Remember that home-grown starting staff everyone was so excited about when the ironPigs season began ... ?

B.J. Rosenberg became the third starter promoted to the Phillies when he was summoned Friday to replace Raul Valdes, who was optioned back to the IronPigs.

Jonathan Pettibone is in the Phillies rotation since John Lannan went on the disabled list on April 18, and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere.

Tyler Cloyd was summoned for one start two weeks ago when Roy Halladay went on the disabled list, then returned because the Phillies wouldn't need a fifth starter until Tuesday. Odd are that Cloyd earned a return to Miami for that start based on that start in Arizona despite his outing on Thursday (4 HR, 7 ER in 3.1 IP at Norfolk).

Rosenberg, who threw seven shutout innings in his last start on May 12 at Durham, is likely headed for the Phillies bullpen -- if they planned to use him as a starter on Tuesday, they would have likely summoned Joe Savery for a bullpen arm for a few days until then.

Meanwhile, Rosenberg was scheduled to open the home stand against Rochester Saturday night. Now, it's likely another bullpen day for an already taxed staff (Valdes could get the start), UNLESS the Phillies are planning to rush the newest member of the organization, Carlos Zambrano, to Coca-Cola Park to begin his audition for a spot in the Phillies rotation.

That's rather unlikely, however. Zambrano has not pitched in a game since the World Baseball Classic back in March, when he was Venezuela's roster, and reported to the Phillies extended spring training camp in Clearwater after signing his minor league deal Thursday.  So we can assume he won't be at Coca-Cola Park Saturday night.

There will be another hole in the rotation Tuesday, assuming Cloyd goes to Miami. For now Zach Miner is not scheduled to start any of the next five games, so he's Cloyd's likely replacement against Rochester.

But figure on seeing Zambrano in an IronPigs unform sometime over the next few weeks.

Either way, the IronPigs rotation can officially be labeled a mess right now. And it's not like it's been overly successful anyway -- through the first 40 games, the starter has failed to pitch beyond the fifth inning 18 times, including the last two nights.

Where's Scott Elarton when you need him?

One of the most select clubs in Philadelphia sports history is managers who have led the Phillies to a World Series title.

One's still working.

The other will be in Reading Friday night.

Dallas Green, who led the 1980 Phillies to a World Series win over the Kansas City Royals for the first championship in franchise history, will be at FirstEnergy Stadium Friday night to promote his autobiograhy, "The Mouth That Roared: My Six Outspoken Decades in Baseball."

Green will also address the crowd prior to the game with Akron, and will sign copies of his book in the team store when the game begins. The book will also be available for purchase.

Green, a member of the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame, collaborated with journalist Alan Maimon for a book featuring stories ranging from profanity-laced clubhouse tirades during his time as a manager and his outspoken opinions on the state of the game, to the emotional funeral of his granddaugher, murdered during the 2011 attack in Tuscon, Ariz., on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and his thoughts of how baseball became a way for him to cope with the tragedy.

Green has spent nearly 60 years in the game as a pitcher, scout, minor league director, manager, general manager, team president and other roles.

Green, who spent eight years as a pitcher in the majors for the Phillies, the Washington Senators and the new York Mets, played and coached in Reading during the team's 1967 inaugural season as Phillies affiliate in the Eastern League. A year later, Green became a manager in the Phillies minor league system.

Green left the Phillies in 1982 to become the general manager of the Chicago Cubs, where he fleeced the organization of future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg in a deal that involved Larry Bowa. He later became the fourth manager to lead both the Yankees and Mets.

In 1998, Green returned to the Phillies as senior advisor to the general manager and has counseled the last three general managers, Ed Wade (1998-2005), Pat Gillick (2006-08), and Ruben Amaro Jr. (2009-current). A member of the Phillies Wall of Fame, Green is also the namesake of an award presented annually to a Phillies scout.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday night in San Francisco that Roy Halladay's replacement, at least for the short term, would come from within the organization, although he will continue to work the phones in search of a veteran arm in the event Halladay's injury proves to be a major issue that will keep him sidelined for an extended period.

Also, if Amaro is to be believed, it won't be top prospect Jesse Biddle, which will upset a certain portion of talk show hosts and fans who think the 21-year-old should already have been summoned from Double-A io the major league rotation.

That kind of leaves just two choices from the IronPigs -- Adam Morgan and Tyler Cloyd.

Like Cloyd, Ethan Martin and B.J. Rosenberg are on major league 40-man roster. But Martin just threw 102 pitches Monday night for the IronPigs, and there's no way the Phillies are going to bring him back on three days rest to make a start Friday in Arizona, Halladay's next scheduled turn.

Rosenberg has made just one start in the majors and is basically in his first full season as a starting pitcher, so it's extremely doubtful he'd be the choice.

So again, we're back to Cloyd and Morgan.

Numbers-wise over the season so far, Morgan has the advantage. His 3.89 ERA is 1 1/2 runs better than Cloyd's 5.40. His .233 opponent's batting average is significantly better than Cloyd's .284, as is his WHIP (1.18 to 1.49).

However, as Phiillies minor league director Joe Jordan said Monday, "When we do make decisions to bring guys to the big leagues, it's who's pitching good, or who's playing well or hitting."

At the moment, that's Cloyd.

Over his last two starts,Cloyd has allowed 12 hits and four earned runs in 15 innings, a 2,40 ERA, His OBA is .214, his WHIP is 0.87, and he has 13 strikeouts and one walk.

Since allowing just three earned runs and 11 hits in his first 19 innings at Triple-A, Morgan has been touched for 19 hits and 12 earned runs in 15.2 innings, a 6.92 ERA. His WHIP is a 1.60, his OBA .292.

Cloyd also gets most of the mitigating factors as well. He is on the 40-man; Morgan is not. He's pitched in the big leagues; Morgan has not. Cloyd has pitched a season-plus in Triple-A; Morgan has made a total of 12 starts above Single-A.

And perhaps most significantly, Cloyd's not considered a top-flight prospect and is thought to have a minimal chance at making a significant impact on the major league level. Morgan is, and is expected to -- which means the Phillies might not want to start his arbitration clock if they absolutely don't have to.

Such factors, Jordan said, become relevant if "you have more than one option" to choose from.

"When we turn to the minor leagues, when they have a need, we want to send them somebody that's going to help them. That's the first and foremost thing," Jordan said. "If you have more than one option, then I think those types of things come into play more. If someone's really, clearly, out-performing the rest of the group, that's going to be my recommendation. And then it's up to everyone else involved to figure it out from there."

It's a little hard to believe that the Phillies would burn an option on Morgan, not to mention risk losing someone to make room on the 40-man roster for him, if they don't have to -- especially if there's a chance the major league club might only need that pitcher for the short term (if Amaro is successful finding a veteran pitcher).

The route the Phillies will take will become much clearer on Tuesday, when Halladay visits the legendary shoulder specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles to find out just how severe his shoulder injury really is.

No matter what Yocum says, however, the Phillies will need a starter on Friday.

The signs all point to it being Cloyd.

---

So, with a potential major league call-up coming for someone, how does a young Triple-A pitcher not keep from thinking the situation, and how it might impact him?

"That's what I'd be thinking about if I was their age," Jordan said with a laugh. "But again, we ty to talk all the time, and it's the task at hand [that you focus on], It's hard but they have to focus on what they're doing here. And we're taking the guy who's going good here, just like we did with [Jonathan] Pettibone. The overall numbers didn't look right  but we felt like we had seen enough right before that move [when he replaced John Lannan] needed to take place that we felt he was the right guy."

Jordan was also asked about the temptation to push a Biddle a little quicker in such situations.

"That's faulty reasoning, really," Jordan said. "We're in a positon we really don't have to do that, meaning I think we have other options. The last thing you want to do, I think, with a guy that we think of as much as Jesse is be impulsive and let some trying times force you to do something that honestly you don't believe is the right thing to do. So honestly, it's not time."

Biddle, who created a sort of Biddle-mania a few weeks ago with 16 strike outs and a one-hitter over seven innings agianst Harrisburg, showed on Saturday when couldn't get out of the first inning in a start at New Hampshire, walking four and allowing three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning while throwing 41 pitches.

It's not unheard of for the Phillies to dip as low as Double-A in times of need. In 2006, Scott Mathieson was summoned from Reading, and a year later went back to Berks County again to bring up Kyle Kendrick when their rotation was hit by injuries.

Both were 22 and in their fifth pro season. Biddle is 21 and in his fourth season.

Jordan, who is making a scheduled visit to Allentown for the Louisville series, said he likes to talk to the minor leaguers and listen to what they have to say, but emphasizes to them that the organization has a plan for them.

"I like to know what they're thinking, and ask them to be honest with me. but I also let them know we've got things to accomplish where we're at, especially Double-A and Triple-A," Jordan said. "They're both so trying and a challenge."

Here's a familiar sight to fans at Coca-Cola Park ... 

Four Durham Bulls pitchers threw a no-hitter today at Pawtucket, only the second ever against the Paw Sox. They wouldn't have done it without this catch by a familiar face to IronPigs fans, Rich Thompson.

http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=26886013

For those wondering, the IronPigs head to Durham next weekend, and the Bulls come to Allentown on June 25.

You have to love social media.

According to a tweet from Tyson Gillies, the Phillies are making room for catcher Humberto Quintero, who cleared waivers this week, on the IronPigs roster by sending the struggling Gillies back to Reading.

'New Hampshire tomorrow cya soon boys #fightinphils' Gillies sent in a Tweet soon after the IronPigs' 7-1 win over Indianapolis on Friday.

The move, actually, isn't all that surprising. The Phillies don't want to get rid of a catcher ('You can never have too many pitchers or catchers in your organization," a Phillies minor league exec told me in Florida), and of all the young prospects on the IronPigs roster this year, it's Gillies who is having the most trouble adjusting.

He hit just .148 (9-for-61) in 18 games and has just two extra-base hits. After starting the season 2-for-32, Gillies appeared to be turning things around with back-to-back multi-hit games. But he's just 2-for-21 since.

Some of those struggles could be attributed to a change in Gillies swing the Phillies have been working on since spring training. However, reading between the lines, it appears the Phillies might be getting somewhat frustrated with Gillies' lack of progress.

“We were asking him to make some changes, and you see some things in the
cage and in batting practice. But it hasn’t carried over to the game yet," Brundage said.

"They’ll all tell you ...  that they’re not going to get any better unless they're in the line-up, and a lot of times that the case,” Brundage said. “But he’s been playing and it hasn’t been happening."

At Reading, Gillies will join an outfield that currently features Zach Collier (on the 40-man roster), Anthony Hewitt (a former first-round draft pick), Derrick Mitchell and Ronnie Welty (obtained from Baltimore for Julio Rodriguez in the spring).

Adding Quintero gives the IronPigs three catchers, joining young 21-year-old prospect Tommy Joseph and veteran Steven Lerud, who battled Quintero for the Phillies back-up job to the final days in camp.

Before Friday's game Brundage reasserted that Joseph, who is hitting an even .200, is still the No. 1 guy.

“Tommy’s commanding most of the playing time and he’s going to get most of the playing time,” Brundage said.

Adding Quintero, who hit .250 in 20 at-bats for the Phillies before being designated for assignment on April 28 when Carlos Ruiz returned form his 25-game suspensijon, will enable Brundage to use a catcher as the designated hitter in American League games and still have a back-up available.

Reading has the same situation, with Cameron Rupp, Sebastian Valle (who is also expected to play some left field) and John Suomi currently on the roster.

There will be no Good Shepherd Rehab appearance at Coca-Cola Park this weekend.

Delmon Young joined the IronPigs on their road trip in Indianapolis, and many assumed the rehabbing outfielder would return to Allentown with the team from Louisville.

Instead, Young headed north to Cleveland Tuesday morning to join the Phillies befoe the start of the IronPigs morning game with the Bats. Young was serving as the Phillies DH in the interleague game against the Indians.

The trip was worth a cool $250,000 to Young, who received that as a bonus for his first day on the major league roster. Young signed a $750,000 contract with the Phillies last winter.

Young only played four games with the IronPigs, hitting .294 (5-for-17), and .367 overall (11-for-30) between Clearwater and the IronPigs. Not sure if it was a factor in the long run, but Young, who was finishing up his recovery from microfracture ankle surgery last winter, went first to home on a Darin Ruf double the other night in Louisville.

When I asked Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. about Young's rehab last week in Reading, and whether he would spend his full 20 days on his rehab assignment, Amaro answered, "I hope not."

Maybe Young's jaunt on Ruf's hit helped convince Amaro that Young was ready for the rigors of Natiional League baseball.

Now the minor league system is awaiting the potential ripple affect from two players currently on waivers, catcher Humberto Quintero and outfielder Ezequiel Carrera. Quintero was designated for assignment on Sunday when Carlos Ruiz was activated after serving his 25-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant.

Carrera, who hit .077 in 13 games after being claimed off waivers from Cleveland, was DFA'd to make room for Young.

Fitting either or both on minor league rosters could be somewhat interesting. Currently there are five catchers on the IronPigs and Reading rosters: Tommy Joseph and Steven Lerud at Triple-A, and Cameron Rupp, Sebastian Valle and John Suomi at Double-A.

The IronPigs outfield is somewhat crowded with prospects Darin Ruf, Tyson Gillies and Leandro Castro along with veterans Jermaine Mitchell and Steve Susdorf.

Reading's current outfield roster includes Zach Collier, Anthony Hewitt, Derrick Mitchell and Ronnie Welty on the active roster and Jiwan James on the disabled list.   

Like most pitchers, Jesse Biddle has a routine he follows before his start.

The last thing he does before leaving the bullpen is pitch to a simulated hitter, with a hitter standing by the plate and his catcher calling pitches.

Last Monday night in Harrisburg, he "walked" pitching coach Dave Lundquist on four pitches.

"They were all over the place but I knew ... I said, 'Hey, that felt great,'" Biddle said Friday night. "It felt great coming out of the hand, and I felt I got the bad ones out of the way early."

 A few hours later, the 21-year-old left hander headed to the Metro Bank Park clubhouse following what he said was the best start of his career and one of the most overpowering efforts in Reading history.

Biddle struck out 16 in seven innings and had a perfect game through 6 1/3 innings, earning his second Double-A victory with in a 3-2 win over the Senators. He struck out the side four times, threw 55 of his first 73 pitches for strikes and 74 of 104 overall. He eventually lost his perfect game bid by issuing a one-out walkin the seventh, and his no-hit bid to the next battersd, Darrin Hood, on a clean single to left.

Social media spread Biddle's performance among the Phillies partisans almost instantaneously, and Biddle marveled at the response.

""I guess it kind of makes me realize how many people are paying attention and how big Philly Nation really is," he said. "There's a lot of fans who follow the minor leagues and follow all of the prospects all the way through the system. And to have that reacton that overwhelmingly positive of me and the whole team, it was great. it felt really good to be a part of that."

There were those who felt that Biddle, the club's first-round pick in 2010 out of Germantown Friends in suburban Philadelphia, should have been pitching at Citizens Bank Park Monday instead of in Harrisburg. He was the populist choice among the fans to get the call when John Lannan went on the disabled list with a knee injury, but much to their disappointment, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. immediately dismissed that notion and instead later plucked Jonathan Pettibone from the IronPigs to replace Lannan.

Biddle, already seemingly as poised and polished a speaker with the media as any major league veteran could hope to be, said Amaro made the right choice.

"We have so many good guys in front of me; I don't really put myself in the mix with them because they're in Triple-A, they're having success," said Biddle, the consensus pick as the No. 1 prospect in the system. "Guys like Pettibone, [Tyler] Cloyd, [Ethan] Martin, [Adam] Morgan, they're all very very good pitchers, They're all very talented and when it comes down to it, they're in front of me right now."

While the media and public fawned all over Biddle's outing, the organization treated it as business as usual. That's the way Biddle said he wants it.

"I don't want to have people blowing it up into what it's not," he said. "The fact is, it was just one outing during the year. That's the way I look at it. I have to pitch again [Sunday], and it's not like anything changes.

"We went over the game, talked about what happened, and one of the things I really wanted to address is how it happened and hot to replicate it as best I can. I know every time I'm going to out there, I'm not giong to be able to do that. But I'd like to have success every time I go out there."

Biddle faced the Senators just six days earlier, pitching six strong innings in a no-decision at FirstEnergy Stadium. After that game he talked about the challenge of facing the same team om back-to-back outings, and what he might have to do to keep Harrisburg hitters off-balance a second time.

He said he and Reading pitching coach Dave Lundquist came up with a slightly different game plan to use against them, but ultimately, Biddle said, he's going to stick with what works until it doesn't.

"One thing Lundy always says is, you never want to pitch away from your strengths if you don't have to," Biddle said. "For the most part it was a relatively similar game plan, and to keep pitching to my strengths until they made me adjust. And fortunately, they game they didn't really force me to adjust until the seventh inning."

The Phillies insist they're not going to rush the youngster, and Biddle doesn't think one game really changes anything, "other than the fact that I know I can do that.

"One game does nothing for me," he said. "The goal is not to have the best April of anybody; the goal is to pitch the best during the season and have a good year. The game on Sunday is what matters to me now. I'm done with Monday."

After Delmon Young was charged with two errors in his first rehab game in Clearwater, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. had a somewhat harsh review of the outfielder's defensive potential.

"Obviously we want his bat but if he can't play defense he can't play in the National League," Amaro told the Inquirer's Matt Gelb, adding that said of Young, adding that Young had to play  "adequate defense out there for us to be right."

Speaking prior to Friday's game in Reading, where he came to watch a rehab appearance by Carlos Ruiz, Amaro said Young is "starting to move around much better" but used the same word to describe his requirements for Young's defense.

"“He’s been pretty good," Amaro said when asked about Young's rehab progress. " He's been swinging the bat well and he’s starting to move around much better. Each day he moves around much better. I'm not sure he’s100 percent but he’s moving around in the outfield OK, and making the plays, making the routine play.

"I don’t think he’s ever going to be a plus defender but if he’s adequate out there, that will help us. We need to have him be adequate. We can’t have him be a liability out in the outifleld because he just won’t help us, but I think he’s going to help us offensively if and when he comes."

Feel free to read into Amaro's "if and when he comes" statement anything you wish.

Young, who underwent ankle microfracture surgery in November, joined the IronPigs Thursday in Indianapolis and has gone 2-for-8 without an error in two games so far with them. He can play a maximum of 20 days in the minors before he would have to be put on the major league roster. A full rehab assignment would carry Young, who signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Phillies in the off-season, through the IronPigs next home stand.

Asked if he foresaw Young using the entire 20 days, Amaro said "I hope not" but added the clu has the "ability to wait it out.

"I would think he’d be ready earlier than that but that’s why we’re watching him and letting him play and see how it goes," Amaro said.

While everyone frets about the lack of home-run production so far from Darin Ruf, another IronPig is on a record-setting pace.

Cody Overbeck hit his fifth homer of the season in the IronPigs' 6-3 win over Indianapolis Wednesday. With five in the IronPigs' first 19 games, Overbeck is on a pace to hit 38 home runs this season, which would obliterate Andy Tracy's IronPigs' mark of 26 set in the 2009 season.

Not only would that total break Tracy's franchise record, it would also be one better than the Phillies' Triple-A mark of 38 by Pancho Herrera for Buffalo in 1959.

Overbeck's not going to hit 38 home runs, of course -- primarily because if he keeps hitting long balls at this pace, chances are he'll be in a Phillies uniform at some point this summer, given their lack of punch so far this season.

But after hitting only 14 homers last season -- he had 24 in each of the previous two seasons, in 2010 between Clearwater and Reading and in 2011 between Reading and the IronPigs  -- it would appear that Overbeck has regained his power stroke.

Overbeck, who has hit 10 or more home runs in each of his five pro seasons (including 12 in 75 games at short-season Williamsport in 2008), has hit his five homers in 52 at-bats this season; A year ago it took him 191 at-bats and 56 IronPigs games for him to get to five home runs, when he averaged one every 32.7 at-bats.

He averaged one every 19.8 at-bats the previous two seasons.

In all, 13 Phillies' Triple-A players have hit 30 or more home runs in a season, most recently Gene Martin who hit 31 for Eugene in 1973. The list includes Greg Luzinski and Dick Allen.

The complete list:

37 – Pancho Herrera, Buffalo, 1959

36 – Greg Luzinski, Eugene, 1971

36 – Mike Anderson, Eugene, 1971

36 – Joe Lis, Eugene, 1970

36 – Costen Shockey, Arkansas, 1964

35 – Marv Rickert, Baltimore, 1951

33 – Dick Allen, Arkansas, 1963

33 – Ed Sanicki, Toronto, 1948

32 – Pancho Herrera, Buffalo, 1962

31 – Gene Martin, Eugene, 1973

30 – Cal Emery, Arkansas, 1964

30 – Norm Gigon, Arkansas, 1964

30 – Chet Laabs, Toronto, 1950

If you thought maybe Friday's ironPigs rainout might give us a hint about who the Phillies are going to pull up to replace injured starter John Lannan, it didn't.

The decision, as most of these types on the major league level, will remain a state secret to be only divulged when the Phillies deem it necessary.

But join me in some idle speculation .

Ethan Martin, Friday's scheduled starter, will get Game 1 of Saturday night's doubleheader with Buffalo at Coca-Cola Park.

Here's where the fun begins.

Saturday's scheduled starter, B.J. Rosenberg, has been officially bumped to Sunday. IronPigs manager Dave Brundage said veteran Zach Miner will start Saturday's second game.

That could merely be a tactical move -- it's a lot easier to use a spot starter in a seven-inning doubleheader game than in a nine-inning single game.

But what if it isn't? Could it be an indication that the Phillies have decided to summon Tyler Cloyd, who according to Brundage is now Monday's scheduled starter (he was listed as Sunday's probable), to fill in for Lannan?

Cloyd is on the Phillies' 40-man roster, as is Rosenberg, Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin.

Of the four, let's take Martin out of the equation. He's only made two starts (9.1 innings) at Triple-A, so it's hard to imagine the Phillies turning to him in this situation.

(Oh, and forget Adam Morgan. He just threw 100 ptiches on Thursday afternoon, and there's no way the Phillies are going to ask one of their top young pitching prospects to pitch on short rest.)

Both Cloyd and Pettibone has struggled in their first few starts. In three starts Cloyd, who last year was 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in six major league starts after a brilliant minor league season (15-1, 2.226), has a 7.07 ERA, although he's pitched better in each outing.

Pettibone has a 9.84 ERA in his first two starts (he also has two scoreless innings in a start suspended by weather), a total of 9.1 innings. By all accounts Pettibone is considered a much stronger prospect over the long haul, although he has yet to pitch in the majors.

Rosenberg, who is probably the least-touted of the all-organization five-man rotation, has a 6.00 ERA in his first two starts but is coming off a strong six-inning outing in Syracuse where he gave up five hits and one earned run. Like Cloyd, he also made his major league debut last season, compiling a 6.12 ERA in 22 games including a start.

Now for the idle speculation ...

Since Rosenberg is on the 40-man roster, the Phillies could decide to use him for the short term and give Cloyd and/or Pettibone a start or two to work out themselves through their early-season struggles (and basically state their case for an audition).

Could it happen this way? Perhaps. One would imagine the Phillies brass has been thinking about just this scenario since the day in spring training when they released veteran Aaron Cook and basically said, we're going with the kids.

Now, we'll start seeing if they're ready.

After compiling a combined 9.55 ERA in their first starts, a cynic might say the five members of the IronPigs rotation had to do better the second time around, because it could hardly do any worse.

Well, the quintet was better the second time around.

Including the abbreviated two-inning scoreless outing by Jonathan Pettibone in last Wednesday's suspended game, the rotation -- Tyler Cloyd, Pettibone, Adam Morgan, Ethan Martin and B.J. Rosenberg -- compiled a sparkling 1.73 ERA over the last five games, allowing five earned runs (eight overall) in 26 innings. They also allowed 17 hits, walked seven and struck out 23.

Compare that to their opening round numbers -- 21.2 innings, 32 hits, 26 runs, 23 earned runs, 12 walks and 23 strikeouts.

Morgan led the way with eight dominant innings in his second Triple-A start Saturday afternoon in Syracuse, blanking the Chiefs on three hits -- a performance that earned him the International League's pitcher of the week honor. Martin followed by allowing one run and three hits with eight strikeouts in five innings in the opener of Sunday's twinbill, and B.J. Rosenberg followed by allowing five hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings in the second game.

Cloyd gave u five of those eight runs (only three earned) in five innings last Tuesday, along with five hits. Still, it was a marked improvement from his opening night start (three innings, nine hits, seven runs, six earned). He makes his third start tonight in Pawtucket.

Cloyd and Pettibone will be facing the same hitters they faced last week at Coca-Cola Park in starts against the PawSox. It will be interesting to see if they can show the same typesof adjustments that Morgan and Martin showed after facing Syracuse in back-to-back starts.

The son of a Phillies icon along with an Olympic medalist and a local recording star highlight Reading's 47th opening day as an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Richie Ashburn Jr., speedskater Allison Baver and jazz musician Gerald Veasley will participate in Friday night's ceremonies when the Double-A affiliate takes the field for the first time as Fightin Phis and in their new home uniforms in the Eastern League home opener against Erie.

The  oldest son of Phillies great and Baseball Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, Ashburn Jr., head baseball coach at Pottsgrove High School, will commemorate the connection between the old and the new with the new Fightin Phils nickname.

Ashburn’s father played on the famed “Whiz Kids” 1950 Phillies National League champions team that earned the "Fightin’ Phillies” nickname during its run to the World Series. Reading bases its new home jersey on the color scheme and look of the uniforms worn by that team.

Baver, a Wilson-West Lawn and Penn State alumna, is a three-time Olympian who earned a bronze medal as part of the U.S. 3000-meter short track relay tteam at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. She currently holds the American record in the 1600m and is a former record holder for the 1000 and 3000. She is currently training for the 2014 Games in Sochi and will represent the Off the Ice Foundation, a non-profit organization she founded in 2010 to provide skating sports and educational programs iaround the world. on Friday.

Veasley is a fixture at the Boscov's Berks Jass Fest. The Philadelphia-born Veasley is one of the most inventive bassists of the current generation and has toured and performed in sessions with Special EFX, Pieces of a Dream, McCoy Tyner, Gerald Levert, Teddy Pendergrass, Nnenna Freelon, Philip Bailey, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Phil Perry, and John Blake.

The bassist currently leads the five-piece Electric Mingus Project, where Veasley and his group revisited the 10 Mingus compositions using modern electric instruments, and will perform the National Anthom on opening night..

Ballpark Digest and Scranton Time-Tribune sportswriter Donnie Collins are reporting that Mandalay Baseball, which owns four minor league teams including the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders, is up for sale.

The Times-Tribune report says the impact of the potential sale on the partnership between Mandalay and the parent New York Yankees that owns the Railriders isn't known at the moment.

Any sale will not affect Scranton's affiliation with the Yankees, at least not until their current player development affiliation expires.

The newly renamed Railriders returned this year to PNC Field, which underwent a $43 million renovation last season while the Yankees played their entire International League season on the road. The team reportedly has a 30-year lease for the stadium.

For more on the Scranton report, and a link to the Ballpark Digest story,follow the link:

 http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/railriders/index.php/2013/04/09/report-mandalay-baseball-up-for-sale/

A year ago Baseball America rated young outfielder Leandro Castro as the 23rd best prospect in the Phillies minor league system.

After an all-star season at Reading, the magazine dropped him from this year's Top 30 rankings.

After watching him play for five games, I'd love to hear why.

The Dominican native has already provided two of the signature moments for the 2013 IronPigs season with his hustle, and he's also hitting .400 over the first five games with three straight multi-hit games.

Castro's 30-foot double on Saturday night, when he ran full-bore out of the box on what looked like a routine pop-up and wound up on second when the ball dropped untouched near the mound (and probably could've reached third had he popped up from his slide quick enough) is a perfect example of why Little League coaches tell their young proteges to run everything out (hello Jimmy Rollins).

And Monday night, wih the IronPigs already trailing 5-2, he ran down Jonathan Diaz's drive into the right center gap that likely would've delivered two more Pawtucket runs and perhaps been an early dagger to a struggling team.

Instead, B.J. Rosenberg uses the catch to throw up a zero in the inning, and the IronPigs' bats came alive to post a 14-5 win.

When I sat down this winter and spring and tried to project an IronPigs roster for the current season, I had Castro back in Reading, simply because I figured with Darin Ruf and Tyson Gillies playing everyday at Coca-Cola Park, there wouldn't be enough at-bats for him in Lehigh Valley and the Phillies would want him to get those ABs at Reading.

But the Phillies minor league brass maintained that Castro had earned the right to advance to Triple-A and said they'd find a way to make it work.

Guess that's why they do what they do and I do what I do.

Bottom line is, Castro is already making this season a fun one to watch. And at 23, the Phillies might have another young option in the outfield mix next spring.

Former IronPig Brandon Moss went on baby watch on Thursday.

His wife,Allison, is 36 weeks pregnant, and the Oakland first baseman left the A's game Thursday night when she went into labor -- false labor, as it turned out.

Moss rejoined the team in Houston while relatives stayed with Allison.

Moss said Brody Moss's birth is not imminent and that it could be "four hours, or four days ..."

In typical Moss fashion, "I kindly looked at my wife and said, 'Babe, it can't be four days."

As for Allison, Moss said, she keeps "doing laps up and down the stairs" hoping to speed up the procoess. "I just wish her the best and tell her 'I'm sorry' all the time."

By the way, the A's are off Monday before beginning a series in Anaheim.

To read more on Moss and his baby adventure from csnbayarea.com, click here http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/casey-pratt/brandon-moss-baby-watch-continues

It's now one of 1,086 for Dave Brundage.

But the ironPigs' 5-4, 11-inning win over Syracuse Saturday night was a memorable one for their first-year manager, in more ways than one.

It was his first in a Lehigh Valley uniform, giving him a Triple-A victory for three different organizations (Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia). and 508 on the minor's highest level.

It also featured enough strange plays and situations to leave even the most seasoned of baseball observers scratching their head.

"I was having trouble with my game report," Brundage said, a half-hour or so after Cesar Hernandez's bases-loaded single sent the several dozen remaining from the third-smallest crowd since the start of the 2010 season -- 6,705 -- home happy. "It's tough to explain on paper some of the things that happened tonight."

Like an outfielder, Syracuse's Micah Owings, throwing his glove at a ball shooting past him hit by Micah Owings. (the glove and ball never made contact, and Hernandez wound up with a first-inning triple., For the record, there is no penalty just for throwing a glove at a batted ball. There is a three-base penalty when a thrown glove makes contact with at batted ball)..

Like a double by Leandro Castro on a towering pop-up by Leandro Castro that landed untouched about 30 feelt from home plate.

Like a 12-pitch at-bat by Syracuse's Eury Perez against Jake Diekman that led to a tying Chiefs run in the eighth.

Or like the bases-loaded jam Justin De Fratus found himself in an inning later on two balls that didn't get past the pitchers mound, and a third that only did so because De Fratus overran it.

What Brundage had no problem describing was the outing by Adam Morgan, the 21-year-old left-hander making his Triple-A debut at the start of only his second full pro season.

Morgan allowed two runs on six hits over six innings, striking out five. He threw more than 70 percent of his pitches for strikes (60 of 85).

"I think Morgan was outstanding," Brundage said. "He was efficient with his pitches, pounded the zone, got us off the field quickly, and made just one young mistake (a belt-high fastball that Jeff Kobernus belted to left for a two-run homer in the third inning). He didn't look like a 21-year-old in his Triple-A debut tonight."

Two pitches after he chased a breaking ball in the dirt to fall into an 0-2 hole, Hernandez, who had four hits, became the hero by slapping a single the opposite way by a backhanded stab by Chiefs shortstop Zach Walters, playing in on the infield grass.

But if there was justice in baseball, the seventh-inniing play of Castro would' be the one savored from this game.

With two outs in the top of the eighth, lofted a towering pop-up into the night sky in front of home plate. Iinstead of jogging down the line, the young right fielder ran full-bore out of the box -- and wound up with a double when Syracuse third baseman Carlos Rivero overran the ball and allowed it to fall untouched behind him.

After Steven Lerud drew a walk, Castro raced home with the go-ahead run on Michael Martinez's single up the middle.

"It was just a great job of a guy going hard out of the box and playing the game the right way," Brundage said of Castro, who had three hits.

Even though Diekman and De Fratus had a blown save behind their name in the boxscore, both maintained their composure in a difficult situation to keep it from getting worse.

diekman came in after the IronPigs used a double-error on a grounder by Lerud to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh. After giving up a leadoff single in the eighth, Diekman jumped ahead of Perez, who then fouled off six pitches before finally putting one between the lines, a drive over the head of Tyson Gillies in center that left runners at second and third with nobody out.

However, Diekman got Kobernus to bounce out as a run scored, then struck out the heart of the Chiefs lineup, Corey Brown and Marrero, to keep the game tied.

An inning later, De fratus came on after Castrols hustle gave the lead back to the IronPigs. the first batter he faced, Micah Owings, chopped a swiinging bunt to the left of the mound. De Fratus ran in and picked it up cleanly but took his time turning and throwing, and Owings just beat the ball to first.

Walters followed by dropping down a bunt toward second. Showing a bit more urgency, De Fratus swept in, picked up the ball and whirled toward second, where a good throw would cut down the lead runner -- except Martinez, playing short, never covered the bag, and De Fratus had to eat the ball.

Now, Syracuse's Carlos Maldonado dropped down another bunt on the first base side of the mound. De Fratus again quickly hopped off the mound, and again might've had a play on the lead runner heading to third -- except he overran the ball, and everyone was safe.

"I had never seen that method to get the bases loaded," Brundaage said.

But with the potential for big inning, De Fratus got Rivero to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play, allowing the tying run to score, then struck out Jimmy Van Ostrand to keep the game even.

"Those guys did a great job of buckleing down," Brundage said.

"It was a much-needed, well-deserved win," he added .

Tough to argue with that.

Jermaine Mitchell and Josh Fields get theri first starts of the season today against Syracuse.

Mitchell replaces Leandro Castro in right field and is hitting sixth. Fields takes over for Cody Oberbeck at first and hits seventh.

One-through-five remained the same: Tyson Gillies (cf), Cesar Herandez (2b), Cody Asche (3b), Darin Ruf (lf) and Tommy Joseph (c). Pete Orr also remained in the starting lineup at short hitting eighth.

Jonathan Pettibone makes his first start.againstt Syracuse's Tanner Roark,  a 17-game loser in 2012.

Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Fear not, fellow taxpayers of Lehigh County.

There's no problem with the plumbing at Coca-Cola Park.

The immediate lack of hot water in the IronPigs clubhouse following Thursday night's game with Syracuse was merely an opening night procedural glitch that was quickly cleared up, and the showers were quickly running normally.

So there'e plenty of hot water flowing at the six-year-old stadium in East Allentown.

IronPigs fans hope the play on the field warms up as quickly as the water in the clubhouse.

Not to mention the weather conditions.

While I wait for my connecting flight home in Charlotte, here's the rekeases frin /readubg abd Lakewood on their rosters. There was no release on the Clearwater roister on the Threshers web site:

Fightin Phils 2013 Opening Day Roster Announced

Manager Dusty Wathan’s squad highlighted by top Phillies prospect Jesse Biddle

The Reading Fightin Phils, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Phillies, have announced the organization’s 2013 Opening Day roster. 16 of the players on Reading’s team were originally drafted or signed by the Phillies, and 11 members of the 2013 roster have formerly played in Reading.

The roster is anchored by top Phillies prospect and left-handed pitcher Jesse Biddle. Biddle, a Germantown Friends product, went 10-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 142.2 innings pitched for Clearwater (A+) last season. Drafted in the first round of the June 2010 draft by the Phillies, Biddle led the Florida State League in strikeouts (151) and was tied for second in wins (10) and starts (26). During the 2012 season, the 21-year old struck out a career-high 12 batters and averaged 9.53 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched.

Biddle will be joined by Austin Wright, Seth Rosin, David Buchanan, and Brody Colvin in the rotation. The southpaw Wright, who was tied for first in the FSL in wins by going 11-5 with a 3.47 ERA, will be accompanied by fellow newcomer Rosin, who went 1-2 with a 3.50 ERA in eight starts between Clearwater and San Jose (A+). Rosin, a right-handed pitcher, was acquired by Philadelphia on July 31 last season alongside former Reading catcher Tommy Joseph in the Hunter Pence deal.

Returning to the Fightin Phils rotation will be right-handed pitchers Buchanan and Colvin. Buchanan went 3-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 12 starts with Reading before having season-ending surgery in June to repair ligament damage in his middle finger. Colvin spent much of his time with Clearwater last season before being promoted to Reading in late July and will look to improve on his 1-4 win-loss record this season.

This season’s roster will feature three catchers this season, one new to Reading and the other two making their return to the club. A University of Texas product, Cameron Rupp hit .267 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs with Clearwater last season.  The third round draft pick was also a FSL midseason and postseason All-Star.

Backing up home plate along with Rupp will be catching prospect Sebastian Valle, who hit .253 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs between Reading and Lehigh Valley last season, and 2010-11 Reading catcher John Suomi, who spent all of 2012 in Lehigh Valley where he also played first base.

Miguel Abreu, Troy Hanzawa, and Tyler Henson will bring a veteran presence to the Fightin Phils infield in 2013 that will also feature three Double-A rookies. Abreu and Hanzawa both held down the Reading infield in 2012 with Abreu hitting .280 with 17 doubles as a utility infielder and Hanzawa hitting .249 with 18 doubles as a shortstop. A Hawaiian native, Hanzawa was also an Eastern League midseason All-Star. Henson, who spent last season in the Los Angeles Dodgers system, played five different positions across three levels (Rancho Cucamonga, Chattanooga, and Albuquerque) and hit .284 in 53 games at Albuquerque (AAA).

Albert Cartwright, Edgar Duran, and Jim Murphy will make their Double-A debuts this year after spending 2012 in Clearwater. Cartwright spent the entire 2012 season with the Threshers and batted .306 (19-for-62) for an 18-game stretch in June. A shortstop, Duran was named Phillies Minor League Player of the Week following a stretch (7/16-7/22) where he hit .444 (8-for-18) with three doubles, two home runs, and six RBIs.  Last season, first baseman Murphy set career-highs in RBIs (85) and doubles (43). His mark of 43 doubles led the Florida State League much like former Reading standout Darin Ruf did prior to playing in Baseballtown. Murphy also slugged a team-leading 17 home runs and accounted for 222 total bases.

Zach Collier leads the pack of Reading outfielders this season. Collier, a non-roster invitee to Phillies spring training this season, set a professional high with six home runs for the Threshers while starting 68 games in centerfield. He also hit .269 with 13 doubles and 32 RBIs for Clearwater.

Along with Collier, 2008 first round selection Anthony Hewitt will patrol the outfield with Derrick Mitchell and Ronnie Welty. Hewitt hit .241 in 108 games and launched 13 home runs for Clearwater in 2012, finishing with the second best mark on the team and tied for the seventh best in the Florida State League. Mitchell will make his return to Baseballtown after spending all of 2012 with Lehigh Valley where he spent extended time on the disabled list following a right hand fracture on June 5. During his 2011 season with Reading, Mitchell set career highs in batting average (.265), hits (126), home runs (19), RBI (35), and walks (40). Acquired less than a week ago from Baltimore for former Reading pitcher Julio Rodriguez, Welty spent most of 2012 with the Bowie Baysox (AA) where he had a .286 average, eight home runs, and 11 doubles in 37 games with the squad.

The Reading bullpen will feature an even mixture of new faces and returnees. Kyle Simon, Tyler Knigge, Jay Johnson, and J.C. Ramirez make up the veteran contingent of the staff.  Simon was acquired midseason from Baltimore for slugger Jim Thome and went 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 13 games for Reading. Splitting time between Clearwater and Reading last season, Knigge posted a 1.10 ERA (2 ER, 16.1 IP) over his final 13 appearances of the season and finished with a 2.92 ERA in 21 games with Reading. As one of the youngest players on the Reading roster in 2012, Johnson spent most of his time in Baseballtown where 19 of his 28 appearances were scoreless. He also joined Simon on the Peoria roster in the Arizona Fall League. Ramirez pitched in relief all season between Reading and Lehigh Valley and held Eastern League hitters to a .200 average (20-for-100).

Hector Neris and Juan Sosa look to continue their successful seasons in Clearwater as they make their Double-A debut.  In a league-leading 50 appearances with the Threshers, Neris was 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA and struck out 94 batters, averaging 10.75 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Sosa had a career year in Clearwater, setting highs in innings pitched (80.1) and strikeouts (79).  Former Seattle and Detroit farmhand Mauricio Robles fills out the Fightin Phils bullpen. Robles spent most of 2012 with Jackson (AA) where he was 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 37 appearances.

Manager Dusty Wathan returns to the club after a season where he led the team to a 76-66 record. Joining Wathan will be hitting coach Frank Cacciatore, who is back for his sixth season in Reading, and new pitching coach Dave Lundquist. Athletic trainer Jonathan May and strength coach Justin Miloszewski round out the coaching staff.

xxx

Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller is excited.

His Triple-A starting rotation will includde five organizaton pitchers for the first time during his tenure.

B.J. Rosenberg will be the fifth starter for the IronPigs, joining Tyler Cloyd, Jonathan Pettibone, Ethan Martin and Adam Morgan.

Four of the five -- Rosenberg, Cloyd, Pettibone and Morgan -- are Phillies draft picks. The fifth, Martin, came over from the Dodgers last July in the Shane Victorino deal and is already listed as one of the Phillies top prospects.

Rosenberg has been a reliever for most of his career but joined the IronPigs rotation late last season when Cloyd was called up to the Phillies. He wasn't stretched out -- he only threw 27 innings in six starts -- but compiled a 2.33 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 10 walks.

It also appears that Tom Cochran will remain behind in Florida to pitch in extended spring games. There isn't anythign wrong with the left hander -- he pitched 4 2/3 innings in Friday's game against Buffalo --  but the Phillies are using him as insurance in the event one of the youngsters in either the IronPigs or the Reading rotation goes down or struggles. By staying in Florida, at least for the time being, Cochran can stay stetched out instead of getting a cople of innings a week out of the IronPigs bullpen.

Putting Rosenberg in the rotation means there are four open spots on the IronPigs roster, two of which should be basically spoken for -- Pete Orr is likely to be the 13th position player, and the "loser" of the battle between Phillippe Aumont and Michael Stutes will likely join the IronPigs rotation.

That leaves to unspoken for spots -- the back-up to catcher Tommy Joseph, and the seventh reliever in the bullpen. Those decisions should be announced after Saturday afternoon's On Deck finale between the Phillies and Toronto at Citizens Bank Park when the Phillies sent their major league roster..

in an all-organizational

The Phillies were expected to release the minor league rosters Thursday afternoon.

However, minor league director Joe Jordan backed off on that timetable late Thursday morning, saying the uncertainty over the final few spots on the Phillies major league roster would delay their release.

Still, the IronPigs roster is pretty much set.

Cody Asche is in. So is Adam Morgan.

Outfielder Leandro Castro also appears to have won a spot on the roster as well.

Here's how it's looking so far:

Catcher: Tommy Joseph. The back-up spot will be decided when the Phillies decide who will be Erik Kratz's back-up until Carlos Ruiz serves his 25-game suspension.

Infielders: Cody Overbeck, Josh Fields, Cesar Heranndez, Michael Martinez, Cody Asche. Odds are that Pete Orr will also wind up on the roster after the Phillies on-deck series with Toronto.

Outfielders: Darin Ruf, Tyson Gillies, Jermaine Mitchell, Leandro Castro, Steve Susdorf.

Rotation: Tyler Cloyd, Jonathan Pettibone, Ethan, Martin, Adam Morgan. The fifth spot favorite seems to be B.J. Rosenberg, although Tom Cochran is still in the mix.

Left handed relievers: Joe Savery, Jake Diekman, Cesar Jimenez.

Rigth handed relievers: Justin De Fratus, Justin Friend.

Most speculation has both Raul Valdes and Peter Horst winning jobs in the Phillies bullpen, which leaves Phillippe Aumont and Michael Stutes fighting for the final spot. Whoever doesn't get that job will fall to the IronPigs.

That still leaves one more reliever to be added. It could be Cochran or Rosenberg, or it could come from outside the organization -- don't forget, they added Andres Blanco on the final day of camp last season.

Speaking of Blanco, he is under contract but is recovering from an off-season injury. No word on his recovery time.

Down here in spring training the Phillies separate their prospects into five workout groups, the first four basically representing the four full-season affiliates (Lehigh Valley, Readijng, Clearwater, Lakewood) and the fifth a combination of short-season Williamsport and the Gulf Coast League as well as those remaining in extended spring.

While not completely accurate, they do give an indication of where a player might fit in, especially when they change the workout groups in the final week. ...

Here's the Group 1 list as released Tuesday:

Catcher (1): Tommy Joseph.

Infielders (6): Cody Asche, Josh Fields, Cesar Hernandez, Michael Martinez, Cody Overbeck, Matt Tolbert.

Outfielders (5): Leonardo Castro, Tyson Gillies, Jermaine Mitchell, Darin Ruf, Steve Susdorf.

Pitchers (12): Tyler Cloyd, Tom Cochran, Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman, Justin Friend, Austin Hyatt, Cesar Jimenez, Ethan Martin, Adam Morgan, Jonathan Pettibone, B.J. Rosenberg, Joe Savery.

Noticable missing from the pitchers is Brian Bass; not sure what exactly happened to him but will try to find out today.

Yesterday, in his story on Aaron Cook's release, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com said the move opened the door for Morgan and Rosenberg to join Martin, Cloyd and Pettibone in an all-prospect rotation. With Bass out of the picture, that would appear more likely since Rosenberg pitched well as a starter at the end of last season, and the Phillies have high expections for Morgan.

Phillies minor league director Joe Jordan said yesterday the 25th man on the IronPigs roster will not necessarily be a third catcher as it was last season when both John Suomi and Tuffy Gosewisch made the Opening Day roster as back-ups to Erik Kratz.

Steven Lerud and Humberto Quintero are still battling for the Phillies' back-up catching spot, but there's no guarantee the loser of that compeition will come to the IronPigs, especially if Lerud wins the back-up job. Whoever wins it figures just to be around until late April when Carlos Ruiz completes his suspension, and if the Phillies decide to go with Lerud they may just release Quintero now (PURE SPECULATION ALERT)....

Pete Orr also remains in the major league camp as a back-up infielder.

A bullpen arm will also have to be trimmed from the Phillies roster, most likely either Phillippe Aumont or Michael Stutes. When that happens, Hyatt would appear to be the most likely to head back to Reading, quite possibly in a bullpen role.

But basically, the above Group 1 list is likely to be the core of your 2013 IronPigs.

Meanwhile, Group 2 (Reading) includes:

Catchers: Cameron Rupp, John Suomi, Sebastian Valle.

Infielders: Miguel Abreu, Albert Cartwright, Edgar Duran, Troy Hanzawa, Tyler Henson, James Murphy.

Outfielders: Zack Collier, Anthony Hewitt, Derrick Mitchell, Ronald Welty, Jiwan James*.

Pitchers: Jesse Biddle, David Buchanan, Brody Colvin, Jordan Ellis, Edgar Garcia, Jay Johnson, Tyler Knigge, Hector Neris, J.C. Ramirez, Mauricio Robles, Seth Robin, Kyle Simon, Juan Sosa, Jordan Whatcott, Austin Wright.

Jiwan James won't be coming north with Reading. The pitcher-turned-outfielder undersent knee surgery last week to repair a slight tear in a ligament, an injury stemming from last season. Jordan said the injury bothered James throughout last season and he and the Phillies hoped rehab over the winter would take care of it, but when it continued to limit James here in camp, the decision was made for James to go under the knife.

James has returned to camp and Jordan said he is expected to miss about three months, which would put him ready to return about July. "That would give him two full months (July and August), and there's always ways to make up at-bats in the off-season (Arizona Fall League, winter ball)."

So, disregard my last post ...

I thought for sure the Phillies would shell out $100,000 to keep Aaron Cook around for a few months at least (assuming he would've had a June 1 opt-out) as insurance in the event Roy Halladay's spring struggles continue into the season, or John Lannan pitches more like he did on Monday (4 IP, 12 R) than he did earlier in camp.

But that shows you what I know, right?

Cook had a respectave 3.38 ERA in 18.1 spring innings, but the Phillies apparetly put more stock into his 13-29, 5.54 ERA over the last three seasons.

I don't exactly disagree with their decision, but it certainly creates an interesting scenario for the IronPigs this summer.

There's tbasically two veteran options for the IronPigs rotation, both of whom are familiar to IronPigs fans -- lefty Tom Cochran from last year and righty Brian Bass from two seasons ago. However, neither of them are likely candidates to fill in on the big league level -- Cochran has never appeared in a major league game, and Bass had started just four of 191 major league appearances.

That would seem to indicate that if the Phillies need a starting pitcher at some point this seaason they will lean on youngers such as Tyler Cloyd, Jonathann Pettibone or Ethan Martin, unless they're planning to find another veteran arm somewhere out there.

In fact, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, neither Cocrhan or Bass could be in the IronPigs rotation this year. In a story on Cook's release, Zolecki wrote that the move "sets up a Triple-A rotation with right-handers Tyler Cloyd, Jonathan Pettibone, Ethan Martin and B.J. Rosenberg and left-hander Adam Morgan. "

Putting Rosenberg in the rotation wouldn't surprise me, since he had a 2.33 ERA in eight starts at the end of 2012 with the IronPigs.

Bumping Morgan to Triple-A would surprise me a bit, since it would seem to be out of character for the organization. Morgan is a highly regarded prospect, ranked No. 5 in the system by Baseball America and valued by the organization. But he's made just six starts and thrown 35.1 innings at Double-A. Not since Cole Hamels (three starts, 19 innings) has a pitcher with so little Double-A innings been bumped up to Triple-A.

Could it happen? Sure. The organization has gotten more aggressive in recent years pushing prospects through the system, and could very well do it with Morgan. We'll find out soon enough.

Either way, Cook's release is a sign that for whatever reason, whether it's because of talent or because of finances, the Phillies are putting a lot more emphasis on their own players than outside. 

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- One man's guess on the make-up of the 2013 IronPigs Opening Day 25-man roster ...

Postiion players

Infielders: Cody Overbeck (1b), Cesar Hernandez (2b), Michael Martinez (ss), Cody Asche (3b), Josh Fields (1b/3b/dh/of), Pete Orr (util)

Outfielders: Darin Ruf, Tyson Gillies, Jermaine Mitchell, Derrick Mitchell or Steve Susdorf

Catchers: Tommy Joseph, John Suomi.

(One still to be named.)

Starting pitchers: Tyler Cloyd, Jonathan Pettibone, Ethan Martin, Aaron Cook, Brian Bass or Tom Cochran (Cook, a non-roster invitee on a minor league contract, has to be added to the 40-man roster by Tuesday, be released or receive a $100,000 bonus for accepting a minor league assignment. He's compiled a 3.38 ERA in 18.2 innings, and I'm guessing the Phillies would like to keep him around as veteran insurance for the rotation.)

Bullpen: Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman, Joe Savery, Michael Stutes or Phillippe Aumont, (The make-up of the bullpen could go a lot of different directions before next Thursday).

More on the roster coming later this week.

The Phillies seem to have a pitching logjam at the top of their organization.

Julio Rodriguez is no longer part of it.

Rodriguez, who was likely destined for Double-A Reading, was traded to Baltimore Sunday afternoon for outfielder Ronnie Welty.

Rodriguez is the third of the so-called Clearwater "Baby Aces" from 2011 to be traded from the organization, joining Jarred Cosart (to Houston) and Trevor May (to Minnesota).

Welty, a 25-year-old who was Baltimore's 20th-round pick in 2008 out of high school, was limited to just 56 grames last year by a rore right elbow, including 37 at Double-A Bowie. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-handed hitter batted a comibined .333 for four teams last season, with 13 home runs and 55 RBI including .286 with 8 homers and 30 RBI with the BaySox.

He hit .228 with 13 homers and 45 RBI with Bowie in 2011 and is likely headed for Double-A Reading this season.

Welty is a career .284 hitter with 67 home runs in five minor league seasons including .282 with 18 homers and 82 RBi for Single-A Frederick in 2010.

A scouting report on the website Bleacher Report after the 2009 season listed Welty as the No. 16 prospect in the Orioles organization and remarked that Welty was drawing comparisons to Hunter Pence. "Both players are incredibly athletic and play the game with an 'everything or nothing' attitude," Bleacher Report said.

Rodriguez, the Phillies' 8th-round pick in 2008, was 16-7 with a 2.76 ERA for Clearwater in 2011 but struggled last year at Reading, where he was 7-7 with a 4.23 ERA and was eventually removed from the R-Phils starting rotation late in the season.