Venezuelan Right Hander Signs with Flash

SP Rolando Andjuar, an 18-year-old native of Venezuela, accepted a contract that included a $1.2 million signing bonus to climb on board the Flash organization today. Andujar is a sinkerballer, and a very good one, though he will give up a few more hits than most pitchers of his stock.

Assigned to the Rookie League team, Andujar was given the 3rd slot in the starting rotation, leaving former Rookie League SP Nicky White out in the cold. White was released upon Andujar's signing.

The Flash will get their first look at the promising young pitcher against the Columbus Come From Behinders tomorrow. The pitch count limit on Andujar will be in the neighborhood of 75, which is certainly an upgrade from what Nicky White was contributing. The Flash are hoping Andujar's added stamina will boost a team that, at 20-15 on the season, is only one game out of the NL East lead.

Cox's Debut: It wasn't the prettiest outing, but Russell Cox made it 3-in-a-row for relievers earning wins in their major league debut for the Flash this season. Gail Becker and Xavier Brooks did it earlier this year, and Cox continued that trend in a 5-4 win over the Charlotte Webs. When Louie Dali exited his start having worked 6 innings, the Webs led 4-1. Cox tiptoed his way through the 7th, allowing a single and a double, and becoming the benefactor of an outfield assist by Willie Campos that saved a run. In the bottom half of the inning, the Flash bats woke up and plated 4 runs, putting Cox in line for the win, which would stand.

McIntyre's Return: After spending 23 days off the field with a hamstring injury, Wallace McIntyre proved the injury would not limit his production in his first at-bat. Charlotte Webs SP Garrett Collins could only watch as McIntyre turned on a pitch and watched it sail beyond the left field wall. It was the lone bright spot on a day in which neither the Flash pitching or defense showed up. The Flash made 3 errors leading to 2 unearned runs and the Webs had 9 men touch home plate while producing only 9 base hits. The 9-2 loss was the only defeat the Flash took during a 4-game "home and home" series with the Webs.

Russell Cox Patiently Waits

After RP Xavier Brooks failed to make the leap from AAA to the majors earlier this year, Russell Cox, another promising relief arm, earned the final bullpen spot. That was on May 17. Now, 35 games later, Cox has yet to make his major league debut.

"Our starting rotation is so good at getting deep into the ball games that our go-to relievers don't get used up that often. It's my job to be ready if the situation calls, but it simply hasn't yet. I'm keeping my arm strength up by throwing on the side, and when I finally get the call, I'll be ready."

Despite his seemingly calm exterior, Cox certainly must be itching to finally pitch to the big boys. Flash manager Sour Surfer has stated that he thinks the lack of work for Cox could potentially haunt him, and so he is going to make an effort to get him into more ball games.

"The kid's got a live arm and could certainly contribute. We've got (SP Quinn) Stevenson on the mound today, and so there should be some innings available. (RP Jose) Maduro's earned his day off, so Cox is gonna get his shot if there's anything I can do about it."

"If we need to, we can even use him in different spots. He can stretch out a bit and give you 2, 3 innings of long relief if we need it. He'll have his opportunities soon."

Standings Update: After defeating the Washington D.C. Senators 5-3 today to split the first series after the All-Star Break, the Flash moved ahead of the division by 10 games. The entire NL East Division is playing .500+ baseball though, so the Flash cannot afford to coast their way into the playoffs in the back half of the schedule. The race for the first-round byes could also get interesting. The Flash are 3 games out of the 2-seed and 4 games out of the 1-seed as of today, and with the Atlanta Mad Dogs slumping a bit, that race could get even tighter before long.

7 Flash Players Club 8 Home Runs

After dropping 2 of 3 to the defending AL East Champions, the Flash re-flexed their muscles against the current AL East leader. No pitcher on the Augusta Black Bears staff was safe from the long ball, as every Flash run was generated via the big fly. C Henry Wyatt, who continues to be an all-or-nothing hitter, added 2 HRs in the 3rd and 4th innings to open up the game, and 6 other players found the power stroke en route to a laugher of a win over Augusta.

The Flash enjoyed back-to-back-to-back HRs in the 4th inning when 1B Richard McMasters, LF Jerome Clontz, and C Henry Wyatt all went yard in succession. CF Willie Campos, SS Richard Takada, DH Wallace McIntyre, and 3B Ramon Martin all got into the act over the span of 9 innings.

When C Henry Wyatt hit his first HR of the game in the 3rd inning, the contest appeared to be a pitcher's duel. After 3 innings of play the score was 1-0 Philadelphia, with only 2 hits allowed per side. But the 4th inning ignited a HR parade as the Flash cruised to the win.

Oliver's Return: Still very impressed with Quinn Stevenson's numbers in his starts, the Flash reassigned Carl Oliver to the starting rotation for today's ballgame. Oliver certainly had something to prove after serving a brief long relief stint, and he emphatically silenced his critics against Augusta by throwing a complete game, 1-run game. Even more impressive than his actual performance was the fact that he did it on a day that the Flash bullpen absolutely required a day off. So kudos to Oliver for making a successful return to the rotation.

Bubba Fox Highlights Draft Day for Flash

The hope and promise of another amateur draft has bitten baseball analysts yet again. Management for the Flash were very pleased with their draft, especially considering that they are not very aggressive in scouting young talent. But there's plenty to go around and the Flash believe they picked up a lot of the pieces that they needed, aided by the fact that they had 3 selections in the first round. Here is a round by round analysis of the picks from the first 5 rounds.

Round 1, Pick 23 - Bubba Fox, 2B, Harper Woods HS, 18-years-old
With William Saitou getting older, the Flash thought it would be a good idea to start developing more talent at the middle infield positions in their minor league system. Bubba Fox is a speed demon already at 18-years-old and could easily develop into a .300 hitter at the big league level some day. He's also pretty sound defensively, with the lone weak point being his arm strength.

Round 1, Pick 30 - Victor Furcal, 2B, Garden City HS, 18-years-old
Furcal is actually cut from the exact same mold as Bubba Fox. Speedy, smart on the base paths, and with great bat control, he and Fox could conceivably jockey for starting jobs all through the minor leagues. The Flash believe having such competition will only make the two better, as the GM has great hopes that each of these players can contribute to the big league club someday.

Round 1, Pick 38 - Happy Demaree, RP, Auburn, 22-years-old
After selecting 3 SP with their first 3 picks last season, Demaree was the only pitcher selected by the Flash in the first 5 rounds this year. Bullpen arms are always an asset, and the Flash are a little bit thin this year, both on the major league club and on the developmental teams, so they wanted to go out and grab one they could develop in the first round. Demaree has a very good 4-seamer, a workable curveball, and he pounds the strike zone -- a key for any good reliever.

Round 2, Pick 84 - Freddie Quinn, 3B, Blinn College, 19-years-old
The Flash were both surprised and pleased to see Quinn still on the board after 83 other selections. With Ramon Martin and Wallace McIntyre both getting on in years, the time is now to work on their heir. Quinn devoured left-handed pitching in his brief college career, and he's got enough pop in his bat to make him a viable major leaguer some day.

Round 3, Pick 116 - Walt McDonald, RF, Bradley, 21-years-old
Not the best defensive right fielder, and not the best at the plate either, McDonald does still bring a few things to the table. He has no glaring weakness with a bat in his hand, meaning he could easily be a backup outfielder some day when other players need a day off. He would not be a terrible option off the bench, either, if he continues to develop as he did in college.

Round 4, Pick 148 - Christopher Winchester, CF, Aiken Technical College, 19-years-old
Winchester seems more suited to play one of the corner outfield spots than his natural position of center field. He makes good contact at the plate but has not yet developed very good plate discipline. He'll have a long road to go if he hopes to make the big club, but if he can hit for average down in the minors, he may make a decent pinch hitter some day.

Round 5, Pick 180 - Curt Sweeney, 3B, Hill College, 19-years-old
As the talent pool thinned out after Round 4, the Flash selected Curt Sweeney, another 3B option down the line. Sweeney is a nice little player who could prove valuable to a minor league club, but he would have to really turn it around in order to ever play at the highest level. Still, he has some potential, and the Flash will likely sign him up.

Stevenson, Oliver Excel in Reversed Roles

The Flash certainly saw their share of the San Juan Epsteins early on this season, but after taking care of them 8-7 today, they will not have to see them anymore, barring a playoff matchup. The Flash won the season series 6-4, but the Epsteins made every single game competitive.

Quinn Stevenson was given the ball in the series finale, and even though he surrendered an unearned run in the first inning, he continued his streak of not allowing an earned run since being inserted into the rotation. Despite only going 5 innings today, he brought his numbers to 12.0 IP with 0 ER in 2 major league starts. Unfortunately Xavier Brooks blew the lead in the 6th inning to prevent Stevenson from collecting his 2nd win as a starter in as many starts.

Carl Oliver also made an appearance in this game, his first out of the bullpen. The former starter went 1.1 scoreless IP in just 16 pitches, though he did allow 2 singles. He managed to induce a double play ball to wrap up the 8th inning and get him through his day of work unscathed.

The Flash were pleased with his outing, but if Stevenson continues to pitch as strong as he has, Oliver may not regain his spot. For the season, including his long relief appearances earlier this year, Stevenson has a 1.75 ERA over his 36.0 IP. He's got a sub-1 WHIP at 0.97, which is 3rd on the staff behind closer Duke Monroe (0.92) and fellow starter Donovan Leiter (0.96).

At the plate: 1B Richard McMasters hit 2 HRs in today's game, bringing him to a total of 10 on the year...Despite an 0-for-4 performance, SS Richard Takada continues to lead the team in batting average at .315, 4 points ahead of RF Lefty Hodges...SP Quinn Stevenson went 1-for-2, bumping him up to a .417 clip with a bat in his hands. He added an RBI in the 4th inning, his first of the season.

Injury Bug Bites in San Juan

Though none will miss more than a couple of games, SP Carl Oliver (back pain), 2B William Saitou (back spasms), and CF Willie Campos (strained oblique) all suffered injuries in the series against the San Juan Epsteins this week. The Flash still managed to limp away with 2 wins during the 3-game set, but particularly in the finale, the offense sputtered, collecting only 2 runs, both in the 9th inning.

Saitou is expected to return for the second game of the series in San Fransisco, while Campos will likely return once the series concludes. The biggest news, however, is that of Carl Oliver. Oliver says he's healthy and could return to his normal spot in the rotation without missing any time, but the Flash are using his injury as an excuse to get a look at Quinn Stevenson. Stevenson has been stellar in long relief appearance this season and last, and now he gets a chance to continue that success as the team's 5th starter. He'll make his first start in game 2 of the set against the Slingers.

Of course, this means Oliver gets bumped from the rotation, at least for now. Oliver has not had the same kind of success this year as he had last. His ERA is a lofty 5.34 at the moment, and his trip to the bullpen will hopefully allow him to straighten things out. Stevenson may have eye-popping numbers on the mound, but he can not eat innings like Oliver can, so the Flash would certainly prefer that Oliver find success and return to the rotation quickly.

Philly Parts Ways with Nick Terrell

After yet another disappointing outing in which he could not record an out while allowing two runs, Nick Terrell got the news that the Flash had released him, despite owing him $3.2 million this year and next.

The 36-year-old reliever seemed to have lost all confidence on the mound. After allowing only 2 HRs last season, this season he has already surrendered 6 long balls. His ERA climbed to 12.91 after the win over Austin City Limit, and the Flash decided they were confident enough in their alternatives to cut him.

"We hate to give a 16-year pro the boot like this, but Nick's lost his velocity and can't get the outs we need him to get. We had simply run out of patience. A move had to be made."

Taking his place will be Xavier Brooks, who was on the big league club earlier this season for 7 games, but who never made an appearance during that time. Taking his demotion earlier this season like a consummate pro, Brooks went 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA as the AAA team's closer.

Leiter's 6-0 Start Has Coaches Buzzing

6 starts, 6 wins. That's the story Donovan Leiter has created. The numbers are astounding, but what he has meant to the team might be immeasurable as the other starters all struggle to find the magic of a year ago.

Leiter's worst start was a 6.0 IP, 4 ER night in his first start, but other than that he has been lights out. His 1.97 ERA is 3rd in the National League, and his WHIP is 0.90. He already has logged a CG shutout, and he accounts for more than one-third of the Flash's wins by himself.

Of course, all of this is made even more impressive by the fact that Leiter is just 24 years old. If not for this young stud's prowess, the Flash's starting rotation would be a mess. It's no secret that Willie Rodriguez has been a bust and that Louie Dali isn't really an ace, despite having good stuff. Therefore, it's a very promising sign that Leiter is emerging into such a premium starter at such a young age.

As for the Flash themselves, they're trying their best to fend off the surging Washington D.C. Senators, who are winners of 7 straight. The Flash have a 3-game win streak of their own and maintain a 1.5 game lead in the NL East. Manager Sour Surfer predicted the Washington D.C. Senators would prove the toughest opposition within the division, and at this early junction in the season he has proven to be correct.

Losing Road Trip Ends On High Note

After securing a losing record on their 7-game road trip yesterday when Allen Chapman hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run for the San Juan Epsteins, the Flash righted the ship slightly with an 11-8 win in 10 innings today, maintaining their 2-game lead over the nearest divisional opponent, Washington D.C. The road trip was particularly rough for the pitching staff. Donovan Leiter, who has advanced to 5-0 in his 5 starts, was the lone bright spot. Gail Becker allowed his first runs. Duke Monroe blew a save. Louie Dali, the staff ace, has seen his ERA rise to 5.77. The list goes on.

Of consolation, however, is the fact that as the weather has begun heating up, so too have the Flash hitters. Home runs are leaping off the bat at a clip similar to last year's numbers at long last. Other than Saitou at the top of the order, the Flash have a hard time playing small ball, so getting the long flies are a sign that they are getting the job done at the plate.

Stevenson to the Rotation? With Carl Oliver struggling (6.18 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 27.2 IP) and Quinn Stevenson proving excellent in long relief for the second straight year (2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 19.0 IP), Sour Surfer is considering having the two switch roles. Oliver posted a 3.33 ERA a season ago and is a strong lefty arm in the rotation, but if he cannot find his A-game soon, Stevenson may take his spot, at least for a couple of starts.