We’ll get to our take on what went wrong at the end of the first half, as well as what it takes to build a championship caliber Triple-A team in the mid-2020’s. IronPigs Today coverage will be spotty, just as the schedule is for this month.
What Happened
We’ll get to that, but the second half started with the IronPigs shuffling off to Buffalo and of course they went on a four-game winning streak. Then, they dropped two to end the series. So they’re still a quality baseball team? Seems so.
Transactions
LHP Nick Vespi was due to get a spot-start in place of the recalled Alan Rangel two Sundays ago. Game got rained. Vespi got cut. So, they were going to ask him to start a game and then they were going to cut him before the day was over. This business, man.
RHP Alan Rangel in turn, got a 5-inning save in a game for the Phillies, and was promptly returned to the minors. He’ll be back in our rotation.
RHP Wil Crowe, who spent last season in Korea and the previous two with the Pirates, is up from Reading and in our rotation. RHP Koyo Aoyagi is starting for Reading.
RHP Daniel Robert went up to the Phillies, RHP Ryan Cusick was promoted from work in the lab with FCL Phillies. Cusick is a former first-rounder of the Braves who has been kicking around with waiver claims and such. He is on the 40-man roster.
1B Keaton Anthony had been placed on the 7-day Injured List prior to the road trip, but has since been activated.
INF Buddy Kennedy was DFA’d from Philadelphia. We think he’ll look elsewhere for an opportunity, but if he returns he’s certainly welcome here.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Weird that we haven’t seen them since opening weekend. They had a middling first half but have come on strong to open the second. Old friend Carlos Carrasco is on this team now. OF Spencer Jones is one of their top prospects and got promoted from AA-Somerset recently.
RHP Cam Schlittler is a prospect; we think he’s pitching tonight. OF Everson Pereira is on the inactive list. INF Jorbit Vivas is pesky. Mgr Shelley Duncan is an old nemesis.
Pitching (projected, unofficial probables)
Tuesday: RHP Gabe Mosser vs RHP Cam Schlittler
Wednesday: RHP Alan Rangel vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco
Thursday: RHP Andrew Painter vs. RHP Sean Boyle
Promotions
Tuesday: $1.06 Hot Dogs, Bethlehem City Series, Fireworks
Wednesday: Socks Giveaway (Adults), Tacos & Tallboys, Fireworks
Thursday: Headband Giveaway (Adults), Twisted Thursday Happy Hour, Fireworks
Weather, And A Look Ahead
We’re going to be dodging storms again today, so we might be at IronPigs rather than Reading for Yuengling Day–I even have the jersey! But then, I have a Bethlehem City jersey as well.
The rest of the week looks good. Lehigh Valley and Reading overlapping with Yankees affiliates home and home this week, so IronPigs will be in Scranton Fri-Sun and Reading will be in Somerset for the same period. If you’re going, the weather looks good. Saturday, we’ll be here for ‘Banana Ball’ with the Party Animals and Tailgaters.
Next week, the IronPigs are up in Syracuse. Then, the All Star Break followed by some weekend home games with Rochester. Following these three games this week, the next home game will be Friday, July 18. That weekend series will flow right into a traditional home series with visiting Norfolk, which will include a camp day. Then, shipping up to Worcester to close out the month, which will begin the more currently conventional series alternating away and home until we close this thing down at home versus Syracuse on Sunday, September 21.
See you at the park,
@Kram207
Cover Image by Cheryl Pursell, cropped to fit the space.