Ransom homers to help IronPigs win

ALLENTOWN - New York Yankee fans probably know more about Cody Ransom than Phillies fans do.

Ransom was the player who began the season in the Bronx last year as the starting third baseman while Alex Rodriguez recovered from hip surgery. He appeared in 31 games making 18 starts before a strained right quadricep muscle sent him to the disabled list on April 25 keeping him at Scranton-Wilkes Barre for most of the year.

Ransom finds himself as the starting third baseman for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season and his team leading third home run on Thursday helped the Phillies Triple-A affiliate to its third win in eight games this season and its first at Coca-Cola Park.

DeWayne Wise and John Mayberry also hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning as the IronPigs defeated the Rochester Red Wings 4-1.

Dave Huppert, the IronPigs manager, was glad to see the ball fly out of the park so many times this early in the season.

"It's nice especially early in the year around here," he said. "Last night (Paul) Hoover crushed that ball and it didn't go anywhere. So it's nice to see it here now, that's for sure."

Ransom, who had eight hits in 40 at bats in 22 spring training games with the Phillies, is looking to show the major league brass that he has the potential to play on their level. With his two RBIs last night, he is one shy of 600 in his minor league career.

"I've had more at bats and I've had less," he said. "When you're playing this long I don't think it really matters. You're just trying to have good at bats and stay with your plan and things work out."

Ramson was a busy man at third with IronPigs starter and winner Nate Bump, who is a sinker ball pitcher, making the Red Wings hit the ball on the ground most of the night.

"He was good," Ransom said. "He worked really quick today and threw a lot of strikes. When your pitcher throws a lot of strikes and they go after hitters, as a defensive player, you can stay ready.

Ransom is still waiting to get his World Series ring and doesn't figure the Bronx Bombers will do the same to him as they did to Hadeki Matsui, who is now with the Los Angeles Angels.

"They liked him a lot more than they liked me," he quipped. Ransom admitted he's never played at Coca-Cola Park this early so he didn't know what to expect when he got a hold of a fastball thrown by Jeff Manship in the second inning.

"I knew I hit that one pretty good," he admitted. "I hit about four balls in the season series opener at Syracuse that I thought were home runs that didn't go out so all you can do is hit it and see where it lands."

OINKERS: Last night's win was the fastest the IronPigs have ever won at Coca-Cola Park in their three seasons there. It took until Game 5 in 2009 and Game 4 in 2008 ... One day after losing Wilson Valdez to the Phillies, the IronPigs called up infielder Melvin Dorta from AA Reading. He was batting 3-for-17 with two walks and a stolen base for the Lil' Phils ... Lefthander Joe Savery will start for the IronPigs tonight, while Glen Perkins starts for Rochester ... Drew Carpenter will start Saturday, Brian Mazone Sunday and Ryan Vogelsong Monday as the home stand continues ... Cleanup hitter Andy Tracy, who was hitting just .179, broke out of the slump a hit with a single and double.