This season, for the Phillies, was always about what happened in the minor leagues. The nightly search for encouraging pebbles is easier there than in the majors. When triple-A Lehigh Valley played Monday night at Pawtucket, the familiar positives unfolded.
Rhys Hoskins homered twice and walked once. Cameron Perkins launched a homer. Nick Williams collected two more hits.
And Mark Appel fired 8 1/3 scoreless innings.
No one will proclaim his outing as a watershed moment because Appel’s career is littered with inconsistent results. But Appel is a former No. 1-overall pick, and he pitched Monday like a former No.