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The Cole Hamels to Texas trade is a six-for-two ( plus money ) deal with lefty reliever Jake Diekman joining the Phillies' former ace on his way to the Rangers in return for big league starting pitcher Matt Harrison as well as the following prospects- pitchers Jerad Eickhoff , Alec Asher and Jake Thompson , outfielder Nick Williams and catcher Jorge Alfaro . Eickhoff, a 25-year-old righty, tallied a 1-0 record with a 2.70 ERA in two starts at the Triple-A level this year and had a 4.25 ERA and an 8.24 K/9 mark in 18 games at Double-A this season. The six-foot-four 240-pounder was a 15th round draft pick in 2011. Eickhoff throws a mid-90's fastball as well as a curve ball and a change up. It's possible his future is out of the bullpen. Asher, a righty, tallied a 3-6 record with a 4.73 ERA in 12 games at Triple-A after posting a 1-4 record with a 3.98 ERA in eight Double-A games this season. The six-foot-four 230-pounder was a 4th round draft selection in 2012. With ...

From the bottom of the developmental ranks to the upper levels here's all the latest this week... At the Class A level for the Lakewood BlueClaws , as I reported on Twitter on Thursday, infielder Tim Zier is out for the year after undergoing season-ending left knee surgery on Monday. The San Diego State product was injured during pre-game fundamentals/infield work recently. Zier, last year's 21st round draft pick, was batting .264 with two RBI in 15 games with the BlueClaws this year. Reliever Matt Hockenberry , a Temple product, returned from the disabled list on Thursday, after a stint on the disabled list with a right arm strain. In 11 appearances this season, the 23-year-old sports a 1-0 record with six saves, a 1.06 ERA and a .148 batting average against. Outfielder Jiandido Tromp return to action this week as well, after being on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. The 21-year-old Aruba native is batting .183 with three doubles, three triples and eig...

It's the 52nd edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast! On this installment, Tug and Jay welcome sports talk host and Bleacher Report baseball writer Joe Giglio who discusses the state of the Phillies, new manager Ryne Sandberg and the team's lackluster off-season. Additionally, the guys chat about Curt Schilling 's cancer diagnosis and the speculation that old Veterans Stadium may have played some part in a growing list of Phillies who have dealt with the disease. Roman Quinn 's recovery from Achilles surgery and CZW's 15th anniversary show are also topics on this episode. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes . 

The Phillies (71-81) will close out their home schedule this weekend as the division rival Mets (68-84) visit for a three-game series.  Far removed from the playoff picture, the two teams will battle for third place in the National League East division. In nine of the 16 meetings between the these clubs this year, the Phils have been victorious. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more information from this series. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-3, 6.12 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (8-13, 3.48 ERA).   Matsuzaka allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his last start against the Phils on August 28th.  Matsuzaka is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in two road starts this year.  In his last nine starts, Hamels is 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA.  Hamels is 7-12 with a 4.29 ERA in 25 career starts against the Mets.  In 16 home starts this year, Hamels has a 3-6 record with a 3.55 ERA. Saturday, 7:05 PM.  Dillon Gee (11-10, 3.47 ERA...

Tyler Cloyd, Image- Jay Floyd Fresh off a series sweep of the National League East division leading Braves over the weekend, the Phillies (66-77) will continue their homestand as they host the San Diego Padres (65-77). During their successful sweep, Phils starting pitchers posted a 2.45 ERA while striking out 27 batters in the three games. In the opening contest of the three-game set, the Phillies will send right-hander Tyler Cloyd , who tallied a 1.36 ERA in his final eight minor league games this season, to the mound.  San Diego will counter with righty Andrew Cashner , who has a 2.18 ERA in his last five starts.  The Phils were victorious in two of three meetings with the Padres at Citizens Bank Park last season.  Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more details on this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM.  Andrew Cashner (8-8, 3.45 ERA) vs. Tyler Cloyd (2-3, 3.57 ERA).   In 16 road games this season, the righty Cashner has a 3...

We're back with our (usually) weekly developmental rundown.  As you expect, here's a rundown of who is hot and who is not throughout the Phillies' four full season minor league teams. Triple-A Lehigh Valley... Who's hot- Utility man Michael Martinez has been scorching hot this past week, when over a seven-game stretch, the 30-year-old Dominican went 13-for-23 (.565 avg) with two homers and five RBI.  The success follows a month in which he batted .204 in 15 games with the IronPigs and a hitless stint with the big league team in the month of May. First baseman Cody Overbeck also had a very good seven-game stretch, as he went 11-for-26 (.423 avg) with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBI.  The 27-year-old, who was a 9th round draft pick in 2008, is batting .247 overall with 11 homers and 31 RBI in 52 games this season with the 'Pigs. Closer Jake Diekman threw four scoreless outings and notched two saves while striking out eight batters and walki...

I spent some time this week chatting with the Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller , who offered his thoughts on several talented young hurlers in the Phils' system. Heimueller, who has been the Phils' minor league pitching coordinator since 2002, pitched 14 seasons as a pro, including parts of two with the Athletics. Prior to his current position, Heimueller was a pitching coach at the Double-A and Triple-A level for the Phillies. Gorm shared his opinions on several prospects including Brody Colvin , Austin Wright , Shane Watson , Jake Diekman and he even danced around a question about when Phils fans might expect to see Phillippe Aumont back with the big club after his recent demotion to Triple-A.  Read ahead for the full interview. - Austin Wright's been a guy that missed some time with an injury and has allowed a lot of runs in his two starts (0-2, 22.22 ERA) with Reading since being activated.  Is there much concern with h...

Primed to lock down their first division title, the Nationals (93-60) travel to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series against the five-time defending National League East division champion Phillies (77-76) on Tuesday night.  With just over a week left in the regular season, the Nats' magic number to clinch is 5, while the Phillies are 5 1/2 games out of the second NL Wild Card spot and are at risk of missing the postseason for the first time since 2006. Read ahead to check out details on the pitching match ups and other key statistical notes from this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM.  Ross Detwiler (10-6, 3.10 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (15-6, 3.05 ERA).   Detwiler has posted a 3-0 record with a 2.43 ERA over his past 5 starts.  In 14 road games this year, the lefty Detwiler is 2-4 with a 3.78 ERA.  Jimmy Rollins is 6-for-18 (.333 avg) with 3 doubles against Detwiler.  In his last 8 starts, Hamels has a 4-0 record with a 2.50 ERA.  In 3 starts again...

Phillies' up-again-down-again reliever Michael Schwimer posted a congratulatory message on Twitter to three Lehigh Valley IronPigs teammates on Thursday afternoon in relation to their promotions to the big league club.  The three players mentioned were lefty hurlers Jake Diekman (pictured) and Raul Valdes as well as mulit-positional veteran Hector Luna .   Diekman, 25, has posted sparkling numbers dating back to last year.  Over 16 combined relief outings in the Arizona Fall League and in Major League spring training this year, Diekman posted a 0.55 ERA with 23 strike outs and 7 walks.  The Nebraska native followed that up by allowing just 1 earned run through 12 relief innings, while striking out 22 and walking just 3 batters with the IronPigs. Diekman, a 30th round pick of the Phillies in the 2007 amateur draft, sports a fastball that reaches 95 MPH, a solid slider and a deceiving change up. He was ranked 18th on the 2012 PhilliesNation top prospects...

I am sure many of the readers of PhoulBallz.com have also seen my work, and other solid content, on PhilliesNation.com.  But have you seen the Phillies Nation TV program?  Well, if you haven't, now would be a good time, because, although I've appeared on the program briefly before, this week I made my first appearance on set, at Yards Brewing Company with hosts Pat Gallen and Corey Seidman. During my segment, I fielded questions from Pat and Corey about Phillies prospects Domonic Brown , Jake Diekman , Trevor May , Julio Rodriguez and more.  You can view the full episode below and be sure to check out PhilliesNation.com for loads a great Phillies content. ________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE .

Lakewood first baseman Kelly Dugan (pictured, left) has been sent to the Phillies' spring traning home in Clearwater, FL to rehab his injured ankle. The switch-hitting Dugan has been sidelined since the Class A BlueClaws' game at Hagerstown on April 20th, when he stepped on first base awkwardly, while taking a throw on a ground out, and turned his left ankle. According to Lakewood manager Mickey Morandini, there is no time frame for a return for Dugan, but the injury is not very serious. "It's basically a twisted ankle. Once the swelling goes down and the pain goes away, he'll resume some strengthening (exercises) and he'll start running again," Morandini stated. Morandini added that Dugan spent some time in a protective boot, after suffering the injury, to limit the range of motion and to keep the swelling contained. The 21-year-old Dugan was the Phillies' top draft selection (2nd round) out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA in 20...

Today the Phillies announced that a trio of players, who have been in big league camp, were sent down to the minors. Right-handed hurler Scott Elarton and Brian Sanches were trimmed from the roster along with impressive lefty reliever Jake Diekman. Elarton, who has pitched previously in the Majors with the Astros, Rockies, Indians and Royals, did not perform very well this spring, as he posted a 0-1 record with a 5.02 ERA in 5 outings (2 starts). Expect the 36-year-old veteran to hold down a spot in the starting rotation for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs as the 2012 regular season begins. Sanches, who had a previous stint with Philadelphia from 2006 to 2007 and is fresh off three solid seasons with the Marlins, allowed 5 runs in 7 innings pitched in Grapefruit League play this spring. The 33-year-old will add veteran depth to Lehigh Valley’s relief corp. Diekman, 25, remains a terrific option as a lefty in the bullpen when the need arises this season. Sporting a fastball that rea...

Lefty reliever Jake Diekman raised his value a considerable amount in 2011. The 6-foot-4-inch 190-pounder was fresh off a dismal effort in the Arizona Fall League, over the off-season, when a revised focus and some simple adjustments to his loosening efforts breathed new life into the young hurler's pro career. After struggling in the Arizona Fall League in 2010, when he allowed 12 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings over 5 outings, Diekman refocused his approach on the mound. Diekman entered the 2011 season with a goal of throwing all his pitches for strikes and getting into a hitter's mentality in order to mix up his approach toward the opposition. That approach helped the Phillies' 30th round draft choice from 2007 compete against hitters at the higher levels of the minors. The 25-year-old Diekman sports a pitch repertoire that includes a fastball, a slider and a change up. In 2011, the Nebraska native added a couple notches of velocity after receiving advice from forme...

The Arizona Fall League season wraps up today as the Salt River Rafters take on the Surprise Saguaros in the championship game in Scottsdale. The game will be broadcast live on MLB Network and on MLB.com at 3 PM Eastern. No Phillies prospects will be represented in the title contest, as their club, the Scottsdale Scorpions finished 14-22, placing last in the East division. Salt River features minor leaguers from the Astros, D-Backs, Dodgers, Rockies and Tigers, while Surprise includes players from the Braves, Marlins, Rays, Rangers and Royals. Despite Philadelphia farmhands missing out on the final game of the AFL season, let's take a look at their fall league performances, with some players shining and others just getting by. Lefty hurler Jake Diekman , who was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster on Friday, performed exceptionally for the Scorpions. The 6-foot-4-inch 190-pound reliever allowed just 1 earned run in 11 appearances (11 1/3 innings) while striking out 14 batte...

Today we're taking a glance at Phillies developmental talents playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, through Sunday, November 6th. First baseman/third baseman Cody Overbeck has been excellent, posting a .339 average with 2 doubles, a triple, a HR and 6 RBI through 17 AFL games. The 25-year-old Overbeck, also sports an on-base percentage of .451. The righty batting slugger mashed 24 regular season homeruns, combined, for Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2011. Outfielder Tyson Gillies has played in 19 games and posted an unimpressive .197 with 2 doubles and a homerun, 5 RBI and 12 walks. The 23-year-old Gillies, who has been sidelined with hamstring and foot injuries over the past two years, has only made one stolen base attempt in AFL play. Darin Ruf , a first baseman, has slugged 3 homers and driven in 13 runs, but has had a tough time overall, batting just .223 in 16 games. The 25-year-old was a 20th round draft pick in 2009...

The Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Game is set to be played on Saturday, November 5th at 8 PM EST. The exhibition contest that features many top prospects from all across baseball will be televised nationally on MLB Network. Left-handed pitcher Jake Diekman , a 30th round draft choice in 2007, will be the Phillies' lone representative, as he will be among the relievers for the East division squad. Thus far in 7 appearances for the Scottsdale Scorpions, the 6-foot-4-inch 190-pound Diekman has not allowed a run or a hit. In 7 1/3 innings, Diekman has struck out 9 opponents and walked 5. Last year, Diekman was summoned to the Arizona Fall League late, to fill a roster void left when John Mayberry Jr. suffered an injury. Diekman's efforts weren't as outstanding during that stint, as he did not expect to compete in the AFL. Diekman had a difficult time adjusting to the surprise, allowing 12 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings over 5 outings. Diekman discribes that experi...

Autumn is here and the Arizona Fall League is in full swing. The Phillies have several players assigned to the Scottsdale Scorpions, where they merge with prospects from the Giants, Red Sox, Angels and Nationals organizations to fill out a roster that does battle with other clubs' talents. Below is a list reviewing all of the Phils' players that are seeing action in the annual fall developmental league. Through 8 games, outfielder Tyson Gillies has gone 5-for-21 (.238 avg) with no extra base hits, 7 walks and 1 stolen base. The Vancouver native, who turns 23-year-old at the end of this month, missed a great majority of the 2011 regular season with hamstring and foot injuries after playing just 28 games in 2010 due to his recurring hamstring problem. He is using this time in the Arizona Fall League as an opportunity to make up for some of the time missed since joining the Phillies organization in the 2009-2010 off-season as part of the return from Seattle for Cliff Lee . I...

The month long Arizona Fall League has come and gone for individuals from the Phillies organization assigned to play on the Mesa Solar Sox. The six-team league's regular season wrapped up on Thursday, with just two teams advancing to a winner-takes-all championship game on Saturday afternoon. Each roster in the AFL features 7 players from 5 different organizations. Mesa served as the Autumn home to Phillies prospects Justin De Fratus , Matt Rizzotti , Tyson Brummett , Jacob Diekman , Tim Kennelly , Josh Zeid , BJ Rosenberg and Chris Kissock . John Mayberry Jr. was also assigned to spend some time with the Solar Sox, but he injured his calf in his debut on October 12th and spent the subsequent weeks at the Phils' spring training home in Clearwater to receive treatment. With Mayberry & Zeid both leaving early, the Phils avoided overlapping and exceeding the 7 man roster rule. De Fratus, a 23-year-old righty hurler, continued to show why I predicted that he would be a big mo...