After clinching both the first and second half titles in the Florida State League Northern division, the Phillies Advanced 'A' affiliate in Clearwater began postseason play on Tuesday night against the Daytona Tortugas, an affiliate of the Reds. Tuesday's pitching matchup featured Phillies 11th ranked prospect Ricardo Pinto and the Reds 3rd best prospect, Amir Garrett.
Selected in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft, Amir Garrett pitched the best game of his pro career when it mattered most. He hurled a no-hitter until two outs in the seventh inning, when Threshers first baseman Rhys Hoskins broke through with a single. Garrett finished with 12 strikeouts in seven innings of work. Threshers third baseman Mitch Walding had the only other hit for Clearwater in their 3-0 loss in game one of the best-of-three game series in the Florida State League playoffs.
The Tortugas scored runs in the first, third and fifth innings. With two outs in the first, Daniel Pigott drove in a run to make it 1-0. A Sebastian Elizalde sacrifice fly made it 2-0 in the third and they tacked on their third run courtesy of a Taylor Sparks solo home run in the fifth.
Threshers starter and Phillies pitching prospect Ricardo Pinto took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits over six innings on the mound. He struck out six and walked three. Jesen Dygestile-Therrien pitched the final two innings. He didn't allow a hit and struck out one.
The series moves to Clearwater for game two tonight at 7:05pm. The Threshers will send John Richy to the mound while the Tortugas will counter with Reds 6th ranked prospect, Nicholas Travieso. Clearwater is 7-2 against Daytona at home this season.
Threshers starter John Richy, acquired by the Phillies in the trade that sent Chase Utley to the Dodgers, made his Phillies organizational debut against the team he sqaures off against tonight back on August 25th. He spun seven shutout frames, striking out three and scattering four hits. In two starts with Clearwater, he has a 2.84 ERA. In 24 games this season, 20 starts, Richy is 10-5 with a 4.07 ERA. He's ranked as the Phillies 29th best prospect by MLB.com.
Tortugas starter Nicholas Travieso (6-6, 2.70) has faced Clearwater once this season on May 7th. He allowed three unearned runs on five hits while striking out six in a losing effort.
