Phillies Prospect Watch: Mavis Graves Dices Up the Emperors

Phillies minor league affiliates went 3-1 on Tuesday, April 14 to open a new week of games, with Mavis Graves pitching a gem for the BlueClaws and each of the four teams pummeling the baseball. Graves churned through four scoreless innings on 60 pitches, fanning nine batters and allowing just one hit and one walk. The 6-foot-6 left-hander now has a miniscule 1.29 ERA on the season.

Christian Cairo helped power Triple-A Lehigh Valley’s offense from the nine hole, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and a walk. Center fielder Steward Berroa went 3-for-6 with a home run, a stolen base and a caught stealing, while Felix Reyes went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles.

Jean Cabrera continued to struggle, allowing three earned runs and a balk to just two strikeouts across 4.1 innings, although his defense offered little aid. Three IronPigs errors allowed another two runs to cross.

Top Prospects Driving the Ball

Double-A Reading put up three runs in the ninth courtesy of a Dylan Campbell home run but couldn’t erase a 9-3 hole; Carson DeMartini also managed to clear the fences, while Dante Nori tripled. Zack Wheeler continued to rehab from his rib removal as a result of Thoracic outlet syndrome, firing 5.2 innings on 72 pitches (49 strikes). The veteran right-hander allowed three runs but fanned nine batters.

High-A Jersey Shore poured it on in a 12-1 road win, six batters managing at least two hits. The BlueClaws chipped away steadily: of their 16 hits, only three went for extra bases, including a Devin Saltiban double. Designated hitter John Spikerman led the way, going 4-for-6 with a double.

Single-A Clearwater survived a ninth inning rally, holding on to win 9-7. Matt Ferrara enjoyed the best game of his professional career, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored, homering and notching three singles. Infielder Juan Villavicencio went 3-for-4 with a triple and a walk, and both he and Alirio Ferrebus picked up one steal apiece.