The Wandering Disciple

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs opened the week with a three game set against the Clearwater Threshers. The Stone Crabs fueled by a strong pitching effort and a powerful offensive attack blanked the visiting little Phillies 7-0 on Tuesday night at Charlotte Sports Complex. The Stone Crabs broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning. Taylor Walls singled followed by walk issued to Rays rehabbing catcher Mike Zunino. A double by Thomas Milone scored Walls for the first run of the game. Then a two run single by Moises Gomez scored Zunino and Milone to give the Stone Crabs a 3-0 lead. The Stone Crabs added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Zunino and Ronaldo Hernandez singled followed by Jim Haley reaching after being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Carl Chester then drove home a run the hard way, getting struck by a pitch to score Zunino to increase the lead to 4-0.  Charlotte added a pair more in the sixth. Walls doubl...

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs kept their postseason chances alive by delivering a thrilling walk-off win in the series opener against the Clearwater Threshers on Friday night at Charlotte Sports Park. The Stone Crabs left an early lead disappear in the late inning but thanks to ninth inning heroics by the home team, the Stone Crabs sent fans home with a 3-2 victory. Things got scary for Rays fans in the top of the first inning. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Andriese got the start for the Stone Crabs on an MLB rehab assignment. However the rehab didn’t last long as he took a line drive to the leg on the second pitch of the night prompting his removal from the game and further testing. The Stone Crabs broke the scoreless tie by scoring a pair of runs in the second frame. They put runners on first and second following back to back singles by Riley Unroe and Thomas Milone. Unroe then scored on a single by Jonah Heim and Milone later scored on a single by Luci...

Port Charlotte, Florida: A five run sixth inning by the home team lead the Charlotte Stone Crabs to a 6-2 win over the Clearwater Threshers at Charlotte Sports Park. On a day highlighted by the bark in the park promotion, it was the action on the field that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Clearwater took an early lead, scoring in the second inning as Angelo Moro drove home Logan Moore to give them a 1-0 lead. The Stone Crabs tied the game in the third inning. Jose Sale scored on a ground ball by Leonardo Reginatto to tie the game 1-1. The Stone Crabs took advantage of miscues by Clearwater to push across five runs in the sixth inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Clearwater added one final run of the afternoon in the top of the seventh but it was too little, too late as the Stone Crabs won 6-2. Austin Pruitt was the winning pitcher for Charlotte and Kevin Walter was the losing pitcher for Clearwater. Click on the photo above to view my Stone Crabs/Threshers phot...

"> Port Charlotte, Florida: The Stone Crabs failed to pick up the sweep as they fell to the Clearwater Threshers 4-1 on Saturday night at Charlotte Sports Park. Despite the loss, the Stone Crabs won the season series 5-3. Clearwater took the lead early in the first inning. Jiwan James reached base after being hit by a pitch. James advanced to third on a throwing error as a pick-off throw by Mark Thomas sailed into center field. Jonathan Singleton then drove home the runner with an RBI single to put them ahead 1-0. The Threshers increased their lead in the third inning off a solo home run by Brian Gump to put them up 2-0. The Stone Crabs reached the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ty Morrison singled on a bunt to put a runner aboard. Morrison would later score on an RBI single by Tyler Bortnick to pull within a run of the lead 2-1. But Clearwater made up for that run in the sixth inning. Michael Dabbs singled on a line drive to lead off the inning. Dabbs then adv...

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs quickly overcame an early deficit to defeat the Clearwater Threshers 12-4 on Sunday evening at Charlotte Sports Park. The win was the Stone Crabs seventh in eight games and has moved them to within a half game of the leader. Once again it was Henry Wrigley steering the Stone Crabs offense. Wrigley was a single shy of hitting for the cycle, going 3 for five with a double, triple and home run. He knocked in five runs on the night and now leads the league in home runs and is second in the league in RBI's. Clearwater took an early lead in the fourth inning. Harold Garcia reached on a walk then later scored on an RBI triple by Steve Susdorf. Susdorf later scored on a sac fly by Joel Naughton to give the Threshers a 2-0 lead. The Stone Crabs battled back to take the lead in the home half of the fourth. Tim Beckham opened up the inning with a walk. Beckham then stole second and later scored on a single by Jake Jefferies. Greg ...

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs were shut out by the Clearwater Threshers by the score of 2-0 on Friday night at Charlotte Sports Park. Both clubs starting pitchers, Charlotte’s Brian Flores and Clearwater’s Darren Byrd, dueled through five shutout innings before the scoreless tie was broken. But in the top of the sixth inning, Clearwater was able to take the zero off the board by producing two runs in the inning. Michael Durant got the inning going with a single to left. Durant was then driven home on an RBI triple by Cody Overbeck. Fidel Hernandez followed with a single to left that scored Overbeck. Clearwater’s pitching remained strong as they kept Charlotte off the scoreboard and gave the Threshers a 2-0 win. Brian Flores turn in an quality start, pitching 5 shutout innings allowing 5 hits and striking out 3 in the no decision. Justin Garcia came into the game in relief and was charged with the loss as he surrendered 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 1 a...

Sarasota, Florida: The Sarasota Red defeated the Clearwater Thresher 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon during Camp Day at Ed Smith Stadium. The Reds took the lead in third inning. Jake Kahaulelio singled to short to get things started. Kahaulelio then stole second to move into scoring position. Denis Phipps then drove him home with an RBI single to left, giving Sarasota a 1-0 lead. Sarasota added two more runs to their lead in the fifth inning. Justin Tordi drew a walk to put a runner on the base path. Mariekson Gregorius then singled on a bunt, moving Tordi to second. Jake Kahaulelio followed with a double to right, scoring Tordi. Kel Jones drove home the second run of the inning with a sac fly to score Gregorius and give Sarasota a 3-0 lead. Clearwater picked up their only run of the game in the eighth inning. Joel Naughton singled to lead off the inning. Yonderman Rodriguez followed with a walk and Javis Diaz later singled to center to load the bases. Fidel Hernandez drove home...

Clearwater, Florida: The Sarasota Reds dropped a close contest against the Clearwater Threshers 3-2 on Saturday night at Bright House Field in Clearwater. Both clubs took a 2-2 tie into the bottom of the ninth where the home team Threshers knocked home a run to earn the walk-off win. The Threshers jumped out to the lead in the fourth inning. Jake Blalock broke the scoreless tie with a solo home run to left field. Gus Milner followed by drawing a walk. Then Jay Miller drove him home with a triple to right, giving the Threshers a 2-0 lead. The Reds battled back to tie the game an inning later. Chris Heisey drew a one out walk to get things going. Then Jason Louwsma cleared the bases with a two run homer to tie the game 2-2. The game would remain tied until the bottom of the ninth when Reds pitcher Logan Ondrusek got into a jam. John Urick led off the inning with a double to left. Milner then drew a walk and Miller was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Threshers. Ondruse...

Clearwater, Florida: Bright House Field in Clearwater is the home to the Florida operations of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. The stadium is the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies and the regular season home of the Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League. The stadium also host numerous high school, collegiate and amateur games as well. Bright House Field hosted the 44th annual Florida State League All-Star Game in 2005. Opened in 2004, Bright House Field is often considered the innovator in spring training ballpark design. The stadium features a boardwalk, berm seating, upper deck seats, air-conditioned suites, team store, tiki bar, kids play area and much more amenities for the whole family to enjoy. The stadium can has 7,000 fixed seat but the berm and boardwalk areas can help push the attendance even higher. The single game attendance record is 10,724 set on March 22, 2010 when the Phillies hosted the New York Yankees. The stadium cost $28 mil...

Sarasota, Florida: With the best of three divisional series tied 1-1, all eyes were focused on the Ed Smith Stadium when the Sarasota Reds faced off with the Clearwater Threshers. Despite a hard fought contest, the Reds faltered in the late innings and lost 4-3. The Threshers jumped out to an early lead in the third inning, posting two runs on the scoreboard. The Reds bounced back in the bottom half of the third, tying the game 2-2. The Threshers offense mounted a rally in the sixth inning. A bases loaded jam results in two runs and Clearwater taking a 4-2 lead. The Reds pushed across another run in the ninth inning but it wasn’t enough as they fell 4-3, putting an end to a great season by the Sarasota Reds. Clearwater advanced to the Florida State League Championship Series to face the Brevard County Manatees. Click on the photo above to visit my Game Three Reds/Threshers photo gallery.

Clearwater, Florida: The Clearwater Threshers are the Class A-Advanced affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Threshers play in the North Division of the Florida State League. The Clearwater franchise was established in 1985 as the Clearwater Phillies. The club was rebranded as the Threshers in 2004 in conjunction with their move to a new ballpark. Many major league stars have passed through Clearwater on their way to the big leagues. This list of stars includes Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and more. They were even managed by a Phillies great and hall of famer, Mike Schmidt during the 2004 season. The franchise has just one league title in their possession. In 2007, the Threshers defeated the Brevard County Manatees to win their lone title. The Threshers play their 70 game home schedule at Brighthouse Networks Field. The 7,000 seat stadium is one of the best in the Florida State League. Click on the photo above to visit my Clearwater Threshers photo gallery. He...