Minor League Mash-Up: Spencer Howard’s dominance continues in Reading

As we head towards the final month of the 2019 minor league regular season, let’s take our weekly look at the Philadelphia Phillies farm system.

Records

• Lehigh Valley IronPigs: 51-53
• Reading Fightin’ Phils: 63-44 (24-16 in the second half)
• Clearwater Threshers: 55-51  (19-21 in the second half)
• Lakewood Blue Claws: 44-61 (15-20 in the second half)
• Williamsport Crosscutters: 14-28

Notable Performances

• Spencer Howard made his Double-A debut on Friday, and it was a good one. In 4.2 innings, Howard allowed one run on four hits and two walks. He had 10 strikeouts and threw 82 pitches.
• JoJo Romero continued his hot streak in Reading on Monday. He went six innings, giving up one earned run on four hits and two walks. He added seven strikeouts. Romero was then sent back to Lehigh Valley, where he pitched five innings on Saturday. He allowed one run and struck out five.
• Jose Gomez had one of his best games of the season on Thursday when he went 3-4 with two doubles for Reading.
• Alec Bohm went 2-4 with a double on Saturday.
• David Parkinson had another great start this week, going six scoreless innings on Saturday, allowing only four hits and one walk. Parkinson had four strikeouts.
• Mickey Moniak went 2-5 with a home run double, two RBIs and two runs scored on Sunday.
• Ramon Rosso went six innings on Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk. He struck out five.
• Enyel De Los Santos was dominant for Lehigh Valley on Friday. He went seven innings, allowing no earned runs on two hits and two walks. He added two punchouts.
• Deivy Grullon went 2-4 with a double and two walks on Sunday.
• Julian Garcia had a strong start for Clearwater on Tuesday. He went six innings, allowing one earned on four hits and one walk. He struck out five batters.
• Rodolfo Duran went 2-4 with a solo home run for Clearwater on Wednesday.
• Daniel Brito went 2-4 with two doubles and two runs scored on Thursday.
• Colton Eastman had a quality start for Clearwater this week, going seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk. Eastman added four strikeouts.
• Nick Maton went 2-4 with two RBIs for Clearwater on Friday.
• Simon Muzziotti went 3-4 with a double on Sunday.
• Luis Garcia had an encouraging game on Tuesday. He went 3-4 with a double and run scored for Lakewood.
• Seth Lancaster went 3-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored on Wednesday.
• Jhordany Mezquita pitched well out of the bullpen for Lakewood on Wednesday. He pitched four innings, allowing no earned runs on two hits and a walk. He added six strikeouts.
• Manuel Silva pitched five scoreless innings for Lakewood on Friday. He gave up only one hit and struck out five.
• Taylor Lehman pitched four perfect innings in relief on Sunday for Lakewood. Lehman added four strikeouts.
• Bryson Stott went 2-3 with and double, an RBI and two runs scored on Thursday.
• Logan O’Hoppe went 3-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored for Williamsport on Thursday. O’Hoppe came back the next day and went 2-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. He stayed hot on Saturday, going 2-4 with another double.
• Junior Tejada pitched four scoreless innings on Saturday. He allowed only two hits and struck out five.

Season Stats

• Alec Bohm’s season stats are impressive; .312 average with 14 home runs, 25 doubles and 61 RBIs. His numbers in Double-A, though, are a little lower. Bohm is hitting .254 there, but he does have seven home runs in 32 games.
• Adonis Medina has been lit up lately and his ERA has now increased  to 4.57. His WHIP is also relatively high at 1.33.
• Bryson Stott has been struggling in Williamsport. He’s slashing .188/.291/.375 with four extra base hits in 14 games.
• Spencer Howard’s numbers have been incredible this season. In 10 starts across multiple levels, Howard has a 1.80 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 45 innings. He’s only walked nine batters and has a WHIP of .80.
• Luis Garcia is still below .200, as his average sits at .187. He’s only slugging .276 as well. Garcia is only 18, so there’s no reason to panic, but it definitely has become a disappointing season.
• Francisco Morales’ 4.08 ERA may not be impressive, but the 19-year-old striking out 93 batters in 68.1 innings definitely is. Opponents are also hitting just .215 against him.
• Mickey Moniak may only be hitting .264 on the season, but he’s hitting .370 with runners in scoring position. Moniak has 23 doubles, 10 triples and seven home runs in 92 games.
• Erik Miller was the Phillies fourth round pick in this year’s draft and he has the potential to get to Philadelphia rather quickly. Used primarily as a reliever, Miller has a 2.31 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work.
• David Parkinson has a 3.31 ERA in 17 starts for Reading this year. He has 84 strikeouts in 92.1 innings with a 1.18 WHIP and has only allowed five home runs this year.
• Deivy Grullon has slowed down a bit, but he’s still slashing .293/.357/.485 with 13 home runs and 20 doubles in 81 games.
• Damon Jones had been cruising through the minors, but Triple-A has been a challenge. In three starts there, Jones has a 12.80 ERA and has 10 walks in 10 innings. Jones had only walked 33 batters in 80.1 innings before being promoted to Lehigh Valley.

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