Minor League Games - Sunday, June 17, 2018

[kikutaro]

Pawtucket Red Sox (32-35) @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs (40-29) 1:35 pm | Gameday
Chandler Shepherd (4-4, 3.36) vs. Tom Eshelman (1-6, 7.09)

Final
Lehigh Valley 3, Pawtucket 2

Notable

Damek Tomscha 0-4, 2 K
Joey Meneses 2-3, R, BB
Matt McBride 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
Danny Ortiz 1-4, R, 2B, K
Logan Moore 3-4
Alexi Amarista 1-3, 2B, 2 K

Tom Eshelman 5.0 IP, 8H, 1R, 0ER, 1BB, 3K, game score: 52
Zac Curtis (W, 2-1), 2.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 5K
Tom Windle (S, 2), 1.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1K

Akron RubberDucks (39-30) @ Reading Fightin Phils (27-40) 5:15 pm | Gameday
Triston McKenzie (1-1, 3.14) vs. N/A

Final
Reading 10, Akron 7

Notable

Cord Sandberg 1-4, R, RBI, BB, 2 K
Jan Hernandez 0-3, 2 K
Darick Hall 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, K
Zach Green 0-4, 2 K
Cornelius Randolph 3-4, 2 R, 2B
Deivi Grullon 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
Malquin Canelo 2-4, R, RBI, K
Kyle Martin 2-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B, K

Jacob Waguespack 4.0 IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K, game score: 59
Ranfi Casimiro (W, 3-2), 2.0 IP, 3H, 4R, 4ER, 1BB, 3K
Jeff Singer (S, 2), 3.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 4K

Clearwater Threshers - Off

Hickory Crawdads (30-38) @ Lakewood BlueClaws (41-28) 1:05 pm | Gameday
Alex Eubanks (4-5, 6.29) vs. David Parkinson (6-1, 1.07)

Final
Lakewood 4, Hickory 0

Notable

Kevin Markham 2-4
Nick Maton 1-3, 2 RBI, BB
Jhailyn Ortiz 0-4, 2 K
Jake Scheiner 2-4, R, RBI, HR
Colby Fitch 0-4, 2 K
Rodolfo Duran 1-3, R, RBI, HR, 2 K
Josh Stephen 2-2, 2 R, 2 2B, BB

David Parkinson (W, 6-1), 7.0 IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 11K, game score: 87

State College Spikes (2-1) @ Williamsport Crosscutters (1-2) 5:05 pm | Gameday
Angel Rondon (0-0, 0.00) vs. Manuel Silva (0-0, 0.00)

Final
State College 2, Williamsport 0

Notable

Keudy Bocio 0-5, 2 K
Brayan Gonzalez 0-4, 2 K
Matt Vierling 1-3, BB, SB
Seth Lancaster 1-3, BB, 2 K
Nerluis Martinez 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB

Manuel Silva 6.0 IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 5K, game score: 77
Orestes Melendez 3.0 IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 4K
Luis Ramirez (L, 0-1), 1.0 IP, 1H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 0K

GCL Phillies East - Off

GCL Phillies West - Off

DSL Phillies Red - Off

DSL Phillies White - Off

(click on the start time for box scores)

[Squire]

Roster moves today
Added to Williamsport
OF Matt Vierling
INF Seth Lancaster

Returned to GCL
OF Julio Francisco
INF Luis Rojas

[rkeden]

Parkinson is pitching like a real stud. Another great game!

[phillychuck]

Parkinson is 22, 23 in December. He needs to be challenged by moving to CLW after the all-star break. BTW, Fanti was the winning pitcher at the all-star game yesterday and Listi had 2 hits.

[California_Dreamin]

I think this is a HUGE game for Eshelman today, both from a performance, health and confidence level. He has gone from a guy that many of us thought might be in the rotation at some point in the 2018 campaign to a guy who might soon become an afterthought. This is a big day for him.

[kmc1019]

Parkinson has been SO GOOD that - if the logjam at Clearwater has been the reason for his non promotion, and coupled with Sixto's injury - I suggest they challenge Parkinson with a double jump to Reading.

[Austinfan]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, jumping from the friendly confines of Lakewood to the more neutral ballpark in Clearwater, in a more competitive league, is a pretty big jump.

[California_Dreamin]

Eshelman with a decent start today...1 unearned run in 5 innings of pitching but still 8 hits allowed, too many. LHV does rally for a 3-2 win. Of special note, outstanding relief work by 3 lefties, Austin Davis, Zac Curtis and especially Tom Windle, who inherited a bases loaded, no outs situation in the 9th and retired all 3 batters without a run scoring.

I think Windle and Irvin are both pitching in Philadelphia in September, maybe sooner.

[Austinfan]

Guy to watch is Singer at Reading, independent league guy who throws hard and has rocketed up the system the last two years - maybe a LH Garcia.

Silva had a nice debut for Williamsport, another skinny LA pitcher, LH, listed at 6'2 153, something tells me they'll have him up closer to 190-200 with a few MPH added, so keep an eye out for scouting reports. $100K bonus out of the DR.

[phillychuck]

Kannapolis lost its last 5 games, and Lakewood snuck into the first half title in the SALLY League northern Division!

Congrats to the Blueclaws! Best pitching staff in baseball.

[fish]

Parkinson was 90-94 mph, good-ish change up and average to below average curve, but he lived at the knees and on the corners- so much so that he was able to use high fastballs effectively as a put-away pitch. Didn’t look like he broke a sweat.

[Austinfan]

Eshelman is a disappointment, the great command doesn't seem to be there, and he never has developed the secondary pitches.
On the other hand, Leibrandt is starting to look like the LH version of what Eshelman was supposed to be, subpar velocity but command, poise and secondary pitches.

[xogfog]

I don't know if I'd call Eschelman a disappointment. I mean, he was never a highly touted prospect. He's never had plus stuff. The book on him as he came up was that he had a great feel for pitching and control which played up his average stuff. It was only a matter of time before that level of skill gets exposed no matter how well he controls the zone before the level of hitters he faces would outmatch him. He has to be practically perfect to succeed and that just won't cut it to get to the bigs.

[tom81]

Well it is unlikely that the level of hitters Eshelman is facing in AAA is significantly better this year than the level of hitters he faced in AAA last year. His command is lacking this year but maybe it returns, maybe he has a minor injury that is hurting his command, hard to know. Part of it may also be sss bad luck, his xFIP is not much worse than last year, 4.38 vs 3.76. Some of those HRs he has given up this year may have been just random bad luck in addition to his lack of command.

[Austinfan]

Well, the whole reason Eshelman was a 2nd rd pick and a touted prospect was that he was practically perfect, and we're seeing that kind of pitching from Leibrandt. The reason Cloyd was never a credible prospect was while he had decent secondary stuff and knew how to pitch, he never had above average command and was exposed in the majors.

I'd point out that the Phillies pounded 95-97 MPH FBs against the Brewers yesterday, hitters have reached the point where velocity under 100 MPH (ask SD what happens to a 99 MPH FB down the middle) is hittable. So it's conceivable that a 90 MPH or slower (Keuchel) with great command can work better than 95 MPH with below average command and secondary pitches.

The real question is why Eshelman is struggling with command, mechanics, mental, arm trouble?

[bigegypt0417]

I'd point out that the Phillies pounded 95-97 MPH FBs against the Brewers yesterday, hitters have reached the point where velocity under 100 MPH (ask SD what happens to a 99 MPH FB down the middle) is hittable.

A major leaguer will tee off on a 95-97 MPH fastball with no movement.

A Division 3 baseball player will tee off on a 89-92 MPH fastball that is straight.

This isn't today or ever been about velocity.

[andyb]

The reason someone like Eshelman is a lesser prospect is that he doesn't really have enough stuff to miss bats. Thus he has to be almost perfect in his command to get hitters out. Stuff meaning velocity and movement on his fastball and offspeed pitches. It is a lazy observation to say that major league hitters can hit 95 mph fastballs. Of course they can. They will just do more damage to 90 mph fastballs on average. Pitchers with velocity can get away with things more often.

There is a give and take with this of course. Morgan, for instance, has not been a much better pitcher with more velocity because he typically has less command (other than one stretch last season). He'll get more chances as he should as a lefthander with velocity, but he needs to improve in a hurry to keep his job.

All in all, more velocity is better than less. Eshelman's struggles this season don't mean he is not a major league pitcher. It just shows how perfect he needs to be with his stuff to succeed. It also demonstrates how guys like De Los Santos, Medina, and Kilome are better prospects because they have better stuff. Doesn't mean they will all succeed. They are most likely bottom of the rotation starters. But their velocity gives them a chance that Eshelman does not have to be better than 5th starters.

[Philsmania]

Kannapolis lost its last 5 games, and Lakewood snuck into the first half title in the SALLY League northern Division!

Congrats to the Blueclaws! Best pitching staff in baseball.

Cool! Now let's hope they don't go on cruise control the second half and end up easily dispatched in the first round of the playoffs.

If I do the Phillies Affiliates' Postseason Picture thread as I have done the last couple of years, I guess I won't have to pay much attention to LKW!