Skip to main content

Aumont Struggles- Nobody Panic

Wednesday night's prelude to the preseason didn't go well for a guy named Phillippe Aumont. The 21-year-old righty, who was the key piece in the group the Phillies got in return from the Mariners for Cliff Lee in December, struggled to get outs against the Florida State baseball team in Clearwater. In just 2/3 of an inning, Aumont surrendered 5 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks.

Pitching coach Rich Dubee spoke to the media after the unfortunate performance by the prospect, and Dubee is not worried. "We’re trying to find his arm slot. (Prior to turning pro) he was lower, and lower with his front side, too," Dubee told reporters. "Those are things he’s trying to put back together. When you do stuff to change it, it takes a while to break those habits." Aumont's arm angle, during his delivery, was altered whle he pitched in the Mariners' system.

As Aumont attempts to restore the desired mechanical formula of his youth, he's not sweating it either. Speaking to reporters before the end of the game, Aumont said with a smile, "I can’t do worse than that. We’re just going to have to build on that, make a joke of it and move on."

In the end, the Phillies won the game 13-6. The contest was stopped early, as both squads ran out of the pitchers they had planned to use.

And for those Phillies phans expecting Aumont to quickly live up to their high expectations, because of the Lee trade, Dubee added, "He doesn’t have to worry about justifying a trade. We made it for a reason – he’s talented...He doesn’t need to be concerned with the trade, he just needs to go out and pitch."

The moral is, folks, that one shaky exhibition outing does not define that trade with Seattle. The 21-year-old prospect has the exact same potential that he had two days ago. Simmer. Down. Now.


Thursday's Grapefruit League opener for the Phils will pit them against last season's World Series opponent, the Yankees. According to several media outlets, including The Sporting News, those same two teams will reach the Fall Classic once again this year, so we could very well be seeing a preview of October when both teams start their ace pitcher against their newest interleague rival. The Phillies will start Roy Halladay and the Yankees will go with CC Sabathia.

Also scheduled to pitch for the Phillies are Kyle Kendrick, Jose Contreras, Andrew Carpenter and Sergio Escalona.

The game will be broadcast live on Comcast Sportsnet at 1pm and will be replayed on CSN and MLB Network at 7pm.

---------------------------------

Image courtesy of the DelCo Times.


Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE!

Comments

mvr joe said…
So does Roy doing well today validate his signing, or is it only validated when he does well in october? Either way I'm glad baseball is back. Go Phils!

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 73

Danny Ozark was the Phillies' manager from 1973-1979. During his tenure as the team's general, Ozark led Philadelphia to three straight division titles. In his playing days, Ozark was a first baseman, who was a career minor leaguer in the Dodgers system. When Ozark took over the team in 1973, the Phillies were fresh off 5 consecutive losing seasons and 3 straight last place finishes. During his first season in charge, the Phillies would again finish in last place, 20 games under .500, but as his core of young talent, like Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa, developed, the Phillies' win totals rose. Within 2 years, the Phillies were above .500 and in the playoff hunt until late in the season and the most successful era of Phillies history was about to begin. By 1976, the Phillies were headed to the post-season for the first time since 1950. The Phils would enjoy a 10-game lead over their nearest division rival at the midway point of the season. Despite a lul, which saw their lead d...

Velasquez shut down, Eflin on deck?

Eflin with Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Following Vincent Velasquez leaving his start after just two pitches for the Phillies on Wednesday, righty prospect Zach Eflin was pulled from his start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Gwinnett. The 22-year-old sports a 5-1 record with a 3.14 ERA and a .210 batting average against in 10 starts for the IronPigs this season. He could take the place of Velasquez if he is required to miss any additional time. Initial word on Velasquez after he threw two fastballs that clocked in the 86-87 MPH range (considerably slower than the 94 MPH he averages) and was swiftly pulled from his outing, is that he has a biceps strain. He'll be further evaluated in the coming days. Prior to the regular season, Eflin got a taste of competing against big leaguers when he was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work in an intrasquad exhibition that pitted the Phils...

Mathieson Still Focused Despite Being Sent Down

CLEARWATER, FL- Somehow, despite the recent news that Brad Lidge is set to begin the season on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury, the Phillies didn't see fit to keep fire-balling righty hurler Scott Mathieson around. Mathieson, who has had a long road back to the big leagues following three elbow procedures (two of which were Tommy John surgeries), appeared in 7 games with the Phillies in spring training this year, posting a 2.00 ERA with 9 strike outs and 6 walks over 9 innings. The Vancouver, British Columbia native made his Major League debut with the Phils in 2006 as a starter, going 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA, but had his career sidetracked due to arm trouble. This spring, Mathieson was back where he wanted to be and felt that he was primed to return to a regular gig in the big leagues. However, on Saturday, the Phillies sent Mathieson back down to minor league camp. Mathieson's goal throughout his recovery has been to get back into the Phillies' red pinstripes...