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This week I chatted with Triple-A Lehigh Valley manager Dave Brundage along with outfielder Cameron Perkins . Brundage spoke on several topics including his All-Star closer, veteran Edward Mujica and a pair of starting pitchers. Perkins, also an International League All-Star, spoke about his efforts that earned him such a nod and more. Read ahead for those interview excerpts. Dave Brundage, image- Jay Floyd Brundage: -Speaking about Mujica's contributions to the IronPigs' club... He's a big reason why we're closing ball games out and shutting the door and it's nice to have a veteran in that situation and when he's in there, he throws strikes and, you know, he's not overpowering, but he certainly knows how to pitch. -I then asked Brundage if he thought anyone else on his team was deserving of an All-Star nod... I mean, you know, Nick Williams did-- I mean, for a young guy, I personally, you know, nothing against Mujica, I like voting for y...

The Phillies announced on Wednesday that righty pitcher Mark Appel had undergone surgery to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow. Appel had previously gone on the disabled list with shoulder soreness following his May 22nd start for Lehigh Valley. Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan told me recently that Appel was throwing pain free and the team expected him to be back in action by July 15th. IronPigs manager Dave Brundage stated that he suspected there was more to Appel's physical issues than just the sore shoulder. "Something had to be bothering him, something had to be there, where his stuff had dropped off, you know, his last couple outings, had dropped off significantly," Brundage stated. "I had a hard time believing it was just out of the stretch. It was something more and obviously he was putting a lot of effort into his pitches there and it's a tough break for him, but obviously, you can get (the elbow) cleaned up and ge...

On Tuesday, the Phillies released their planned 2015 coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates. The Triple-A level will maintain the same group with Dave Brundage staying on as manager, Ray Burris and Sal Rende returning as pitching coach and hitting coach respectively along with Mickey Morandini coming back as bench coach. Dusty Wathan, image- Jay Floyd Reading skipper Dusty Wathan will return for his fourth year with the team. Pitching coach Dave Lundquist will also be back at the Double-A level, while hitting coach Frank Cacciatore, who previously worked with the Reading team from 2008-2013 and with Clearwater in 2014, will make his return to Reading. Class A Advanced Clearwater will have a new manager, as Greg Legg has been promoted after holding the same position with Class A Lakewood last season. 2014 Reading hitting coach Rob Ducey will work with the Threshers next year, while Steve Schrenk , who previously coached in Clearwater in 2007-2008, will be back ...

Ethan Martin, Image- Jay Floyd Two weeks between outings last month was not wasted by righty hurler Ethan Martin . Sitting in the Phillies' bullpen allowed the 25-year-old plenty of time to watch and learn. As the Phillies' long man for a short stretch in June, the 25-year-old appeared in two games. He then waited for a chance to take the mound and face live competition once again, working on the side and staying prepared. The Phillies' starting pitchers averaged nearly seven innings per outing over the 15 games that occured from when Martin, a right-hander, last appeared in a big league game on June 7th till when he was reassigned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 23rd. The club's bullpen mainstays, namely Jonathan Papelbon , Antonio Bastardo , Mario Hollands , Jake Diekman and Justin De Fratus , tallied a 0.62 ERA in that same time frame, covering 30 total appearances. There was nowhere for Martin, who the Phillies acquired in the 2012 Shane Victorin...

This past weekend I spoke with the coaching staff in Lehigh Valley about several players on the Triple-A IronPigs roster. Check out what skipper Dave Brundage and pitching coach Ray Burris had to say about several hurlers on their team's roster. Jason Marquis, Image- Jay Floyd -Brundage on the game plan going forward for RHP Jason Marquis , who has allowed one earned run in 11 innings over two starts in the minors since the Phillies signed him this month. I don't know. You're talking to the wrong guy. If I was the G.M., or if I was the big league manager, maybe I'd have a different answer. We're gonna run him out there every 5th day and we'll see what we have. I'm sure (the Phillies) were watching they have a pretty good idea of what they got to see. His stuff was a little bit better than what I thought. Then again, he's just been pitching down in extended spring. (Friday) he gets to come up, in front of a bigger crowd and with some adren...

Jason Marquis, Image- Jay Floyd Less than a year removed from elbow surgery, right-handed hurler Jason Marquis took to the mound to show the world, but mainly the Phillies, what he can do. Marquis, who was signed by the Phillies earlier this month, made his organizational debut last weekend, earning a win with five innings of shutout baseball for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies. The 35-year-old took the mound in Allentown for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Friday, taking a no decision after tossing six-plus innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out six and walking one. If not for a troubling effort from the IronPigs' bullpen, Marquis would have notched a win. He exited the game in the 7th inning after allowing a lead-off single, which ended a stretch of 10 straight batters retired. Jeremy Horst came on in relief and allowed that runner to score. The following frame, Ethan Martin and Cesar Jimenez let up four runs and relinquished ...

Dave Brundage, Image- Jay Floyd Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Dave Brundage returned the Phillies' organization this season after a 26-year absence.  Previously, Brundage managed the Braves' Triple-A affiliate for the last six seasons.  Prior to his time in the Atlanta system, the 48-year-old spent 19 season in the Mariners organization as a player, coach and manager.  The Georgia resident was originally drafted as a fourth round pick in 1986 and played at three levels with the Phillies, reaching as high as Double-A Reading before he was traded to Seattle. The IronPigs hung close in the International League wild card standings through the latter portion of the season, but a loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday officially eliminated them from the postseason hunt. This weekend, I spoke with Brundage about several of his players, including Adam Morgan , Tyson Gillies as well as Cameron Rupp and he also chatted about September call-ups among other ...