After being postponed on Thursday night, the Reading Fightin Phils and the Binghamton Mets continue their Eastern League Division Series tonight in New York.
On Wednesday, the Fightin Phils began their postseason play against the defending champion Binghamton Mets. Led by a four-RBI night from first baseman and Eastern League MVP Brock Stassi, the Fightin Phils topped the B-Mets 9-4. Starting pitcher Zach Eflin tossed seven innings of two-run ball, earning the win in game on of the Eastern League Division Series.
Tonight, Reading will send Phillies top pitching prospect Jake Thompson to the mound. He will oppose Binghamton right-hander Robert Gsellman.
Starting Pitching Match-up:
| Reading Fightin' Phils (1-0) | Binghamton Mets (0-1) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jake Thompson | RHP | Robert Gsellman | ||
| 5-1, 1.80 ERA | 7-7, 3.51 ERA | ||||
Now ranked as the top pitching prospect in the Phillies organization, Jake Thompson will look to continue his dominance as a member of the Fightin Phils in game two. Overall this season between the Rangers and Phillies minor leagues, Thompson is 11-7 with a 3.73 ERA. Clearly his change in scenery wasn't a bad thing as the former second round pick has been dominant for Reading since joining the team. Thompson faced the B-Mets in his second to last start of the season and earned the win after tossing seven innings of two-run ball while striking out four. In his last start against Richmond on September 5th, he picked up his fifth win as a member of the Fightin Phils. Thompson pitch six shutout innings, striking out seven in the process. MLB.com ranks Thompson as the second best prospect in the Phillies organization.
The B-Mets will look to bounce back in game two behind 22-year-old right-hander Robert Gsellman. He's seen time between Double-A and Advanced 'A' ball, with most of his success coming at the lower level. With the St. Lucie Mets in eight starts, Gsellman went 6-0 with an ERA of 1.76, holding opposing hitters to a .204 average against him. He hasn't witnessed the same results in Double-A, sporting a 3.51 ERA over 16 starts with opposing hitters batting .254 against him. His last start came on September 4th against Altoona, who is currently on the other side of the playoff tree in the Western Division. He allowed six runs on 10 hits in four innings. Over his last 10 starts, he's 5-3 with an ERA of 2.98.
Starting Lineups:
| Reading Fightin' Phils (1-0) | Binghamton Mets (0-1) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Nick Williams | L | 1 | 2B | L.J. Mazzilli | R |
| 2 | SS | J.P. Crawford | L | 2 | SS | T.J. Rivera | R |
| 3 | C | Andrew Knapp | S |
3 |
3B | Josh Rodriguez | R |
| 4 | 1B | Brock Stassi | L | 4 | LF | Brock Peterson | R |
| 5 | LF | Cam Perkins | R | 5 | 1B | Vince Belnome | L |
| 6 | RF | Dylan Cozens | L | 6 | CF | Joe Benson | R |
| 7 | 3B | Harold Martinez | R | 7 | C | Xorge Carrillo | R |
| 8 | 2B | Angelo Mora | S | 8 | SS | Amed Rosario | R |
| 9 | P | Jake Thompson | R | 9 | P | Robert Gsellman | L |
Game Notes:
- As a team, the Reading Fightin Phils hit .439 (18-for-41) in Thursday's series opener. Seven of the teams' starting nine had multi-hit games, with three starters tallying three hits.
- First baseman Brock Stassi continued to power the Reading offense, just like he did in the regular season as the Eastern League leader in RBI's. Last night, he went 2-for-2 with a double, a three-run home run, two runs scored, four RBI's and three walks. Meanwhile, J.P. Crawford and Andrew Knapp each tallied three hits a piece, scoring a combined six runs in Reading's victory.
- Reading outfielder Cam Perkins is 1-for-3 against B-Mets starer Robert Gsellman with two RBI's. J.P. Crawford is 1-for-2 this season against him.
- B-Mets Jared King, T.J. Rivera and Josh Rodriguez are each 2-for-3 off of Reading starter Jake Thompson.
Broadcast Information:
Gametime: 6:35pm EST
Location: NYSEG Stadium, Binghamton, New York
Weather: 73 degrees, Mostly Sunny, 0 % Chance of Rain
TV: MiLB TV
Radio: AM 1240, FM 98.5, Fightins.com.
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
