Category Archives: Lehigh Valley IronPigs

August 25, 2013 · 5:34 pm

How Important is Tomorrow’s @Ironpigs Doubleheader?

It’s VERY important!

As of this moment the IronPigs defeated the Buffalo Bison leveling the two team’s records at 69-66.

Rochester lost to Indianapolis. While maintaining their Wild Card lead this loss cuts the IronPigs to 2.5 behind.

Between Rochester and the IronPigs are the Norfolk Tide. The Tide at 70-64 have long been eliminated from their division contest are 6-4 in their last 10 contests. They are fighting hard and have a 1.5 game lead over the Pigs and Bison for the only wild card spot in the International League Playoffs. Pawtucket seems to be in solid control of first place going 8-2 over their last 10.

Tomorrow is huge for the Pigs.

Win both against Buffalo at home and they push Buffalo nearly out of contention. A double win would also take away that half game between the Pigs and Norfolk/Rochester.

Combined with Norfolk and Rochester losses tonight and tomorrow the IL Wild Card standings could look like this:

Rochester 72 wins 65 losses Leader
IronPigs 71 wins 66 losses 1 game back
Norfolk 70 wins 66 losses 1.5 games back
Buffalo 69 wins 68 losses 3 games back

Granted there are only 7 games remaining but the IronPigs would be in a good spot to jump over Buffalo and Norfolk then keep winning and hoping that Rochester takes some losses from one last game against Indianapolis, 2 games with Syracuse, 4 with Buffalo and 2 with Scranton Wilkes Barre. Indianapolis has helped the Pigs gain ground but Rochester could easily handle the rest of their schedule.

It’s plain and simple at this point. The Pigs aren’t a long shot, nor is this a weak but unlikely scenario. It’s not even a win and they’re in thing. The Pigs need to win and Rochester and Norfolk need to lose.

I’m not too worried about Norfolk. They have a tougher schedule than Rochester does when they face Durham, Charlotte and Gwinnett with 6 of their last 8 games on the road.

The Pigs can do this. The Phillies have accepted their status as rebuilding. Hopefully they can get a few good solid starts in there and the bullpen comes through. With Tyler Cloyd returning it will certainly be a boost to the staff.

I’m hopeful, but I still haven’t purchased a post season ticket plan yet… yet.

Sal Rende, A Stopwatch & …..

This photo has us at the Noise Nation intrigued. Each game Sal Rende pulls out a stopwatch and shares the results with IronPig’s GM Kurt Landes. Happens at the same time each game.

So we decided to have a quiz!

Inquiring minds want to know! Photo by Cheryl Pursell

“At what point of the IronPig’s game does Sal Rende use a Stopwatch and for what?”

Leave your best guess in the comments below!

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Filed under CherylPursellsPhotos, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

August 19, 2013 · 12:10 pm

‘Mr. Baseball’, A Godsend To The Ironpigs

2013 was supposed to be the year the young arms in the Phillies farm system arrived in AAA. It was supposed to be a sneak peak into the Phillies future. But things never seem to go as planned. With Jonathan Pettibone and Tyler Cloyd being summoned to Philadelphia and Adam Morgan going on the DL, the young and promising starting rotation for the 2013 Ironpigs was suddenly in need of replacements. It was with little fanfare that the Philadelphia Phillies signed left-handed pitcher Greg Smith to a free agent contract on May 6, 2013. Smith had been signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in December but he never pitched in a major league or minor league game for them.

Nobody knew what to expect from the 29 year old left hander, in fact, nobody knew anything about this Greg Smith guy. He was a 5th round draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 out of LSU and made it to the major leagues 3 years later. His 8-18 career record didn’t open any eyes but the Phillies needed arms to fill a minor league pitching staff and Greg Smith was a pitcher looking for a job.

When Greg Smith was a senior in high school, he allowed just 1 earned run in 60 innings pitched. His 9-0 record and 0.12 ERA earned him the title “Mr. Baseball” in the state of Louisiana for the 2002 season. He became a standout pitcher at LSU and in 2005 became a team ace. He won 10 games for the Tigers that year and won 7 of his last 8 starts. During that stretch he threw 28.2 consecutive scoreless innings. He was the first LSU pitcher to throw back to back shutouts since Ben McDonald did it in 1989 (McDonald went on to be the overall 1st pick in the 1989 draft). Smith made the All Southeast Conference 1st Team in 2005 and was a 3rd Team All-American.

Although he had always been a starter, when he arrived with the Ironpigs, it wasn’t immediately clear if he was going to be a starter or a middle innings guy in the bullpen. He also spent some time as a starter at Reading before settling in with the Ironpigs. Although he was just 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA as a relief pitcher, Greg Smith has now made 11 starts for the Ironpigs and is 7-1 with a 1.68 ERA in those 11 starts. Factor in his relief appearances and his record with the Ironpigs is 8-2 2.43. He has walked just 9 batters in over 64 innings as a starter and has allowed just 3 home runs. His only loss came August 5 at Charlotte when he allowed 5 earned runs in just 3.1 innings. It has been his only start in which he allowed more than 2 earned runs.

With Ethan Martin now pitching for the Phillies I think it’s safe to say that Greg Smith has become the ace of the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs pitching staff. Not too shabby for a guy nobody heard of when he was signed back on May 6. At a time of the season when every game is important, Greg Smith has been a godsend.

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Filed under From the Desk of Decal, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

August 18, 2013 · 9:02 pm

Vast Valley of Sports: “The Day of Dipro”

We at the Noise Nation have been busy! They say pictures can be worth a 1,000 words and we wondered how many words a video would be worth…?

Enjoy!

3 Comments

Filed under CherylPursellsPhotos, DiPro's Dish, Kram's Korner - From the Club Level, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Noise Nation History

August 17, 2013 · 5:33 pm

The Day in Pictures 8/16/2013

I’ll try to explain when necessary, but these Cheryl Pursell photos are her story and are presented with minimal Kram-verbiage interruption. They are all courtesy and copyright, Cheryl Pursell:

The afternoon started with some news…

Good Bye Uncle Charlie, Hello Ryno

DiPro Warms Up

DiPro at the bat

I don’t wanna say Pete Orr was pitching slowly, but…

Look Out Freddy! There’s a new SHORTstop in town…

PreGame

DiPro First Pitch

Cody and Pete

Greg Smith

Greg Smith Brings It

Orr at Leadoff

Rupp Guns

Out By Freddy

Cesar Bunt

Freddy!

Cesar, legs look all right!

Josh with the RBI. Wonder if he likes Reubens?

Overbeck

OUT!

What?!? No Really!

Castro Loads Up

Rupp Drills

Gillies!

Cesar!

TShirt Launch

Seventh Inning — I have no idea…

Friend, Clutch!

Robles Rocks

Robles, Save, Fist Pump

Victory Pigs Fly!

Thanks, Cheryl. We love them!

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Filed under CherylPursellsPhotos, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

August 17, 2013 · 1:48 pm

One Game at a Time

“This is it. (This is it.)
This is life, the one you get so go and have a ball.
This is it. (This is it.)
Straight ahead and rest assured you can’t be sure at all.

So while you’re here enjoy the view.
Keep on doing what you do
So hold on tight we’ll muddle through
One [game] at a time, (One [game] at a time.)

So up on your feet. (Up on your feet)
Somewhere there’s [baseball] playing.
Don’t you worry none we’ll just take it like it comes.
One [game] at a time, (One [game] at a time.)”

–TV Theme, “One Day at a Time”

Hold on tight is right. The IronPigs held on for the series win in yet another one-run game. The total team effort was highlighted by Greg Smith with another quality start, and bull-pen contributions which held the pesky Chiefs down while the ‘Pigs mounted a late come-back. Tyler Henson, belly sated by Black Forest Deli Reuben (#ReubenForRuns) pinch-hit a bunt which led to an error and “run(s) scored.”

It was a crazy day for the NoiseNation Staff. We had a little extra access, the results of which you’ll see dripping in probably through the off season even. Once again, we thank Matt Sutor and Matt Provence for the privilege. Stay tuned.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

The Game in Pictures: Cheryl had photo access throughout the evening, and took full advantage. I’ll post a bunch.
DiPro at the Bat: Yesterday was DiPro’s special day. We have the photos, video, and interviews to prove it.
Remembering Charlie: No, he’s not dead. But everyone else is sharing their memories, and I’ll share mine as well. I’ll always remember where I was when I got the news…
More NoiseNationTV!

Until then, let’s take it one game at a time! The win last night gained us a game in the IL North standings, but our WildCard rank remains the same.

We’ve got two in Moosic against the evil TrolleyRiders, then two more with them here on Monday and Tuesday. Still no word on what will happen in Philly on Tuesday for Lannan’s start. It could be Pettibone. It could be Cloyd. It could be Halladay. Stay tuned for that news as well.

Until then, I’ll see you online (I’m not going to Moosic),

@Kram209

Parting Shot: Here’s a photo of the coveted IronRail Trophy, as seen on Twitter from GM Landes and GM Crain last night. Stare at it. Will the IronPigs to win it!

Ooooh….iron rail….come to Allentown please….

Bonus Content: Here’s the song from above…

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Filed under Kram's Korner - From the Club Level, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

August 16, 2013 · 11:14 am

Friday Update; IronPigs Playoff Picture; 8/16/2013

“The hardest thing to do in baseball is to hit a round baseball with a round bat, squarely.”

– Ted Williams

David Buchanan dealing.
Photo (c) Cheryl Pursell

The IronPigs dropped a very winnable game last night 2-1. They managed only six hits, and despite getting help from 2 Chief errors, were 0-10 with runners in scoring position. It’s a shame, because it was a waste of another nice start from recent call-up David Buchanan. I didn’t get to see much of him pitching, but the numbers speak for themselves: 6 1/3 IP, 6H, 2 R/ER, 3BB, 3K for a 1.77 ERA at this point. Jay Johnson gave up a wounded duck on which scored an inherited runner. JC Ramirez and the now-called-up BJ Rosenberg held things down to give the ‘Pigs a chance. Ruppy and Gillies each had two hits and were on base with two outs at the end. Gillies has been hitting near .300 since his return from Reading and has his average up to .224.

Jay Johnson
Photo (c) Cheryl Pursell

It was a key play in the game. I thought he was out, too. So did Brundage. Replay discussion continues…
Photo (c) Cheryl Pursell

Playoff Picture:

The IronPigs are 4.5 games back of the Rochester RedWings for the top spot in the International League North, with 18 games to play. Also ahead of the IronPigs are the recently resurgent Pawtucket RedSox who have won 5 in a row, and are 2.0 games back. The Buffalo Bisons are 3.5 games back.

In the Wild Card race, Pawtucket is in the lead, with the Tides 1.0 games back and the Bisons 1.5 games back. The IronPigs are 2.5 games back.

What to cheer for?

Obviously, for the IronPigs to win. The ‘Cuse has been a bad match-up for the ‘Pigs thus far, but we really need this game tonight. We’ve got to take at least 3 of 4 from the struggling Rail-U-Pines over the home and home upcoming.

We’d like the teams above us to lose, as well. We’ve got the tiebreak against Norfolk, but cheering for them to lose is pretty easy. What about the other IL North teams, though? What if they play each other?

Well, Buffalo worries me the least. We’ve got the most head-to-head against them, and will have the opportunity to knock them out. (And, if we can’t, well, we don’t deserve a spot, then.) We’ve got a couple against Pawtucket, too, and we’ve played them very very well. I’ve been directing my negative cheering mostly towards Rochester.

See the entire standings here

Bonus Picture: I hope Lindsey knows that the strange Phanatic species reproduces by…

Please Practice Safe Phanaticism
Photo (c) Cheryl Pursell

See you at the park,

@kram209

Replay

“The [Replay] is in charge of finding treasure in the dark”

-“The Reflex” Duran Duran

One thing I forgot to mention in the previous post: It seems video replays are up on the big board after most significant game plays. It’s really nice. We enjoyed this when we visited Scranton in July.

Does anyone know the genesis of this? Is it our friend Ryan and SECTV? The folks in the booth?

In any case, thanks. I enjoy it and it adds to the big-league feel of the park.

As long as I’m handing out compliments: The field design was nice, too. The grounds crew had a vote on SpaceBook, and the most complex design won. The infield looked great! Kudos!

@Kram209

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Filed under Coca Cola Park, Kram's Korner - From the Club Level, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

August 15, 2013 · 12:04 pm

Cloyd Deals; Pigs Fly

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me BACK IN!”

– The Godfather, Part 3

Hi, My name’s Kram, and I’ve got an IronPigs problem…

<<HI KRAM!>>

I’ve been ready to check out on this IronPigs team a couple times over the past month. It’s easier when I’m not at the park–and better for me emotionally if I’m not living and dying with my minor league team. After winning three out of four (and it should have been four of four) in Gwinnett and with the return home, I talked myself back into it. Last night stoked the fire. I’ve only got one good arm, but I’ve managed to pull myself back onto the bandwagon.

About Last Night

Tyler Cloyd, dealing last night.
Photo courtesy Cheryl Pursell

Tyler Cloyd was the story in the 4-1 ‘Pigs win. Complete game. Only three hits. Only one walk. Only one run. 116 pitches. 80 strikes. 7 strikeouts. And a key bunt, to boot. With John Lannan’s injury last night in Philly (knee, probably out for the year) it was easy to connect the dots and put Tyler back on the Phillies in five days. We’ll see, of course. But if this is the last of Tyler Cloyd at Coca Cola Park, let me be the first to say, “It’s been a great ride. Thank you. And, best of luck.” And if he remains, then it feels really good to have him anchor the rotation for the stretch run. He’s a class act. He’s overcome the adversity he faced earlier this season, and returned to form–or better. I’m happy to call myself a fan of his.

Pete Orr–another class act–played a key role in the win as well. He had several nice plays at 2B, and a key “hustle” double which lead to a run. Here’s an excellent piece by our friend Chuck Hixson at PhillyBaseballInsider.com (follow him on Twitter at: @PHLBaseballNsdr): http://phillybaseballinsider.com/?p=942

He talks about Pete Orr and Tyler Cloyd, trying to get back to the Big Leagues.

The Halladay start with GCL Phillies tonight is interesting too, for it may mean he takes Lannan’s spot on Tuesday versus Colorado, rather than Cloyd. Or, it may mean a rehab with us on Tuesday. We’ll see. God forbid, no setbacks.

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

David Buchanan’s Coca Cola Park debut. The 24yo Right Hander has been nothing short of excellent in his first two AAA starts. First he shut down Scranton in Moosic, then he continued it on the road in Gwinnett. He’s now 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in AAA. I look forward to seeing him pitch tonight!

On Tap:

Horn and Bell staff will be out in force at tomorrow’s game with some special coverage. Stay tuned. A couple of us may also make the run up to Moosic for Saturday’s game. I’ve still got a post on the way from our last trip up there. Go Pigs!

See you at the park,

Kram209

Bonus Content. Find Nick:

photo (c) Cheryl Pursell

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Filed under CherylPursellsPhotos, Kram's Korner - From the Club Level, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Tagged as aaa playoff race, David Buchanan, Pete Orr, Roy Halladay, Tyler Cloyd

August 14, 2013 · 12:49 pm

Three-Set with the ‘Cuse Starts Tonight

“It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled,
It’s been a long time since I did the Stroll.
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,
Let me get it back, baby, where I come from. “

–Led Zeppelin

It feels kinda like opening day today. Yeah, but warmer. I missed the Rochester series because I was out of town, so I haven’t been at the Coke since Sunday, July 21–the tailgate day.

Not a ton has changed, though. A couple blips on the roster. The PawSox continue to tank, and the ‘Pigs remain a few games back of the division as well as the wild card. The starting rotation is really pretty good–even veteran Tommy Cochran had a nice start on getaway day in Gwinnett. Cloyd, Buchanan and Smith, the starters for this series, have all been strong. Young Morgan is back, and pitching fairly well. The bull pen, however, has been less strong. There have been some good outings, to be sure. But, some missed opportunities (for wins), too. The hitting’s been pretty good. Overbeck and Fields have been holding down the middle of the order quite nicely, and Susdorf is no slouch taking over from Asche in the three spot. Tyson Gillies continues to gain acceptance–and make things happen on the base paths. Cesar Hernandez is getting healthy.

So I’m saying there’s a chance. We can look at match-ups and whatnot all we want, but the fact is, the IronPigs have to go out and win some ball games. Some of the weaker teams might get hot. Some of the stronger teams may lose players and begin doing poorly. The IronPigs have the opportunity to take care of business. No, the Phillies won’t be helping us (much). But maybe they’ll leave us alone. Perhaps they’ll give us a Halladay start on rehab.

(Aside: Halladay is scheduled to pitch Thursday in Clearwater for the GCL rookie-league Phils. If everything goes OK, his next turn would be Tuesday August 20, when the ‘Pigs are home versus the RailFrogs. Reading is in Altoona that day. I’d assume the Phillies would want him to face more advanced hitters the second time out. But, you never know. Also, I loved Halladay’s quote about coming back, and about rehab starts. He said something to the effect: “I don’t want to just come back to pitch. I want to pitch to win. And I don’t just mean for the Phillies, but in my rehab starts as well.” That wasn’t the exact quote, but it was my take on it. The guy’s an incredible competitor; I’d love to have him for a game…)

And the other teams have to play games, too. Sometimes, against each other. The opportunity is there. Let’s go out and cheer the team to some home wins and leave it all out in the stadium for 2013.

Here’s what’s happening at the park:

Wednesday: Renew Your Vows Day

Thursday: Phanatic

Friday: Fireworks

PigStop Menu:

Wednesday: Dirty Dog–hot dog, pulled pork, cheese and bacon crumbles $6.50

Thursday: Pulled Pork Sliders with Cole Slaw $5.50

Friday: Situation–Kielbasa with onions and peppers $6.50

See you at the park,

Kram209

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Filed under Kram's Korner - From the Club Level, Lehigh Valley IronPigs