Phillies’ High-A affiliate rips off club-record 11 straight wins

Justin Crawford and the BlueClaws have won 11 straight games. (Cheryl Pursell)

The most intriguing minor-league team in the Phillies organization, High-A Jersey Shore, has been on the best tear of its club history of late while showing off some talent the system has in the lower minors.

Right-hander Starlyn Castillo tossed five innings of one-run baseball and former first-round pick Justin Crawford had two hits and a tremendous sliding catch in center field as the BlueClaws defeated Wilmington, 4-1, on Sunday at ShoreTown Ballpark, the team’s 11th straight victory. The team has blown past its previous longest winning streak of eight games on its way to the top of the South Atlantic League standings at 20-13.

Castillo continued a solid start to the season for both himself and the Jersey Shore starting rotation as a whole. He has a 2.53 ERA in 21 1/3 innings this year, while Jean Cabrera has a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings, Braeden Fausnaucht has a 1.38 ERA in 32 2/3 innings and Samuel Aldegheri has a 0.64 ERA in 28 innings. The Phillies have a foundation of potential future contributors in that High-A pitching staff, and it will be interesting to see which pitchers might rise the ranks of the minors as the season goes on.

Crawford, hitting .351 in May, is getting base hits and making plays on the bases in addition to his plus outfield defense. He has a .308 batting average and 11 stolen bases, but he is still a work in progress as a run producer; Crawford is slugging just .404 on the year.

With their win on Sunday, the BlueClaws completed a six-game home sweep of the Blue Rocks after taking the last five of a six-game set against Bowling Green the week prior. They’ll travel to Hudson Valley for six-game series on Tuesday, riding this winning streak with a chance to continue making Jersey Shore history.