Minor League Games - Sunday, August 26, 2018

[kikutaro]

Scranton/WB RailRiders (67-63) @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs (79-53) 1:35 pm | Gameday
Raynel Espinal (7-2, 3.20) vs. Cole Irvin (13-4, 2.67)

Final
Lehigh Valley 5, Scranton/WB 3

Notable

Mitch Walding 0-4, 2 K
Joey Meneses 0-3, R, BB, 2 K
Dylan Cozens 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, HR, 2 K
Aaron Altherr 1-4, R, RBI, 2B, 2 K
Danny Ortiz 1-4, R, RBI, 2B, 2 K
Zach Green 1-3, RBI, 2 K
Matt McBride 1-2, R, RBI, HR, BB, K

Cole Irvin (W, 13-4), 6.0 IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 4K, game score: 65
Tom Windle (H, 3), 1.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1K
Edgar Garcia (H, 1), 1.0 IP, 1H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K
Pedro Beato (S, 33), 1.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K

Portland Sea Dogs (58-73) @ Reading Fightin Phils (62-68) 2:15 pm | Gameday
Daniel McGrath (3-3, 3.56) vs. Blake Quinn (0-1, 7.50)

Final
Portland 10, Reading 2

Notable

Malquin Canelo 0-4, 2 K
Pedro Florimon 1-5, R, RBI, HR
Austin Listi 2-4
Jose Pujols 1-3, BB, 2 K
Deivi Grullon 1-3, 2B, BB, K
Jiandido Tromp 1-4, 2 K

Blake Quinn (L, 0-1), 3.0 IP, 5H, 5R, 5ER, 2BB, 1K, game score: 24
Jose Taveras 2.0 IP, 5H, 4R, 3ER, 0BB, 1K
Seth McGarry 3.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 4K

Charlotte Stone Crabs (70-58) @ Clearwater Threshers (72-58) game 2 (ppd from 8/25) | Gameday
Vidal Nuño (0-0, 4.91) vs. Bailey Falter (8-4, 2.70)

Final
Charlotte 3, Clearwater 2

Notable

Daniel Brito 1-4, RBI, 2B
Arquimedes Gamboa 0-4, 2 K
Mickey Moniak 1-4, R, 2 K
Luke Williams 1-4, SB
Grenny Cumana 2-4, R
Kevin Markham 2-4, K
Jose Gomez 1-4, 2 K

Bailey Falter 5.0 IP, 7H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 1K, game score: 52
Trevor Bettencourt (L, 0-1), 2.0 IP, 0H, 2R, 0ER, 0BB, 4K

Charlotte Stone Crabs (69-58) @ Clearwater Threshers (72-57) 12:00 pm | Gameday
Brendan McKay (3-2, 3.30) vs. Mauricio Llovera (7-7, 3.83)

Final
Clearwater 3, Charlotte 2

Notable

Arquimedes Gamboa 1-3, R, BB, 2 K
Mickey Moniak 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 2B, BB
Edgar Cabral 1-4, 3 K
Luke Williams 1-3, BB
Kyle Martin 1-2, RBI, 2 BB

Mauricio Llovera (W, 7-7), 7.0 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 11K, game score: 65

Lakewood BlueClaws (81-49) @ Hickory Crawdads (66-64) 5:00 pm | Gameday
Spencer Howard (9-8, 3.79) vs. Noah Bremer (5-6, 4.13)

Final
Lakewood 5, Hickory 1

Notable

Matt Vierling 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR
Simon Muzziotti 1-3, R, SB
Jake Scheiner 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, K
Jhailyn Ortiz 0-3, BB, 3 K
Nick Maton 1-4, 2 RBI
Madison Stokes 0-4, 2 K
Gregori Rivero 0-3, 2 K

Spencer Howard (W, 9-8), 6.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 7K, game score: 72
Luis Carrasco (S, 4), 3.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 3K

Mahoning Valley Scrappers (37-30) @ Williamsport Crosscutters (29-39) 7:05 pm | Gameday
Shane McCarthy (1-1, 0.53) vs. Ethan Lindow (2-2, 2.39)

Final
Williamsport 11, Mahoning Valley 0

Notable

Jonathan Guzman 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K
Ben Aklinski 2-3, 3 R, RBI, 3B, 2 BB
Alec Bohm 2-5, 3 RBI, 3B, K
Jake Holmes 1-4, R, 2B
Danny Mayer 0-3, R, 3 K
Lenin Rodriguez 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B
Matt Kroon 3-3, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR, BB

Ethan Lindow (W, 2-2), 6.0 IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 9K, game score: 79
Austin Ross (S, 1), 3.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 4K

GCL Phillies East (0-1) @ GCL Cardinals (1-0) 12:00 pm (one-game semifinal) | Gameday
N/A vs. N/A

Final
GCL Cardinals 4, GCL Phillies East 1

Notable

Julio Francisco 2-4, CS
Nicolas Torres 0-4, 2 K
Juan Aparicio 0-4, 4 K
Luke Miller 2-3, R, BB, K
Carlos De La Cruz 0-4, 2 K
James Smith 1-1, 2B
Logan Simmons 0-3, 2 K

Victor Santos 5.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 4K, game score: 63
Mark Potter (L, 0-1), 1.1 IP, 1H, 3R, 3ER, 1BB, 2K

GCL Phillies West - Off

DSL Phillies Red - Off

DSL Phillies White - Off

(click on the start time for box scores)

[teabag259]

Moniak 2/3 2 doubles 2 RBI in Game 1.

[nycphils]

Wow. I’m certainly surprised by this sustained stretch. If he can carry over to next season, it would just be a huge boost to the system. Doesn’t have to be a star, but even turning out to be a solid regular would do it.

[flyers19rw]

The offensive stats of the hitters in the FSL really show what a pitchers league it is. Moniak's numbers look pretty decent. Not a super star performance but quite solid.

[phillychuck]

GCL season over--it was a great rookie year for our guys. Cardinals are a much older GCL team.

Card's pitchers: 22, 20, 22, 21

Phils' pitchers: 18, 20, 21, 20

Big difference in the starters, Santos pitched very well.

[andyb]

Really nice start from Ethan Lindow. 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K. Hopefully his stuff has ticked up a bit this year.

[bigegypt0417]

The offensive stats of the hitters in the FSL really show what a pitchers league it is. Moniak's numbers look pretty decent. Not a super star performance but quite solid.

With the start that Moniak got I really didn't think they'd even look average.

He's got a long way to go but he's looking better at the very least.

[phillychuck]

One very positive sign is that the Phils have been batting Moniak pretty consistently 3rd in the order recently, which is a clear indication that the brass believes in him (still).

[bkeich]

One very positive sign is that the Phils have been batting Moniak pretty consistently 3rd in the order recently, which is a clear indication that the brass believes in him (still).

Hopefully, the brass batting someone 3rd does not become known as "the curse of Scott Kingery". That was my first throught when you said this

[bigegypt0417]

So since we all got a good laugh out of the spencer howard is the "best righty in the draft" statement I'd like to look at his numbers over the last 9 starts...

5-1 with a 2.23 ERA. in 48.1 innings he's given up 31 hits and 20 walks while striking out 62.

Still needs to improve his command but there cant be that many righties in that draft pitching better...

[andyb]

It is Low A, not High A. That is important when looking at the stats. I am guessing there are 50 college draftees at High A or better from that draft.

Griffin Canning - 2 picks after Howard. 2 starts in High A, 10 in AA. Struggling a bit in AAA but that is 3 levels higher than Howard and they are close to the same year.

Griffin Canning Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

Howard is a decent prospect because his stuff is pretty good. But he is also raw in a number of ways and pitching at a level or two below his peers.

[mdougherty12]

Just skimming the other college RHP drafted in the 2nd round last year, Griffin Canning, Corbin Martin, Will Crowe, and Cory Abbott all had strong seasons in 2018. Howard's K rate is higher than the others, though it's tough to compare since all of the others pitched at higher levels than Howard.

[bigegypt0417]

It is Low A, not High A. That is important when looking at the stats. I am guessing there are 50 college draftees at High A or better from that draft.

Wasn't he drafted with that clear information? That he was more of a project and would take longer?

The important thing is development...I mean unless the goal is to ignore that particular development.

[andyb]

5-1 with a 2.23 ERA. in 48.1 innings he's given up 31 hits and 20 walks while striking out 62.

Still needs to improve his command but there cant be that many righties in that draft pitching better...

But this is your statement:
"5-1 with a 2.23 ERA. in 48.1 innings he's given up 31 hits and 20 walks while striking out 62.
Still needs to improve his command but there cant be that many righties in that draft pitching better..."

You are saying he is one of the best right handed pitchers from that draft based on his stats that are 1-2 levels below most of the college pitchers drafted in the first 2-3 rounds.

Not disputing he has pretty good stuff and is a decent prospect. But statistically he has done very little to show he is one of the better pitchers in the draft and that was the exact sentiment that you were posting about. That his statistics in Lakewood proved he was one of the better pitchers in the draft. His statistics show no such thing. His stuff might, but that is not what you posted.

[bigegypt0417]

5-1 with a 2.23 ERA. in 48.1 innings he's given up 31 hits and 20 walks while striking out 62.

Still needs to improve his command but there cant be that many righties in that draft pitching better...

But this is your statement:
"5-1 with a 2.23 ERA. in 48.1 innings he's given up 31 hits and 20 walks while striking out 62.
Still needs to improve his command but there cant be that many righties in that draft pitching better..."

You are saying he is one of the best right handed pitchers from that draft based on his stats that are 1-2 levels below most of the college pitchers drafted in the first 2-3 rounds.

Not disputing he has pretty good stuff and is a decent prospect. But statistically he has done very little to show he is one of the better pitchers in the draft and that was the exact sentiment that you were posting about. That his statistics in Lakewood proved he was one of the better pitchers in the draft. His statistics show no such thing. His stuff might, but that is not what you posted.

I said he was one of the best pitchers in the draft?

So since we all got a good laugh out of the spencer howard is the "best righty in the draft" statement I'd like to look at his numbers over the last 9 starts...

Sorry, you should read better.

Also, you're throwing out comps to accomplished college pitchers who were 3 year starters. Spencer howard had 14 college starts.

You're comparing apples to horseshoes.

[andyb]

"Can't be that many righties in the draft pitching better..."

I am reading just fine. You are saying his performance relative to other draftees is great. Pitching better is relative to age and level. He is a high second round pick so shouldn't he be compared to pitchers drafted around him? I am saying that yes, there are lots of pitchers in that draft pitching better than Howard is and at higher levels.

You are basically saying Howard should get a pass because he is less experienced than other college pitchers. You are saying that to justify that fact that his stats are really not as good compared to his peers. That is not "pitching better". And 9 starts in a row at a level where he is older than the competition at the end of the year is no more than some mild improvement in his performance.

[bigegypt0417]

You are basically saying Howard should get a pass because he is less experienced than other college pitchers. You are saying that to justify that fact that his stats are really not as good compared to his peers. That is not "pitching better". And 9 starts in a row at a level where he is older than the competition at the end of the year is no more than some mild improvement in his performance.

I think you have these deeply seeded ideas and then ask really obvious questions to somehow make what I'm saying sound silly in some way because you it doesn't fit your narrative. It's not a pass...its a factual observation.

I'm saying that he would be at a lower level based on his lack of experience...do you somehow believe that is untrue?

Are you trying to wrap your brain around how someone with significantly less experience may be at a different level? Do you believe the Phillies drafted him for the same reason? the Phillies drafted his arm.

Also...I know you do it because you have issues parsing development and just look at the parts that make your argument seem better...but over the 2 months I pointed to how many pitchers are pitching better?

I think you can take some steps back and recognize I was mentioning his performance getting better,

[andyb]

The concept that you don't seem to get is that his performance at a lower level is less valuable than his performance at a higher level would be. Maybe it is appropriate for him to be at that level, but then you can't say he is PERFORMING as well as his peers because he just isn't.

He can be progressing and be a decent prospect. But he is DECIDEDLY NOT performing as well as his peers. Why can't you get your head around that simple concept?

I believe the Phillies drafted him for legitimate reasons thinking he had a high end but raw arm that justified the draft position. Plus they needed him under slot because of Haseley's bonus. So he was signable and had a good arm. But he just is not performing as well as his peers.

[bigegypt0417]

The concept that you don't seem to get is that his performance at a lower level is less valuable than his performance at a higher level would be.

That's absolutely correct if we're speaking about apples to apples.

Howard is behind developmentally because he lacked the same level of experience as the peers you want to compare him to. Spencer Howard has done well from a developmental standpoint. If you need to add you negative caveats. I think when it comes to the Phillies you just need to debate that they can do anything well or use the idea everyone else is better at everything. I think it's why people have made you white noise at this point.

[andyb]

Then you should amend your statement that he is performing as well as other raw college draft picks who were placed at lower levels. That is just a far cry from performing as well as other RHPs in the draft. He probably would have had a 4.50-5.00 ERA in Clearwater this year (remember Lakewood is an extreme pitcher's park).

Not sure about your other statement at all. I have said many times that I think the Phillies do a good job at player development. Howard is not my favorite draft pick but I do acknowledge the tools. I just don't have a rose-colored lens to think that everything they do is right. We actually have no clue whether their current drafting philosophy is good or not. They seem to be missing on a bunch of high picks (or getting players that are merely good but not great from high draft picks).

I call things out that are wrong. And it is wrong to say Howard is performing as well as just about anyone else in the draft because he simply is not. That you can't see that or have an honest debate about it is the real white noise here. It is fine to have an opinion that most things the Phillies do are correct. It is also fine to point out some things that are less than ideal. Maybe not in your world I guess.