Phillies Prospect Watch: Christian Cairo Logs Triple-A Milestone

Phillies affiliates went 3-1 on Friday, June 19, with shortstop Christian Cairo crossing an important barrier for the IronPigs.

Triple-A Lehigh Valley won 9-3, first baseman Keaton Anthony going 3-for-4 with a double and a walk; Cairo stole two bases, crossing the 20-steal barrier, while left fielder Otto Kemp, who broke camp with the Phillies, went 4-for-4 with a home run.

28-year-old right-hander Chuck King, who could turn into a long reliever or back end of the rotation innings eater in the big leagues, went seven innings on 89 pitches, striking out four batters and allowing three earned runs. His ERA sits at 3.99 through 47.1 Triple-A innings this season.

Double-A Reading won 4-2, shortstop Bryan Rincon going 1-for-3 with a walk and a leadoff homer. Starter Luke Russo allowed two runs in seven innings, and closer Alex McFarlane struck out two batters, working around a pair of baserunners for the save. High-A Jersey Shore outhit their opponent 7-4 but lost 4-2. Nick Biddison, Luis Caicuto and Carter Mathison each hit two singles; the BlueClaws also stole six bases, Mathison leading the pack with two. Starter Ramon Marquez pitched five no-hit innings to put Jersey Shore in position to win, but a ninth-inning meltdown sank their hopes.

Single-A Bradenton clubbed three homers in a 6-4 win. Designated hitter TJayy Walton (1-for-3 with a walk), the Phillies’ 2023 fourth round pick and a recent call-up from rookie ball, hit his first home run this season; left fielder Nathan Humphreys (2-for-4) and third baseman Juan Villavicencio (2-for-3 with a walk) also cleared the fences.