July has not been very welcoming to the IronPigs with the team going 4-7 in their first 11 games of the month.

The team snapped a four-game losing skid last Thursday in Syracuse when Mick Abel threw a gem.

The 2-4 stretch in Syracuse has left the IronPigs at 8-9 in the second half, placing them six games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the IL East, and more importantly, six games out of contention for the IL second-half championship and a postseason berth.

It was Curly of Three Stooges fame, who uttered the famous line: “I’m a victim of circumstances.”

Abel could have said the same thing after his start against Atlanta was messed up by rain and his next start against San Diego was one to forget. Those two events led to him being optioned back to Lehigh Valley on the Fourth of July with the reason given being that he needed to “regain his confidence.”

In his first start back, his confidence is fine. Abel threw six shutout innings in Syracuse and allowed just one hit and one walk. The outing was strong enough to earn him the International League Pitcher of the Week honor for July 7-13. The only hit he allowed came in the sixth inning and it took him just 64 pitches to get through the outing.

On the season, the righty is 6-2 with a 2.00 ERA and has 27 walks to go with 71 strikeouts in 63 innings with the IronPigs. He has also allowed just 45 hits.

If not for Abel, Parkland High School product Gabe Mosser might have gotten league honors after he threw six shutout innings against the Mets and allowed just three hits and a walk. Alan Rangel gave up just two earned runs in his six innings of work and struck out seven. Out of the bullpen, Adonis Medina threw three perfect innings in two outings for the Pigs.

Donovan Walton (.421), Rafael Lantigua (.381), and Rodolfo Castro (.375) led Lehigh Valley in hitting in the series in Syracuse. Castro, who is not known for his power, hit three home runs in Syracuse and now has 10 on the season. Walton posted a .500 on-base percentage and a .991 OPS for the series.

WHEN’S THE GAME? … The IronPigs now enter the All-Star Break in a world where there is no All-Star Game. The annual game was replaced by the Futures Game, which was played last Saturday in Atlanta’s Truist Stadium. Andrew Painter was selected to participate, but the Phillies opted to keep him sidelined and not pitch in the Futures Game. Catcher Eduardo Tait, who was bumped up from Low-A Clearwater to High-A Jersey Shore just prior to the game, went 0-for-1 as the only other Phillies representative. The NL team defeated the AL team 4-2.

Speaking of All-Star Games, remember when the Triple-A All-Star Game was played at Coca-Cola Park in 2010. The International League defeated the Pacific Coast League 2-1. Andy Tracy was the only IronPigs player who started in the game, and it was perhaps most remembered for longtime minor leaguer Erik Kratz being called up to the Pirates mid-game to make his MLB debut. Kratz would later play for Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia.

A GOOD GAGE … The Phillies generally take high school players in the first round of the MLB Draft but broke that mold this year. The team made Gage Wood out of the University of Arkansas the 26th selection overall in the draft, marking the first time they have selected a college pitcher since taking Aaron Nola in 2014. The last college position player they had selected was Bryson Stott from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas back in 2019. It is expected that Wood will likely move quickly through the system and potentially could be in the majors by about mid-season of 2026.

DRAFTY IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY … Mason Ligenza (Tamaqua) was taken in the sixth round (195th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Dodgers. If Ligenza does not sign, he has a commitment waiting for him at the University of Pennsylvania. Wyatt Henseler, who graduated from Emmaus High School in 2020 and went on to play at both the University of Pennsylvania and Texas A&M University, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the ninth round (261st overall pick) of the draft. Brandywine Heights product Chase Renner, who pitched as a reliever for Penn State this season, was selected by the Miami Marlins with the 378th overall pick in the 13th round. Renner missed two seasons with injuries, but his velocity was impressive this season. Renner has a decision to make since he does have one year of eligibility remaining because of the injuries.

UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS … Lehigh Valley starts the post All-Star Break portion of the schedule at home with a three-game set against Rochester (Nationals) and next Tuesday, the Norfolk Tides (Orioles) come to town.