2012 Playoffs vs. Reading Phillies
At Reading
GAME 1:Phillies 4, Thunder 2
W: Knigge (1-0, 0.00)
L: Marshall (0-1, 5.14)
S: Friend (1)
RECAP
Phillies Lead Series 1-0
GAME 2:Thunder 4, Phillies 1
W: Pinder (1-0, 0.00)
L: Shreve (0-1, 27.00)
S: Pope (1)
RECAP
Series Tied 1-1
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At Trenton
GAME 3:Thunder 3, Phillies 1
W: Hyde (1-0, 0.00)
L: Martin (0-1, 1.17)
S: Montgomery (1)
RECAP
Thunder Lead Series 2-1
GAME 4: Saturday, Sept. 8, Postponed due to rain
GAME 4: Sunday, Sept. 9 @ 4:05 PM (Division HOME Playoff Game #2)
Reading LHP Adam Morgan vs. Trenton LHP Nik Turley
GAME 5: Monday, Sept. 10 @ 6:35 PM (Division HOME Playoff Game #3) (IF NECESSARY)
Reading RHP Austin Hyatt vs. Trenton RHP Brett Marshall
HEAD TO HEAD
The Thunder finished in first place in the Eastern League Eastern Division with a record of 79-63. Reading was in second place, 3 games behind Trenton with a record of 76-66.
The Phillies won seven of the 13 meetings during the regular season. Reading hit .290 with 18 home runs 76 RBI and 81 runs scored (6.2 runs per game). Trenton hit .226 with 13 home runs, 52 RBI and 57 runs scored (4.4 runs per game). The teams split the six games played at Reading with the R-Phils winning four of seven in Trenton.
Top performers in series:
Reading:
Darin Ruf hit .458 with 8 home runs and 15 RBI in 48 at bats
Cody Asche hit two home runs, 11 RBI while posting a .429 average in 49 at bats against the Thunder
Adam Morgan went 2-0 in two starts against the Thunder, striking out 11 while only allowing two runs in 13 innings
Ethan Martin also went 2-0 in two starts against Trenton, with a 1.38 ERA and seven strikeouts in 11.1 innings
Trenton:
Zoilo Almonte batted.378 with 4 HR and 12 RBI in 37 at bats
David Adams hit .361 with 1 HR and 8 RBI
Shaeffer Hall went 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 11 K's in 20 innings pitched over three starts
Ryan Pope had 3 saves in 6 games, striking out 7 while posting a 3.86 ERA
HISTORY: This is the first time that Trenton and Reading have met in the postseason since the 1995 Southern Division Playoffs. Reading won the series 3 games to none.
WHO TO WATCH FOR
TRENTON
Trenton right-hander Brett Marshall lead the Eastern League with 13 wins, posting the highest win total for a Thunder pitcher since Jason Jones achieved that same mark in 2008. Marshall, one of six Thunder players selected as Eastern League All-Stars, started on the mound for the Eastern Division squad at this year's game in Reading.
Long held in high regard as a versatile infielder, Addison Maruszak put together a phenomal year for the Thunder in 2012 with his bat as well as his glove. Maruszak made most of his appearances at shortstop and third base, but also made multiple starts at first and second base as well. At the plate, he set career highs with 16 home runs and 59 RBI and served as a constant presence in the Thunder's record-setting lineup throughout the season.
After missing most of the past two years with foot injuries, it would be fair to say Thunder infielder David Adams had quite the "comeback" year. Appearing in only 68 combined games during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Adams made the most of his time on the field in 2012, finishing sixth in the Eastern League in with a .306 batting average, while adding a career high eight home runs.
READING
The R-Phils are lead offensively by 1B/OF Darin Ruf. A 26-year old out of Creighton University, Ruf broke Ryan Howard's team record for single-season home runs with 38, highlighted by 20 long balls in the month of August, a total matched by only three other Eastern League batters over the course of the entire season.
Tommy Joseph made the midseason Eastern League All-Star team as a catcher while playing for Richmond before being traded to the Phillies' organization from the Giants as the key piece that sent outfielder Hunter Pence to San Francisco. Rated as the 2nd best prospect in San Francisco's organization to start the year, Joseph was named to the post-season all-star team, hitting three home runs in 28 games with the R-Phils, and finished 2012 with an overall average of .257 with 11 long balls and 48 runs batted in.
Ethan Martin, slated to start Game 3 in Trenton, came over to the Phillies organization in July from the Dodgers in exchange for Shane Victorino. Martin, now ranked the #5 Phillies prospect, went 5-0 with a 3.18 ERA in seven starts after his trade to Reading, including 2-0 in two starts against Trenton.
Cody Asche, a 4th rounder in the 2011 draft out of the University of Nebraska, also has had a stellar first full professional season. After dominating the Florida State League through the first two months of the year, Asche was promoted to Reading on June 23rd. After struggling through his first few weeks with Reading, he got back on track in August, batting .369 for the month with five home runs and 26 runs batted in. For the year, Asche hit .326 with 12 home runs and 72 runs batted in over 518 at bats split between Clearwater and Reading.
TEAM NOTES
En route to leading all of Double-A in home runs, as well as shattering the franchise all-time single season record with 162, the Trenton Thunder boasted both the second and third ranked sluggers in home runs among Eastern Leaguers as Luke Murton and Zoilo Almonte hit 25 and 21 respectively. Murton's total was the most by a Thunder hitter since Randy Ruiz hit 26 dingers in 2006.
Thunder Manager Tony Franklin was named EL Manager of the Year while Reading 1B/OF Darin Ruf was named the EL MVP and Rookie of the Year.
The Reading Phillies boast pitchers that finished first and third among lead leaders in strikeouts, as right-handers Trevor May and Julio Rodriguez finished with 151 and 136 punch-outs respectively.