Skip to main content

Reading ELDS Game 3 Notes- Wathan, May & Ruf Speak

By
Game 3 of the Eastern League division series is set for a 7:05 PM start on Friday night. Notes and quotes on that contest lie ahead.

Jake Fox has been placed on Reading's inactive list, as his wife went into labor early Friday, at home in Michigan. The proud couple are new parents to a baby boy. Fox's stint on the inactive list must last three days, so he is not eligible to return until the Eastern League finals, should Reading advance. John Hill has replaced Fox on the R-Phils' active roster.

Justin Friend, who warmed up late in game 2's loss on Thursday night is available for game 3.

Read ahead for exclusive quotes for Wathan as well as Reading stars Trevor May and Darin Ruf as well as rising prospect Tyler Knigge...


Dusty Wathan speaking about his confidence level in game 3 starting pitcher Ethan Martin, who was acquired by the Phillies in the Shane Victorino trade in July and is undefeated since joining the R-Phils-

Obviously, (my confidence level) is pretty high. He's thrown the ball really well for us all year, since he got here. It's fun watching him pitch, so I'm excited to see what he can do tonight.


Trevor May on his game 2 start, in which he got a no decision, pitching 5 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run while walking two and striking out six Trenton batters-

I thought I could have went maybe one pitch better. You know, you'd always like to throw zeroes instead of one. I thought I battled pretty good and I got in a grove early. And one play here or there could have really made a difference in the game. Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end, but with all the work I've been doing toward the end of the year, taking a good start into the playoffs is definitely a boost of confidence for me personally. It was a pretty high-pressure situation and I feel like I responded pretty well, so I'm happy with that.


May on his streaky season-

I'm happy with what going up and down did to help me make some changes I needed to make. And I think I've righted a bunch of wrong that have made me a streaky pitcher. I've been streaky my entire career. It's just that the good streaks have been longer than the bad streaks and what I'm looking for is consistency to where the rough starts aren't as rough and being able to kind of be, when you don't have your best stuff, still being able to throw a quality start. All these things are things I've needed to work on and, you know, not letting things snowball on me. The stretch in the middle (of the season, from May to July when he won just twice over 15 starts) made me bare down mentally and fix things physically. It was a wake up call and it took a little longer than I would have liked but I was really happy it happened. Ideally, I wanted to take a step up at some point this year, but I gave myself a chance to get called up here and it just didn't happen. But, I'm taking a lot of positives out of this season...more so than negatives.


Darin Ruf on his positional comfort levels, after being a first baseman through much of his career and trying to add left field to his repertoire-

I mean, sometimes (there's a lack of comfort in left field), but I think that whatever's hit out there I have a chance of getting. It's gonna take a little while before I see every ball and know what it's gonna do. That way, the more balls I get, the better reads I can make in the long term. Line drives, balls with spin, balls that carry, they all travel differently and in the outfield you've got to take different paths, so the more opportunities, the more chances I get the more comfortable I'll be out there.


Ruf on playing ball in the off-season-

I'm going to Venezuela to play with Jorge Velandia's team, the Tiburones. I'll probably be doing the same thing. I'll be playing some first, playing some left field, DH'ing a little bit. I'll do that for about seven or eight weeks then I'll have my off-season.


Righty reliever Tyler Knigge speaking about the confidence level Wathan had in him, to let him work out of a jam in the 8th inning of game 1, while lights out closer Justin Friend was ready to enter the contest-

I'm glad he had faith in me. I knew I could get through that inning. That kind of decision takes a lot, especially when you have a closer like Friend. It just goes to show that he has faith in his whole team.

R-Phils lineup for game 3-

Gillies CF
Asche 3B
Ruf 1B
Hulett 2B
Castro RF
Joseph C
Tripp DH
Myers LF
Hanzawa SS
Martin SP

The lineup is facing Trenton hurler Mikey O'Brien (5-7, 4.20 ERA).

David Aardsma, who rehabbed with Trenton on Thursday, is still with the team.
___________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Justin De Fratus Interview Excerpts- May, 2011

By
Armed with a 2-0 record, 3 saves and a 2.95 ERA in 15 games this season for the Double A Reading Phillies, Justin De Fratus continues to make strides toward his goal of reaching the Major Leagues. Ranked as a top 10 prospect within the Phillies system last off-season, the 23-year-old De Fratus was in camp with the Phillies during big league spring training. In 3 games with the Phils during the Grapefruit League season, De Fratus allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings and took a loss. He did strike out an impressive 5 batters in those 4 frames, however. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft, De Fratus stood out as a force in relief last year for both the High A Clearwater Threshers and the R-Phils. In 49 combined games at the two levels, De Fratus posted a 3-0 record with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA. De Fratus continued his excellent 2011 by pitching for Team USA in the Pan-American qualifiers held in Puerto Rico, helping the Americans finish with a 9-1 record. He also posted out...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

By
Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, August 6-8

By
The Braves (62-46) travel to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series with the Phillies (49-59) on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. In the past month, the two clubs have faced each other in two separate series, with the Braves winning all six of the contests. Atlanta’s recent dominance over the Phils is the opposite of how things went last season, when the Phillies handed the Braves six losses toward the end of the 2011 season. Those defeats shut the door on Atlanta’s postseason hopes. Read ahead for notes on the pitching the match ups and additional statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63 ERA). In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Sheets has a 3-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. Ty Wigginton is 12-for-36 (.333 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Sheets. The righty Sheets was the Brewers' 1st round draft pick in 1999. In his last 5 starts, Worley has a 2-1 record with a 4.06 ERA. In 9 home s...
Post a Comment
Read more