Phillies Minor League Report: Mark Leiter rocked during BlueClaws loss
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Here's a rundown of how the Phillie's minor league teams fared on Friday, May 2:
Lehigh Valley IronPigs – Triple A
A balanced effort from the IronPigs earned them their second consecutive win, 6-1, Friday over the Gwinnett Braves at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Ga.
The Lehigh Valley pitching staff held the Braves to only five hits and recorded a combined eight strikeouts.
Starter Jonathan Pettibone did the bulk of the work, as he allowed only one run on four hits in five innings of work. He also struck out five batters. Pettibone also managed to hold the Braves off the scoreboard all the way until the fifth inning and picked up his second win with Lehigh Valley in the process.
Offensively, the IronPigs received strong outings from first baseman Jim Murphy, third baseman Maikel Franco and second baseman Reid Brignac. Murphy finished only 1-for-4, but his lone hit was a three-run homer during the fourth inning. The homer was his second of the season and gave the IronPigs a 3-0 advantage at the time.
Franco continued to find his stroke, as he finished 2-for-5 with a double. His batting crept up to .206 on the season as a result.
Brignac went 1-for-2, but still managed to drive in two runs and draw two walks. Brignac has accumulated 13 RBI on the season.
The IronPigs will try to make it three wins in a row at 7:05 p.m. Saturday when they play the third of a four-game set against the Braves. David Buchanan (3-0, 3.45 ERA) will get the start.
Reading Fightin Phils – Double A
The Fightin Phils failed to overcome a rough start during a 9-4 loss to the Harrisburg Senators Friday at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading.
The Fightin Phils were behind 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth thanks in part to a forgettable outing from starting pitcher Hoby Milner.
In 5 1/3 innings of work, Milner surrendered seven runs on nine hits, including four home runs. He walked three batters as well. His porous start earned him his second loss of the season.
Reading's offense didn't fare much better, mustering only seven hits. Shortstop Edgar Duran recorded hits in both of at-bats while center fielder Aaron Altherr also registered two hits, going 2-for-4.
Second baseman Cesar Hernandez registered only one hit, but it was a two-run homer during the seventh inning.
The Fightin Phils will look to bounce back at 6:35 p.m. Saturday whey they face the Senators in the second of a three-game series.
Clearwater Threshers – Class A-Advanced
For the second day in a row, the Threshers' scheduled game against the Daytona Cubs was postponed due to rain at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Threshers and Cubs were actually scheduled to take part in a doubleheader Friday to make up for Thursday's game. Now, what was supposed to be Thursday's contest has now been rescheduled for Saturday, May 24, which will now be a doubleheader.
The originally scheduled game for Friday has now been pushed back until Saturday for yet another doubleheader. Game 1 is scheduled to start at 5:05 p.m. with Brody Colvin (0-1, 6.00 ERA) getting the start. Miguel Nunez (1-2, 5.46 ERA) is still scheduled to start Game 2.
Lakewood BlueClaws – Class A
The BlueClaws' five-game losing streak came to an abrupt and embarrassing end Friday by way of a 14-3 pounding by the Asheville Tourists at McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C.
The BlueClaws entered the bottom of the first with a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI-double from right fielder Dylan Cozens, but things quickly went downhill from there.
Starting pitcher Mark Leiter has been steadily strong for Lakewood this season, but was knocked around so much that he didn't even make it out of the first inning before being yanked.
In only 1/3 inning of action, Leiter surrendered six runs on six hits. He was eventually handed his second loss of the season after suffering through one of the worst outings of his young career.
Things did not get any better without Leiter on the mound. Julio Reyes went to allow two runs and Delvi Francisco and Cody Forsythe gave up three runs apiece. The pitching staff allowed a combined 16 hits and 10 earned runs. Defensively, the BlueClaws committed four errors.
The Lakewood offense was productive at getting runner on base, as the team mustered 11 hits, including two apiece from Cozens, designated hitter Willians Astudillo, second baseman Andrew Pullin and left fielder Samuel Hiciano.
Unfortunately for the BlueClaws, they had a lot more trouble driving runners home. After Cozens' RBI hit during the first inning, the BlueClaws were held off the scoreboard until the seventh inning.
The BlueClaws will try to get back to their winning ways at 6:05 p.m. Saturday for Game 2 of their four-game series against the Tourists. Tyler Viza (2-2, 3.72 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for Lakewood.