Bunts and Balks (6/15)

The Phillies made no personnel moves on Monday.
Jack Taschner and Antonio Bastardo remain on the roster. It wouldn't be surprising, if one of them was optioned to AAA, prior to Tuesday's game against Toronto.
The Phillies will need a starting pitcher on Friday (or Saturday) against Baltimore. (J.A. Happ would be on his regular day on Friday.) They haven't announced that Bastardo will remain in the rotation, and his one-inning start against Boston highlighted the need for more minor league seasoning.
Carlos Carrasco started Monday night for Lehigh Valley (AAA), and would be on his regular day on Saturday.
Andrew Carpenter is scheduled to start Tuesday night for Lehigh Valley, but could be scratched, and start for the Phils on Friday or Saturday.
If they decide that Carrasco or Carpenter will start this weekend, the Phils could option Bastardo prior to Tuesday's game, and recall another bullpen arm. (Preferably, a bullpen arm on the 40-Man roster, with options remaining. For example, Reading (AA) lefty Mike Zagurski.)
On Friday or Saturday, either Taschner or (Zagurski?) could be optioned, opening a spot for Carrasco or Carpenter. (The Taschner for Carrasco option gets my vote.)

Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, and Jimmy Rollins lead at their positions in All-Star voting. Ryan Howard is in a distant second, behind Albert Pujols. Carlos Ruiz and Pedro Feliz are in fourth at their respective positions. Among outfielders, Shane Victorino is fifth, and Jayson Werth is eighth, with the top three vote-getters going to St. Louis.
Ruiz and Feliz may deserve spots, based on their performances this season. Rollins doesn't deserve a spot, based on his performance this season. Ryan Howard should go, but may lose out because there is a glut of good first-sackers to back-up Pujols on the team. With each team guaranteed at least one representative, we may only see Phillies who are voted in, on the squad.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs beat the Durham Bulls, 8-5, on Monday night.
Carlos Carrasco got the win, surrending four runs in six and a third innings. (Two of those runs scored, when Gary Majewski relieved Carrasco in the seventh.) Steven Register pitched two scoreless innings for the save. Roster-fillers Jason Ellison and David Newhan each contributed three hits, to the thirteen-hit IronPigs attack. Lehigh Valley scored in six consecutive innings, the second through the seventh.

The Reading Phillies (AA) defeated the Harrisburg Senators, 5-2, on Monday morning. Yep, Monday morning.
The game started at 9:35 AM! Joe Savery is unbeatable before noon. Savery pitched six innings, and allowed just one hit. Savery is now 8-1, with a 3.47 ERA. Through my HP speakers, Savery sounded like he is almost ready for AAA. Neil Sellers, Gus Milner, and Kevin Mahar had homers for the R-Phils.

The Clearwater Threshers (A) lost to the Sarasota Reds, 7-3.
The Threshers made three errors, and went 1 for 8 with men in scoring position. Julian Sampson got blasted, permitting six runs (on eight hits, with three walks/three strikeouts), in five innings. Sampson is now 1-7, with an 8.06 ERA. Sampson is also 20 years old, with a .358 BABIP, and a 55.6 LOB%.
Things could get better for the young right-hander, though Ruben Amaro probably shouldn't hesitate to include Sampson in the Halladay trade.

Cole Hamels starts for the P-Phils on Tuesday night, opposed by the Toronto Blue Jays' Ricky Romero.
Hamels shouldn't have much trouble picking up his fifth win. Lock it up!