PhoulBallz.com

On Sunday, Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan took time to answer questions about many topics throughout the minors, including injured players Jonathan Pettibone , Roman Quinn , Zach Green and Aaron Brown . He also provided feedback on the rise of pitching prospects Aaron Nola and Franklyn Kilome , the return of 2012 top draft pick Shane Watson and the release of lefty pitcher Yoel Mecias . Read ahead for the full interview with Joe... Quinn, image- Jay Floyd -Outfielder Roman Quinn was having a great season in Double-A prior to missing time to due a hip tear. He's been named an Eastern League All-Star. Will he have to stay in Florida and continue rehabbing during the All-Star festivities? He's staying in Florida to continue his rehab. Very disappointing that it happened, 'cause he, I mean everything was coming together for Roman. He was starting to figure himself out as a player. But, you know, he's getting better. It's going to take a f...

Winners of nine straight games, the Pirates are faced with shuffling their rotation as they were forced to warm up the next guy in their starting rotation, Jeff Locke , before they finalized a 14-inning victory against the Brewers on Sunday. The Pirates (51-30) enter July with the best record in baseball and they'll host the cross-state rival Phillies (39-44) for a three-game series that begins on Tuesday. Pittsburgh will likely push Locke back till later in the series and use Jeanmar Gomez in the opener. The Phils lost two of three to the Bucs at Pittsburgh's PNC Park last season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key details on this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM.  Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.17 ERA) vs. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.76 ERA). The 22-year-old Pettibone has not won in his last eight starts while posting a 4.67 ERA over that stretch.  In six road starts this year, Pettibone has a 1-2 record along with a 6.39 ERA.  Pettibone mad...

The Mets (28-41) visit Citizens Bank Park this weekend to begin a three-game series with the division rival Phillies (35-38). In the series opener, New York righty Jeremy Hefner , who allowed seven earned runs without recording an out in a start against the Phils last September 20th, will take the mound for the visitors, while lefty Cole Hamels , who is tied for the big league lead in losses with 10, will try to get on the winning track. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series.  Friday, 7:05 PM.  Jeremy Hefner (1-6, 3.96 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (2-10, 4.40 ERA).   In four career games against the Phils, Hefner is 1-2 with a 15.68 ERA and a .448 batting average against.  Hefner has a 1-3 record along with a 5.14 ERA in seven road games this season.  Ryan Howard is 3-for-3 in his career against Hefner. In 22 career games against the Mets, Hamels has a 6-10 record with a 4.20 ERA.  One of Hamels' w...

The Marlins (16-41) come to town to take on the division rival Phillies (27-30) in a three-game series that begins at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Monday night.  Right-hander Tom Koehler will open the series on the mound for Miami.  Koehler has yet to lock down a win thus far in his brief big league career.  The Phils will counter with righty Kyle Kendrick , who has been victorious in nine straight decisions against the Marlins. The Phillies have won six of 10 meetings with the Marlins this season. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series. Monday, 7:05 PM.  Tom Koehler (0-3, 3.22 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 3.27 ERA).   Koehler, an 18th round draft pick by the Marlins in 2008, has allowed three earned runs in 2 2/3 career innings against the Phillies.  The Koehler has a 4.42 ERA in six road outings this season.  In six home starts this season, Kendrick is 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA....

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 fro...

Interleague play returns to Citizens Bank Park as the Indians (21-16) come to town for a quick two-game set against the Phillies (18-21). Having won seven of their last 10 contests, the Indians look to continue their success against the Phils, who were pounded by a total score of 20-2 over two games, both losses, in Cleveland a couple weeks back. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and more key details from this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Scott Kazmir (2-1, 4.87 ERA) vs. Jonathan Pettibone (2-0, 3.63 ERA). The lefty Kazmir has a 2.65 ERA over his last three starts. Kazmir won his lone career start against the Phillies back in 2006. In two home starts, the rookie right-hander Pettibone is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA. Opponents are hitting .154 with runners in scoring position against Pettibone. Wednesday, 1:05 PM. Corey Kluber (2-2, 5.64 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (1-5, 4.18 ERA). The righty Kluber has a 5.77 ERA in nine career road games. Delmon Young ...

It's the landmark 25th edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast.  On this epsiode, Jay and Tug discuss Tyson Gillies ' rough start to the 2013 season and J.A. Happ 's alarming injury.  Additionally, the guys field the challenge of a fan, each naming their five positive things to take from the Phillies organization's season thus far, praising names like Kyle Kendrick , Jonathan Pettibone , Jesse Biddle and Nic Hanson .  Some news related to TheFightins.com is revealed as well.  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 .

The Phillies (14-18) head west to begin a three-game series on Monday night at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The hosting Giants (19-12) have won six straight contests. The Phils' offense, which ranks second from worst in the majors with a .669 OPS, struggled over the weekend, as they tallied only five total hits in a pair of losses to the team with the worst record in the National League, the Marlins. The first place Giants were victorious in four of six meetings between these two teams last year. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series. Monday. 10:15 PM.  Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.46 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (3-0, 1.55 ERA). In five career regular season starts against San Francisco, Lee is 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA and two complete games.   Lee has a 0-2 record with a 5.04 ERA in his last four starts.  Pablo Sandoval is 2-for-12 (.167 avg) in his career against Lee.  Opponents are hitting just .181 against Bumgarn...

The Phillies (12-16) are set to kick off a four-game series as host to the Marlins (8-20).  The series marks the returns of Phils Gold Glove Award winner Placido Polanco and speedster Juan Pierre to Philadelphia for the first time since each man parted ways via free agency. The Phillies have won nine of their last 12 meetings with the Marlins.  Additionally, the Phils were victorious in six of nine games against Miami at Philly's Citizens Bank Park last season. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key details from this series. Thursday, 7:05 PM. Alex Sanabia (2-3, 4.85 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 2.41 ERA). Sanabia, a 24-year-old righty, allowed one earned run in six innings pitched in his lone career start against the Phillies in 2011. In 13 career road outings, Sanabia has a 4-1 record along with a 3.32 ERA. In three home starts this year, Kendrick is 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA. In 19 career games against Miami, Kendrick has a 10-2 rec...

On this week's edition, Jay and Tug talk about Tug's purchase of TheFightins.com and its relaunch.  Additionally, the guys discuss the Phils' struggles and how the returns of Carlos Ruiz and Delmon Young could impact the offense. Also, an injury update on lefty pitching prospect Austin Wright is featured and the guys stall, waiting for Jesse Biddle to phone in plus much more great content. Check out the media player below to hear the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Behind a rookie hurler, the Phillies (8-11) are set to open a four-game series against the Pirates (10-8) at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Monday night. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups as well as other key stats for this series. Jon Pettibone in action with Reading in 2012 Monday, 7:05 PM.  A.J. Burnett (1-2, 2.63 ERA) vs. Jonathan Pettibone (first MLB start).   In 19 career regular season games against the Phillies, Burnett has a 6-9 record along with a 5.09 ERA.  Ryan Howard is 3-for-14 (all three hits are home runs) in his career against Burnett.  The 36-year-old righty has a 4.86 ERA in seven career games at Citizens Bank Park.  The 22-year-old Pettibone was PhilliesNation.com's #6 ranked prospect prior to the season.  In two starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, Pettibone had a 0-1 record and a 9.64 ERA. Pettibone, who was the Phillies' 3rd round draft pick in 2008, is filling in for the injured John ...

Righty hurler Jonathan Pettibone , a third round selection in the 2008 amateur draft, has stood out as an increasingly promising prospect over the past few years for the Phillies. After putting himself on the map, Pettibone now resides among the team's best options to debut on the big league roster in the very near future. Pettibone signed with the Phils in 2008 after committing to the University of Southern California on a baseball scholarship. The son of former Twins pitcher Jay Pettibone states that his dad was an influence on him, during his youth, but dad backed off and let the younger Pettibone learn from his coaches as well as on his own, once he reached high school playing age. The 6-foot-6 225-pounder made his pro debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2008, recording an inning of work. The following season, the Esperanza High School (California) product joined the starting rotation for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn...

BA ranked Jesse Biddle as the Phils' #1 prospect On Monday, Baseball America released its annual list of top 10 prospects in the Phillies organization . The rankings feature some plenty of names that are deserving of considerable regard, but also includes some debatable placement. Generally, I feel that prospect rankings issued by national writers or their publications are a somewhat questionable, as such members of the media do not get to see many of the same players on a regular basis and, as such, must rely on other people's accumulated scouting reports and other material to publish full reviews.  Limitations of how frequently a player is viewed over a season can prevent an analyst from witnessing development or getting to see the type of work individuals put in outside the lines.  A player's progress is key in reviewing his potential and in ranking him among other prospects, as are his age, his proximity to helping the big league team and other factors as well. ...

Jon Pettibone took great strides in 2012 On Tuesday, several additions to the 40-man roster were announced by the Phillies, as outfielder Zach Collier as well as pitchers Trevor May , Jonathan Pettibone , and Ethan Martin were all added. Collier, was a supplementary round draft choice by the Phillies in 2008. The lefty hitting California native performed extremely well in the recently wrapped up Arizona Fall League. To read my interview with Zach from last weekend, which includes more info on the 22-year-old, click here. May, a righty hurler, had an up-and-down 2012 after entering the regular season ranked by many outlets as the Phillies’ top prospect. May posted a 10-13 overall record along with a 4.87 ERA and a 9.09 K/9 mark with Double-A Reading this year. The 23-year-old was a 4th round draft pick in 2008. Pettibone had a strong 2012 campaign following a troubling start that saw him post a 1-3 record and a 4.78 ERA in his first six outings. In the 13 starts wh...

I'm back with another semi-weekly minor league review, where we take a look at the various developmental levels of the Phillies' organization and some noteworthy players from each club. This time, it's a glance at some top performers of late, as well as those that aren't doing so well. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs… Who’s hot: RHP Jonathan Pettibone (pictured, right) has posted a 3-0 record with a 1.80 ERA in three starts this month for the IronPigs. Overall, combined with his time at Double-A Reading this season, Pettibone has tallied a 12-7 record with a 3.10 ERA and 100 strike outs in 142 1/3 innings. The 22-year-old was the Phillies' 3rd round draft selection in 2008. Who’s not: IF Cesar Hernandez is 5-for-31 (.161 avg) in his past eight games. In 16 games since his promotion to Lehigh Valley, the 22-year-old Hernandez has posted a .231 batting average. Right-handed starting pitcher Scott Elarton has gone 0-3 with a 6.98 ERA in four starts this month...