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For right-handed hurler Austin Hyatt , the 2011 season was packed with success. As the virtual ace of the Double-A Reading Phillies' pitching staff, the 25-year-old Hyatt proved to be one of the most reliable pitching prospects in the Philadelphia developmental system. During a season in which he was named as an Eastern League All-Star, Hyatt posted tremendous numbers in the second half, to help his team reach the post-season. In 10 starts after the All-Star break, Hyatt posted a 5-1 record with a 2.78 ERA and a .221 batting average against. Overall with Reading, the 6-foot-2-inch 180-pound Hyatt averaged more than a strike out per inning pitched (171 K's in 154 1/3 innings), which is impressive at any level. According to Reading pitching coach Bob Milacki, who previously coached with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Hyatt's pitching repertoire has come along quite well since Milacki first saw the Georgia native when Hyatt joined the 'Claws for their postseason run tw...

With Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence making returning back to where they became households names in the baseball world, the Houston Astros (49-97) will play host to both fan favorites for the first time ever, as they face the Phillies (94-49) for a three-game series. Prior to a trade that sent Oswalt to Philadelphia in July, 2010, he became a two-time 20 game winner and a three-time All-Star. Pence, who joined the Phillies after another trade with Houston in July this season, was a two-time All-Star as a member of the Astros. Houston, having dealt away multiple noteworthy players, for prospects, have the worst record in the Majors by 10 games over the closest cellar dweller. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups as well as other key info on this series. Monday, 8:05 PM. Roy Oswalt (7-8, 3.72 ERA) vs. Brett Myers (4-13, 4.66 ERA). In his last 4 starts, Oswalt has a 2-1 record with a 3.33 ERA. Oswalt has served up a .314 batting average against in 11 road starts this seas...

READING, PA- As the rain fell, so did the Reading Phillies. New Hampshire left fielder Danny Perales slugged a 2-run go ahead homerun in the 9th inning, to end the R-Phils' season and clinch a spot in the Eastern League Championship Series for the Double-A Toronto affiliate. The Fisher Cats, the Eastern division champions, won the series 3 games to 1, over the wild card entrant Phillies, and will move on to face Richmond (Giants affiliate), in the title series. Richmond swept Harrisburg in the opening round. The R-Phils got the scoring started in the 2nd inning, when catcher Tuffy Gosewisch hammered an offering from NH starter Joel Pino deep to left-center for a solo homerun, to give his club a 1-0 lead. As Reading right-hander Tyson Brummett cruised, keeping the bases clear in the early going, the score stayed the same. It was with 2 outs in the 4th inning that the Fisher Cats' lineup finally got to Brummett, as Moises Sierra notched the first hit for NH. Eastern L...

Three hits were enough for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to lock down a game 3 victory, as the the Phillies' Triple-A club swept the Pawtucket Red Sox right out of the International League Governors Cup playoffs with a 3-1 victory. Minimal offense was required for the 'Pigs, as veteran hurler Brian Bass tossed a 5-hit complete game. The 29-year-old right-hander took a shutout into the ninth inning before letting up an unearned run. The effort by Bass marks the third consecutive start in which he did not allow an earned run. In his most recent six starts, Bass has posted a 1.62 ERA. On the offensive side, third baseman Kevin Frandsen drove in two runs with a pair of ground outs in the 1st and 6th innnings, respectively, and second baseman Josh Barfield slugged a solo homer in the 2nd frame. All three runs and the loss were charged to Paw Sox right-handed starting pitcher Alex Wilson . Lehigh Valley is now set to meet the Columbus Clippers in the best-of-five IL Championsh...

A Friday night double dip of minor league playoff action brought a pair of wins to the Phillies organization as the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs downed the Pawtucket Red Sox in extra innings and the Double-A Reading Phillies romped the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Brandon Moss powered the IronPigs to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five opening round of the International League playoffs. After trailing the PawSox 1-0 after the top of the 1st inning, Moss, a former Red Sox farm hand, pulled the game even with a solo homer in the bottom of the 2nd. In the following frame, the 27-year-old Moss gave the 'Pigs a 2-1 lead, driving in Scott Podsednik with a double. Kevin Frandsen attempted to score on the same play, but was gunned down at the plate. Starting pitcher Ryan Edell , who has been great at Coca Cola Park (5-1, 1.98 ERA in 8 regular season games), put forth a solid effort, allowing 1 run in 5 2/3 innings but did not figure in the decision. The IronPigs held their lead until ri...

After both series openers were washed out by rain on Wednesday night, the Eastern League and International League playoffs, each of which featured a Phillies affiliate, got started on Thursday. In the opener of the Triple-A International League divisional series, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, playing host to the Pawtucket Red Sox at Allentown's Coca Cola Park, took command of the best-of-five series with a few big bombs and some solid pitching. Catcher Erik Kratz , right fielder Brandon Moss and shortstop Freddy Galvis each hit solo homeruns and big league veteran Dave Bush threw 6 2/3 of 1-run ball to help the IronPigs notch a 4-2 victory. Bush, a 31-year-old right-hander who recorded a win in the playoffs against the Phillies in 2008 for Milwaukee, was released by Texas in July after posting a 5.79 ERA through 17 appearances. The Phillies signed Bush and added him to the Lehigh Valley roster in August. For Bush, the win was his second since joining the IronPigs. Lehigh Valle...

Both the Phillies (91-48) and the Brewers (85-59) have considerable leads over their nearest division rival and have shown no signs of slowing down as they approach the 2011 post-season. In fact, the two teams could meet in approximately three weeks once the National League playoffs get rolling. Milwaukee took 2 of 3 games when these teams met in Philadelphia back in April, but with the best record in the Majors, the Phillies will hope to prevent another series loss at the hands of the club that is considered their best challenger for the right to play in the Fall Classic. It will be a tall task, as the Brewers are proud owners of the best home record in all of baseball (50-19). In the four-game series opener on Thursday at Miller Park, the Phillies will send lefty Cole Hamels, who has posted a 2.31 ERA in his last four starts against the Brew Crew, to the mound. Milwaukee will counter with left-hander Chris Narveson, who will make his first start in more than two weeks, after being...

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...

The Phillies announced on Wednesday that shortstop Freddy Galvis and right-handed pitcher Trevor May were named the winners of the annual Paul Owens Award for the top player and pitcher, respectively, in the team's minor league system for 2011. Galvis, a 21-year-old switch-hitter, posted a combined .278 average with a career high 8 home runs, 43 RBI, 23 stolen bases and 78 runs in 137 games between Double A Reading and Triple A Lehigh Valley this year. The native of Venezuela was selected as an Eastern League All-Star prior to being promoted to Lehigh Valley at the start of August. Galvis was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies in 2006 at the age of 16. May, a 21-year-old from Washington, posted strong numbers all season long for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. In 27 starts, May went 10-8 with a 3.63 ERA, while striking out a Florida State League leading 208 batters in 151 1/3 innings, and holding opposing hitters to a .221 average. The Phillies' ...

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...

Happy Labor Day! The Braves (82-57), who hold the lead in the National League Wild Card standings by 8 1/2 games, and Phillies (88-48) who are currently 7 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East division, are set to begin a three-game series at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Monday night. With both clubs seemingly set for a post-season run, this could potentially be a preview of this year's National League Championship Series. Read ahead for key info on the pitching match ups and other statistics from this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Derek Lowe (9-12, 4.52 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (15-7, 2.59 ERA). In 21 career games against the Phillies, Lowe has an 8-6 record with 2 saves, 1 blown save and a 3.15 ERA. In 2 starts at Citizens Bank Park this year, Lowe is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Chase Utley is 13-for-33 (.394 avg) with 3 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Lowe. In 6 career starts against Atlanta, Lee has a 1-3 record with a 4.98 ERA. Lee is 10-2 with a 2.13 ERA in 15 h...

With apologies to Dorothy and her gang for the title, those literary characters (yes, they were in a book before the movie, folks) got me thinking about others and that led right into Philly native Allen Schatz, author of a series of books with a BIG local connection. You might remember we first mentioned Allen and his book launch back in February and then again in June when he added a print version . Well, we caught up to Allen to find out what’s been going on. Turns out, there’s a lot. PhoulBallz had a quick chat with him to get the 411. PhoulBallz: OK, so last we checked, you had a book out, Game 7: Dead Ball . What’s all this I’m hearing about an entire series? Allen Schatz: You are hearing correctly. I’ve published two more titles to create The Marshall Connors Series. The new books are 7th Inning Death and Rally Killer . As you know, you can’t really rest in any business, especially writing, and especially Indie writing. It’s been said anyone can write a book. The tr...