Patriots Notebook 7/1/24: A Patriotic Homestand Ahead
Bridgewater, New Jersey – After a disappointing first half of the season that saw the team finish in fourth place in the Northeast Division with a 32–37 mark, Somerset has quite literally flipped the page towards the second half. The Patriots opened the second stanza of the season by going
Bridgewater, New Jersey – After a disappointing first half of the season that saw the team finish in fourth place in the Northeast Division with a 32–37 mark, Somerset has quite literally flipped the page towards the second half. The Patriots opened the second stanza of the season by going 5-1 out of the gate on the road in Richmond last week, outscoring the Flying Squirrels 45-28 over the six-game slate.
The Yankees (54-32) and Phillies (55-29) both lead their respective leagues in victories as the calendar flips to July. Their Double-A affiliates will meet for just the second time this season when the two teams embark on a unique home-and-home series this week. Somerset will welcome in Reading (2-4, 33-41) for their only Monday ballgame of the season later today - the Fightin’ Phils stay will be short though, as TD Bank Ballpark will play host to the first three games of the series before shifting the backend of the matchup to Reading beginning on Thursday. Once Somerset wraps with the Phillies affiliate, they will hit the road for Erie before reaching the All-Star break. After this Wednesday, the Patriots won’t play another home game until July 19.
Have yourself a day, SPENCER JONES!
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 30, 2024
4-for-5, 7 RBI, 2 HR, 3 R, 2B, BB pic.twitter.com/nnXYYd1YCa
June is for the Jones: Yankees No. 2. prospect Spencer Jones put an emphatic exclamation on the month of June during the team’s series finale against Richmond on Sunday. The 2022 first-round draft selection blasted two homers, including a grand slam, to go with seven RBI to highlight his four-hit performance. Jones slashed .296/.355/.546 in June, blasting six homers while driving home an Eastern League-best 29 RBI in the month. The offensive explosion for Jones is a welcomed sight for the organization after the talented outfielder hit just .170 in May and had just three homers and 16 RBI total when June began.
Today, Jones was named the Eastern League Player of the Week. Read more HERE!
Rehabbing Yankees' RHP JT Brubaker's first Patriots start✅
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 30, 2024
3️⃣ IP | 0️⃣ R | 1️⃣ H | 1️⃣ BB | 3️⃣ K pic.twitter.com/NGYyApAJaZ
Road Rehab: The Yankees major league pitching depth has been severely tested over the last several weeks, but they may be getting close to adding another valuable arm to their stable of options before long. Right-hander JT Brubaker became the seventh Bomber to rehab with the Patriots this season after tossing three shutout frames against Richmond on Sunday – he allowed just one hit and issued a walk while fanning three. The organization swung a deal with the Pirates in late March to acquire Brubaker along with international signing bonus money in exchange for a player to be named later. At the time of the deal, the 30-year-old Brubaker was still making his way back from Tommy John surgery that he had performed in April of 2023.
FIRST DOUBLE-A HOMER FOR RAFAEL FLORES MAKES IT 13-1🤩 pic.twitter.com/wxXGd1UPKI
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 30, 2024
New Kid on the Block: Rafael Flores hit safely in four of his first five games at Double-A this past week after a well-deserved promotion from High-A Hudson Valley. Flores, who blasted a 420-foot homer on Sunday, his first as a Patriot, is now slashing .282/.398/.469 in 62 games this season. The 23-year-old Flores is now seeing regular reps behind the plate while also being able to showcase versatility at first base as well.
Elijah Dunham cranks an RBI double to open the scoring in the 4th and extend his hit streak to nine games🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z5M74VuWQA
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 30, 2024
Going Streaking: After facing a tough opening two months of the season, outfielders Aaron Palensky and Elijah Dunham are both riding parallel nine-game hitting streaks entering action on Monday. Palensky has gone 12-for-33 with a homer and 8 RBI during the steak and has actually reached base safely in 16 consecutive games. Dunham has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 ball games and has reached base in 13 straight – he has blasted three homers and driven in 12 runs over that stretch.
Fighting the Phils: The Phillies nabbed catcher Carson Taylor from the Dodgers in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft last winter, and the 25-year-old has been a standout hitter for Reading. The 2020 fourth rounder out of Virginia Tech has clubbed 10 homers and has driven home an Eastern League leading 53 runs while slashing .286/.380/.495.
The Patriots dropped four-of-six to Reading in their only other matchup this season back in late-April and will meet once more when the Phils come back to town in the final week of August.
Series Probable Pitching Matchups:
Mon: LHP Lachlan Wells (3-5, 4.34 ERA) vs. LHP Brock Selvidge (7-5, 3.75 ERA)
Tue: LHP Matt Osterberg (1-5, 6.00 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Messinger (2-4, 3.60 ERA)
Wed: TBD vs. RHP Blane Abeyta (3-6, 6.75 ERA)
Thu: RHP Robinson Pina (9-2, 3.46 ERA) vs. RHP Trystan Vrieling (7-6, 5.88 ERA)
Fri: TBD vs. RHP Bailey Dees (3-4, 4.01 ERA)
Sat: TBD vs. LHP Brock Selvidge (7-5, 3.75 ERA)
Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer
Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 12th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.