Skip to main content

Phils trounce minor leaguers in exhibition contest

RHoward
Ryan Howard, image- Jay Floyd



READING- It is a mystery if the Phillies will win many more games than the MLB-worst 63 they notched last season, but it's clear that they could be dominant if they continue competing against minor leaguers after pounding their top prospects by a convincing 19-4 score.

In the seven-inning exhibition, the big league club slammed eight home runs, four each off of right-handers Zach Eflin and Mark Appel.

Eflin, who was acquired from the Dodgers two off-seasons ago in a trade for Jimmy Rollins, was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work. The 21-year-old declined to speak with media after the loss, but he and Appel (3 IP, 8H, 6R/6ER, 2K, 0BB, WP) did engaged in a little joke cracking at each other's expense on Twitter later in the evening.

Each of the Phillies' eight home runs were launched by a different player. Odubel Herrera, Freddy Galvis, Darin Ruf, Cesar Hernandez, Tyler Goeddel, Maikel Franco, Cedric Hunter and Ryan Howard all recorded big flies.

With the conditions in the hitters' favor, as wind was blowing out and helping fly balls get some extra giddy up, the Futures Team slammed three homers of their own, as Dylan Cozens, J.P. Crawford and Roman Quinn all went deep.

Double-A Reading manager Dusty Wathan, who was the skipper of the Futures Team, commented about the remarkable power results in the first-ever Phillies Futures Series game.

"This is a bad combination- major league baseballs and that wind and in a stadium like this...it was the perfect storm," Watham said.

Having watched 10 players homer before he came to the plate as a pinch hitter in the final frame, Ryan Howard insisted that he didn't feel pressure to do the same, even though his manager, Pete Mackanin, told him if he didn't go deep, that he really stinks.

"I'm glad I was able to come through on that one for him. That's just Pete, keeping it loose and light and everything," Howard said.

The historic event, which celebrated Reading's 50 years of affiliation with the Phillies by having 25 of the organization's top prospects take on the major league roster, drew 9,320 fans to FirstEnergy Stadium.

The two teams will face off once again in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park at 1:05 PM on Saturday.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

World Series Preview: Phillies vs. Astros

The Fall Classic is set to get underway on Friday with the Phillies opening on the road to take on the Astros in a best-of-seven series. This year marks 75 years since the first time a World Series was televised and this year each game will be broadcast on the FOX television network.  ESPN will have the radio broadcast and that feed can be streamed by using this link . Game 1 Friday, 8:03pm Eastern....in Houston.  RHP Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (18-4, 1.75 ERA).  In 16 road starts during the regular season this year, Nola notched a 5-9 record with a 3.00 ERA.  Nola has struck out 18 and walked three in 17 1/3 innings pitched this postseason.  Earlier this month, Nola tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings at Houston.  In 15 home starts during the regular season, Verlander sported a 10-1 record with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP.  Verlander has a 5.68 ERA and has not recorded a win in seven career World Series starts.  Verlander has...

PhoulBallz Interview: RHP Ben Brown talks TJ recovery, O'Hoppe, cancelled season

Image- MiLB.com Out of action since last May when it was determined he required Tommy John surgery, righty pitching prospect Ben Brown is using the downtime of the pandemic hiatus to continue his physical recovery.  A 33rd round draft selection of the Phillies back in 2017, Brown made his professional debut that same year, posting a 2.57 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 10 appearances in the rookie level Gulf Coast League.  The following season, Brown began to make a name for himself in the GCL, striking out 16 batters in one July appearance.  He would post a 3.12 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 10 games (eight starts) before earning a promotion and finishing the season with a pair of outings with Class A short-season Williamsport. Brown, a Long Island, NY native, opened last year with Class A Lakewood.  In four appearances with the BlueClaws, he struck out 20, walked four and allowed no runs in 13 2/3 innings and looked well on his way to making an impact on betting odds and avai...

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...