Flash Get First Look at Navarre

The Philadelphia Flash are alone atop the NL East for the first time this season after a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Hot Wings. However, that doesn't mean the road gets any easier, as the Flash will now square off against newly-acquired SP Midre Navarre in the second game of the Hot Wings series. Navarre was traded from the Kansas City Monarchs to Buffalo during this year's winter meetings.

Navarre spent 2 years in Kansas City being the second ace behind SP Benny Pujols (who also moved on this season, via free agency). Navarre went 40-13 for the Monarchs for a lofty .755 win percentage as a starter. A season ago he was a dominating 23-5, including a 3.29 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP, as well as pitching his team to two wins in the World Series.

In 2 starts with his new team, he has shut down the other teams in the division, the Charlotte Webs (4.0 IP, 1 ER) and the Washington D.C. Senators (7.0 IP, 1R, 0 ER).

Home Opener Special for Players

After alternating wins and losses to the tune of a 4-3 record during their opening 7-game road trip, the Philadelphia Flash players are all excited to see the inviting walls of Citizens Bank Park again. The opponent for the home opener will be the Los Angeles Stars, who come in stumbling a bit after being swept at home by the surprising San Fransisco Slingers.

The Flash sluggers in particular should be excited to head home again, as the offense continues to lag behind during these April games. Through the first 7 games of the year, the Flash offense is tied for last in the NL in terms of runs scored. But, by that same token, the pitching staff is tied for first in the NL in terms of runs allowed. It is for that reason alone that the Flash reside above the .500 mark.

Sour Surfer is not concerned yet with his struggling offense. The lineup continues to shapeshift daily as the new platoons and position battles play out. "Our key guys are still producing, and as long as the new guys are giving us good at-bats, the offense will catch up to our pitching eventually." CF Willie Campos leads the team in RBIs even after talks that he was nearly traded away during spring training and 1B Richard McMasters has come up with clutch hits in a number of games.

Aybar Outduels Merritt: For those who were not yet certain that SP Benny Aybar has a chance to be very special, all they needed to do was watch his major-league debut. Facing one of the best in the game in SP Kyle Merritt of the Charlotte Webs, Aybar spun a gem and outdueled him. Aybar allowed 2 hits over 8 innings, striking out 7 and allowing no runs. When McMasters broke up the scoreless tie in the 7th inning with a solo home run, it would be all the support Aybar would need. Duke Monroe worked a clean 9th to secure a huge win for the Flash's rookie pitcher.

Ailing Offense Welcomes Back Takada

How much do the Flash miss SS Richard Takada? The typically prolific Flash offense, which is of course adjusting to a number of new regulars this season, ranks 14th in the NL in terms of runs scored through the first 4 games of the season. Only CF Willie Campos has hit a home run thus far, accounting for both Flash long balls.

Luckily for the Flash, the pitching was staunch enough to earn them a road-series split with divisional rival Washington D.C. Senators. The Senators, who finished second in the NL East a year ago and earned a wild card berth, were tormented offensively through the first 3 games of the set. No Flash starter had an OAV higher than .167, and each went at least 6 innings. Willie Rodriguez got banged around in the 4th game due to a 7-run 2nd inning set up by defensive errors, but other than that, the Flash pitching looks pretty firm. The bullpen never gave up a run during the series, accounting for 8.0 innings of work.

Up next for Philadelphia is the Charlotte Webs. Unfortunately, they shuffled their rotation to put SP Kyle Merritt, the all-time strikeout leader, on the mound for the opener. Takada will be back from injury, but he'll have his work cut out for him against such a wizard on the mound. SP Benny Aybar will make his major-league debut and is immediately tasked with outlasting Merritt. Welcome to the bigs, kid.

Patchwork Lineup Does Enough on Opening Day

With SS Richard Takada nursing an injured knee, the Philadelphia Flash didn't exactly trot out their ideal opening day lineup. That said, however, the role players inserted into the lineup produced admirably en route to a 4-3 win over the Washington D.C. Senators to get the season off on the right foot.

SS Weldon Reed, the direct fill-in for Takada, hit out of the 8-hole but led the way in terms of RBIs. He opened the scoring in the 2nd inning after the Flash loaded the bases with no outs. His grounder to 3rd was sent home by 3B Greg Ramirez, but C Mark Chen couldn't record the force out in time, and LF Lefty Hodges scored. Reed came up with the bases loaded again in the 3rd inning, this time with 2 outs. He drew a key walk to plate 3B Ramon Martin, which enabled SP Donovan Leiter to contribute a base hit and RBI of his own.

The Flash never trailed, but staff-ace Leiter had a wild 4th inning. After surrendering back-to-back HRs to RF Johnny Costello and Chen, CF Charlie Swann singled and worked his way around the bases via a passed ball, a steal, and a wild pitch. But that was the end of the scoring for the home Senators, and the Flash moved into the division lead already at 1-0.

New Faces: There were 6 players making their Flash and/or major-league debut today. Here is a summary of some of their days:

RF Javier Moya, brought in to replace Jerome Clontz, had a forgettable day at the plate, going 0-for-5. He was hitting from the 2-hole today, but with the entire lineup being liquid at this point, he certainly won't remain there with repeat performances.

1B Gabby Trujillo reached base one time, on a walk, going 0-for-3 otherwise. He did come around to score in the 2nd inning on a walk by 2B William Saitou.

RP Felipe Martin took the ball out of Leiter's hand in the 8th inning. He worked a scoreless inning of relief, inducing 2 groundouts and a flyout from the Senators 2-, 3-, and 4-hitters.

Rule 5 Draft Summary

For the first time in their history, the Philadelphia Flash made a selection in the Rule 5 Draft as they aim to make the ball club younger. And they didn't select just one player, but two. Here's a review of who they scooped away from other teams last night.

1st Round, 24th Pick - RP Rafael Perez, 23 years old, San Juan Epsteins
Rafael has not produced shimmering numbers in the minor leagues, and he hasn't played above AA ball yet in his career. But now, thanks to the Rule 5 Draft, he'll be asked to be a major contributor to the big league club all season long. The Flash are not worried about his youth or struggles in the minor leagues, however, because his raw stuff is as good as anyone in their bullpen, and he has made tremendous strides this offseason.

2nd Round, 56th Pick - 3B Gabby Trujillo, 23 years old, Seattle Steelheads
Gabby should be a valuable member of the much stronger bench the Flash will enjoy this season. He can play the corner infield spots when the regulars need a rest, and has a big power bat that will make the homer-friendly Citizens Bank Park a nice fit for him. With Ramon Martin likely departing next season, the Flash now have two good, young options behind him in Trujillo and recently acquired 3B Tony Moraga.

Campos Trade Falters: Trade talks that would have sent CF Willie Campos to the Milwaukee Malt Liquors have grinded to a complete halt. The Malt Liquors simply did not have enough prospects left to pry Campos away after their recent string of deals with Boston, Memphis, and Atlanta. As the Flash continue to enforce a youth movement this season, Campos may be dangled in front of contenders at the trade deadline if the Flash find themselves out of contention. But management is not willing to admit this will be a "lost" season, as the pitching staff should be as strong as ever.

Keeping Up with the Revolving Door

Philadelphia's management has really gotten the motor running now as the Winter Meetings wind down. Let's quickly take inventory on the recent moves, as well as what may be ahead for the Flash.

Clontz gives way to Moya: One 36-year-old outfielder was cut from the roster to make room for another today. LF Jerome Clontz was cut depite a resurgent year for the Flash last season by posting a .272 avg, as well as slugging 28 HRs. That said, he was a virtual statue in the outfield, and his new replacement, LF/RF Javier Moya, should solve that issue while swinging a serviceable bat himself. Last season he batted .285 with an OBP of .365. The latter stat is particularly enticing, because it would have led the team a year ago.

Felipe Martin rounds out bullpen: RP Felipe Martin can't fill the void left by RP Luke Swindell, but should be a valuable set-up man in front of closer Duke Munroe, nonetheless. Martin struggled a year ago, going 1-4 with a 5.85 ERA, which the Flash believe scared off other potential bidders and kept him surprisingly cheap on the free agent market. The season before that, however, he saved 17 games with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. If anything, his mechanics have only improved since that season, so bullpen coach Enrique Gonzalez looks forward to guiding him back to form.

Campos' short stint nearing an end?: CF Willie Campos, a feature player on the Flash roster, may be headed to an AL team in exchange for prospects, according to a local media report. Talks have not reached anything substantial yet, but the dialogue continues. The Flash are beginning to face the fact that their minor league teams are depleted of major-league potential talent, and are hoping to begin fixing that problem.

Flash Begin Bullpen Rebuilding

It was no secret heading into the offseason that the bullpen was going to be a major area of focus for the Flash. With RP Jose Maduro, RP Luke Swindell, RP Gail Becker, and RP Duke Munroe all slated for free agency, new faces coming in were all but inevitable. After signing Jose Maduro and Duke Munroe to 1- and 2-year deals, respectively, and making a bid at Luke Swindell that fell short, it was time to hit the free agent market.

The first new face down in the 'pen is going to be Hal Clark. Clark has been a journeyman of late, as this stint with the Flash will be his 3rd team in as many years. Coming over from the Arizona organization, Clark worked just 20.2 innings a year ago, but posted a 1.11 WHIP and a 3.05 ERA. The Flash plan to use him similarly: not in a bunch of innings or premiere innings, but more as a very good option on days that the regular relievers need a day off. In other words, the hope is that he will be Gail Becker from a year ago, only with much better numbers.

Clark's contract is of the 1-year variety and sees him earning $1.8 million this season. At 37-years-old, it is unclear how much longer he will bounce around the league if he is only going to find limited work wherever he goes.

Deal Sends Webster to Monterrey for Moraga

With the emergence of both Quinn Stevenson and Benny Aybar, a AAA call-up, the Philadelphia Flash were very deep at the starting pitching position. Having such a luxury enabled them to hit the trade market, looking for a young, big-league ready 3B who could help platoon with Richard McMasters and Ramon Martin at the corners. After the Flash let Wallace McIntyre, a very big contributor to last year's success, leave via free agency, a move was all but certain to follow.

So, the Flash packaged SP Chief Webster and cash to the Monterrey Sand Dawgs in exchange for 3B Tony Moraga. Moraga is 26-years-old and coming off a disappointing season in which he hit .258 and drove in only 50 runs. Moraga is not as much of a power threat as the departing McIntyre, but the Flash do hope he can hit for average for them against left-handed pitching. He has always fared better against south paws in his career, and the Flash are looking to take advantage of that.

The lone sticking point for the Flash was the fact that Moraga had already been signed to a 5-year, $25 million contract. However, since he is only 26-years-old, Philly's management felt they would certainly get value out of him throughout the duration of his contract.

As for the other half of the deal, Chief Webster went 28-18 in 2 year's as a part of the Flash rotation. His ERA over that span was 4.02, very serviceable given the amount of home runs hit in Citizens Bank Park. Before leaving the organization he was quoted as saying, "I understand this is a business and management has to make the decisions they feel are best for the franchise. That doesn't mean I won't miss the guys, though. My teammates, the coaches. I felt very lucky to be a part of the success the past 2 seasons here in Philly."