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Damek Tomscha, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- It had been 2181 days since the Lakewood BlueClaws played in the postseason. It was worth the wait as the BlueClaws took a 1-0 lead on Wednesday night in the best-of-three South Atlantic League division series against the Hagerstown Suns (Nationals affiliate) by a score of 6-1 behind excellent relief pitching and clutch hitting. Shortstop Emmanuel Marrero notched the first of his three hits in the 5th inning to tie the game at one run apiece. In the same frame, third baseman Damek Tomscha stroked a two-run ground rule double down the right field line to put the BlueClaws ahead 3-1. "That's exactly what he's done all year," BlueClaws skipper Shawn Williams stated of the righty batting Tomscha. "Seems like he's always up in a big situation and that's what he does- he comes through with a big hit." Those runs would be enough as the Lakewood bullpen was strong. It was righty reliever Grant Dyer ...

Marrero, image- Jay Floyd Lakewood infielder Emmanuel Marrero was named Phillies minor league player of the week for the period ending May 8th.  The 22-year-old Puerto Rico native wrapped up the week with three straight multi-hit games and went 12-for-24 (.500 avg) with three doubles and four RBI in six games last week for Class A Lakewood.  Recently, I spoke with the switch-hitter about his success at the top of the order that has him batting .327 overall in 27 contests for the BlueClaws. -Marrero offered his thoughts on being successful at the plate... It's working early.  I've been getting good pitches to hit and it's been fun, you know? -Speaking on what has contributed to the increased production (batted .182 at the same level last season)... Yes, I work a lot with (hitting coach Nelson) Prada on hitting line drives and staying in the game. -Commenting on if anyone else has been of considerable help with the improvements he has made... I played wi...

Tommy Joseph, image- Jay Floyd The standout player on any hotlist of late should be the man that I receive daily tweets from fans about, asking when he’ll be called up to replace Darin Ruf or Philadelphia legend Ryan Howard . The man who was recently an afterthought or a player most fans thought was a fizzled out prospect who had been ravaged by concussions. The player that had to abandon his catching position due to those injuries and moved elsewhere on the diamond in order to continue his career. The guy that was acquired from the Giants in a trade for Hunter Pence back in 2012, Tommy Joseph . The 24-year-old first baseman/designated hitter has been on fire, excelling at the plate all season. In 23 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he sports a .392 average and a 1.126 OPS, both of which lead the Triple-A International League. Joseph a right-handed hitter, has slammed seven doubles and six homers while driving in a team-best 17 runs. He’s playing like someone very deser...

Shawn Williams The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws have been exciting to watch this season, despite a disappointing 6-16 overall record thus far this season. This week I spoke with team skipper Shawn Williams about several talented young prospects such as righty pitcher Shane Watson , outfielder Jose Pujols and infielder Josh Tobias . Additionally, I asked him about the injuries his team has dealt with so far in the early going. Read ahead for the exclusive comments. -The BlueClaws have had quite a few injuries with some key offensive contributors like Deivi Grullon , Zach Coppola and Cornelius Randolph missing time. How is the team able to deal with this kind of shake up? For me, it gives an opportunity for a lot of these other guys to get a chance and they've taken full advantage of it and we've still-- I mean, we've been swinging the bats well overall all season and, like I said, it's giving them a chance to get in there and show what they can do and they...