening thanks to the generosity of the Porcupine pitchers.  In many cases, we were unable to push the runners across.  Darrin Ruf, breaking a homer-less drought, and Cody Overbeck, now tied for second all-time for IronPigs homers, hit oppo shots to right field to put the team in position for the win.  New catcher Cameron Rupp provided a couple hits and a couple RBI to secure the win.  It was good to see Cesar Hernandez back in town and playing ball.  It wasn’t a big deal to me that he got to spend some time with the big club, but it was about time to come back.

Oh, you want to hear more about Carlos Zambrano?  Meh.  Well, it was more of the same thing that we saw the other night in Reading.  He’s not throwing terribly hard, but he can mix 4-5 pitches and throw them all for strikes.  Sometimes.  He went deeper in counts last night and go himself into some trouble with walks. Ultimately, he did enough to win the AAA game, but there won’t be many Walter Ibarras to strike out in the big leagues.  I’m still not sure he offers any advantage over John Lannan (starting for the Phils on Monday in Philadelphia), Jon Pettibone (due to pitch tomorrow for the Phils in Colorado), or Tyler Cloyd (fresh off 5IP, 6H, 1ER Wed vs. Min; now with the ‘Pigs and a possible starter for us Monday in Toledo).  We’ll see if the Phillies keep him around for another AAA start or if they release him.  I’m OK with either.  I doubt that they’ll keep him until his July 1 opt out; he’s been saying he’s ready for a couple weeks which tells me he doesn’t think he can do any better.

JC Ramirez, Justin Friend, and Cesar Jimenez were able to mop things up in a sometimes driving rain.  Friend, in particular, who escaped a bases-loaded 1-out jam much to the consternation of Yankee fans-turned-porcupine-supporters in the club level.  We haven’t had one of these “game played in the rain” things for a while.  It was kinda fun.

DiPro and I got a chance to talk some ‘Pigs on the radio with host John Skudris afterwards.  I don’t know how often he’ll open the phone lines, but check out the post-game show when you can, and maybe call in.  He’s a good guy, and he knows his stuff.

What’s On Tap:

Friday Night:

Fireworks after the game, Boy Scouts are sleeping over, Cuban Panini at the Pig Stop (I miss wings, but I’ll live), and young Ethan Martin on the mound to face veteran RHP Chris Bootcheck.  30% chance of a passing thundershower at game time.  Possibility of a quick, no frills, impromptu tailgate pre-game–monitor Twitter for updates.

Saturday Night:

It’s alright for fighting.  Whatever.  Phanatic will be in town.  Somebody remind him to watch out for foul balls.  I imagine there will be music and fun at the Tiki after the game, as that’s been well-received to this point.  I might even stop by.  “The Situation” at the pig stop.  No not the goofball from….whatever he was from.  Grilled Chicken, Marinara, Mozzarella Sandwich.  Raul Valdes on the mound versus LHP David Huff (3-1, 3.73).  Oh, and Carlos Ruiz will be in town for a rehab–wouldn’t be surprised to see him as the DH, or perhaps just play a few innings.  The weather should be nice, and there’s a chance this game will feature the debut of the NoiseNation TV Wide World of Pigs.  Details to come.

Sunday Afternoon:

It’s Father’s Day, and the first 2,000 men 18+ will get ‘Pigs bucket caps.  They look pretty cool.  I imagine Chooch will stick around for this game, and will play longer/more than Saturday, then head to Reading when the ‘Pigs leave for Ohio.  You can throw the ball with your Dad on the field after the game.  Or, your kids.  Or, other people’s kids. 😉  No pegging.  Tom Cochran (really) will be on the mound to face Frog Yanker Ivan Nova (2-0, 2.45).  Sausage sandwiches at the PigStop.  Chance of afternoon thundershowers.

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That’s how it all stacks up. I’d love to see us get a few more wins out of this before we head to Ohio to face league-worst Toledo.  That’s always a dangerous proposition; you’ve got to get your wins when you can, and even the weakest team can get hot.  We’ll monitor the pitching carousel and see who gets on the bus:  Cloyd? Zambrano? Pettibone?  The Utley return is on the horizon as well, but I’m not sure how much rehab he’s going to need.  I’m not holding my breath for a visit; the ‘Pigs don’t return until Tues 6/25.  We may see the return of Super Mart at that point.

See you at the park,

@Kram209

Old Friend D-Mitch Triples in the Winning Run in Game 2; Photo (c) Kram;
Hey, don’t steal these photos without giving us credit; you know who you are!

As you know, I’ve been sniffing around this Zambrano thing for some time.  With the ‘Pigs not due back in town until Saturday, I grabbed some prime Reading seats for Friday night- earlier in the week when the evidence was overwhelming that he would have a start there.  Then the rains came.  Without as many suites to worry about, Reading is pretty good about cancelling games in advance, and sure enough we heard at 4PM Friday that there would be no Friday game.  No matter, I figured.  Perhaps he’ll be at Coca Cola Park on Saturday.

Even if the Zambrano start was Saturday in Reading, I figured I would be in Allentown nevertheless–not wanting to break my perfect attendance record for this season.  However, when the doubleheader was announced for Saturday in Reading–Biddle starts game one, Zambrano starts game two–it was too much for a baseball junkie to resist.  Rather than try to exchange our Friday tickets, I just grabbed a couple Saturday early AM to guarantee a good spot to take some pictures.

Now, to follow up on DiPro’s post:  This isn’t so much scouting as it is observing and reporting.  I don’t pretend to be able to evaluate these guys and I didn’t get a chance to talk to them.  But, I did pass by a Holiday Inn Express on the way there, so there’s that.  Oh and one other thing:  I’m no Cheryl Pursell, so these photos are what they are.  You’re lucky I didn’t take them with my darn phone.

Up first, Jesse Biddle:

Biddle Deals
Photo (c) Kram

Biddle Release
Photo (c) Kram

Biddle Follows Through
Photo (c) Kram

This just in:  Jesse Biddle is REALLY good.  The lefty sat 92 with the fastball all the way through the seventh inning.  And, I’m not talking 90-93; it was 92 exactly all night on the stadium gun, save once I saw him 93 and once MPS saw him 94.  The curve was devastating at 69-74.  Many Harrisburg hitters were completely fooled.  There’s a change or slider in there too.  He can throw it for a strike, but the fastball control and the awesome curve are where it’s at.  He left one fastball over the meat of the plate and got hurt for a homer.  It was the only run of the game for either team as the Fightins lost 1-0.  The competitive spirit is there too:  This morning’s press quotes had him haunted by that one pitch:  “It’ll bother me for five days,” he said.  Plus, the R-Fightin’s are giving him good training in receiving no run support, so there’s that.

I don’t know when young Jesse will arrive in Allentown.  It could be August.  It could be next April.  It could be he’ll make the big club out of camp in March 2014 and we’ll never see him.  I just don’t know.  All I know is:  He’s the real deal, and there’s a reason he’s the number one prospect in the Phillies’ system by all sources.

Up next:  Carlos Zambrano

The Z Reaches Back
Photo (c) Kram

He Deals
Photo (c) Kram

And, Fires
Photo (c) Kram

The Z is a big man.  And I don’t mean tall.  Jesse Biddle is tall.  Z is BIG.  Oh, the newspaper this morning said “slimmed down.”  Whatev.  He’s big.  And his throwing motion is effortless.  Oh, he was trying–his numbers demonstrate his success.  But it didn’t seem like he was really reaching back. That’s good I suppose.  His fastball sat 87-89 most of the night.  He touched 91 once on the stadium gun but that pitch went to the backstop, and I don’t blame Valle.  He used all four of his pitches:  fastball, curve, sinker and slider.  And he threw them all for strikes.  But it didn’t feel dominating, and just as with Biddle, he made a mistake–this time a curve–and the Harrisburg batter made him pay with a homer.

My feeling was that he’s got more work to do.  He’s been saying to the press for a couple weeks now that he’s “ready.”  For what?  MLB hitters will creme some of that junk he was dealing.  Maybe not all the time, but at this juncture, more than Cloyd.  And that’s the standard, right?  He’s got to be at least better than Tyler Cloyd to make the Phillies starting rotation.  Not to mention that John Lannan will start for Reading on Wednesday.

So what’s next for Carlos Zambrano?  Well, I see him starting for the IronPigs on Thursday.  Then I see him travelling to Ohio for the Toledo/Columbus trip, and a couple starts there.  But after that?  He’ll probably get released if he cannot prove that he’s better than Cloyd/Pettibone/Lannan.  Anything can happen, though, and Pettibone had a bad outing today, so stay tuned.

I forgot to mention:  Zambrano likes to HIT:

Case-Z at the Bat
Photo (c) Kram

Old Friends:

Sebastian Valle caught for the second game, Zambrano.  As per usual, he did fine behind the plate.  He also didn’t impress at the bat.  As I mentioned above, Derrick Mitchell hit the game-winning triple in game two.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up with us if the need arises, but his stats don’t demand it.  He remains a class act, though, and a leadership influence for the young Reading outfield.  Friend-of-the-blog Tyson Gillies started the second game in center field and did well defensively, but struggled at the plate.  Recent game notes tell us he’s been doing well for Reading, though, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in the Lehigh Valley, either, should an opening present.

The Prospects:

The young outfield I alluded to before consists of former first-round picks Zach Collier and Anthony Hewitt.  Neither did anything remarkable when DiPro and I visited Reading earlier this season, so I was anxious to see them again.

Collier Swing and Miss
Photo (c) Kram

Zach Collier was the more intriguing prospect to me.  He’s missed some time with injuries and suspension, but blistered Florida State League pitching for a time last summer with Clearwater. There was a point then when I was calling for him to be moved to Reading so that Leandro Castro could be moved to Lehigh Valley.  Over the winter, Zach crushed Arizona Fall League pitching to the point where the Phillies had to add him to the 40-man roster for fear that he would be snatched by another team.  However, that success has not translated to the usually hitter-friendly confines of First Energy Field in Reading.  He’s not done well, and did not impress Saturday night, either.  He played in only the first game and did well on a couple of tough center field plays defensively.  I’m not hopeful at this point.

Hewitt
Photo (c) Kram

Anthony Hewitt has been hallmark evidence for Phillies draft watchers as to the Phils Phailures in the draft of late.  He’s an exceptional athlete who may or may not develop into a baseball player.  This is probably a make-or-break season for him as he advances to Reading without having excelled at any level below.  But now, well, perhaps the light has switched to “ON.”  His stats look better all the time and he made two “star-worthy” plays in right field on the night.  He also had a couple key hits.  I have to say that I was more impressed with Hewitt than Collier despite having the opposite impression prior.

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Reading does a nice job with their games.  The feel is more “small town; small time,” but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It’s always a fun time there, and Saturday was no exception. The food was good, the beer was cold, and the staff were friendly.  We also discovered that it’s only 8 minutes more to Reading than to Coca Cola Park from our house.  Golly.  It’s a much different drive, but we should probably go more often.  Plus, I have those rain checks to cash in…

See you  at the park,

@Kram209