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We're back!  After a substantial hiatus, Tug Haines and Jay Floyd are back with another edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, a show that talks about developmental baseball leagues, with a focus on the Phillies' system. On the latest episode, in semi-rusty fashion, we talk about hot performers throughout the Phillies organization like Cody Asche and Darin Ruf .  Plus we provide an exclusive injury update on LHP Nick Hernandez and discuss the minor league baseball Mascot Mania tournament. Additionally, we also field some questions from our listeners. Direct download for episode 4 of the podcast HERE . Archives/previous episodes HERE . You can also stream the show with the media player below. Thanks for checking us out! _______________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE .

Lakewood BlueClaws first baseman Kelly Dugan has been somewhat forgotten by many people that follow prospects throughout the minor leagues. A flurry of physical setbacks have prevented the Phillies’ top selection from the 2009 MLB amateur draft (2nd round, 75th pick overall) from progressing through the system with any type of commanding push. This year, however, Kelly, the son of film director Dennis Dugan ( Happy Gilmore , Big Daddy ), hopes to make enough of a splash in the Class A South Atlantic League to rekindle some of the excitement that surrounded him when he was originally selected by the Phils.   The level of instant popularity that came Dugan's way upon joining the Phillies organization could have been credited to an image taken on draft day from the set of his father's film , Grown Ups , which starred Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade. With the closely knit star power involved and the collection of widely-known actors all sporting Phill

The Phillies announced on Tuesday afternoon that right-handed starting pitcher Roy Halladay had been placed on the disabled list with a strain of his latissimus dorsi, or in other words- a lat strain. Halladay left his most recent start against the Cardinals on Sunday after just 2 innings of work. The team’s ace is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, while he recovers. Speculation had been running increasingly wild this season, as Halladay’s statistics were not reflective of his typical dominance. In his previous two seasons since joining the Phillies, Halladay, 35, sported a 40-16 record along with a 2.40 ERA in 65 regular season starts. This year, however, the man known as “Doc” had struggled a bit, tallying a 4-5 record with a 3.98 ERA. A positive outlook on this situation is that Halladay does not require surgery.  Missing Halladay for less than two months is certainly a much better option for the Phillies than for the two-time Cy Young Award winner to miss the remainder of the seas

Right-handed hurler Colin Kleven has been one of the most consistent pitchers on the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws roster this season.  The native of Kamloops, British Columbia was a 33rd round draft selection by the Phillies in 2009.  In his first two pro seasons, Kleven posted a 4-11 record with a 5.53 ERA in 24 games (21 starts) combined with the Gulf Coast League Phillies and the Williamsport Crosscutters. This season, the 21-year-old has been much more solid in the starting rotation for the BlueClaws.  Through 9 starts, Kleven has tallied a 3-4 record with 3.59 ERA while holding opponents to a .238 batting average. Take away one start in which Kleven struggled against the Hagerstown Suns, allowing 6 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings, in mid-April, and Kleven has a 2.60 ERA this year. The 6-foot-6-inch 225-pounder regularly hits 92-93 MPH with his fastball and has averaged 7.74 strike outs per 9 innings this season. Video of Kleven throwing a bullpen session can be seen below.

It's Memorial Day, so here's an abbreviated edition of the typical PhoulBallz series preview, focused on the pitching match ups for the upcoming three-game set between the Phillies and the Metropolitans. Monday 1:10 PM.  Cole Hamels (7-1, 2.17 ERA) vs. Jonathan Niese (3-2, 4.29 ERA).  In his last 8 starts, Hamels is 7-0 with a 1.89 ERA.  Hamels has a 4-10 record with a 4.33 ERA in 18 career starts against the Mets.  In 7 career starts at Citi Field, Hamels is 1-4 with a 4.43 ERA.  Niese is 1-0 with a 3.79 ERA and a .186 batting average against.  In 10 career starts against the Phillies, Niese is 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA. Placido Polanco is 11-for-26 (.423 avg) with 5 doubles in his career against Niese. Tuesday, 7:10 PM.  Joe Blanton (4-4, 4.55 ERA) vs. Jeremy Hefner (0-2, 6.17 ERA). In 10 career starts against the Mets, Blanton has a 3-1 record with a 3.71 ERA.  Blanton has allowed 13 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings (13.49 ERA) in his last two outings.  Hefner, a rig

The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws lost in controversial fashion on Sunday evening, dropping their series finale against the Hagerstown Suns (Nationals affiliate), by a score of 7-6, in front of 5,457 fans at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park. In the bottom of the 8th inning, trailing 7-5 with the bases loaded and 1 out, Lakewood second baseman Carlos Perdomo laced a low liner toward Hagerstown shortstop Jason Martinson .  In a fashion that Phillies fans are used to seeing, when Chase Utley , on occasion, allows such hits in similar situations to drop so he can attempt to double up baserunners, Martinson did not catch the ball on the fly and immediately flipped the ball to second base for a force out on the runner from first base.  Outfielder Brian Pointer , who was on second base, retreated to the bag with the assumption the liner would be caught. A throw to third base drew the call from the umpiring crew for the second out.  The umps then ruled that the runner at second had been tag

Here's your weekly walk through the Phillies minor leagues.  This time we glance at some noteworthy performances from the four full season clubs as well as the Venezuelan Summer League. Venezuelan Summer League team….9-3 record, 1st place tie in the 4 team league. Catcher Rafael Fernandez has been scorching hot for the VSL Phils in the early going. Through his first 7 games, the 20-year-old posted a .458 batting average with a double and a homer while driving in 7 runs. The righty batting native of Caracas, VZ is in his 3rd season in the VSL and tallied a .220 batting average with 1 HR in 65 games over his 2 previous seasons. Through 3 starts, Douglas Parada has a 2-0 record with a 2.00 ERA while striking out 14 batters and walking only 1 in 18 innings pitched. Additionally, Parada has held opponents to a .161 batting average. The 19-year-old left-hander was signed last July and made 5 starts in the VSL last summer, posting a 0-2 record with a 5.40 ERA in his debut campa

This week the Ft. Myers Miracle (Twins affiliate) hosted a couple noteworthy promotions when they played against the Phillies' Class A Advanced club, the Clearwater Threshers.  Thanks to the Twitter feeds of a couple Threshers players, we got an inside look at some behind-the-scenes action. On Wednesday, the Miracle held their annual tribute to the Negro Leagues, when they donned the uniforms of the Newark Eagles while Clearwater represented the Homestead Grays.   Starting pitcher Perci Garner posted the below image of himself, along with some teammates including Tyler Knigge , Jesse Biddle and Ryan Duke , sporting the Grays gear. In addition, surging third base prospect Cody Asche took time prior to Thursday's "School is Out for Summer" promotion to pose for a photo with the most famous television school principal ever, "Mr. Belding" from Saved by the Bell, actor Dennis Haskins. It's certainly fun to see young players enjoying th

Last season the St. Louis Cardinals ousted the Philadelphia Phillies from the postseason, en route to a surprising World Series victory.  In the first rematch between the two teams, since that National League Division Series which the Cards won 3-2, the Phillies will visit St. Louis' Busch Stadium to begin a four-game series on Thursday night. Currently, the Cardinals (25-19) have maintained the level of success that took them deep into the October playing schedule last year, as they hold the top spot in the National League Central division, despite losing top slugger Albert Pujols to free agency, following their 2012 title run.  Meanwhile, the Phillies (22-23) have been missing a pair of injured stars, namely Ryan Howard and Chase Utley , and haven't been able to stay atop the NL East division that they have won each of the past five season. Philadelphia currently occupies the bottom spot in the five-team division. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups an

Throughout the 1990’s and into the 2000’s, Bob Stumpo , a resident of Wilmington, DE, grew up rooting for his local Major League Baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies. Currently, Stumpo is a catcher/first baseman for the Phillies Class A affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws in the South Atlantic League, where is developing into a player worthy of wearing a Philadelphia uniform. Through 14 games with Lakewood, the switch-hitting Stumpo has posted a .314 batting average with 2 doubles, a triple and 7 RBI. Prior to joining Lakewood, Stumpo sported a .313 average in 4 games with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. In the two seasons prior, Stumpo combined to bat .243 with 1 HR and 26 RBI in 67 combined games at three levels. Back in June, 2010, Stumpo, a West Chester University graduate, was stunned to hear his name selected by his favorite club during the annual Major League Baseball amateur draft (33rd round). He describes that draft day as one of the most remarkable moment

A budding rivalry is set to continue as the Washington Nationals (24-17) visit the Phillies (21-21) for a three-game series beginning Monday night at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Initially sparked up this year when the Nationals organization attempted to prevent Philadelphia fans from attending their team's games at Nationals Park, the rivalry's intensity reached considerably greater levels this month when lefty pitcher Cole Hamels admitted to intentionally hitting highly hyped rookie outfielder Bryce Harper with a pitch to welcome him to the big leagues. Fresh off a series loss to Boston, the Phillies remain in last place in the National League East division which they have won for five consecutive season.  The Nationals are in second place in the same division, 1 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the top spot.  The challenge to catch the Nats and the Braves will only get tougher for the Phils, as they start a stretch of 6 straight series against teams with winnin

Once again, the weekly minor league wrap up is back, taking a look at each of the Phillies' four full season minor league clubs.  This time around, we'll take a look at the hot and cold lists from each team. Class A Lakewood BlueClaws 15-25, 6th place out of 7 (14.5 GB) in South Atlantic League Northern Division. Who’s hot- 1st baseman/3rd baseman Harold Martinez (pictured left), through action on Saturday, has strung together a stretch of 7 games where he has gone 10-for-24 (.417 avg) to boost his season batting average 58 points. Martinez, 22, was the Phillies’ 2nd round draft selection out of the University of Miami last year. Right-handed reliever Matt Campbell has been a solid contributor out of the Lakewood bullpen. Since joining the club in late April, the 24th round draft pick from last season has a 1-1 record with 2 saves and a 1.46 ERA while striking out 12 batters in 12 1/3 innings pitched. Campbell has thrown more than 1 inning in 5 of 6 of his outings

After a lengthy career in the minors, Mike Costanzo, who was a promising young third baseman in the Phillies system several years back, is finally living his dream of playing big league baseball. The life-long Philadelphia sports fan and resident of the city's suburbs, was selected in the 2nd round of the 2005 MLB amateur draft by his hometown club, but struggled in recent years and, to some, looked to be a bust. Following a few productive years in the Phillies' developmental ranks, Costanzo was traded to Houston, along with Michael Bourn and Geoff Geary, for Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett following the 2007 season. That year, his second full season as a pro, Costanzo batted .270 while lacing 27 homers and driving in 86 runs for the Reading Phillies. Costanzo was then flipped in another deal, during the same off-season, to the Orioles for All-Star Miguel Tejada. The road to the big leagues was a long one for the determined Costanzo. After his impressive season at Double-A

Jonathan Papelbon , who signed a $50 million four-year contract with Philadelphia this past off-season after becoming a household name in the Boston organization, expects to see action against his former team for the very first time this weekend.  The Phillies (20-19) will host the Red Sox (18-20) for a three-game series beginning Friday night at Citizens Bank Park to kick off 2012 inter-league play. Papelbon has transitioned easily into the National League, where he has successfully converted all 11 save opportunities with the Phils this season.  In his regular season career, Papelbon has converted 88.8% of his save chances. Boston and Philadelphia are perennial favorites for playoff spots each season, but both have run into difficult times in the early going, this season, as they have been plagued with injuries to injured stars like Carl Crawford , Jacoby Ellsbury , Chase Utley , Ryan Howard and others.  Both teams are in last place in their respective divisions. In the

Last year's 2nd round draft pick of the Phillies, Harold Martinez has begun to get hot after a bit of a slow start to his 2012 regular season. After beginning the season rehabbing his injured left hand and playing some games in extended spring training, Harold joined the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws on April 24th.  Through his first 16 games with Lakewood, Martinez was batting .213, but after a hot week, the Cuban born first baseman/third baseman has his average up to .272 against South Atlantic League pitching. The 22-year-old righty hitter came over to the United States at a young age and has dreamed of playing professional baseball ever since. Last year, in his first season of pro ball, Martinez, a University of Miami product, sported a .251 batting average with 2 homers and 31 RBI in 67 games for the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters of the NY-Penn League. Recently, I spoke with Harold about his draft experience, his journey from Cuba to the U.S., playing for Lakew

The Phillies (18-19) are set to hit the road for the 2 games that break up a stretch in which they play 14 of 16 games at home, as they head to Chicago to face the Cubs (15-21).   For the second time this season, righty Kyle Kendrick will fill in for an injured member of the Phils' starting rotation and face Cubs hurler Matt Garza.  Last time, Kendrick pitched in place of Cliff Lee, while he takes Vance Worley's turn this time around.  Worley is slated to miss a start, as he deals with soreness in his throwing arm. The switch could be a break for Chicago, as Worley has been a strong contributor (3-1, 2.81 ERA in his last 5 games) for the Phillies while Kendrick has struggled greatly this year. Last season, the Phillies won 2 of 3 meetings with the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Read ahead for more information on the pitching match ups for this series and well as many more statistical nuggets. Wednesday, 8:05 PM. Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 7.32 ERA) vs. Matt Garza (2-1, 2.56 ERA).

Infielder Stephen Malcolm joined the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws last weekend after a solid 6 weeks in extended spring training.  Thus far in South Atlantic League play, the 22-year-old Malcolm has gone 1-for-7 with a stolen base, but is slated to get playing time at both second base and shortstop. An 8th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2010, Malcolm missed the entire 2011 season after he was sent home for disciplinary reasons in April. In 2010, after signing as a pro, Malcolm posted a .253 batting average with 3 doubles and 10 RBI in 27 games with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. Recently, I spoke with Stephen about his promotion, working closely with his manager, former Phillies All-Star Mickey Morandini, his feelings toward the Phillies' brass and plenty more.  Check out the media player below to hear the full interview. ____________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBall

Puerto Rican born starting pitcher Julio Rodriguez grew up dreaming of becoming a baseball star. These days, he is among the core of young Philadelphia pitching prospects that have begun to get a lot of attention after some considerable success in recent years and he is happy to now be standing out practically in the Phillies' back yard. Last year, with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, the 6-foot-4-inch 230-pounder led the Florida State League in wins when he posted a 16-7 record with a 2.76 ERA and a .186 batting average against. The season before that, Rodriguez split time at short-season Williamsport and with Class A Lakewood, where he combined to post a 7-3 record with a 1.89 ERA in 20 games (12 starts). Prior to that he played two seasons with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. In those areas, fan attention toward rising prospects isn’t very prevalent. Things would certainly change when Rodriguez came north to show what he's all about. Having never possessed