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The day after the Phillies signed their interim manager to a two-year contract extension, the team will open the best-of-five playoff series in National League East Division winning Atlanta. On Monday the Phils made a clear vote of confidence when they gave skipper Rob Thomson the job for years to come.  On Tuesday, the team sends 27-year-old Ranger Suarez to the mound to battle Braves ace Max Fried to open the National League Division Series.  The Phils earned their way to the series by notching a pair of victories over the Cardinals in the Wild Card round this past weekend. Details on pitching match ups and other key notes from this series are ahead... Tuesday, 1:07pm Eastern...LHP Ranger Suarez (10-7 record, 3.65 ERA) vs. LHP Max Fried (14-7 record, 2.48 ERA).   Suarez has a 2.81 ERA in six daytime outings this season.  In five starts against the Braves this year, the Venezuela native, Suarez, tallied a 1-2 record with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  Atlanta sho...

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 lef...

The Phillies (71-81) will close out their home schedule this weekend as the division rival Mets (68-84) visit for a three-game series.  Far removed from the playoff picture, the two teams will battle for third place in the National League East division. In nine of the 16 meetings between the these clubs this year, the Phils have been victorious. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more information from this series. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-3, 6.12 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (8-13, 3.48 ERA).   Matsuzaka allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his last start against the Phils on August 28th.  Matsuzaka is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in two road starts this year.  In his last nine starts, Hamels is 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA.  Hamels is 7-12 with a 4.29 ERA in 25 career starts against the Mets.  In 16 home starts this year, Hamels has a 3-6 record with a 3.55 ERA. Saturday, 7:05 PM.  Dillon Gee (11-10, 3.47 ERA...

Last season's top Phillies draft choice, righty pitcher Shane Watson is set to kick off the new season as a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws.  Taken 40th overall, the six-foot-four 200-pounder signed for nearly $1.3 million and made his pro debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, posting a 1.29 ERA over five outings late last summer. After spending time in the fall instructional league, the 19-year-old will be among a young group of hurlers hoping to take the BlueClaws back to the top of the South Atlantic League in 2013. At Tuesday's open practice in Lakewood, I spoke with Shane, about his draft experience, his offerings on the mound, his transition into the professional ranks and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. - Shane, last year you were selected in the first round, 40th overall...I wanted to talk with you and just learn what your draft experience was like.  How did you track it and how did you celebrate once you learned you were...

Today at PhilliesNation.com, the staff there pitched in for a roundtable entry, proclaiming their bold Phillies predictions for 2013.  My standout thought on what's to come next season was not specifically about the Phillies, so it was not included in the post by the prevailing site editor, but it's still related to the team, if you ask me. Check out my bold prediction for the coming season and then click the link below, to see what Brian, Corey, Ian and the gang had to say about what they expect from the likes of Charlie Manuel , Carlos Ruiz , Ben Revere and others in 2013. Prediction not specifically for the Phils, but related- Former Phillies first round draft pick Travis d'Arnaud, acquired from Toronto in the R.A. Dickey trade, claims the starting catcher job for the Metropolitans by June and is named National League Rookie of the Year in November.  d'Arnaud has posted a .320 batting average while slugging 37 HR in 181 games the past two years, com...

In recent seasons, the Phillies have parted ways with a considerable collection of well-regarded prospects in efforts to acquire established big league players. As time passes, those young players get closer to contributing for their new organization at the highest level and some are already doing so. As this year's trade deadline approaches, here’s a glance at how many of those former Phils’ farm hands have performed throughout the pros thus far in 2012. Jonathan Singleton , 1B, traded to Houston in the 2011 Hunter Pence deal- In 82 games with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, the 20-year-old has posted a .271 batting average with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 12 HR and 49 RBI. Jarred Cosart , RHP, also dealt in the Pence trade- In 13 starts for Corpus Christi, the righty hurler is sporting a 4-5 record with a 3.91 ERA and a .273 batting average against. Cosart, 22, made 1 start for Triple-A Oklahoma City in May, allowing 4 earned runs in 6 innings of work. Overall in 79 2/3 innin...

Jim Callis, of Baseball America, reported via Twitter this evening that the Phillies have signed 14 draft picks, including supplemental 1st round selection Shane Watson for $1,291,300, which is the full pick value. Watson attended the same high school (Lakewood, California) that former 1st round draft pick Travis d'Arnaud attended when he was selected by the Phillies in 2007. d'Arnaud recently shared his thoughts about Watson exclusively with PhoulBallz.com. "I played with his older brother and used to watch (Shane) play a little," d'Arnaud stated. "I am really happy for him and I know he will enjoy the Phillies organization, as I did." Additionally, the Phillies have also signed their 2nd round pick, high school outfielder Dylan Cozens for $659,800, also at pick value. 4th round draft choice Southern Illinois first baseman Chris Serritella signed for $200,000, which is under pick value, and 6th rounder Purdue 3rd baseman Cameron Perkins has a...

It's another brand new edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, brought to you by me and Tug Haines. In epiosde 6, we talk about Domonic Brown 's offensive surge at Triple-A, the Phillies' draft focus as well as departed prospects like Jonathan Singleton , Travis d'Arnaud and Brian Gump . Tug and I also play the Twitter Game and provide an exclusive update on Eric Pettis ' pro career. In addition to listening to the show with the embedded player below, you can also download the show by clicking HERE and check out previous episodes by clicking HERE . __________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

In recent seasons, plenty of well-regarded prospects have been traded by the Phillies to acquire established MLB talent and other key contributors. Many of those minor leaguers have been spending time with their respective clubs' big league teams this spring training. Here's a glance at how many of those former Phils' farm hands have done thus far in the exhibition season. Jonathan Singleton , 1B, traded to Houston in 2011 as part of the Hunter Pence deal- 9 games, 4-for-10 (.400 avg.), 1 double, 3 runs scored. Jonathan Villar , SS, traded to Houston in 2010 as part of the Roy Oswalt deal- 4 games, 0-for-2, with 2 walks. Anthony Gose , OF, traded to Houston in 2010 as part of the Roy Oswalt deal (subsequently flipped to Toronto)- 11 games, 4-for-15 (.267 avg), 1 double, 1 RBI. Travis d'Arnaud , traded to Toronto in 2009 as part of the Roy Halladay deal- 7 games, 3-for-15 (.200 avg), 2 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Kyle Drabek , traded to Toronto in the 2009 Roy Halladay deal...

The following piece originally appeared on one of my other internet homes, 1BlueJaysWay . Back in October, we reported on a thumb injury that top Blue Jays prospect Travis d'Arnaud suffered while competing with Team USA. The reigning Eastern League Most Valuable Player felt a pop after "catching a ball wrong". The 22-year-old was soon diagnosed with a ligament tear in his thumb. d'Arnaud, who was acquired from the Phillies in 2009 as part of the Roy Halladay trade, required surgery and has been rehabbing the repaired hand ever since, to get ready for the upcoming season. According to the All-Star catcher he'll be ready for spring training and doesn't expect to miss a beat in 2012. "My hand feels great," d'Arnaud said. "Rehab went well. I went to (the Sports Medicine Institute) in Anaheim, California and went for about two months of rehab. My thumb feels normal. Now, I just need to get accustomed to catching bullpens and such." d...

Two years ago, Travis d'Arnaud was leading the Phillies' Class A affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws, to their second ever South Atlantic League championship. This year, d'Arnaud was named as the Double A Eastern League's Most Valuable Player and is back in the post-season with New Hampshire. Originally selected in the supplemental round of the 2007 draft, d'Arnaud became a well regarded prospect with his strong bat and tremendous skills behind the plate. In 2008, in his first full season as a professional, the California native posted a .305 average with 6 HR and 30 RBI in 64 combined games at two levels with short-season Williamsport and Lakewood. The following season, d'Arnaud led a prospect laden BlueClaws club in RBI, with 71. His strides on the field caused folks all around baseball to take notice, and d'Arnaud was included in the December, 2009 trade that sent Cy Young Award winning hurler Roy Halladay to Philadelphia from Toronto. In the Blue Jays sy...

Recently, we reviewed the prospects that the Phillies dealt to acquire Roy Halladay . As a sequel to that piece, this week we'll take a glance at the minor leaguers that Philadelphia sent to Houston in exchange for Roy Oswalt. Much like the deal for Halladay, the second of the team's pair of Roys, Mr. Oswalt, cost the Phillies a three-piece of young talent. At the time of the July, 2010 deal, Houston was reported to be in the market for a Major League ready contributor to fill Oswalt's void on the roster. The Phillies obliged and sent 2009's Sporting News Rookie of the Year, J.A. Happ , over to the National League Central's current cellar dwellers. After joining the Astros last season, the left-handed Happ did a respectable job, going 5-4 with a 3.75 ERA in 13 starts. This season, however, was considerably different. After posting a 7.66 ERA in 10 combined June/July starts, Happ was sent down to Triple A Oklahoma City, where he sported a 1.50 ERA through 3 starts a...

Recently, we took a look at the return the Phillies acquired when they traded Cliff Lee to Seattle in December 2009. So why not take an updated look at the talent the Phillies traded away to obtain Roy Halladay? The biggest key to the deal with Toronto was righty hurler Kyle Drabek , who made the Blue Jays' opening day roster this season. The Phillies' first-round draft selection from 2006, Drabek was a force in the minors after bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in 2008, posting a 13-6 record and a 3.03 ERA in 33 outings from 2008-2009 at four levels of the Phillies' developmental system. After joining the Toronto organization, Drabek had a strong 2010 with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, leading the team to the post-season with a 14-9 record and a 2.94 ERA. The 6-foot-1-righty rode that string of success right into a September call-up, making three starts for Toronto, all of which he lost. In an exclusive interview last August, Drabek stated that...

NH hitting coach Justin Mashore working with Travis d'Arnaud last week Sidelined in late April with a concussion, suffered when he was hit with the swing of a batter, catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud began the season in quite a slump. Through 13 games in April with the Double A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, d'Arnaud had posted a .188 batting average with 1 HR and 5 RBI. However, since returning from the disabled list in early May, d'Arnaud has been on a hot streak, ripping into Eastern League pitching to the tune of a .378 batting average with 9 doubles, 5 homeruns and 12 RBI in 27 games. The 22-year-old California native asserted that he hasn't changed anything in his approach or mechanics, confirming that sometimes a hitter can just get into a groove and capitalize on that. "I've been slowing everything down and I feel like the ball looks like a softball right now. I can see it really good," d'Arnaud stated. "When I got on a roll, I was just s...

Fisher Cats center fielder Anthony Gose Anthony Gose is in a new organization, wearing a new uniform in a new town, but says he's still the same ball player. The quick-footed center fielder, who set out to lead all of minor league baseball in stolen bases at age 18 in 2009, and followed through when he swiped 76 bases as a member of the Phillies' Class A affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws, is now a member of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Gose was ranked as the 4th best prospect in the Blue Jays system by Baseball America prior to this season. The 6-foot-1-inch, 195 pound Gose has stayed on track with the tools that earned him such high praise. He continues to get on base, swipe bags and exhibit terrific instincts and range on defense in the outfield. Traded by the Phillies to Houston in the deal for starting pitcher Roy Oswalt last July, Gose ended up with Toronto when the Astros flipped him, almost immediately, in another trade for infielder Brett Wallace. The left...

The D'Arnaud brothers, Chase and Travis, have been in opposing dugouts since they graduated little league. They attended rival high schools and then they were pitted against one another in the minors, when different Pennsylvania teams drafted each of them. Travis was selected by the Phillies as a supplemental 1st round pick in 2007 and Chase was picked by the Pirates in the 4th round of the 2008 amateur draft. Regular PhoulBallz readers should be familiar with Travis (interviews here and here ), the former Phillies prospect, who was among the minor leaguers traded to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay last December. However, we've not heard from Chase, the Pirates shortstop prospect, here, until now. Dating back to their youth, Chase and Travis have played for rival teams. During their teenage years in California, Chase attended Los Alamitos High School and Travis attended Lakewood High School. In Chase's first pro season, the brothers faced each other in the NY-Penn League, w...

Justin De Fratus Florida State League all-stars were announced on Friday and there were plenty of familiar names for regular PhoulBallz.com readers. Close friends Justin De Fratus and Travis D'Arnaud will reunite as members of the FSL North division squad. De Fratus and D'Arnaud were key members of the 2009 South Atlantic League champion Lakewood BlueClaws last season. De Fratus posted a 5-6 record with a 3.19 ERA in 36 games (12 starts) for Lakewood in 2009. His battery mate, Travis D'Arnaud, was sent to Toronto by the Phillies in December as part of the Roy Halladay trade, after hitting .256 with 13 homers and 71 RBI for the BlueClaws in 2009. This season with the High-A level Clearwater Threshers, De Fratus, a 22-year-old right hander, has posted a 1-0 record with 8 saves and a 1.64 ERA in 16 games. With Dunedin in 2010, D'Arnaud is hitting .309 with 5 homers and 22 RBI, despite missing over 3 weeks with an injury. Travis D'Arnaud In addition to the reunion with...

The Philadelphia baseball blog tournament known as The Phield enters it's elite phase today as the final 16 sites begin to battle it out for supremacy in the regional blogosphere. This very site, PhoulBallz.com, meets its toughest challenge yet, as it faces the #2 seed Phuture Phillies, which is a solid site that features loads of content on the minor leagues. As I like to do each round, I would like to provide all readers a handful of reasons to get behind PhoulBallz.com. As such, I've inquired with some of moderate celebrity types to provide their endorsements of this site. Here is how that went down... Seth Jabour (pictured), of the indie rock band Les Savy Fav , (which you might be familiar with from your favorite MLB video game's soundtrack) stated: Phoul Ballz is the grandest, most rootin-tootin blog to ever grace the monitor on my grandma's computer! Chris, the leader of the lovely Phils blog known as Long Drive , was aggressive with his preference in The Phield...

The combination of blockbuster moves that landed Roy Halladay for the Phillies, in December, included a trio of players being sent from the Phils' minor league teams to Toronto. That trio was top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, 5-tool outfielder Michael Taylor (who was promptly dealt to Oakland for third baseman Brett Wallace) and...who was that other guy ? Well, regular PhoulBallz readers are plenty familiar with that other guy , Travis D'Arnaud. Travis was a big part of the Lakewood BlueClaws team that won the South Atlantic League title in 2009. He was also regarded highly enough to be invited to big league camp with the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida. I recently spoke with Travis about his off-season, his new team and other topics. Continue downward, and read all about it! Travis, how did the big trade effect your off-season? The trade only effected my off-season by having me travel to Florida for a physical at a moment's notice. I got a call the day after all of the trad...