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Prior to the MLB trade deadline, the Phillies sent minor league pitcher Tyler Burch to Baltimore for infielder Freddy Galvis.  Within just a few days of the swap, Burch was facing the Class A Jersey Shore roster that was made up of his former teammates. An undrafted free agent signing out of Lewis-Clark State in Idaho in 2019, Burch had begun to excel this year in his young professional career.  In 23 relief outings combined between Class A Clearwater and Class A Advanced Jersey Shore, the 23-year-old right-hander notched a 4-3 record with seven saves, a 3.98 ERA and a 15.0 K/9 mark. Following the trade, Burch was assigned to the Orioles High A affiliate the Aberdeen IronBirds.  In his debut there, facing the BlueClaws, Burch surrendered an earned run on two hits in one inning of work. This week I talked with Tyler about the transition to the new club, facing his BlueClaws teammates and more.  Read ahead for those quotes.   -Did you know any guys on the Ir...

On Tuesday, the Orioles will travel north to open a three-game series against the Phillies.   The Baltimore club (7-7) will look to improve to a winning record following an off day on Monday and a series win over the weekend against the defending champion Nationals. The Phillies (5-6) will look to build off of an offensive trouncing in which they pounded five homers in a victory over the Braves. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and some other key statistics from this series. Tuesday, 8/11 7:05pm.  Alex Cobb (1-1, 2.51 ERA) vs Zack Wheeler (2-0, 2.08 ERA).   Cobb, a righty, went five innings and allowed just one run but took the loss in his last start against Miami.  The veteran Cobb is averaging more than a strike out per inning this season.  JT Realmuto is 3-for-6 with two homers in his career when facing Cobb.  Wheeler sports a 0.75 ERA in a pair of career starts against the O's.  Opponents are OPS'ing .631 against Wheeler in ...

To tie the Eastern League Championship Series at one game apiece, the Reading Fightins lost against the Bowie Baysox by a score of 10-3. The series will now move to Bowie's Prince George's Stadium, where Reading will need to win two out of three games. Righty hurler Ethan Martin had a poor start for Reading and took the loss, allowing five earned runs on four hits and five walks while striking out none in 2 1/3 innings. Left-hander Joely Rodriguez would follow Martin out of the bullpen, letting up three runs (two earned) in 1 1/3 innings. Ryan O'Sullivan would be charged with two additional runs in his inning of work. For a pair of bright spots among the Reading pitching staff, lefty Hoby Milber, working with a new arm angle of late, tossed 3 1/3 scoreless frames retiring all 10 batters he faced while Tom Windle threw a scoreless inning of his own. Bowie starter Nick Additon , 27, went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) to notch the win. Infielde...

Anthony Hewiit, image- Jay Floyd Considered a bust by many for failing to live up to first round draft pick expectations during his tenure in the Phillies organization, Anthony Hewitt is looking for a fresh start with a new team after signing with Baltimore last week. Selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft out of Salisbury High School in Connecticut, Hewitt was selected as a shortstop and converted to an outfielder. He spent six seasons in the Phils developmental ranks and did not develop into the offensive threat that the team anticipated he could become. After signing for $1.38 million, the six-foot-one 190-pounder went on the tally a .223/.264/.370 slash line in 595 career games, highlighted by an All-Star campaign for Class A Lakewood in 2011 in which he posted a .240 average with 14 home runs, 55 RBI and 36 steals in 119 games. Last season, in his second campaign at Double-A Reading, Hewitt sported a .140 batting average with one homer and eight ...

Following four seasons in the minors with the Orioles organization, catcher Justin Dalles called it quits last autumn.  Needing a break from the game, the Florida resident, who was about to turn 24 years old, departed from his pro career in search of some peace of mind and a change of pace.  What he found was a renewed love for the game of baseball and a meaningful dose of reality. Dalles, a sixth round draft choice of Baltimore in 2009 posted a .229 batting average with 15 homers and 83 RBI in 225 games over four levels of the minors, primarily as a backup.  Drained from the game, the University of South Carolina product headed north from Frederick, MD, home of Baltimore's Class A Advanced affiliate, to stay with a friend on Long Island, not far from where he was born in New York City. The real world awaited and life away from baseball began with Dalles waiting tables and tending bar at a local establishment.  Then an onslaught of damaging weather struck the...

Right-handed pitcher Kyle Simon was acquired last June by the Phillies in the trade that sent Jim Thome to the Baltimore Orioles.  His side-angled delivery, sweet mustache and excellent numbers made him stand out after joining the Phils organization. The 22-year-old sports a repertoire that features a low-90's fastball with sinking movement, a split and a plus slider. Simon is as automatic of a ground ball out in key situations as the Phillies have in their developmental ranks. Simon, who stands 6-foot-5 and is listed at 225 pounds, was moved to the bullpen upon joining the Phillies organization, tallying a 3-0 record with a 1.26 ERA in seven outings for Class A Advanced Clearwater.  Soon after, he was promoted to Double-A Reading, where he went 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 13 regular season outings.  Overall with the Threshers and R-Phils, Simon held opponents to a .165 batting average against.  Additionally, Simon starred in a playoff outing for Reading in Sept...

Interleague play returns as two teams with similar recent success and completely opposite spots in the standings meet for a three-game series this weekend.  The Orioles (32-25), who have lost 8 of their last 11 games, sit atop the American League East division (tied with Tampa Bay).  Beginning Friday, they will host the Phillies (28-31), who have dropped 6 straight games and are in last place in the National League East division. While the Phillies have struggled considerably all season, the club has a winning record of 16-12 on the road. In the opener of the series, the clubs will send two struggling hurlers to the mound as Joe Blanton , who has surrendered 10 home runs in 19 2/3 innings over his last 4 starts, takes on right-hander Jake Arrieta , who has lost three consecutive starts. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups and plenty more details for this series.  Friday, 7:05 PM.  Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.27 ERA) vs. Jake Arrieta (2-7, 5.5...

Another solid outing by starting pitcher Brody Colvin was not enough to lock down a victory as the BlueClaws began a homestand against the Orioles' Class A affiliate Delmarva in Lakewood on Thursday night. In his last start before his 20th birthday, Colvin cruised through the Shorebirds' lineup allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 6, in 5 innings in front of 6,149 fans at FirstEnergy Park. Colvin would allow an unearned run in the first inning, after right fielder Brian Conley doubled and first baseman Mike Flacco grounded a ball that Lakewood third baseman Stephen Batts couldn't handle. The ball was kicked away and Conley scored. Colvin's shine didn't dim after the defensive blunder, however, as he shut down 11 of the next 12 batters, allowing just 1 walk during that stretch. The BlueClaws had a tough time clapping back in the early going. To start the game, 7 of the first 10 Lakewood batters reached base, including two singles from lead-off man Jiwa...

A report from Yahoo! Sports states that Astros hurler Roy Oswalt has named 3 different teams he'd like to land with if Houston decides to trade him this season. On Oswalt's short list were the Phillies, the Cardinals and the Yankees. Oswalt, who has a career 140-77 record with a 3.21 ERA and is in his 10th Major League season with Houston, could join "Mr. Perfect" Roy Halladay in the Phillies' starting rotation. This sort of news should make the hardcore guys over at The 701 Level very happy, as they declared their desire to have TWO ROY'S in the Phillies' starting rotation a couple weeks back. Keep in mind that Ed Wade, general manager of the Astros, is very familiar with the entire Phillies organization. Wade has put together a collection of ex-Phillies during his time there, including guys like Brett Myers, Pedro Feliz, Jason Michaels and Mike Bourn. So, perhaps working out a deal to send Houston some more Phillies cast-offs might not be very difficult...