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Combine Phillies minor leaguer Keoni DeRenne with Babe Ruth and what do you get? Keoni Ruth, of course! The Phillies are expected to announce on Friday that they've signed Hawaii native Keoni Ruth and will assign him to Class A Lakewood to fill the void left when the organization traded All-star shortstop Jonathan Villar to Houston, along with two other players, for Roy Oswalt on Thursday. Ruth, who plays multiple infield positions, was drafted in 2006 by the Padres and played as high as Triple A in their system. In 3 season of minor league ball with the Padres, Ruth posted a .277 batting average in 239 games. DeRenne and Ruth are close friends, as the two are from the same state and train together in the off-season. The addition of Ruth could very well mark the first time that two Keoni's have played for the same professional team at the same time. Keoni DeRenne told me, in an exclusive interview, that on Wednesday the director of Phillies minor league operations Steve Noworyt...

The defending National League Champions are on a roll, having won 8 straight games and creeping up on the first place Braves to within 2 1/2 games of the division lead. The Phillies (56-46) plan to keep the wins coming as they send their new, prized acquisition, Roy Oswalt, to the mound to start a 3-game series against the Nationals (44-58). Oswalt, a 3-time NL All-star, will face Washington right-hander Craig Stammen in the series opener. The Phillies won 2 of 3 games when they visited Washington back in April. Read on for details on the pitching match ups and other key statistics from this series. Friday, 7:05pm. Roy Oswalt (6-12, 3.42 ERA) vs. Craig Stammen (2-4, 5.50 ERA). In 13 career outings vs. the Nationals, Oswalt is 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA. Adam Dunn against Oswalt is 19-for-71 (.268 avg) with 4 homeruns, 11 RBI and 13 walks. In 8 road starts this year, Oswalt has posted a 4-3 record with a 2.61 ERA. In 2 starts against the Phillies, Stammen has allowed 11 earned runs in 6 1/3 i...

Following a day loaded with trade rumors, the Lakewood BlueClaws had to battle back from a deficit. They did so with the help of the man who filled in for the individual who was ultimately the expendable piece in the parent club's latest trade. Overnight, names like Jonathan Singleton and Brody Colvin were mentioned most frequently among BlueClaws players who would be included with last season's Rookie of the Year runner up and current Phillies starting pitcher "Jay" Happ. By the time the fuzzy speculation became clear facts, neither of those prospects were involved. It was last season's speedy BlueClaws center fielder and current South Atlantic League All-star shortstop Jonathan Villar who would be part of the package sent to the Astros. A brief rain storm forced the cancellation of batting pracitce and allowed the players some extra time to relax and cope with losing a teammate. It also allowed versatile infielder Keoni DeRenne some time to prepare to start in p...

On Thursday I spoke with Lakewood BlueClaws manager and former Major Leaguer Mark Parent about Jonathan Villar's inclusion in the Phillies' deal with the Houston Astros for Roy Oswalt. Parent had managed Villar all season to this point and had really come to like Villar's skills and efforts on the field. Parent spoke about Villar's progress, how Villar was notified of the trade, Villar's future, other rumors and more. Check out the media player below to listen to the complete audio. Also, click here to listen to Mark Parent speaking plenty more about Villar in another recent exclusive interview. In addition to that, I also spoke with "The Boss" Jon Singleton about his rumored attachment to this trade. Singleton, who is ripping up South Atlantic League pitching (.313 avg, 12 HR, 59 RBI, .943 OPS in 71 games with Lakewood) at the age of 18, was long rumored to be on Astros general manager Ed Wade's wish list. Check out the media player below to hear Sin...

With a done deal in the books and the Phillies having acquired the second of two well known All-star pitchers named Roy, let's go over some things. The Astros are sending an undisclosed amount of cash to the Phillies in the deal along with Roy Oswalt for "Jay" Happ, Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose. Physical examinations could still throw a wrench into the trade. Oswalt has struggled with back issues, having missed time as recently as last September because of the ailment and receiving at least two cortisone shots this year to alleviate his back discomfort. Also, lefty pitcher "Jay" Happ, who is being sent to Houston, missed a considerable amount of time this year with a forearm strain. The Astros will likely need to clear Happ's health status before everything is final. Gose, a speedy left-handed hitting outfielder, led planet Earth in stolen bases last season as a member of the Class A South Atlantic League Champion Lakewood BlueClaws with 76 swiped bags....

A late night report from Houston's FOX affiliate's website claimed that the Astros were awaiting the approval of Roy Oswalt on a trade that would send the right-handed starting pitcher to the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. FOX Houston sports director Mark Berman's article stated the following, "MLB sources told FOX 26 the Astros and Phillies have agreed on the amount of money Houston will take back in the deal and the two teams have agreed on the players Philadelphia will be sending." There are no solid details available yet, but it has been widely rumored that Houston is quite interested in last season's Rookie of the Year runner up, lefty hurler "Jay" Happ. Astros.com, which confirmed that a deal is in place , also mentioned that first base prospect "The Boss" Jonathan Singleton could be included in the deal. As close as this report claims the deal is to completion, it may actually not be a done deal. Reports o...

On Tuesday night Shane Victorino tweeked an abdominal muscle on his left side while tracking a routine fly ball in a game against Arizona. The Phillies, already with Jimmy Rollins out for a few days after he fouled a ball off his own foot on Monday, didn't have the luxury of continuing with another active player unable to play. Victorino was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday. Taking Victorino's place on the active 25-man roster will be the Phillies' top prospect Domonic Brown. Through 93 games at 2 minor league levels this season, Brown had posted a .327 average, 20 homeruns, 68 RBI, 17 steals and a .980 OPS. Brown, a lefty hitting 22-year-old, Early impressions from the team are that Brown will be in the lineup daily, playing right field while Jayson Werth slides over to center field. To read my interview with Domonic Brown from last season, click here . __________________________________ Photo- DelCo Times Listen to me live on The Shore Sports Report with Mi...

The coaching switch has proved successful thus far. Since replacing hitting coach Milt Thompson with Greg Gross last week, the Phillies have gone undefeated in 5 games. The defending National League champions had been struggling to score runs this season, but have averaged 6.8 runs per game since the change. The team averaged 4.49 runs per game through their first 95 contests this season. Also much improved is the overall team batting average. In the 5 games since Gross took over, the Phillies have posted a .320 batting average. Under the coach stylings of Milt Thompson the Phillies were batting just .254. Gross, who had more than 700 plate appearances as a pinch hitter in his career and is the Phillies all-time leader in pinch hits, with 117 (more than twice the next closest total), has also helped the team's pinch hitters as well. The Phillies are 4-for-8 (.500 avg) in pinch hit appearances since Gross was brought on as the hitting instructor. Under Thompson, Phillies pinch hitt...

Riding a 5-game win streak, the Phillies (53-46) will play host to the Diamondbacks (37-62) for a 3-game series beginning Tuesday night. The highlight of the series will be a pitching match up set to feature pair of pitchers who threw no-hitters this season. Arizona's Edwin Jackson tossed a no-no against the Rays on June 25th. Phillies ace Roy Halladay threw a perfect game against the Marlins on May 29th. The two history makers will face each other in the second game of the series on Wednesday night. The defending National League champions have swept back-to-back 4-game series at home against the Reds and Rockies. The 8 wins are the Phils' longest home winning streak since 1991, when they won 16 straight in Philadelphia. Read ahead for analysis on the pitching match ups and other key details from this series. Tuesday, 7:05pm. Rodrigo Lopez (5-9, 4.58 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.40 ERA). In 9 road starts this season, RoLo is 2-4 with a 4.27 ERA. Brian Schneider is 4-for-7 (.57...

Dickie Noles is best known by Phillies phans for being a member of the 1980 World Championship team. Noles joined the Phillies as a rookie in 1979, and pitched two more full seasons in Philadelphia. He would later play for the Cubs, Rangers, Orioles and Indians as well. These days, Noles is employed by the Phillies as an employee assistance professional. I caught up with Dickie recently and asked him what his job entails, about his memories of the 1980 team, about his guest appearance on The Food Network's Dinner: Impossible and more. Check out the media player below to listen to the full interview. ____________________________________________ Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE .

Guillermo "Willie" Montanez played with the Phillies from 1970-1975, then again in 1982. Montanez made his Major League debut as an 18-year-old, with the Angels, in 1966. The Angels had selected Montanez as a Rule 5 draft pick out of the St. Louis system, but were forced to return Montanez to the Cardinals when they couldn't keep him on their Major League roster all season. Four years later, Willie was traded to Philadelphia to complete an earlier deal involving Tim McCarver, Richie Allen and Cookie Rojas, when Curt Flood refused to report to the Phillies. Montanez appeared in 18 games with Philadelphia in 1970, before winning a spot as the everyday centerfielder for the Phillies when he impressed manager Frank Lucchesi with a strong spring training the following year. Montanez was originally a first baseman, but made the switch to the outfield to gain playing time. In 1971, Montanez finished 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting, to the Braves' Earl Williams, when Montane...

Wednesday night at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park the Phillie Phanatic made his annual appearance when he visited the Phillies' local A-Level affiliate, the BlueClaws. The Phanatic brought along the Phillies' World Series trophy from 2008 and the National League championship trophy from 2009, but the glitz and shine that comes along with being the mascot for an elite level Major League Baseball club was not enough for the Phanatic to land a phine young lady that caught his eye. Check out the media player below and see what unfolded and who the blonde beauty actually chose. That's BlueClaws mascot Buster, to whom the Phanatic was like a big brother. No more mentoring. This could be a new rivalry within the system. Could they have been acting out those Chase Utley/Jayson Werth rumors?! Hmmm. You can purchase Lakewood BlueClaws tickets online by clicking here . ________________________________________ Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE .

The Phillies' offensive struggles have lasted for weeks, but have been more evident in recent days, as the team has fallen 7 games behind the division leading Braves. In the past 3 games, the Phillies have scored just 4 runs. In 19 games in July, the Phillies have scored more than 4 runs in a game just 7 times and have scored 2 runs or less in a game exactly as often. As a result of the recent offensive struggles, the team relieved hitting coach Milt Thompson of his duties on Thursday night. Taking Thompson's place will be former Phillies bench coach and hitting coach Greg Gross, who has coached at 4 different levels of the Phillies' minor league system since 2005. Gross once played with the Phillies, as well, and reached 2 World Series with the club (1980 & 1983). This weekend, the low-scoring Phillies (49-46), who have posted a 2-6 record since the All-star break, will host the Rockies (51-44) for a 4-game series. Colorado is 8 games under .500 on the road, while the ...

Tyson Gillies is best known for being one of the players that the Philadelphia Phillies acquired when they traded Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners last off-season. Gillies, an outfielder, is currently a member of the Double A level Reading Phillies in the Eastern league. The 21-year-old lefty batter has been sidelined much of this season with a hamstring issue. Through 26 games, Gillies was batting .238 with 2 homers, 6 RBI and 2 steals. Gillies was born with a hearing impairment (30% hearing in one ear and 60% in another), but he hasn't let that slow down his progress as a baseball player. Tyson, who uses hearing aids, has worked hard and developed himself into a prospect worth watching. I caught up with Tyson last weekend, and inquired about his time frame for a return to Reading's lineup, growing up as a baseball fan in Canada and more. Check out the media player below to listen. Loads more recent PhoulBallz interviews, with the likes of this weekend's Hall of Fame indu...

Vance Worley, who has been scorching hot lately with the Double A Reading Phillies, was recalled by big league Phillies today. The Phillies, who began shuffling their pitching staff almost immediately after Kyle Kendrick's poor outing against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Monday, have made more moves. Kendrick was replaced by Drew Carpenter on Tuesday. Now, Carpenter, who entered Tuesday's game in relief of injured starter Jamie Moyer, has been replaced by Worley. Speaking after his latest start, a victory against Trenton where he threw 8 innings, allowed 0 runs, let up 1 walk and struck out 3, Worley, a right-hander, said that he would expect his name to pop up in trade rumors as the non-waiver deadline approached. A 20-pitch 8th inning led to substitute pitching coach Gorman Heimueller pulling Worley from the outing, preventing him from attempting to throw consecutive complete game shutouts. Worley realized, however, that there is a bigger picture and had a goal. "It was...

Matt Rizzotti is a 24-year-old prospect for the Phillies. Rizzotti was taken by Philadelphia in the 6th round of the 2007 amateur draft. In 2009 he spent the season platooning at first base for the High A Level Clearwater Threshers but has since earned his own starting spot with Reading. Rizzotti's shine has grown brighter as this season has gone on. Currently playing with the Double-A level Reading Phillies, Matt is batting .355 with 15 homers and 56 RBI in 62 games with the R-Phils this season. In May he was named Phillies minor league player of the month. In June, he was named to the Eastern League eastern division All-star team. Rizzotti is steadily increasing his career season-highs in homeruns (16), RBI (66) and hits (117). Rizzotti's 2010 statistics, topped off with a 1.015 OPS in 93 games at 2 levels this season, could begin to draw interest from trade suitors with the Phillies, as the non-waiver trading deadline draws closer. In the meantime, check out this exclusive ...

Following Kyle Kendrick's poor outing against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Monday evening, the Phillies have optioned the 25-year-old right-hander to Triple A Lehigh Valley. To fill the void in Philadelphia's pitching staff, the Phillies have called up Drew Carpenter to take Kendrick's place. On Monday, Kendrick served up 3 homeruns to the Cards, leading to 7 earned runs allowed in 5 innings. The rough performance by Kendrick left his season stat line looking like this- 5-4 record, 4.82 ERA, .271 batting avg. against. Through 17 starts with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the righty Carpenter has posted a 7-6 record with a .341 ERA and a .250 batting average against. Carpenter appeared in 3 games with the Phillies last season, surrendering 7 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings (11.12 ERA). It is unclear what Carpenter's role will be with the team, but the Phillies' next scheduled day off is August 2nd, so an opportunity to skip a spot in the rotation would not be approaching ...

The man who has become synonymous with spark, as it pertains to the Phillies offense, throughout his career has been anything but that since returning from the the calf injury that sidelined him twice this season. Since his return from a calf strain, Jimmy Rollins is 18-for-97 (.186 avg.) in 24 games. Prior to landing on the disabled list, Rollins was 14-for-41 (.341 avg.) through 12 games. Rollins has gone hitless in 50% (12 of 24) of his games played since his return. Last season, Rollins went hitless in just 27% (42 of 155) of his games played. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has taken notice of the struggles of the one-time National League Most Valuable Player. Manuel has moved Rollins around the batting order in an attempt to get him back on track. Rollins, generally the Phils' lead-off man, has batted 3rd, 5th and 6th since his reentry to the Phillies lineup. None of those adjustments have proved successful yet, as Rollins has posted a combined .194 batting average (7-for-36)...

The Phillies are fresh off losing 3 of 4 against the Central Division's Chicago Cubs. Despite that, the Phillies are still 18-11 against that division as they travel to St. Louis to face the Central's first place squad. Riding a 5-game winning streak, the Cardinals (51-41) will send 27-year-old righty Blake Hawksworth to the mound to make his 6th Major League start. Philadelphia (48-43) will counter with Kyle Kendrick, who threw 7 shut out innings against the Cardinals for a win on May 5th. The Phillies won both games between the two clubs in St. Louis last season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other information on this series. Monday, 7:05pm. Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.44 ERA) vs. Blake Hawksworth (3-5, 4.72 ERA). Kendrick is 3-1 with a 3.52 ERA in 11 road games this season. In 4 career starts against St. Louis, Kendrick is 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA. Skip Schumaker is 6-for-12 (.500 avg) with 2 doubles and a homer against Kendrick. In 3 outings against the Phillie...

Following Reading's win over Trenton on Sunday, I spoke with Vance Worley about his effort to lead his team to victory. In the game, Vance threw 8 innings, while striking out 3 batters, and allowing 0 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk. Check out the media player below to hear what Vance had to say about his name popping up in trade rumors and more. _________________________________________ For more exclusive PhoulBallz.com interviews with Vance Worley click here and here . Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE .

It took 99 pitches for Vance Worley to put 8 consecutive zeroes on the Waterfront Park scoreboard next to the Thunder's team name. In the fourth and final game of the series in Trenton, Worley pitched 8 excellent innings, while allowing just 3 hits, 1 walk and striking out 3 batters, in his first start since his appearance in last week's Eastern League All-star Game. Reading's offense jumped on Trenton starting pitcher DJ Mitchell early. Rich Thompson and Harold Garcia laced singles to start the game, in the top of the 1st inning. Following a Mike Spidale sacrifice bunt, lefty masher Matt Rizzotti drove a deep fly ball to center field that hit off the wall and was initially called a double. The umpiring crew then conferred, as Waterfront Park's advertising collage of an outfield wall presents a difficult task to determine calls at times. Following a brief meeting, the umpires corrected the call, and ruled Rizzotti's drive a 3-run homerun. Mitchell settled in, follow...

A pregame conference, between starting pitcher Drew Naylor and catcher Kevin Nelson, on how to handle Thunder lead-off man Justin Christian didn't prove as successful as the pair from Reading would have liked. Christian bested the Reading Phillies battery, delivering a 3-run homerun to lead Trenton to their third straight victory over the R-Phils, by a score of 4-3. Naylor and Nelson were able to force Christian to ground out to shortstop Freddy Galvis in each of his first two at bats, but their game plan didn't stop Christian from pulling a long drive over the left field wall that gave the Thunder the lead for good on Saturday night. Christian drove in Marcos Vechionacci and Jack Rye, who began the Trenton half of the 5th inning with back-to-back singles. Reading bagan the scoring in the second when Kevin Nelson laced an RBI single that scored Cody Overbeck. Trenton clapped back in their half of the frame when Daniel Brewer singled to drive home Brandon Laird, who led off the ...

As a player, Steve Roadcap was a career minor leaguer. He played from 1982-1986 in the Cubs' system. As a manager, Roadcap has also stuck firmly at the minor league level. He began managing for the Cubs' rookie league team in Wytheville, VA in 1988. Roadcap moved up in the Chicago system managing at various levels until 1998. After spending time coaching and managing in the Seattle Mariners system, Roadcap has now managed at three levels in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization, since 2006. I had the opportunity to speak with Steve this week about his pitching staff with the Phillies' Double A affiliate in Reading, PA. Check out the media player below to listen to that interview. _________________________________________________ Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

Thursday night, Jiwan James hit safely for the 22nd straight game, which set a team record for the Phillies A-Level affiliate Lakewood BlueClaws. No doubt, James' conversion from pitcher to every day player has been successful. The milestone was locked in the first inning, when the switch hitting James led off the game against the Kannapolis Intimidators with a single to center field. James, a 22nd round draft selection by the Phillies in 2007, was ranked as the 11th best prospect in the Phils' system by Baseball America last off-season. James pitched in 9 games with the Phils' Gulf Coast League team in 2007 and reemerged as an outfielder with the short season Williamsport club in 2009, where he batted .264 in 30 games. According to James, his recent success can be attributed to some adjustments in his approach. "The difference between the first half and now is I shortened up my swing a little bit," James told PhoulBallz.com in an exclusive interview. "I feel...

Vance Worley is currently a starting pitcher for the Double A level Reading Phillies. Last season, along with Mike Stutes, Worley became the first pitcher in the Phillies organization since Randy Wolf to begin the season at Double A the year after he was drafted, completely skipping High A level Clearwater. In his time with Reading, Vance is a two-time Eastern League All-star. This season, Worley has posted an 8-4 record with a with a 3.44 ERA. This week, Worley was named Eastern League pitcher of the week for hurling a complete game shut out against Harrisburg in his last start. Worley topped off that amazing outing by contributing at the plate with a homerun. Check out the media player below to listen to my interview with Vance, recorded prior to Reading's game in Trenton on Thursday. ______________________________________ Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

After the game on Thursday, JC Ramirez stood in the hall way outside the visitors' clubhouse at Waterfront Park, talking to the media in his red toe socks . The only thing cooler than Ramirez's choice of footwear was the manner in which he sailed through the Trenton lineup. Ramirez threw a complete game while striking out 9 Thunder batters, walking none and surrendering just 2 earned runs to earn a loss for the Reading Phillies. Reading got on the board early. In the first inning, Mike Spidale reached on an error by Thunder shortstop Justin Snyder, then promptly stole second base. First baseman Matt Rizzotti then drove home Spidale when he smashed a double to left-center. The 21-year-old Ramirez, came out dealing. In each of the first two innings, JC gave up a lead-off single, but each Thunder runner was swiftly erased when the next Thunder batters, each inning, hit into a 4-6-3 double play. In the third inning, Trenton first baseman Marcos Vechionacci led off with a single. De...

The Phillies (47-40) hope to continue rolling with their pre-all-star break momentum, as they are fresh off a 4 game sweep of the Central Division leading Cincinnati Reds and possess a 17-8 record against that division as they head to Chicago to face the Central's 4th place Cubs (39-50). At Wrigley Field in 2009, the Phillies swept the Cubs in a 3 game series that received much publicity when a Chicago fan in the outfield bleachers threw a beer into the face of Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino, as he made a catch of a fly ball. Lefty veteran Jamie Moyer will take the mound in game 1, for the defending National League champion Phillies. Moyer broke into the Majors with the Cubs and made his MLB debut at Wrigley Field against the Phillies in 1986. The Cubs will counter with Ryan Dempster, who has not received much run support at home lately (Cubs have scored 3 or fewer runs in 6 of his last 7 starts at Wrigley). Read on for details on the pitching match ups as well as loads mo...

I spoke with Phillies pitching prospect Trevor May last weekend. The media player below has excerpts from that interview, including comments on his pitching repertoire, his struggles this season at High-A Level Clearwater, Carlos Ruiz's rehab time in Lakewood and more. Check it out. To read more about Trevor May, click here . ______________________________________ Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE .

Baseball America ranked Trevor May as the #5 prospect in the Phillies' system last off-season. As the 2010 season progressed, May struggled to live up to the expectations that accompanied such recognition. May, a 20-year-old starting pitcher who helped guide Lakewood to a South Atlantic League championship in 2009, began this season in Clearwater, one level above Lakewood. As a member of the Threshers' starting rotation, May posted a 5-5 record with a 5.01 ERA in 16 games. The record and the ERA weren't what drew the most concern though. May, who walked just 43 batters in 77 1/3 innings pitched last year, had trouble locating pitches and began giving out too many free passes to opposing batters. As a Thresher in 2010, May walked 61 batters in 70 innings. Phillies officials saw the key issues with May, a 4th round draft pick in 2008, were physical and mental maturity. He was demoted early last week and sent back to Lakewood to focus on locating his pitches and building his ...