Phillies Minor League Report: Zach Eflin dominates during Reading victory

Here's how the Phillies' minor league teams fared on Sunday, April 19:

Lehigh Valley IronPigs – Triple A

A walk-off two-run double capped off a furious rally by the Buffalo Bisons and sent the IronPigs to their fourth straight loss, 5-4, Sunday at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, N.Y.

The IronPigs entered the ninth inning holding a 4-1 lead thanks to RBI from four different batters, but Colton Murray walked two batters and allowed three hits while giving up all four runs with two outs in his pocket.

The collapse led to Murray being handed his first blown save and loss of the season. It also overshadowed a solid start from Joely Rodriguez, who allowed only one run on five hits during 5.2 innings of work. He also walked four batters.

First baseman Maikel Franco led the IronPigs offensively by going 2-for-5 with an RBI and two doubles. Third baseman Cord Phelps also had a productive offensive outing as well, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI.

After being swept by Buffalo, the IronPigs will stay on the road to open a three-game set against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at PNC Field in Mossic, Pa. Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. with Jason Berken (1-1, 12.79 ERA) scheduled to start for Lehigh Valley.

Reading Fightin Phils – Double-A

A dominant outing from starting pitcher Zach Eflin and 10 hits propelled the Fightin Phils to a 6-0 victor over the Richmond Flying Squirrels Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading.

With the victory, the first-place Fightin Phils completed a three-game sweep of the Flying Squirrels and extended their winning streak to four games overall.

Eflin set the tone for Reading by tossing eight shutout innings where he allowed only three hits. He also earned five strikeouts. Eflin earned the victory to push his record to 2-0.

While Eflin dominated on the mound, third baseman Harold Martinez led the way offensively by going 3-for-3 from the plate with three RBI. Catcher Gabriel Lino and left fielder Cam Perkins both went 2-for-3 and combined for three RBI.

The Fightin Phils will look to continue their recent success when they host the Akron RubberDucks at 6:35 p.m. Monday. Reading's starting pitcher has yet to be named as of this writing.

Clearwater Threshers – Class A-Advanced

The Threshers' five-game winning streak to came to an abrupt end Sunday after a 7-5 loss to the Lakeland Flying Tigers at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla.

After falling behind 2-0 after the first inning, the Threshers plated three runs during the second to take a one-run lead. Starting pitcher Yacksel Rios recovered after the opening frame and held the Flying Tigers off the scoreboard for three straight innings.

During the fifth, however, he ran into a bunch of trouble. Rios gave up four runs during the frame, which ended his outing. He was dealt the loss after giving up six runs on five hits during four innings. He also gave up two home runs.

Second baseman Angelo Mora and center fielder Chase Harris combined for six of the Thresher's 11 hits during the contest. Third baseman Mitch Walding joined them in the multi-hit category by going 2-for-3.

The Threshers will look to recover from their first loss in nearly a week when they host the Tampa Yankees at 7 p.m. Monday in the first game of a three-game series. David Whitehead (0-1, 0.75 ERA) will take the mound for Clearwater.

Lakewood BlueClaws – Class A

The BlueClaws were shut down by Phillips Valdez and the Hagerstown Suns during a 5-0 loss at Municpal Stadium in Hagerstown, Md.

Valdez pitches six shutout innings where he allowed only five hits. After Valdez left the mound, the BlueClaws were unable to record a hit on relief pitcher Ryan Ullmann.

While Valdez and Ullman were stifling the BlueClaws, Chris Oliver was struggling on the mound for Lakewood. Oliver allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits during five innings of work. He was handed the loss, which dropped him to 1-1 on the season. Offensively, three of Lakewood's five hits came courtesy of center fielder Carlos Tocci.

The BlueClaws will stay on the road Monday when they take on the Greensboro Grasshoppers at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C. Elniery Garcia (1-1, 0.00 ERA) will get the start for Lakewood.