BlueClaws Lose, Colvin Pulled For Slacking

LAKEWOOD, NJ- In a game where minimal news worthy occurrences took place for the home team, the item most worth reporting turned out to be something that didn't happen.

Pitcher Brody Colvin, who was named the starter for game 1 of the playoffs by manager Mark Parent this week, failed to back up third base on a triple by Augusta designated hitter Alexander Burg. Parent has a strict rule for pitchers...if they neglect their duties of backing up throws to the bases, their outing is done as soon as a reliever is ready to enter the game. It took reliever Luke Wertz just one at bat (Juan Martinez, who walked) to get loose, at which point he took over for Colvin.

"It's a rule. You put your head down and start thinking about your own stuff...there's a place to be and a place to go and Colvin wasn't there," Parent stated after the game.

"We're still developing people and that's just a rule of mine."

Tuesday night's start against the Giants affiliate Augusta was to be Colvin's last game, a chance to tune up, before the post-season. However, with the Lakewood pitching rotation in somewhat of a mix-and-match mode (Eric Massingham will make his first start of the season after appearing in 33 games in relief and Sunday and Monday's starters are yet to be determined) until the playoffs begin, Parent admitted that he is now considering using Colvin against Kannapolis at home, over the weekend. That would likely cause the rotation of Colvin, Trevor May and Jonathan Pettibone in the post-season to be adjusted.

Colvin took the loss, as Augusta was victorious by a score of 6-2. Colvin got no help from Wertz, who allowed both inherited runners to score. Colvin's final line looked like this- 4 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 4 strike outs. Parent stated after Tuesday's contest that Colvin was set to thrown just 5 innings, before being pulled early.

Augusta's hurlers, Andy Reichard, Jose Valdez and Jose Castillo, held the BlueClaws to just 4 hits and 2 runs all night. Reichard, a right-hander, looked solid throughout, as he retired 15 straight BlueClaws batters after hitting lead-off man Jiwan James and giving up a single to Michael Dabbs, in the opening frame. Centerfielder Skyler Stromsmoe botched a throw toward third base following that Dabbs safety, which allowed James to score.

The other Lakewood run came in the 6th inning, when small-framed shortstop Alan Schoenberger broke up Reichard's stretch of downed batters by leading off the 6th inning with a homerun that caught his manager off guard. "I was surprised because he didn't look so good in the at bat before that. He had a chance to hit the ball if it took a better hop," Parent jokingly said of Schoenberger's weak looking effort striking out on a Reichard pitch in the dirt, to start the 3rd inning. "Every now and then, they throw one in his wheel house and he throws his hands. He's very capable. He's a strong little guy."

Schoenberger, a native of Queensland Australia is now batting .260 with 5 homers and 35 RBI this year- all season highs in his four-year professional career.

Lakewood will send Trevor May (6-3, 3.05 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday against Augusta righty Brian Irving (7-5, 4.50 ERA) at 7:05pm.

Notes...

Infielder Carlos Perdomo has joined the BlueClaws from Clearwater, where he posted a .237 batting average with no extra base hits in 37 games with the Threshers. Perdomo, 20, also batted .255 in 15 games with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. The GCL Phillies lost game 1 of the best-of-three GCL title series on Tuesday to the Rays club.

Lakewood (79-54) would need to finish the season 5-1 to tie their franchise record of 84 wins, set in 2006.

___________________________________________

Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.

2019 Phillies Prospects Countdown: #7 LHP JoJo Romero

JoJo Romero, image- Jay Floyd With a growing crop of very talented pitching prospects in the Phillies organization, left-hander JoJo Romero is certainly among the standouts. The five-foot-11 200-pounder was the Phils’ 4th round draft selection in 2016. That year he helped Yavapai College, the same school that the Phillies drafted Kenny Giles from in 2011, clinch the JuCo World Series, leading the way with an 11-5 record, a 3.64 ERA and a 10.2 K/9 mark. He also tossed a complete game gem to earn the win in their title game. After signing with the Phillies, Romero made his professional debut as a member of the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters. There, he notched a 2-2 record with a 2.56 ERA while striking out 31 and walking 11 in 45 2/3 innings. In 2017, he got off to a terrific start with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. In 13 starts, Romero tallied a 5-1 record with a 2.11 ERA and a 9.3 K/9 mark and was honored as a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star. R

McGwire Stays Phony, Despite Admitting Drug Use

Mark McGwire made an effort to publicly come clean today, admitting to the world that he took performance enhancing drugs during his playing career. Steroids and human growth hormones were among the drugs that McGwire admitted to using. MLB Network featured a one on one interview with Bob Costas and McGwire on Monday evening. The broadcast was virtually garbage, thanks to McGwire. Ahead is a list of quotes from McGwire's interview. McGwire repeatedly stated his point of view that there were no dishonorable intentions involved when taking steroids, and that he was merely using them as a means to recover from varying ailments. When asked if he felt like he cheated... "As I look back now...I can see how people would say that. As far as the talent goes and the hand-eye coordination, the ability, the genetics I was given...I don't see it." "I did not take this for any strength purposes." Denial. Read on for similar B.S. He whined about the abuse he'

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball f

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog