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On Monday the Phillies will open up a home-and-home four-game series against the Yankees, with the first pair taking place in Philadelphia and the last pair happening in New York City. After dropping two of three in their season opening series against the Marlins, the Phils look to bounce back and get on the winning track.   New Phillies skipper Joe Girardi managed the Yankees for a decade, winning a World Series title against the Phils in 2009.  Two days shy of the 10-year anniversary of the day the Phillies traded him to Houston in the Roy Oswalt deal, J.A. Happ will start the series opener against veteran Jake Arrieta.  Read ahead for breakdowns of the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series. Monday 7/27, 7:05PM.  LHP J.A. Happ (12-8, 4.91 ERA in 2019) vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (8-8, 4.64 ERA in 2019).   In 30 career appearances at Citizens Bank Park, the 37-year-old Happ sports a 3.87 ERA.  In his career against Happ, Andrew McCut...

Rhys Hoskins, image- Jay Floyd At long last, it is Opening Day for the Phillies.  The delayed season, a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, gets underway for the Phils and Marlins on Friday, as the two teams open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Entering the 2020 campaign with new manager Joe Girardi at the helm, the Phillies hope this is the year they can return to the postseason for the first time since 2011 after under-performing and faltering down the stretch in each of the past two seasons. On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced arrangements for an expanded playoff format this year, increasing the amount of post-season teams from 10 to 16. Coming off back-to-back last place finishes in the National League East division, Miami looks to surprise many and contend for one of those spots.  The Marlins lost 105 games last year. Read ahead for specifics on the pitching match ups and more from this series.  Friday, 7/24/20...7:05PM....

Logan O'Hoppe, image- Jay Floyd Phillies catching prospect Logan O'Hoppe was the subject of a recent player feature I posted here three days early.  When I talked with Logan, he was kind enough to not only chat about some serious baseball related topics, he also had some fun with me and answered Nine Silly-Ass Questions! In this interview, the 20-year-old, who was an All-Star with Class A short-season Williamsport last year, offered his thoughts on his experiences playing in Australia last off-season, super powers, some surprising movies he's never seen, teammate Albertus Barber and plenty more.  Read ahead for some excerpts from this Silly-ass interview... -You can 4-for-4 and your team loses, or you can get hit in the groin and your team wins...which do you choose? I mean, if we win, then the whole team has a good night, so I have to go with that one.  That really benefits everybody. -Tell me, if you can, four words to describe Albertus Barber . One,...

Jose Pujols, image- Jay Floyd It was announced that the Phillies released outfield prospect Jose Pujols along with two minor league pitchers on Wednesday. The 24-year-old righty hitting Dominican missed all of the 2019 regular season following a reported Achilles tendon injury. Pujols made a name for himself during his first campaign in full-season Class A in 2016,  when he set Lakewood's single season home run record at the time, at that time, with a mark of 24. Overall in 128 games in the South Atlantic League that year, Pujols tallied a .241 batting average with 82 runs batted in. In six minor league seasons, the six-foot-three 180-pounder notched a .238/.304/.406 slash line.  The father of two posted a message about the release on his Instagram account on Wednesday night.  An image of that statement is embedded below. Tip of the cap to OF Jose Pujols, who was released yesterday by the #Phillies . He posted a statement about it on his Instagram a...

Logan O'Hoppe, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and via my Patreon page .  For a small monthly fee, your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this feature.  Thank you.   On Friday, the Phillies added a pair of catchers to their 2020 player pool.  Minor leaguers Logan O'Hoppe (pronounced Oh-HOP-ee) and Henri Lartigue arrived in Philadelphia to help catch bullpen sessions for the team's collection of approximately 30 pitchers. The call to O'Hoppe was extremely welcome as the 20-year-old had been staying as active as he possibly could, working out with other players that have been been waiting out quarantine due to the current pandemic at his home on Long Island.  However, he had been very eager to step back onto an actual baseball field. "I just hope I can play soon.  Where ever that is or whatever form that is, that'd be aw...

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 MLB season has been reduced to just 60 games.  At long last, the abbreviated regular season schedule was announced on Monday and features the Phillies hosting the Marlins on Friday, July 24th, in those two clubs' opening day. Games are expected to be played without fans in attendance, but each of the Phils' scheduled contests will be televised.  Specifics on which channels or networks will carry each game is slated to be announced at a later date. Per MLB.com here's a break down of the Phillies' schedule: National League East Braves (10): seven at home, three on the road Marlins (10): three at home, seven on the road Mets (10): six at home, four on the road Nationals (10): four at home, six on the road American League East Blue Jays (6): three at home, three on the road Orioles (3): all at home Rays (3): all on the road Red Sox (4): two at home, two on the road Yankees (4): two at home, two on ...

On Tuesday, Minor League Baseball announced that its 2020 season would be cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . For me, it's worth mentioning that supporters of my work through Patreon got that news six weeks ago. Per a press release from the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, team general manager Kurt Landes had this to say: It’s with great disappointment and sadness to inform you that the IronPigs 2020 season has been officially cancelled. Earlier today, Major League Baseball informed Minor League Baseball that it will not be providing its Minor League affiliates with players for the 2020 season. As such, there will not be a 2020 Minor League season. On behalf of the entire IronPigs organization, I promise that when the 2021 season arrives it will be our best season ever. More promotions, more fun and more entertainment. We’ll honor our front-line heroes, recognize our essential workers and heal together – all while taking in our national pastime. From a ...

As was announced last week , Major League Baseball is set to return from hiatus in July with each team permitted to designate a player pool of up to 60 individuals that can play in games. Via Twitter on Sunday night, the Phillies announced their collection of talent that will be able to take the field in red pinstripes this year. Ready for Summer Camp. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/om4nTEFocY — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 29, 2020 Included on the Phils' list of player that will be in the big leagues or on the club's taxi squad, are the top two prospects in the organization, righty hurler Spencer Howard and corner infielder Alec Bohm . Spencer Howard, image- Jay Floyd Howard, who is known for his fastball that reaches triple digits pitched last year in the Arizona Fall League, where he faced many of baseball's top minor league talents. In six appearances for Scottsdale, the 23-year-old notched a 1-1 record with a 2.11 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Ad...

Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this post.  Thank you.   Mike Ventola, image- Jay Floyd Mike Ventola has spent nearly a decade broadcasting in the developmental ranks for the Phillies organization.  He's also worked for the Southern Illinois Miners, the Augusta Greenjackets, New Jersey Institute of Technology calling women's basketball and the Danny Bonaduce Morning Show. Currently the Manager of Media Relations for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Ventola previously called games for five seasons with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. Recently, "Mikey V." took time to answer interview questions for me and offered some insight on his career path, the appeal of broadcasting, his current role with the IronPigs, what he's missing most this year during the baseball ...

The following  post originally appeared on my Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz .  In order to get breaking news, exclusive interviews, early access and other content, please consider supporting my work there for just $5 per month. The long awaited announcement of a return for Major League Baseball came on Tuesday, as the league and the players have come to terms on a 60-game regular season schedule set to begin on either July 23rd or July 24th. The announcement comes on the heels of months-long negotiations between the two sides, as they struggled to agree on a way to safely come back from the Coronavirus related hiatus. With some rule tweaks, MLB will proceed despite considerable rises in COVID-19 cases in Arizona, Texas and Florida, where many games will be played. Rule changes include: The National League will use the designated hitter. The trading deadline will be August 31st. Much like the method used in the minor leagues in recent years, ...

I mentioned in my recent draft picks post that I'd be publishing the latest Hittin' Season podcast, in which I chat about the Phillies' draft results and the lack of a minor league season this year, after it became available.  I wasn't having luck with getting the embedded player for just that episode posted on the site here.  So, below, you'll find a description of the episode as well as a link to be able to stream the show, hosted by John Stolnis.  I hope you dig it. On Episode 390 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis breaks down the much-shorter 2020 MLB Draft for the Phillies with Jay Floyd of  PhoulBallz.com. Also, comments by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred about the March 26 agreement raise eyebrows and ESPN's Karl Ravech pushes back about the negotiations, and another edition of This Week in Phillies  History!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hittin-season-390-phillies-draft-recap-w-jay-floyd/id1015394113?i=1000477739512

Dylan Cozens, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this post.  Thank you. Last week, as he rang in his 26th birthday, Dylan Cozens wasn't celebrating.  Instead, he took to the streets in the midst of rioting to protect local businesses in his native Scottsdale, AZ. After 1:00 AM, Cozens, a former Phillies outfield prospect and current Rays minor leaguer, caught a glimpse of some rowdy happening on Facebook Live.  Posts showed violence and thievery and the former second round draft selection wasn't going to let it continue.  "When I saw what they were doing and the reason behind it, I decided to try and stop it because it wasn't right. It had nothing to do with Black Lives Matter.  It was a hate crime to go and try to destroy businesses and lo...