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Tyler Burch, image- MiLB.com I invite you to visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work and get access to exclusive interviews plus early access to features and news such as this. A missed baseball season wasn't the only challenge facing righty pitcher Tyler Burch this summer.   With persistent symptoms that began prior to spring training it was ultimately discovered, after the 2020 season was shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic, that the 22-year-old had developed an autoimmune disease.   As symptoms that included dry mouth and frequent trips to the bathroom worsened, Burch's situation left his doctor puzzled.  And even the physician that conducted his team physical examination at the outset of spring training jokingly referenced diabetes, but did not take the possibility seriously.    The physical impacts subsided somewhat during spring training, as being more active and adhering to the team diet helped alleviate what he was experiencing. Once the base

The Phillies (10-14) will visit the Nationals (11-15) for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday evening. Read ahead for a quick rundown of the pitching match ups and some key statistics from this series. Tuesday, 6:05pm.  Jake Arrieta (1-3, 4.95  ERA ) vs. Erick Fedde  (1-1, 2.55  ERA ).  Arrieta has gone more than five innings in just one of his four starts this season.  In 16 career starts against the Nats, Arrieta has notched a 1-3 record, a 4.61 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.  Asdrubal Cabrera is 6-for-16 (.375 avg) with two homers and four RBI in his career against Arrieta.  Fedde, a right-hander, was Washington's first round draft pick in 2014.  In five appearances (four starts) against the Phillies, Fedde sports a 2-1 record with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP.  Scott Kingery is 3-for-7 with a double and a home run in his career when facing Fedde.  Wednesday, 6:05pm.  Aaron Nola (2-2, 3.10  ERA ) vs. Patrick Corbin (2-2, 3.99  ERA ).  Nola, in 19 career starts against Washington, s

The Phillies initiated steps to begin a necessary makeover of their troubling bullpen on Friday as the team made two trades to help improve the relief corps that had posted MLB's worst ERA (8.07) heading into action that day. In a pair of trades, the Phillies acquired right-hander David Hale from the Yankees as well as righties Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree from the Red Sox.  Originally a 3rd round draft pick out of Princeton University by the Braves in 2009, Hale has posted a 4.23 ERA with a 6.0 K/9 mark and a 1.43 WHIP in 95 career big league appearances.  Hale had been designated for assignment recently by the Yankees. In 195 big league games dating back to 2013 Workman has notched a 24-16 record with 20 saves, a 3.75 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Workman ranked first in MLB last year in opponents' xSLG (.238), which measures exit velocity and launch angle of each batted ball in an effort to remove defense and ballpark factors from the equation.   Hembree sports a 3.60 ERA,

Another series, another preview.  The Phillies head south to take on their divisional rival Braves in a three-game series beginning Friday night.   Atlanta at 14-11 sit atop the National League East Division.  Fresh off getting swept in a double header at the Blue Jays on Thursday, the Phillies and their 9-12 record reside at the bottom of the division.   A brief rundown of the pitching match ups and other key notes from this series are ahead. Friday, 7:10pm.  Aaron Nola (2-1, 2.05 ERA) vs. Max Fried (3-0, 1.24 ERA).  In 19 career starts against Atlanta, Nola has an 11-5 record with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.  Ronald Acuna Jr. is 7-for-22 (.318 avg) with two home runs and four RBI in his career when facing Nola.  In 2019 Nola had a 4.75 ERA in six starts against the Braves.  Fried allowed two earned runs in his first start this season and in four starts since then he has allowed just two total runs, both earned.  The lefty Fried has a 2-2 record with a 4.55 ERA in 10 career appe

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic the Blue Jays are playing their home games at Buffalo's Sahlen Field, the home of Toronto's Triple-A affiliate, the Bisons.  They'll host the Phillies for a double header on Thursday afternoon. Here's a quick rundown of the pitching match ups and some other key notes from this pairing. Game 1, 1:05PM.  Spencer Howard (0-1, 7.88 ERA) vs. Chase Anderson (0-0, 3.00 ERA).  Howard, a righty, was the Phils' 2nd round draft selection out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo back in 2017.  In two MLB starts to date, the rookie Howard, who entered the past two seasons as the Phillies' top prospect , has notched six strike outs and three walks over eight innings.  The right-handed Anderson joined the Blue Jays this year after spending the last four seasons with the Brewers.  In six career starts against the Phils, Anderson has a 1-3 record, a 6.75 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  Jay Bruce is 1-for-18 (.067 avg) in his career against Anderson.   Game 2.  Vi

I invite you to visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work and get access to exclusive material like this as well as early access to all my other content. Darick Hall, image- Jay Floyd This week I talked with Phillies first base prospect Darick Hall about his down time due to the cancelled minor league season.   In 132 games with Double-A Reading last year, the lefty batting slugger notched a .235 average with an Eastern League leading 38 doubles, a triple, 20 home runs (2nd in the league) and 67 RBI.  This year, the 25-year-old spent time with the big league club in spring training where he saw action in 14 Grapefruit League games. Hall, who was the Phillies' 14th round draft selection 2016, offered his thoughts on being left off of the team's player pool roster, how he's staying in shape, what he's doing with his free time and more.  Read ahead for a sample of that interview. - I'd have to feel like the team would have had to give some considerati

For early access to material such as this and exclusive access to other content like player interviews, consider supporting my work with subscribing on Patreon.com/PhoulBallz . With several Phillies pitching prospects making their big league debuts recently and the performance of most of the big league 'pen pieces not impressing many, fans are likely to be wondering, "Who's next?" Some talented young hurlers have earned promotions to join the major league roster thus far in the shortened season.  Names like Ramon Rosso , Connor Brogdon , Spencer Howard and JoJo Romero have gotten the call.   Rosso, who tallied a 2.80 ERA and a 10.1 K/9 mark in 62 career minor league outings, primarily as a starter, has been underwhelming for the Phils, but shows potential of figuring things out.  In four relief appearances, the 24-year-old has allowed three earned runs with four strike outs and three walks over 4 2/3 innings. Brogdon, 25, made his major league debut last week, all

It's still early in the season, right?   With another opponent on the horizon, the Phillies will attempt to show that they aren't as bad as their 5-9 record would indicate.  Based on winning percentage, there's only one team (Pittsburgh) in the National League that has a worse record than the Phils. The Mets (9-11) come to town and will open a three-game series beginning on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.  Friday, 7:05pm.  Jacob deGrom (2-0, 2.45 ERA) vs. Spencer Howard (0-1, 7.71 ERA).  In 15 career starts against the Phillies the right-handed deGrom has a 7-1 record with a 2.23 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP.  In seven starts at CBP deGrom has a 3-0 record with two complete games.  Bryce Harper is 10-for-34 (.294 average) with two home runs in his career when facing deGrom.  The righty Howard, the Phillies' top ranked prospect headed into each of the past two seasons, made his big league debut last weekend, giving up four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Braves.  Howa

On Tuesday, the Orioles will travel north to open a three-game series against the Phillies.   The Baltimore club (7-7) will look to improve to a winning record following an off day on Monday and a series win over the weekend against the defending champion Nationals. The Phillies (5-6) will look to build off of an offensive trouncing in which they pounded five homers in a victory over the Braves. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and some other key statistics from this series. Tuesday, 8/11 7:05pm.  Alex Cobb (1-1, 2.51 ERA) vs Zack Wheeler (2-0, 2.08 ERA).   Cobb, a righty, went five innings and allowed just one run but took the loss in his last start against Miami.  The veteran Cobb is averaging more than a strike out per inning this season.  JT Realmuto is 3-for-6 with two homers in his career when facing Cobb.  Wheeler sports a 0.75 ERA in a pair of career starts against the O's.  Opponents are OPS'ing .631 against Wheeler in his two starts this season. Wed

Recently, I spoke with Phillies pitching prospect Ben Brown about his recovery from Tommy John surgery, how he's using the down time during the pandemic hiatus and more.  When the 20-year-old right-hander spared some time to answer the serious questions, he was also gracious enough to offer his thoughts on the silly-ass ones.  Read ahead for a sample of my bonus interview with Ben. -Who is your coolest Phillies teammate and why? Bruce Wang for sure. No explanation needed for that stud. -I have an "Uncle Chubby" and my son calls his grandmother "Gaga".  Do you have any unique names within your family?    We call my Uncle Scott "Bigs." He is a big, awesome guy. Very tall. For the complete version of this piece as well as many additional exclusive interviews head on over to Patreon.com/PhoulBallz and support my work.    

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 available promo codes