Threshers' Singleton finds the power

Jonathan Singleton can only hope that Saturday's performance will help him jump-start his season.

Mired in a prolonged slump, Singleton went 3-for-5 with a homer and a season-high four RBIs to power the Clearwater Threshers to an 11-1 rout of the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

MLB.com's preseason No. 30 prospect had five hits in his previous 37 at-bats, hadn't driven in a run in 12 games and hadn't homered since April 23. But he broke out early, delivering an RBI single in the first inning.

Singleton followed that up by going yard with a man aboard and two outs in the second. The blast off Stone Crabs starter Drew Leary was his second of the season and first in 22 games.

The 19-year-old capped his first multi-hit game since May 9 with another run-scoring single in the sixth.

Selected by the Phillies in the eighth round of the 2009 Draft, Singleton raised his average to .268 and has four extra-base hits and 14 RBIs in 33 games. Those numbers are a contrast to last season, when he batted .290 with 14 homers and 77 RBIs while helping Lakewood capture the South Atlantic League championship. He ranked third in the Class A circuit with a .393 on-base percentage and .872 OPS.

A natural first baseman, Singleton is making the switch to left field, a position he had not played as a professional.

Chase Utley, working his way back to Philadelphia from right knee tendinitis, was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Jiwan James reached base twice, stole his seventh base and scored a pair of runs for Clearwater, while Darin Ruf contributed two hits and three RBIs.

Jonathan Pettibone (4-3) halted a personal three-game losing streak and lowered his ERA to 1.98 after limiting Charlotte to a run on five hits with seven strikeouts in six innings.