Bunts and Balks (7/9)

Raul Ibanez (completed?) his rehab with Lehigh Valley on Thursday night. Ibanez went 1 for 3 with a double, two walks, and two RBI. He announced that he is ready to return to the P-Phils lineup immediately, but no roster move has been made as of yet. Lehigh Valley (AAA) scored four runs in the eighth, after trailing 3-2, and beat the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees, 6-3. Gustavo Chacin got the victory, surrendering three runs over seven innings (six hits, three walks/five strikeouts). Cedrick Bowers followed with two scoreless frames, for his fourth save (ERA now: 1.30). The Reading Phillies (AA) defeated the Akron Aeros, 7-4. Jeremy Slayden had three doubles (BA now: .377), Tuffy Gosewisch had two doubles (three hits total), and Neil Sellers had three singles (BA now: .315). Joe Savery had a poor outing (six and two-thirds innings, eight hits, four runs, three walks/four strikeouts), but picked up his twelfth win (ERA now: 3.48). The Clearwater Threshers (A) were thrashed in their doubleheader against the Brevard County Manatees, losing 5-0, and 11-0. Ugly night for the Threshers, who were held to six hits (and made three errors), in the fourteen innings played. The first-place Manatees had eight All-Stars selected, and were playing in the friendly (to them) confines of Space Coast Stadium, so it was a tough matchup for the Threshers. If it wasn't before, it is certainly now time to Fear the Sea Cow!