Jake Blalock returns to the Threshers

Jake Blalock has signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent and is re-joining the Clearwater Threshers roster.

He spent the 2005 season with the Threshers, batting .279 with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs. He was the focus of one of the two cover shots on the Threshers game program in 2006.

Jake was originally a fifth round pick of the Phillies in 2002. He was working his way up the organizational ladder from the GCL Phillies, to Batavia, and finally Lakewood before arriving in Clearwater in 2005. He saw some action for the major league club in Spring Training and was traded just prior to the beginning of the 2006 season. He was part of the deal with the Texas Rangers that brought David Dellucci to the Phillies. He was assigned to Frisco (Double-A) and stayed there for the whole 2006 season.

This season, Jake has split the season between Bakersfield (Single-A), Frisco (Double-A), and Wichita (Double-A).

His brother is major-leaguer Hank Blalock.

Series versus Mets continues tonight

Game Time: 7:00pm      Gates Open: 6:00pm

Tonight's Lineup
Burgamy, LF; Golson, CF; Thayer, DH; Slayden, RF; Marson, C; Donald, SS; Urick, 1B; Made, 3B; Antoniato, 2B

Tonight's starting pitcher is Stott.

Play Catch
Parent-Kid Catch returns tonight starting at 6:20pm.

Who Likes Ice Cream?
The Lil' Anglers activity tonight is Make Your Own Ice Cream Sundae. Your child can still join the Lil' Anglers at tonight's ballgame for just $15.

Two-hit Pack
Greg Golson, Jason Donald, and Clay Harris each had two hits in yesterday's game against the Mets. That was the third game in a row that Golson has had two hits.

Home Run Derby
Clay Harris hit his seventh home run of the year yesterday.

Solid Relief
Nate Johnson and Will Savage didn't give up any runs in their combined three innnigs of work out of the bullpen yesterday.

Delay(s)
Yesterday's game started over 30 minutes late due to adverse weather in the area. There was also a 13-minute delay in the fifth inning due to a power outage.

Still have a shot at First
The Threshers are still a half game out. Dunedin also lost yesterday and Tampa was rained out. The Yankees will play two today.

Hot Hot Hot
Jason Donald is hitting .341 (15-44) in the month of July.

Tomorrow is Only a Day Away
The Threshers and Mets finish up their 4-game series tomorrow (Wednesday, July 18) with a special Noon Start for Camp Day. Parking will be free and hot dogs are only $1. Gates open at 11:00am.

Bobblehead Mania
The Cole Hamels bobblehead, sponsored by Buena Vista Hotel, is set to be given out on Thursday, July 19. The Chase Utley bobblehead, sponsored by the St. Petersburg Times, is the last of the 2007 Bobblehead Series. It is scheduled to be given away on Friday, July 27.

Football is Around the Corner
Celebrate the return of football, get 2 for 1 box seats, and drink specials at Frenchy's Tiki Pavilion by wearing your favorite team's jersey to the game on Friday, July 20. Be one of the first 1,000 guests through the gate and get a football! Also, former Florida State star and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Greg Spires will be on hand to sign autographs from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

Game Two vs. St. Lucie Mets Tonight at 7pm

Tonight's Lineup
Burgamy, LF; Golson, CF; Thayer, DH; Slayden, RF; Marson, C; Donald, SS; Harris, 1B; Made, 3B; Antoniato, 2B - Tonight's starting pitcher is Villarreal

Poll Question
Visit Phillies.com and vote for former Thresher Cole Hamels as the Phillies first half MVP.

It's a Frenzy
Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppes and HoneyBaked Ham are tonight's guest restaurants. The next Feeding Frenzy isn't until Monday, August 20.

The Move to First
A win tonight coupled with a Dunedin loss at Brevard County would put the Threshers in first place in the FSL West Division.

More Firsts
The 115,000th Threshers fan of 2007 will walk through the gates prior to tonight's ballgame. The Threshers currently lead the FSL in attendance with a 2,538 average through 45 openings.

Back with a Bang
Jeremy Slayden is four for 13 (.308) since coming off the disabled list during the road trip at Palm Beach.

Updated at 6:00pm: The Gates to Bright House Networks Field are open and the Feeding Frenzy has begun.

Updated at 7:00pm: The game will now start at 7:30pm.

Former Thresher update: Michael Zagurski

Former Threshers pitcher Michael Zagurski has now appeared in 19 games for the Philadelphia Phillies.

He has struck out 16 batters in 16.1 innings of work and has given up one or more runs in five of his outings, giving him a 4.41 ERA. Batters are hitting only .238 against him.

Tom Gordon has left Clearwater

Phillies pitcher Tom Gordon has finished up his rehab and has been activated from the Phillies disabled list.

Get your Clearwater Threshers team sets now!

The 2007 Clearwater Threshers team sets have just arrived.

They should be on-sale now at Diamond Outfitters for just $10.

Carpenter gets 10th win

Threshers All-Star pitcher Andrew Carpenter became the first Threshers 10-game winner ever yesterday after picking up the win on the road at Palm Beach.

His record now stands at 10-5 with one save after 16 starts and two relief appearances for the Threshers. The win also puts him tied at the top of the FSL in wins.

Since the FSL All-Star break, he is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA.

Reminder: Sunday, July 15 game starts at 4:00pm

Bringing back a post from the archives:

July 15th game against St. Lucie pushed to 4:00pm

It's HOT in July

At this moment, the Threshers team bus is somewhere near the East Coast closing in on Palm Beach. The Weather Channel reports that it 'feels like' 96 degrees right now near their destination. It's hot in July.

That said, which position player sitting on that bus right now has the hottest bat so far in the month of July? Would it be All-Star Greg Golson? What about All-Star Lou Marson? How about Jason Donald? If you answered none of the above, you would be correct. Through six games in the month of July, Brad Harman has eight hits in 20 at-bats which is good for a .400 batting average. He also has one home run and four RBIs.

Former Thresher Cole Hamels pitches one inning in 2007 MLB All-Star Game

Former Thresher Cole Hamels pitched the fourth inning for the National League All-Stars yesterday in the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Francisco.

The first batter that Hamels faced was Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez singled to left and then stole second. Hamels then got Vladimir Guerrero and Magglio Ordonez to both ground out to Jose Reyes. Ivan Rodriguez then singled to right, but Alex Rodriguez was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Greg Spires will be here on July 20

Current Tampa Bay Buccaneer and former Florida State defensive lineman Greg Spires is scheduled to be here on Friday, July 20 as part of Back to Football Night. He's set to sign autographs from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

There will be a 2 for 1 box seat ticket special for fans who wear their football jerseys to the ticket window when they purchase their tickets. Also, these same fans will be able to get drink specials at Frenchy's Tiki Pavilion.

The first 1,000 fans through the gates will get a football!

Only Three Fireworks Shows left in 2007

Fireworks are one of the most popular promotions that we have at Clearwater Threshers games at Bright House Networks Field and there are just three more shows left on the schedule during the 2007 season.

The remaining dates are:

Saturday, July 28

Saturday, August 11

Saturday, September 1

Beat the crowd and get your tickets now at the Bright House Networks Field Ticket Office, by phone at 727.467.4457, or online at the Official Site.

Tom Gordon continues his rehab with the Threshers

Phillies reliever Tom Gordon is still continuing his rehab with the Threshers. He started yesterday's game against the Ft. Myers Miracle at Bright House Networks Field. He threw for 1.2 innings giving up only one hit before making way for regular Threshers starter Andrew Carpenter.

Updated at 3:35pm: This article in the Cherry Hill Courier-Post says that Gordon will make an appearance for the Threshers again on Wednesday, and possibly return to Philadelphia by the weekend.

Matt Thayer returns to Threshers lineup

Matt Thayer returned to the Clearwater Threshers lineup yesterday after missing over a month with an injury.

Thayer last saw action with the Threshers on May 21 in St. Lucie.

He played both DH and LF yesterday in the win against the Miracle, getting one hit in his four at-bats.

Thayer rehabbed with the GCL Phillies on July 3 and 4. He hit .333 and scored four runs in Gulf Coast League action.

Phillies reliever Tom Gordon rehabs with Threshers

Phillies relief pitcher Tom Gordon started for the Clearwater Threshers yesterday in a rehab outing in Lakeland. He pitched one inning against the Flying Tigers striking out one and walking one.

Former Thresher Cole Hamels picks up 10th win

Former Thresher Cole Hamels picked up his 10th win of the year yesterday in Houston against the Astros.

Brad Penny, Ben Sheets, and Carlos Zambrano join Hamels in a tie for the most wins in the National League so far this season.

Josh Outman named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month

The Phillies have recognized Josh Outman as the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June. Look for a story on the Official Site soon.

Were you a part of the largest crowd in Clearwater Threshers history?

We set a Clearwater record on Tuesday, July 3 with an announced attendance of 8,906. Over 4,000 tickets were sold that day.

Former Thresher Hamels named to NL All-Star Team

Former Thresher Cole Hamels was named yesterday to the 2007 National League All-Star Team.

Also, former Clearwater Phillies All-Star Chase Utley was voted to the NL All-Star Team as the starter at second base.

Look for a story on the Official Site soon.

Happ loses Major League debut

Former Thresher J.A. Happ lost his Major League debut against the New York Mets yesterday. Despite his struggles, he did strike out five.

J.A. Happ's Major League Firsts:

Hit - Jose Reyes (single in the first inning)
Home Run - Paul Lo Duca (2-run shot in first inning)
K - Carlos Beltran (first inning)
Walk - Shawn Green (fourth inning)

Updated at 1:15pm: The Phillies optioned Happ back to Ottawa today.