De Fratus and Team USA Cruising in Pan-Am Qualifiers

The United States' Pan American qualifying team is on a roll down in Puerto Rico. In 3 games of tournament action, Team USA is undefeated and has outscored their opponents 34-10. The top 8 squads in the 13-team tournament advance to the 2011 Pan American Games, while the team that finish in the top 6 also qualify for the 2011 International Baseball Federation World Cup.

USA's offense and pitching have been equally impressive in the early going. Combined, Team USA batters have posted a .393 batting average with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homeruns and 31 RBI. Team USA pitchers have held opposing batters to a .193 batting average, have struck out 26 batters and allowed 4 walks and 5 earned runs in 25 innings.

Justin De Fratus

Justin De Fratus is the only Phillies prospect on Team USA. De Fratus, a right-handed reliever, has pitched just 1 1/3 innings, in which he allowed 1 unearned run in play thus far. In 49 games between High A level Clearwater and Double A level Reading this season, De Fratus posted a 3-0 record with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA, while striking out 71 and walking just 11 batters in 65 innings pitched.

De Fratus, who will turn 23-years-old later this month, values the opportunity to represent his country and to gain experience playing beside individuals who are highly regarded prospects in their own organizations, including 4 players who participated in the MLB All-star Futures Game this year. "It's really (great) to be representing America. The guys are really cool. We have a good group that seems to be meshing really well together. Plus, they're all legit players," De Fratus told PhoulBallz.com exclusively this week.

The coaching staff for Team USA includes former Major Leaguers Ernie Young, Leon Durham and Jay Bell, as well as White Sox pitching coordinator Kirk Champion, former Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca and Gulf Coast League Phillies manager Roly De Armas. De Fratus says the overall team atmosphere is relaxed, thanks to the coaching staff. "The coaches are awesome. They're pretty much just letting us play our game," De Fratus said.

Other Phillies prospects playing in the Pan American qualifying tournament are 20-year-old Julio Rodriguez on Team Puerto Rico, as well as 21-year-old Phillipe Aumont and 25-year-old Chris Kissock, who are both on Team Canada. All three are right-handed pitchers.

Team USA is back in action Tuesday evening at Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic.

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Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

A Letter to This Guy

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com

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