Skip to content
Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Phillies minor-league report

Triple-A Lehigh Valley Zach Eflin continued his strong start to the season by not allowing a run Wednesday as he pitched into the seventh inning. The righthander struck out six, walked one, and allowed four hits in 61/3 innings. He allowed one or no runs

Triple-A Lehigh Valley

Zach Eflin continued his strong start to the season by not allowing a run Wednesday as he pitched into the seventh inning. The righthander struck out six, walked one, and allowed four hits in 61/3 innings. He allowed one or no runs in three of his first four starts. Eflin, 22, could be pitching his way to the majors this season. . . . Tommy Joseph hit his fourth homer of the season Wednesday and his third in seven games. The 24-year-old entered Friday batting .391 with a .696 slugging percentage in 46 at-bats. Joseph, 24, is playing at first base this season after transitioning from catching. . . . Brock Stassi, who is getting the majority of the starts at first base, entered Friday with a .250 batting average. He was still looking for his first home run. Six of the 26-year-old's 13 hits have been for extra bases - all doubles. . . . Adam Morgan was promoted to the majors Friday, and his IronPigs rotation spot was filled by Alec Asher, who spent time last season in the majors but started this year at double A.

Double-A Reading

Rhys Hoskins entered Friday with a 15-game hitting streak after slapping a single Wednesday night. The first baseman is playing his first season at double A after a strong season with Lakewood and Clearwater. He entered Friday with a .235 batting average, .321 on-base percentage, and .412 slugging percentage in his first 44 at-bats. The 23-year-old had three homers and 11 RBIs. . . . Outfielder Dylan Cozens homered twice in a week as he begins to show the power he can have at Reading's hitter-friendly ballpark. The 21-year-old lefthander has five homers and 16 RBIs this season in 72 at-bats. . . . Severino Gonzalez was promoted to Lehigh Valley on Friday morning after he did not allow an earned run in six of his seven outings for Reading. The righthanded starter-turned-reliever has struck out nine batters and walked three in 132/3 innings. He was promoted to Lehigh Valley last week, but just out of the IronPigs' necessity for an extra bullpen arm. He was sent back to Reading the next day.

High-A Clearwater

Clearwater scored 12 runs in the sixth inning on Wednesday as the Threshers showed their offensive potential. Scott Kingery led off with a homer, Kyle Martin drove in a run, and Carlos Tocci and Cord Sandberg each drove in a pair of runs. . . . Kingery, a second baseman, entered Friday batting .278 with eight extra-base hits in 20 games. Kingery turned 22 on Friday. He was drafted last June in the second round and is a smooth fielder. . . . Martin, a first baseman drafted last June in the fourth round, has four home runs and 18 RBIs in 21 games. . . . Kingery and Martin both played in college and should be in Reading sometime this summer. . . . Temple product Matt Hockenberry has not allowed a run in five outings. The righthander has allowed five hits, three walks, and struck out six in 82/3 innings of relief. . . . Lefthander Matt Imhof, a 2014 second-round pick, allowed one run in his last 12 innings. . . . John Richy, who was acquired last summer from Los Angeles as part of the Chase Utley trade, was promoted Friday morning to double A. The righthander started one game in Clearwater, allowing one run in five innings.

Single-A Lakewood

Shane Watson, whom the Phillies drafted in the first round in 2012, is starting to find some success in his third season at single A. The 22-year-old allowed seven earned runs in his first 24 innings. He had 20 strikeouts and eight walks. Watson, a righthander, allowed one run in seven innings on Thursday night. It was his second-straight seven-inning, one-run start. He had a 4.33 ERA at Lakewood last season in nine starts. He also struggled there in 2013. He missed the 2014 season with shoulder surgery. The surgery - similar to the procedure Adam Morgan had - is one of the most difficult for a pitcher to return from. . . . Outfielder Zachary Coppola was off to a strong start before he was placed on the disabled list last week with a hamstring injury. He is expected to miss at least four weeks. The 21-year-old was batting .386 with three extra-base hits in his first 13 games.