Phillies Minor League Review
May 6 - May 12
Players of the Week
Pitcher - RHP, Ethan Martin, Lehigh Valley… 2 starts, 2-0, 12.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 11 SO… Saturday's win (5/11 at DUR) was Martin's second-consecutive victory; Martin now has three of the five victories by IronPigs starters this season… Martin took a shutout into the bottom of the 7th (5/11 at DUR) before surrendering his first run; also snapping an 11.0 IP scoreless streak - his longest of the season… Martin has been outstanding this season when he has limited free passes; in starts (3) in which he allows two BB or less, he is 3-0, 2.12 ERA (4 ER, 17.0 IP). In starts (4) when he allows three BB or greater, he is 0-2, 9.35 ERA (18 ER, 17.1 IP)… The 23-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers with Josh Lindblom and Stefan Jarrin for Shane Victorino (7/31/12)… Martin was originally selected in the 1st round (15th overall) of the 2008 draft out of Stephens County High School (GA).
Player - OF, Darin Ruf, Lehigh Valley… Batted .500 (11-22) in 7 G, 6 R, 6 RBI, 8 BB, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 SB (had 2 H in 5 of 7 G this week)… Ruf has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games and is batting .415 (22-for-53) over that time with 4 HR and 14 RBI, raising his average from .205 to .294… Ruf walked eight times this week, raising his on-base percentage from .322 to .369 in seven days… The 26-year-old outfielder was selected in the 20th round of the 2009 draft out of Creighton University… Ruf was signed by David Seifert.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs - International League North Division…16-20, 4th place… 3-4 for the week… LHV finished the week winners of two in a row after starting the week 1-4… Martin picked up his first two quality starts of the year, leading LHV to W's in both games (5/6 vs LOU & 5/11 at DUR)… RHP B.J. Rosenberg notched his first W of the season (5/12 at DUR) tossing 7.0 IP scoreless… Martin and Rosenberg combined to go 2-0, 1.38 ERA (2 ER, 13.0 IP) for the Pigs to finish the week; just the 2nd time this season that LHV starters have won back-to-back games (other: LHP Adam Morgan & Martin; 4/13-14 @ SYR)… RHP Michael Stutes didn't allow a run in 5.2 IP of relief this week; extending his overall scoreless streak to 9.2 IP… In his last 53 at bats, OF Darin Ruf is hitting .415 with 4 HR and 14 RBI, raising his average from .205 to .294… 2B Cesar Hernandez went 2-for-4 on Sunday, extending his hitting streak to 10 G… Hernandez has hit safely in 31 of 35 games this season, and 22 of his last 23… 3B Cody Asche hit .345 (10-for 29), 6 R, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI this week… Asche belted his first professional grand slam (5/11 at DUR) and has raised his season average from .250 to .272.
Reading Fightin Phils - Eastern League Eastern Division…14-21, 6th place… 2-5 for the week… Reading has gone 2-11 over the past two weeks and has lost five straight series since sweeping Harrisburg 4/22-24… Reading's starters kept them in games this week (Rosin 1 G, 6.0 IP, 2 ER - Biddle 1 G, 5.0 IP, 2 ER - Neris 2 G, 11.0 IP, 4 ER), but a lack of run support and inconsistent relief spelled trouble for the Fightins... The Fightins have lost each of their last two games when leading after eight innings… Reading had started the year victorious in its first nine games when leading after eight… Reading leads the EL in home runs (30), yet is ranked 11th out of 12 EL teams in runs scored (135)… The Fightins have drawn the fewest walks (88) in the EL this season (next: Altoona: 103)… 1B Jim Murphy hit .346 (9-26) 5 R, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI… OF Tyson Gillies went 3-for-4 on Sunday and is 5 for his last 12 at the plate… C Cameron Rupp homered in three straight games this week and batted .316 (6-for-19), 5 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI… C Sebastian Valle batted .353 (6-for-17) this week with four doubles… OF Derrick Mitchell batted .296 (8-for-27), 8 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI for the week and has homered in four his last six games played… LHP Mauricio Robles made two scoreless appearances and has lowered his ERA to 1.35 (3 ER, 20.0 IP) this season… Of the 60 outs Robles has recorded this season, 29 are via strikeout (13.05 SO/9.0 IP)… RHP Mike Nesseth made two scoreless appearances this week, and has yet to be scored on in Reading.
Clearwater Threshers - Florida State League North Division…19-16, 2nd place… 5-1 for the week… Clearwater has won eight of eleven games after being swept in a three game, rain shortened series at Palm Beach… OF Cameron Perkins hit .409 (9-for-22) with four doubles and a triple this week… Perkins leads the FSL in hits (50) and also in two-baggers, followed by teammates Maikel Franco (15) & Aaron Altherr (14)… OF Kelly Dugan batted .320 (8-for-25), 2B, 3B and 5 RBI for the week… OF Kyrell Hudson batted .350 (7-for-20)… 2B Carlos Alonso hit .304 (7-for-23), 6 R, 3 2B this week… Alonso leads the organization in runs scored (26), which also rank him 3rd in the FSL… LHP Hoby Milner earned the win in his only start this week, going 7.0 IP scoreless, striking out six… RHP Gabriel Arias made one start this week (W, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 6 SO) and is 2-0, 0.95 ERA (2 ER, 19.0 IP) 5 BB, 15 SO over his last three starts… RHP Luis Garcia earned two saves this week (3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H).
Lakewood BlueClaws - South Atlantic League North Division…13-22, 7th place… 4-2 for the week… As of print, Lakewood is riding a season-long three-game win streak… As a team, Lakewood has 7 HR over the last 3 G, after hitting just eight in the clubs first 32 games of the season… C Chace Numata batted .353 (6-17), HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI this week… In a 1-0 Lakewood win over Lexington on 5/7, Numata gunned down all three base runners attempting steals, and then proceeded to knock in the winning run on an RBI-double in the 7th inning… Numata hit his first career grand slam (5/10 at GBO) and has reached base safely in 16 straight games… OF Larry Greene hit .389 (7-18), 6 BB for the week… SS Roman Quinn batted .400 (6-for-15), HR, SB this week… Quinn's 15 SB lead the organization… Quinn is 6-for-11 in his last three games (all multi-hit G)… OF Zach Taylor batted .538 (7-for-13), 3 2B, 2 HR in three starts this week… 1B Art Charles who returned from the disabled list this week (wrist) homered in his first game off the DL… Charles has 5 RBI in four games since being activated… RHP Jordan Guth continued his impressive run as a reliever with 4.1 IP in scoreless relief this week… After going 1-4, 5.24 ERA (13 ER, 22.1 IP) in 5 starts, Guth was moved to the bullpen where he has excelled thus far (8.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO)… LHP Yoel Mecias made two starts this week, going 1-1 (9.1 IP, 2 ER, 9 SO)… RHP Steven Inch converted his only save chance of the week, but made three additional scoreless appearances in relief… On the year Inch has a 1.06 ERA (2 ER, 17.0 IP) in 13 relief appearances.