Dalton Guthrie is one of those guys people like to root for.

Guthrie will try anything on a baseball field, so when the Phillies asked the lifelong infielder to convert not just to the outfield, but to center field in 2021, he got himself an outfielder’s glove and got to work.

The results have been better than expected, with Guthrie playing primarily in the outfield this season - and doing well defensively. He has also branched out to play some right field, along with one game in left field.

At the plate, Guthrie has produced at a 10-52-.302/.363/.476 clip for the IronPigs with 64 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. The production at the plate and in the outfield led the Phillies to select his contract from Lehigh Valley when Nick Castellanos went on the IL over the weekend.

Interim manager Rob Thomson told reporters Guthrie would have likely been in the starting lineup had he known for sure he would be able to make the coast-to-coast trip and get to the ballpark in time for the game. That could not be guaranteed, so Guthrie will have to wait to make his major league debut.

The good news though is that the IronPigs - who lost pitcher Kent Emanuel to an injury on the recent road trip - got starter Noah Skirrow from Double-A Reading. Lehigh Valley will also be the new home of pitcher Griff McGarry - who has pitched well in the starting rotation for Reading - who will work out of the bullpen with the Pigs. The plan is for a fairly short stay for McGarry, followed by a trip to Philadelphia and a role in the Phillies bullpen.

The IronPigs pitching rotation for the homestand has just two starters, Skirrow and Michael Plassmeyer, scheduled for the week with four bullpen games scheduled. With Monday night’s game rained out, the Pigs will play a doubleheader on Thursday.

Pitching has been a downfall for Lehigh Valley, as it went 1-5 on a trip to Norfolk. The skid saw it fall out of a first-place tie with Durham, (Rays) and allowed both Jackonville (Marlins) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees) to leap frog them in the standings. Jacksonville is not on the IronPigs schedule for this year, and the season series with Durham has already been played. The IronPigs and RailRiders both have six games to play at Coca-Cola Park later this month.

PACK YOUR STUFF AND GO … With the Phillies off on Monday, Guthrie took advantage of the schedule to come back to Coca-Cola Park and gather his belongings out of his locker. The team was on the road when he was called up to the majors and he left from Norfolk to travel to San Francisco.

READING HONORS … Pitcher Mick Abel was awarded the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week ending Sept. 4. The 21-year-old threw five shutout innings against the Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies) on Sunday. In his three starts with the Fightins, Abel has pitched 13 2/3 innings and is 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA. He has walked seven batters while striking out 18, and has given up three home runs. Prior to joining Reading, Abel pitched for Jersey Shore where he went 7-8 with a 4.01 ERA in 18 starts.

MORE HONORS … The Phillies saluted minor leaguers Baron Radcliff (Jersey Shore) and Andrew Baker (Reading) with their organizational Player of the Month awards. Radcliff, an outfielder, hit eight home runs with a slash line of .347/.430/.733 for the BlueClaws. Right-hander Baker, 22, was recently promoted to Reading from Jersey Shore and made 10 relief appearances with the ‘Claws and one more with Reading, posting a combined 1.88 ERA and holding opponents to a .185 average.