Category Archives: Lehigh Valley IronPigs

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

NoiseNation staff tonight spread kinda thin:  Kram and MPS in Reading for Biddle/Zambrano doubleheader starts, DiPro at the opening night for the cycling center, Dan (nope), Decal, and Cheryl at the IronPigs game.

We hope to have posts for you–with pictures–in the coming days.  Stay tuned.  Monitor Twitter this evening for ongoing updates.

See you at the parks,

@Kram209

Nope.  I’m not referring to the rain which will likely prevent my evaluation of Carlos Zambrano tonight in Reading.

It’s a storm of Starting Pitchers.  There are worse problems to have, to be sure.  Let’s review a few things we know, and speculate about some possibilities.  I won’t provide any answers–or even many guesses, though–because I have no concrete information and there are too many moving parts.

Part 1: John Lannan

I’ve never been a fan of John Lannan, but despite his inability to pitch effectively against the IronPigs last season (that’s ok with me!) he did do well for the Nationals down the stretch.  He started the year rather well for the Phillies, too, allowing three ER over seven innings in his first start, and one ER over six innings in his second.  He got rocked by the Reds just before he went on the DL.  He was due to make a rehab start for Clearwater last evening in Jupiter, but that game was cancelled due to rain.  He’s slated to start tonight for the Threshers in Dunedin.  That would put his next start on Wednesday if all goes well.  For reference, the IronPigs have an off day, and Reading is home for Bowie.  I’m unsure how many rehab starts Lannan will require, but I’d guess it will be more than one.  I suppose he could stay in Florida as Thresher’s games are usually pretty nearby if they’re not at home.

Part 2: Carlos Zambrano

I have to admit, I’ve never been a Carlos Zambrano fan, either.  In fact, I was down on this signing even more than I was down on the Delmon Young and Yunesky Bettancourt signings by the Phillies earlier this season.  However, he’s done well thus far, and reportedly has his mental game in order.  The more the merrier I say right now; let’s see what he’s got.

He’s scheduled to start tonight for Reading, but the weather does not look good.  Where and when would his next start be?  It’s hard to say.  Both Reading and the IronPigs are home for Saturday night.  It does look like the ‘Pigs will get their double-header in this evening in Buffalo.  Ethan Martin will get his turn to pitch tonight, with Greg Smith to start the nightcap.  The extra innings tonight, though, could put the ‘Pigs in need of an arm for tomorrow.  Hmmmm….

But I’m not going to predict it.  I did that last week (several times) and it didn’t work out.  I’m just saying.  I’ll also point out that Zambrano isn’t an official “rehab.”  He’s on a minor league contract right now and would need a roster spot.  Also of note:  Miguel Abreu was added to the “inactive” list for the IronPigs yesterday, freeing up a spot.  I’m not predicting anything, I’m just saying…

Perhaps of minor concern, but still notable:  Top prospect Jesse Biddle was pushed back from his start for the R-Fightins Friday to allow for the Zambrano spot.  Would they push him back again to keep the Big Z in Reading, or would they rather he stay close to his regular schedule.  I’m not predicting anything, I’m just saying…

If Zambrano starts tonight, his next turn would be Wednesday as well (see Lannan, above) but if he starts Saturday, it would be Thursday.  The IronPigs will be home for the RailYankees on Thursday.  Wild Twitter speculation also has Carlos Ruiz here on the same night for rehab.  Want more conspiracy stuff:  I recently tried to get extra tickets for the Thursday game for no other reason but to give them away.  I was told they were in very, very short supply.  Perhaps some were being held back.  Perhaps I’ve had too much coffee this morning.  I’m just saying…

Footnote: Carlos Zambrano has an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Phillies.  He can become a free agent again on July 1 if he’s not with the big club by then.

Part 3: The Bigs

All this minor league stuff is well and good.  It’s my thing, actually; I want nothing more than 100% IronPigs wins.  But we all know that what happens with the Phillies will ultimately determine what happens here.  I certainly understand the Phillies’ desire to get some MLB-quality arms ready to go, but the fact is, Jon Pettibone and Tyler Cloyd have done alright for themselves.  Pettibone has a 3-1 record with a 3.40 ERA over nine starts.  He’s not allowed over four earned runs in any of those starts.  Tyler Cloyd had done OK as well.  He allowed 6ER in a start in Fenway, but every other start has been 2ER or less.

I’m not sure either of these guys deserve to get demoted just yet.  It’s not like Lannan and Zambrano are immune to an occasional bad start.  I’d certainly welcome either Jon or Tyler back to the IronPigs, but the Phillies are surging, so why rush it?  Could we see Zambrano and Lannan for  a few starts?  At least until July 1?

It’s difficult to say.  As we know, injuries and rain and other untold variables could come into play.  Enjoy the ride!

See you at the park, when it’s dry,

@Kram209

Early in my career–golly, almost 20 years ago–a senior colleague once told me, “No one ever remembers if there’s a problem.  What they remember is how you handled it.”  I still remember that to this day,  and my own office staff is probably sick of hearing me repeat it.

Yesterday, the SWB RailRiders handled my ticket problem with aplomb.  Yes, I threw a hissy-fit on Twitter.  For that I am not proud.  But let me start the story at the beginning:

On March 15 I ordered a block of eight single-game tickets for a SWB RailRiders game.  It was the first day that tickets went on sale, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure if they were available at the office or not–perhaps only online.  But, I’ll get back to that in a minute.  The game in question is Saturday, July 6.  It’s the first time the IronPigs will visit the newly remodeled PNC Field in Moosic.  That’s kind of unusual, you know, as we usually face our in-state rivals very early in the season; it makes for a quick road trip during a time when all franchises are anxious to get Opening Day under their belt and get the season started.  Perhaps they’re saving something special for us.  Who knows.

Within a couple weeks of the order, I received the physical tickets from Ticketmaster.  They’ve been in my briefcase ever since.  Yesterday, just before 5PM, I received an email telling me that my tickets had been “canceled” and that new ones would be issued and sent to me at “no additional shipping charge.”  The new seat location was on the opposite side of the field from the original seats.  Part of the reason I ordered the tickets so soon in the season was in order to insure that my seat/group location was on the IronPigs side of the field.  I was not pleased that it was changed.  The email came from Ticketmaster and the only contact information was to reply to the email.  I did, but received no immediate response–not even an auto-reply.

As 5 o’clock approached, I did not know whether the RailRiders were home or away for the evening (turns out they were home) so I picked up the phone hoping to catch somebody there during business hours.  A nice young lady tried to help me–even put me on hold to check–but ultimately I was directed back to Ticketmaster, because that is where I bought the tickets (online, via TicketMaster).  She gave me a customer care number for Ticketmaster.

After an on-hold wait of about 10 minutes, a nice young man from Ticketmaster attempted to help.  I had to provide him with my name and address, my credit card number, and my order number.  He said that he could not help because there were no other seats available.  I asked him to explain what happened.  He said that the tickets had been “double sold” at the venue and online at the same time.  I asked him why it took almost three months to contact me about such a problem, because the transaction occurred on March 15.  He did not know.

My hissy-fit ensued.  It’s not that the new seats were that bad, just that they were the complete opposite location of what I had planned for back in March.  And it wasn’t just for me, but for seven others as well.

But, by the time I made my way to the back yard to get the grill started for dinner, I had a tweet-reply from Doug in the RailRiders’ ticket office.  I sent him an email and he gave me a call.  He apologized profusely for the mix-up.  He promised he would fix the problem, and more.  He gathered a bit of information, then promised to call or email back.  Within a few minutes I had an email with an offer for new, better tickets on the IronPigs side, along with some goodies for my trouble.

Doug wouldn’t elaborate on the problem; he was too professional and courteous to point fingers.  I would guess that the problem stemmed from a ticket package that was sold recently at the stadium, which over-lapped my original tickets–but that’s only a guess.  I’d also guess that Doug would like his ticket staff to try to handle the problem directly or kick it up the ladder there in Moosic rather than referring folks back to Ticketmaster.  But again, conjecture on my part as to the source of the problem.  I did get the impression that this was an isolated incident and not an ongoing problem.

My lesson, though, and one I’ve learned before but not always heeded:  When possible, purchase tickets directly from/at the facility.  It often saves on fees and could prevent confusion.  As we’ve seen recently with the IronPigs, there are sometimes additional seats available which may not show up in the online system. It never hurts to ask.  When I went to a Reading Royals hockey game last season, the staff at will-call could not believe the amount of fees I had to pay.  They were adamant that I call them directly in the future to purchase tickets.

But I digress; Doug really handled it well, and quickly.  I’m certainly looking forward to the game, and will probably go to more than one up there this summer.  Of course, I’ll remember how he handled the problem.  Kudos to him and his staff for getting things done and doing it so quickly.   Now, if Doug can just get me into the sold-out club level next time.  🙂

Epilogue:  I got an auto-response from Ticketmaster later in the evening–long after Doug had solved the problem.

See you at the park–one of them anyway…

@Kram209