Gabriel Rincones Jr. got his first taste of being a major leaguer over the summer and while the stats weren’t satisfying, the experience gave him a lot of information on what it takes to play at that level.

The biggest thing that Rincones learned is something that is actually more of an old-school approach to baseball.

“They told me I was in the (batting) tunnel too much. I like to take a lot of swings, especially if I’m not playing, but they told me it was too much,” said Rincones. “I’ve cut down on that, and I feel stronger for the game. I was kind of wearing myself down before the game even started.”

Former Buffalo Bisons hitting coach Richie Hebner gave the same advice to players who would head for the batting cage the second they felt they were going into a slump.

Hebner believed that most slumps came from either a mental approach or flawed mechanics, and noted that going into the cage at those times won’t fix the mental approach and if players do have an issue with their mechanics, they’re likely just repeating it in the cage and that won’t help either.

“They got me to relax a little and trust in what I’m doing and what I already know,” said Rincones.

It’s been a strange season for Rincones, who opened the year on the IL with a knee injury that caused him to miss much of spring training and a shot at making the Phillies out of camp.

Once he was healthy, he came to Lehigh Valley and was hitting just .231 when the Phillies called him up to the big leagues. Playing in a limited role, Rincones was one of a string of young players who struggled in that spot as they attempted to adjust to not playing every day, while also facing major league pitching.

Otto Kemp, Felix Reyes, and Steward Berroa all also struggled to take on that role. Since then, veteran Bryan De La Cruz, who also started the season with Lehigh Valley, has taken on the role with plenty of success.

“It’s tough to be facing the best pitching you have ever seen when you’re not getting to play every day,” Rincones noted. “I was glad for the opportunity though, because I learned a lot just about how those guys approach the game and what it takes to succeed.”

PHAM HEADS FOR CHICAGO ... On Monday, the Phillies traded outfielder Tommy Pham to the Chicago White Sox for cash. Although the trade deadline has passed, players who are on a minor league contract and had not been selected by their major league club to play in the majors that season, can still be traded. Pham hit .250 in 44 games with the IronPigs after signing a minor league contract following his release from the New York Mets.

Pham had a minor verbal altercation with a fan in Buffalo last week after the fan was yelling obscenities at Pham. The two sides exchanged some words, but never got close to each other. The fan was removed by stadium security.

A COCA-COLA PARK FIRST ... In the history of Coca-Cola Park, which is now at 19 seasons, there has never been a no-hitter thrown by the IronPigs or an opponent. That ended Sunday when six Syracuse pitchers combined to no-hit the IronPigs and allowed just two baserunners, both on walks. Reliever Tobias Myers threw three perfect innings of relief to get the win in an 8-0 triumph. On Saturday, Mets high prospect Jonah Tong almost no-hit the IronPigs when he threw 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball with just two walks. The game was part of a doubleheader, and was scheduled for just seven innings. Tong completed the game with just a seventh inning single by Kameron Misner breaking up the no-hit bid. The Pigs put up seven runs on five hits in the nightcap, but lost 8-7 before being no-hit on Sunday.

WHERE ARE WE? ... Lehigh Valley has 19 games remaining on the schedule, beginning with seven games in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this week. One of the games was suspended at Coca-Cola Park, and will be completed as the first game of the doubleheader on Tuesday. Lehigh Valley (27-28) fell two games further behind league leading Rochester (35-22) for the second-half championship and a trip to the IL playoffs. Making up seven games would be tough enough, but climbing over the 11 teams between them and the Red Wings makes it just about impossible. The final homestand begins on Sept. 8, when the IronPigs host Worcester for six games. The season wraps up with a trip to Syracuse the following week.