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Here's a quick rundown on the pitching match ups and some stats from the upcoming three-game series that begins on Friday between the Milwaukee Brewers (19-33) and the Phillies (26-28) at Citizens Bank Park..  In seven meetings between these two teams last year, the Phils were victorious five times. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Yovani Gallardo (3-5, 4.79 ERA) vs. Cole Hamel (1-8, 4.43 ERA).   In three career starts against the Phillies, Gallardo is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and a .153 batting average against.  In four road starts this season, Gallardo has a 1-3 record with a 5.32 ERA.  Ryan Howard is 3-for-8 (.375 avg) with a double and a homer in his career against the righty Gallardo.  In five home starts this year, Hamels has a 0-4 record along with a 5.35 ERA.  Hamels is 6-2 with a 3.42 ERA in 10 career regular season games against the Brewers in his career.  Ryan Braun is 7-for-25 (.280 avg) with a double and three homers in his career against Hamels.  Saturday, 4:05 PM.  Mike

With this week's promotion to the Lakewood BlueClaws from extended spring training, righty pitcher Kevin Walter made his Class A debut after long last, following considerable down time rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery.  The Phillies' 20th round draft selection out of Legacy High School in Colorado, in 2010, had pitched in just seven official pro games with the Phils' Gulf Coast League team over three years prior to his first start with Lakewood on Wednesday at FirstEnergy Park. Armed with a fastball that peaks in the low 90's, a change up that he controls very well and a solid curve ball that features nice movement, the 21-year-old Walter, who stands six-foot-five and weighs about 215 pounds, held the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles affiliate) to an earned run while striking out two and walking two over four innings on Wednesday. Check out the media player below for bullpen footage of Kevin as well as clips of his first two batters faced, Lucas Herbst and Roderi

On the 28th edition of the program, Jay and Tug are joined by Phillies relief pitcher Justin De Fratus who talks about seeking guidance from Phils closer Jonathan Papelbon , having a place in team history, his weight lifting prowess and much more. The guys also discuss Domonic Brown 's hot month, Michael Martinez 's lack of big league impact, Cesar Hernandez 's call up and plenty more from the bottom to the top of the Phillies organization. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

I spent some time this week chatting with the Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller , who offered his thoughts on several talented young hurlers in the Phils' system. Heimueller, who has been the Phils' minor league pitching coordinator since 2002, pitched 14 seasons as a pro, including parts of two with the Athletics. Prior to his current position, Heimueller was a pitching coach at the Double-A and Triple-A level for the Phillies. Gorm shared his opinions on several prospects including Brody Colvin , Austin Wright , Shane Watson , Jake Diekman and he even danced around a question about when Phils fans might expect to see Phillippe Aumont back with the big club after his recent demotion to Triple-A.  Read ahead for the full interview. - Austin Wright's been a guy that missed some time with an injury and has allowed a lot of runs in his two starts (0-2, 22.22 ERA) with Reading since being activated.  Is there much concern with h

Carlos Zambrano, photo- @BaseballBetsy Carlos Zambrano continues to try to reestablish himself as an impact pitcher and made his first official minor league appearance for the Phillies on Tuesday.  In 4 1/3 innings, Zambrano threw 81 pitches while allowing no runs on three hits for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers.  The former Cubs and Marlins pitcher also struck out two and walked two en route to a no decision. Zambrano did not exhibit any of the traits that have made him one of Major League Baseball's most notorious characters (examples here and here ).  In fact, according the Threshers catcher Logan Moore , who spoke exclusively with PhoulBallz.com following the team's 3-0 win over Brevard County on Tuesday, Zambrano was a pleasure to deal with. "It was a real cool experience," Moore stated.  "He basically told me to call whatever (pitches) I wanted because I knew the hitters and he just threw what I called." Moore, the Phillies

The Phillies (24-26) are set to begin a four game stretch in which they will face the American League’s Boston Red Sox (31-20). Two of the contests will take place in Boston’s Fenway Park, while the two teams will then head south to play another two games at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. Boston has won nine of their past 12 games and are tied for the division lead in the AL East with the Yankees, while the Phillies failed in an attempt to tie the Washington Nationals for second place in the National League East division on Sunday, when they fell by a score of 6-1. The Red Sox have dominated the Phillies at Fenway, winning eight of the last 10 meetings between the clubs there. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups for the two games in Boston and other key stats from this series. Monday, 7:10 PM. Tyler Cloyd (1-0, 2.70 ERA) vs. Alfredo Aceves (1-1, 8.20 ERA). The 26-year-old Cloyd has a 3-2 record with a 4.27 ERA in eight big league starts. Both of Cloyd’s starts

It's another round of our weekly minor league notes, featuring key performers from each full season level.  Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs- In 23 contests this month, second base prospect Cesar Hernandez is sporting a .241 batting average, after he posted a .375 mark in 24 April games.  The switch-hitting Venezuelan turned 23 years old last week. OF Steve Susdorf is batting .346 with five doubles and seven RBI in 18 May games.  The 27-year-old lefty hitter was a 19th round draft pick by the Phillies in 2008. OF Darin Ruf has been out of action since Thursday, sidelined with a jammed thumb.  The slugger batted .195 in his previous 10 games prior to the ailment. Double-A Reading Fightin' Phillies- Top prospect Jesse Biddle had a weak outing (4 IP, 6R/5ER) on the mound against Harrisburg for the Fightins on Sunday, but his two hits raised his season batting average to .556.  The 21-year-old left-hander saw his season ERA go from 2.50 up to 3.15 with that pe

Could Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. trade Cliff Lee again? Occasionally, here on the site, we feature guests tackling a topic related to the Phillies.  This time around, I surveyed some of my favorite sports commentators and fans on the subject of which Phils player is most likely to find himself traded by the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline. The participants in this roundtable are my PhoulBallz Podcast cohost and TheFightins.com front man Tug Haines , WFAN radio host and sports writer Joe Giglio , the biggest female baseball fan I know Casey Landman , PhilliesNation.com writer Kieran Carobine , Wall St. Journal Radio's Tyrone A. Johnson as well as yours truly.  Here's what the group had to say on this subject. Tug Haines- With Ruben Amaro Jr. at the helm, Chase Utley , Freddy Galvis , and Jesse Biddle will be traded for seven Dominican outfielders, (all 5'10" and 180 lbs.), and three 6'5" first basemen. Joe Giglio- Cliff Lee: With t

The Phillies (23-24) continue their road trip and visit division rival Washington (24-23) to begin a three-game series on Friday evening.  Righty starter Jordan Zimmermann , who celebrated his 27th birthday on Thursday, will try to become the National League's first eight-game winner as he takes the mound in the series opener for the Nats.  The Phils will counter with right-hander Kyle Kendrick , who will try to get the Phillies back to .500 for the first time since they were 6-6 this season. The two teams split 18 games against one another last season. Read ahead for full reviews of the pitching match ups and other key statistics from this series. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 2.82 ERA) vs. Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 1.62 ERA).  Kendrick has a 2-0 record along with a 1.20 ERA in four road games this season.  In 19 career outings against the Nats, Kendrick has a 4-5 record with a 4.68 ERA.  Bryce Harper is 6-for-12 (.500 avg) with three doubles and a HR again

The PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast is back with its 27th episode.  On this edition of the show, Phillies outfield prospect Kelly Dugan calls in to chat with the guys.  Additionally, Jay and Tug discuss shortstop Roman Quinn 's recent offensive improvements leading the way for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws as well as righty pitcher Perci Garner 's success with Class A Advanced Clearwater.  Some breaking TheFightins.com news is announced and discussions also include Brian Gump , Bill Rice and some local independent league clubs. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Following Wednesday's 3-0 victory over the Miami Marlins, the Phillies announced that reliever Phillippe Aumont had been demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, with a corresponding move to follow prior to the team's next game on Friday. For a club that entered that evening's contest with a bullpen ERA that ranked 4th worst in all of Major League Baseball, surely some adjustments were in order.  However, Aumont was not the problem.  As recently as Sunday, the 24-year-old righty's season ERA was 2.92 and sat at 2.25 last Friday. After coughing up two earned runs in 2/3 of an inning on Monday, Aumont's season ERA rose to an unlucky 4.15 in 16 games. Surely Aumont, who gave up runs in each of his two most recent appearances and who sported the worst WHIP (2.08) on the pitching staff, hadn't been sparkling as of late, but he had an ERA better than the Phils' stud 8th inning guy Mike Adams just last weekend. And even with his recent efforts, or lack there

Over last off-season, righty hurler Tyson Brummett parted ways with the Phillies following six season in their developmental ranks and after making his big league debut late last season with the Phils.  Brummett was picked up off waivers by Toronto in October. The 28-year-old was then optioned shortly afterward. After being outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, Brummett landed on the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats roster in April. Through nine games with NH thus far this season, Brummett is without a win and sports a 5.91 ERA, but tossed six shutout innings against his former club, Reading, early this month. Recently, I spoke with Tyson about the differences between the Phils and Blue Jays organizations, his time playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, facing top Phils prospect Jesse Biddle and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. - What would you say are the key differences between the Phillies and Blue Jays organizations? There's always a lot of diff

The Phillies (21-23) hit the road this week, beginning a three-game series against the Marlins (12-23) in Miami on Monday night . Looking to get back on the positive side of .500, the Phillies will kick off the series with two of their main stars ailing, as Ryan Howard is sidelined with right knee soreness and Carlos Ruiz left Sunday's contest against the Reds with a right hamstring issue. The Phils have won four of seven meetings with Miami thus far this season.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups from this series and plenty more key stats from this series. Monday, 7:10 PM.  Cole Hamels (1-6, 4.61 ERA) vs. Alex Sanabia (2-6, 5.00 ERA).  In four road starts this year, Hamels is 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA.  In 26 career starts against the Marlins, Hamels is 8-11 with a 3.24 ERA.  In two career starts against the Phils, Sanabia is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA.  Sanabia is 1-3 with a 5.70 ERA in four home starts this season.  Jimmy Rollins is 0-for-6 against t

Australian pitcher Josh Warner began the 2013 season as a member of the starting rotation for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Through six starts, the 20-year-old right-hander posted a 1-3 record along with a 7.50 ERA. Phillies brass decided to reassign Warner to extended spring training so he could make some adjustments to his delivery aimed at enhancing his deception toward hitters. The Queensland native, who pitches for the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League during the off-season, was signed by the Phils as an amateur free agent in 2010. Combined over the past two seasons, since making his affiliated pro debut, Warner has split his time with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, the Williamsport Crosscutters and Lakewood, posting a combined 7-13 record along with a 5.28 ERA. Early this season I spoke with Josh for Phillies Nation TV, but the segment went unused on the television program. During the interview, Josh spoke about the growth of baseball down under, his

It's time for the weekly rundown of minor league notes, taking a look at who is hot and who is not, from each team.  Stats and standing accurate through game action played on Saturday. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (18-24, 4th place, North Division International League)- Hot list... Cody Asche with Reading in 2012 Third baseman Cody Asche has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 contests.  In his last 10 games, Asche is batting .326 with two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.  The 22-year-old was the Phillies' 4th round pick in 2011 out of the University of Nebraska. Cold list... Joe Savery has allowed nine earned runs in one total inning over his last two appearances with the IronPigs.  Savery, whose season ERA in the International League sits at 5.87, sported a 0.63 mark this season prior to his most recent two appearances. Lefty starter Adam Morgan has a 0-4 record along with an 8.33 ERA over his last five games.  The University of Alabama product was the

The Phillies (19-22) continue their home stand as the Reds (25-16) come to town to begin a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.  Winners of six straight games, the Reds are in second place in the National League central division, 1 1/2 games back of first place St. Louis.  The Phillies, fresh off a two-game split with Cleveland, are in third place in the NL East, 3 1/2 games behind first place Atlanta and three games back of second place Washington. In the series opener, the Reds will send rookie Tony Cingrani to the mound.  Cingrani, who is a Rice University product, lasted just four innings in his last outing against Milwaukee, but did not factor in the decision.  The Phils will counter with ace Cliff Lee , is undefeated with a 1.83 ERA in his previous five starts against Cincinnati. The Reds swept the Phillies in three games in Cincinnati last month.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key details from this series.  Friday

It's the 26th episode of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast. On this edition of the show, Tug and Jay talk about baseball coming second for many minor league teams, Lakewood's upcoming South Atlantic League All-Star events, the Phillies' bullpen and Tug's annoyance level related to happenings with TheFightins.com. Jay also serves up an exclusive interview with prospect Zach Collier . Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Right-handed hurler Nicholas Hanson was selected by the Phillies in the 16th round of last year's draft.  The Golden West College product had a tough pro debut with the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters, where he sported a 2-3 record with a 7.00 ERA while averaging 5.8 K/9.  This year is a completely different story, however.  In nine outings, Hanson, 21, has tallied a 1-0 record along with a 2.94 ERA and a 7.48 K/9 mark.  Additionally, in his three starts since moving from the bullpen, the 6-foot-7, 210 pounder has allowed just one run. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Nic and he spoke about his success, his best friend who is also a player, his offerings on the mound and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. - You're on a hot streak now and doing very well as a starter after relieving to start the season.  What can you tell me about your early success this season? I'm just kind of getting used to my new stuff.  I started throwing that