Bunts and Balks (8/5)

On Wednesday night, the Reading Phillies (AA) defeated the Trenton Thunder, 8-4. The R-Phils paid Tribute to Sliced Bread, drawing a franchise-record crowd of 9,953, as a result.
Future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez was also present for the festivities, making his third rehab start for the parent Phillies. Martinez surrendered a solo homer to the third batter he faced, and was touched up for three runs in the sixth inning. However, the sixth inning was marred by fielding inadequacy, and Martinez was brilliant throughout the game. He threw eighty-two pitches, sixty for strikes. He struck out ten of the first seventeen batters he faced. He finished with eleven strikeouts and ZERO walks. It looks like he is ready for a spot in the parent Phillies' rotation. (Namely, Jamie Moyer's spot.)
Scott Mathieson followed with two scoreless innings, and Sergio Escalona pitched a scoreless ninth.
DomOnic Brown overshadowed Martinez, however. But not with his 2 for 4 night, which included a mammoth 426 ft. homer. After the game, Brown announced that the spelling of his first name is "Domonic", rather than "Dominic." Baseball writers everywhere are filling their memory holes with the inconvenient evidence, and a conspiracy of silence is now in progress.
Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro may have missed an opportunity to deal DomInic Brown, while receiving the trade value earned by DomOnic Brown.

The Clearwater Threshers (A) beat the Dunedin Blue Jays on Wednesday, 5-1.
Starter Darren Byrd continued to pitch well, allowing one run, in six innings (three hits, three walks/three whiffs). Byrd has a 2.84 ERA in his last ten starts (38 IP).
Phillies' reliever Chad Durbin made his first rehab appearance, throwing a scoreless inning (one hit, one walk/two strikouts). Joe Bisenius, in his second rehab appearance in A ball, also pitched a scoreless inning (one walk/one whiff).
Steve Susdorf was 0 for 3, dropping his average to a discouraging .377.