Hyatt Sent Down

In a move that I figured was on the horizon, Austin Hyatt (2-6, 5.47) has been sent down to Reading. After starting the season 2-0, Hyatt has lost 4 straight starts and 6 of his last 7.

Hyatt has had trouble keeping the ball in the park which has led to him giving up 23 runs over his last 19 innings. Opponents have hit 9 home runs off him this season, the most allowed by any IronPigs pitcher. He was allowing on average over 10 hits, nearly 2 home runs, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts per 9 innings. Hyatt, 26, spent 2010 and 2011 with Reading where he posted a 13-6 record and 3.98 ERA.

Tug Hulett was recalled from Reading.

Eric Scarcella broke the news on Twitter.

.@RPhils Transactions: RHP Austin Hyatt assigned from Lehigh Valley (AAA); IF Tug Hulett promoted to Lehigh Valley (AAA).

— Eric Scarcella (@RPhilsPR) May 29, 2012

Photo by Mitch Hyman

Pigs Blow It In The 9th, Lose 9-8

It was a good thing last night's game started late and many people watching the Pigs for the first time this season had gone to bed before the 9th inning. The reason being that the IronPigs (28-23) had one of their worst losses in recent memory.

After scoring 6 runs off Braves #1 prospect Julio Teheran and 2 more off the Gwinnett bullpen, the Pigs entered the 9th with a comfortable 8-3 lead and likely All-Star Michael Schwimer on the mound. Schwimer got the first batter to ground out, but then walked and hit a batter. Ernesto Mejia ripped a double and the scoring began. Ultimately some guy named Lance Zawadzki hit a walk-off 3-run home run, his first of the year. The Braves put up 6 runs overall in the 9th inning, all charged to Schwimer whose ERA ballooned to 4.15.

John Suomi started at catcher and went 4 for 5 with a HR and 3 RBI...Erik Kratz was a late scratch and there are rumors that Carols Ruiz may be headed to the DL...Domonic Brown was back in left field.

The series continues tonight at 7:05. Misch (3-6, 5.44) vs. Yohan Flande (1-3, 3.79).

IronPigs Begin Four Gamer At Gwinnett

After winning the completion of May 4th's suspended game on Thursday, the IronPigs (28-22) went on to lose four straight at Charlotte over the weekend. The Knights outscored the Pigs 24-9 as the pitching staff posted a way-to-high 5.70 ERA and the offense hit just .230. The IronPigs are now 3.5 games behind Pawtucket and 9-17 on the road this season (19-5 at home).

Tonight they start a four game series at Gwinnett with a game that will be shown live on The Comcast Network here in Pennsylvania. It's the only visit to Georgia this season for the Pigs who took 3 of the 4 games at Gwinnett last year.

The Braves (30-20) start the week in first place in the IL South after winning three in a row over Rochester this weekend. They are led by first baseman Ernesto Mejia who is hitting .308 with 8 HR and 36 RBI. Outfielder Stefan Gartrell - who killed the Pigs last season - has also put together a good first two months, hitting .257 with 11 HR and 30 RBI. Out of the bullpen Cory Gearrin (3-0, 0.94 ERA, 6 saves, 28.2 IP, 34 SO) has been lights out. 

Julio Teheran pitching against the IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park on May 24, 2011

According to yesterday's IronPigs game notes, the Braves' number one prospect, Julio Teheran, will start tonight's game for Gwinnett. The Pigs faced the 21-year old right-hander twice last season, losing to him at Coca-Cola Park and beating him at Gwinnett. Teheran has posted a 19-5 record and 2.65 ERA in his first season and a half at Triple-A, but has struggled in 5 appearances (3 starts) with Atlanta (1-1, 5.03 ERA, 19.2 IP, 21 H, 8 BB, 10 SO). Still plenty of time to figure things out. He looked really impressive when I saw him pitch in that morning doubleheader at Coca-Cola Park last May.

Braves Prospects On The Braves (MLB.com Rank)

1. RHP Julio Teheran (4-2, 2.98)
6. 3B Joey Terdoslavich (.186, 4 HR, 18 RBI)

Dave Bush (4-3, 2.73) will try to win his third straight start in what could be a very important start for him. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Bush has an opt-out clause that kicks in on June 1. If the Phillies don't promote him by then, they have 72 hours to trade him. However with Roy Halladay likely to miss a few starts, it's not out of the question that the Phils could bring him up. Bush has thrown 16 straight scoreless innings.

Get Out The Vote

The big elections might not be until November, but IronPigs Nation has a chance to vote for their own in two Minor League Baseball competitions that just got underway.

The first is less serious and more fun. FeRROUS was one of 64 mascots selected for MiLB.com's Mascot Mania which is a bracket-style competition to find the Minors' best mascot. In the first round (which ends Tuesday), FeRROUS is up against Champ, the mascot of the Vermont Lake Monsters.

I like FeRROUS, but it might be hard to vote for him if he goes up against Jamestown's Bubba Grape in the second round.

CLICK HERE to vote for FeRROUS and fill out the rest of your mascot bracket.

The second is All-Star Game voting which started on Friday and continues through June 29. Unlike MLB, the fan voting for the Triple-A All-Star Game accounts for just 1/3 of the overall vote. The media and Triple-A managers/general managers account for the other 2/3.

The IronPigs have 15 players on the ballot including Erik Kratz (catcher), Tuffy Gosewisch (catcher), Cody Overbeck (first base), Kevin Frandsen (second base), Andres Blanco (shortstop), Domonic Brown (outfield), Derrick Mitchell (outfield), Kyle Hudson (outfield), Dave Bush (starter), Tyler Cloyd (pitcher), Scott Elarton (pitcher), Jeremy Horst (reliever), David Purcey (reliever), Brian Sanches (reliever), and Michael Schwimer (reliever).

Personally I always vote straight IronPigs for the Triple-A game. For MLB I usually go by who deserves it (unless they are a Yankee, Brave, Met, J.D. Drew, or Cody Ross). That said, being "media" in some sense, these are the guys who I think deserve to make the ASG in each league.

International League - Pacific Coast League

Josh Phegley (CHA) C Travis d'Arnaud (LAS)

Dan Johnson (CHA) 1B Anthony Rizzo (IOW)

Cord Phelps (COL) 2B Jake Elmore (REN)

Omar Quintanilla (BUF) SS Adeiny Hechavarria (LAS)

Lonnie Chisenhall (COL) 3B Ryan Wheeler (REN)

Brad Eldred (TOL) DH Brandon Moss (SAC)

Corey Brown (SYR) OF Joey Butler (RR)

Matt LaPorta (COL) OF Michael Taylor (SAC)

Luis Durango (GWN) OF Justin Ruggiano (NEW)

Tyler Cloyd (LHV) SP Jesse Chavez (LAS)

Jo-Jo Reyes (IND) SP John Ely (ALB)

Kevin Whelan (SWB) RP Sandy Rosario (NEW)

Michael Schwimer (LHV) RP Jonathan Albaladejo (REN)

CLICK HERE to cast your votes for the AAA All-Star Game!

Pork Racers In The Outfield

When the IronPigs come home from this roadtrip, they will find a new pattern in the grass at Coca-Cola Park. In fact, it's not even a pattern anymore. The Pigs have actually cut the Pork Racers (Chris P. Bacon, Hambone, and Diggity) into the outfield grass. The only question is: where is Barbie Q. (War on Women?)?

See for yourself...

Photo from the IronPigs' Facebook page

IronPigs Win Two Straight; Head To Charlotte

Two back-to-back big wins for the IronPigs who are now 27-18 and just one game behind Pawtucket in the IL North.

On Monday night it took 13 innings, but Andres Blanco hit a walk-off home run to send the Pigs home 7-6 winners. Yesterday Dave Bush took the mound at 10:35 AM and pitched just the second complete game shutout in IronPigs history as the Pigs won 2-0.

They and the blog get a much needed day off today as they travel to Charlotte for a four game series that will also include the conclusion of the suspended game on May 4. That game will resume tomorrow at 6:15 as part of a doubleheader. The Pigs will be the home team, with the Knights up to bat in the 4th and the game tied 3-3.

Charlotte is currently is 2nd place in the IL South at 24-22.

IronPigs Lose 7-3 Sunday Afternoon

Brown returned to the lineup today
(Mitch Hyman/B&B)

A 5-run 6th inning by the Bats sunk the IronPigs (25-18) this afternoon at Coca-Cola Park in front of a third straight capacity crowd of 10,100.

Tyler Cloyd suffered his first loss of the season, giving up 5 of the 7 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings. Cloyd gave up more runs on one Neftali Soto swing - a grand slam in the 6th - than he had in all of his previous innings pitched combined entering today (2 runs in 26 IP).

The Pigs, who held a 1-0 lead entering the 6th on a Tim Kennelly single, battled back with runs in the 7th (Derrick Mitchell single) and 8th (Domonic Brown sac fly), but Louisville scored twice in the top of the 9th on Tyson Brummett to put the game away.

Brown went 0 for 3 with the sac fly in his return to the lineup...Cody Overbeck had the only multi-hit game for the Pigs...Tyler Cloyd's ERA is still an impressive 1.97...Tom Cochran pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief after being activated from the DL this morning.

Pig of the Game Poll

1. Tom Cochran: 2 IP, 0 R, 2 K
2. Cody Overbeck: 2 for 4, run

Proof Chris Valaika Was Out At Second

In the top of the 5th inning of tonight's game, Bill Rhinehart bounced one right in front of the plate that Tuffy Gosewisch immediately picked up. He quickly applied the tag to Rhinehart for the out and then fired down to second base.

Chris Valaika was running towards Kevin Frandsen who did not even need to apply a tag because it was a force play. Frandsen got the ball in plenty of time while on the bag and applied a tag just for good measure. Out number three, inning over.

Not so fast.

Second base umpire Sean Barber not only missed that Frandsen was on the bag, but he clearly missed that Frandsen put his glove between Valaika's cleat and the bag. He called Valaika safe and the next batter, Neftali Soto, hit a two-run home run to make it 6-0 Bats.

If you saw it on TV it was obvious. For those of you who were at the Park, Mitch Hyman sent in this great image of Frandsen's glove blocking Valaika from reaching second base.