My Visit to Bacon Country - Lehigh Valley IronPigs

It was Friday, May 22, 2015 - the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. While everyone in the area was sitting in traffic, while flocking toward the shore, I decided to take my family to Coca-Cola Park to watch the Lehigh Valley IronPigs take on the Charlotte Knights - the Chicago White Sox AAA affiliate - in Minor League Baseball action.

We have been to LV several times since the stadium opened in 2008 and the Phillies moved their farm club from Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Typically, we get to see a solid group of youngsters, just an injury away from becoming Major League players, doing their best and putting on a great show. After all,l it's still the minors; it's more  about developing talent and preparing them for the next level, than it is about winning baseball games.

On this night, though, a couple of ex-MLBers' names popped up on the scoreboard when lineups were introduced: Cody Asche, batting 2nd, playing left field, and Domonic Brown, hitting 3rd, in right. Both of these players have been touted as the best talent in the Phillies' organization, dating back 3-4 years now. In fact, Brown hit 27 home runs in 540 plate appearances in 2013. OK... he struck out 97 times, but he had one hell of a May tear, knocking 12 of those 27 HR's!

When Brown's numbers began to dwindle by August, 2013, fans were demanding he be traded. We know how that goes over with Ruben Amaro (Phils' GM). Brown showed "potential" according to Amaro, and he was not available to anyone asking about him. 2014 was o better for Brown, hitting just 10 home runs in 512 plate appearances. Still, he was never really on the trading block, but the big club chose to send him down instead of out.

Asche, on the other hand, is a little bit different story. The Phillies have been waiting two years for the "right time" to bring third baseman Maikel Franco to the majors, and decided that May, 2015 was finally the moment. In order to make room for Franco, the Phillies sent Cody Asche to LV - to learn how to play left field (insert a WHAT?!?)

Now I'll get to my Friday night disappointments... A lazy fly ball was hit toward Asche in the fifth inning. The moment Cody looked up to locate the ball, he was blinded by the stadium lights. The ball dropped softly 3 feet to his left, and Dan Black stood on second with a double. I understand experiments, but how is sending a guy to AAA and putting him in a position he's never played going to affect the rest of the team? I'll tell you: it counted as a two-base hit, not an error. Had the runner scored later, it would have counted against the reliever's ERA. Nowhere would an asterisk be added to explain that the left fielder is new, and doesn't understand how lights affect his ability to shag fly balls.

Enough about his defense. Asche and Brown both looked like Little Leaguers at the plate, flailing away at breaking pitches and weak change-ups being thrown by guys who, likely, will never see the comfy confines of U.S. Cellular Field. Together, they were a combined 1-for-7 at the plate, Asche slapping a late-inning single and Brown drawing a walk. By the way, they're hitting a combined .264 at AAA - not exactly the numbers you want from your 2- and 3-spot hitters.

Since it doesn't help to rant about whether the Phillies should continue to employ Ruben Amaro as their GM, I will now focus on moves it's high time he makes. Trade both of these guys and accept the fact that you have over-estimated the value of their abilities. I think you can find a quality veteran - or even younger prospects - if you are willing to open your eyes and look around.

Dave E.

Is a Five-Game Winning Streak a Turn-around or a Fluke?

So I wake up this morning and listen to several sports and news readers discussing the Phillies' current 5-game winning streak, having taken the last two in a series from the Pittsburgh Pirates and sweeping a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The question being debated is this...

Have the Phils gone over the loser hump, or is this winning streak a fluke? My answer might surprise you - especially those who know that I am  a die-hard NY Mets fan and probably don't have the right to comment on anything involving a Philadelphia team.

To me, a winning streak is never a fluke. True, there may be situations where your opponents' best players are unavailable and you can take advantage of their weaknesses. But this is Major League Baseball, where even the worst players in the league are still in the top 1000 in the world.

Let's look at the Phillies' roster and how they played so far during the streak:

Ryan Howard went 7-for-17, despite hitting just .230 on the season.
Chase Utley, whose name might just become the new Mendoza Line, went 2-for-3 on Saturday.
The pitching staff surrendered just two home runs over the five games - both in game 2 vs. D-Backs.
Shortstop Freddy Galvis is hitting .347 on the season - and Ryno gave him Sunday off!
Little-used Jeff Francoeur hit his third HR of the season, and now has 11 RBI.
As for the rest of the team? Guys like Maikel Franco, Odubel Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, and Ken Giles are youngsters whom are the future beloved in the City of Brotherly Love

This is how a TEAM should play. Everyone contributes, whether making smart plays in the field, running hard on the bases, or swatting the ball the opposite way. I'll admit it; I've been talking about firing Ryne Sandberg and his coaches and replacing them with the staff at Taney Little League but, right now, the club is playing like a TEAM should play, and that's no fluke.

Comments anyone?

Dave E.