Friday’s News and Notes

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  17 Responses »
Apr 082011
 

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result Today’s Game Pitching Matchup (’10 Record @ Level)
Syracuse Chiefs Won, 8-5 @ Buffalo, 5:05 p.m. Ross Detwiler (1-0, 1.80) vs.
Jenrry Mejia (0-0, 1.13)
Harrisburg Senators Won, 5-0 vs. Bowie, 7:05 p.m. Ryan Tatusko (12-3, 2.63) vs.
Steve Johnson (7-8, 5.09)
Potomac Nationals Did Not Play vs. Lynchburg, 7:05 p.m. Danny Rosenbaum (3-2, 2.09) vs.
Arodys Vizcaino (0-0, 4.61)
Hagerstown Suns Won, 3-2 @ Rome, 7:05 p.m. Matt Grace (1-2, 6.41 @ GCL/NYPL) vs.
TBD (0-0, -.–)

Editor’s note: We’re trying a slightly different format this year. The bullet points will highlight the SP, one or two outstanding RPs, and the game’s top two or three batters. When there’s some related tidbits, we’ll add sentence or two in italics. The mission is to keep this succinct and manageable, so there may be times when not every prospect gets a mention.

Syracuse 8 Buffalo 5
∙ Maya 4.2IP 8H 5ER 2BB 2K 1HR
∙ Kimball (W, 1-0) 1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K
∙ Balester (H, 1) 1.2IP 2H 0R 0BB 2K
∙ Bynum 2-4, R, 1HR, 5RBI
∙ Bixler 2-4, R, 1-2B

Both the Syracuse Chiefs and the Buffalo Bisons scored all of their runs in the 4th and 5th innings. In fact, all five of Buffalo’s runs came off Chief’s starter, Yunesky Maya. Syracuse put eight runs up on the board, paced by 5 RBI (including a 3-run HR) from Seth Bynum, and was enough to give the Chiefs the win. The team got both stellar relief pitching (4 innings of shutout baseball), and the key hit when it mattered (3-for-6 with RISP).

Roger Bernadina was out of the lineup due a family issue and is expected out for a few games. Matt Chico appeared in relief while Josh Wilkie appeared in the ninth for the rulebook save. Chris Marrero went 0-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

Harrisburg 5 Bowie 0
∙ Meyers (W, 1-0) 5IP 4H 0R 0BB 9K
∙ Rodriguez 2IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K
∙ Moore 2-4, R, 2RBI
∙ Lombardozzi 0-2, 2R, 2BB

Pitching was the story last night, as Brad Meyers tossed five shutout innings, allowing only five hits and striking out nine. The bullpen, including Henry Rodriguez, Pat McCoy and Ryan Mattheus followed suit with four more goose eggs, one hit allowed and six more strikeout. No Harrisburg pitcher issued a walk. The Baysox moundsmen could not say the same, walking eight batters. Moore and Lombardozzi were the key hitters of the game, collectively batting 2-6, while scoring 3 runs from 2 walks and collecting 2 RBI.

Derek Norris went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. The OF was a veteran contingent of Jesus Valdez, Jonathan Tucker, and Buck Coats.

Hagerstown 3 Rome 2
∙ Selik (ND) 5IP 4H 0R 0BB 4K
∙ Graham (SV, 1) 2IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K
∙ Harper 2-4, SB, CS, RBI
∙ Oduber 1-3, 2R, BB, SB

Bryce Harper wasted no time in making his presence felt, driving in Randolph Oduber in the top of the 1st after the “Groovin Aruban” had drawn a walk and stolen second. Former reliever Cameron Selik got the start blanked the Rome nine for five frames and left with a 2-0 lead. Former starter Taylor Jordan was touched for two runs in the 6th to tie the game. Wade Moore walked, stole second, took third on an error and trotted home on a Jason Martinson single for what what proved to be the gamewinner in the top of the 7th. Ben Graham closed out the game with two innings of one-hit relief for the save.

Michael Taylor’s shift to the OF is now official, as he took CF, flanked by Oduber and Harper in LF and RF, respectively. David Freitas was the cleanup hitter and caught while Mills Rogers was the first baseman.

Opening Day!

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  30 Responses »
Apr 072011
 

Three of the four full-season affiliates start up today, with the Syracuse Chiefs visiting Buffalo this afternoon, the Harrisburg Senators hosting the Bowie Baysox tonight, and the Hagerstown Suns visiting the Rome Braves tonight.

Team Today’s Game Pitching Matchup (’10/level stats)
Syracuse Chiefs @ Buffalo, 3:05 p.m. Yunesky Maya (1-1, 0.87) vs. Dillon Gee (13-8, 4.96)
Harrisburg Senators vs. Bowie 7:05 p.m. Brad Meyers (1-0, 1.47) vs. Chorye Spoone (7-6, 4.02)
Hagerstown Suns @ Rome, 7:05 p.m. Cameron Selik (1-0, 2.54) vs. TBD

As we proceed through the first five or so games, pay attention to how these pitchers line up because it’s not necessarily that so and so is the team ace, it’s how Washington wants the starters to align when the promotions start, give or take a slot. Yunesky Maya and Ross Detwiler are the first two Chiefs starters while Brad Meyers and Ryan Tatusko are the first two Sens and Danny Rosenbaum and Trevor Holder are the first two P-Nats.

Cameron Selik gets the opening-night nod for the Hagerstown, making his first professional start after 15 relief appearances last summer in Vermont. No word yet on who the Suns’ #2 will be just yet.

As aforementioned, Rosenbaum will get the ball tomorrow night, weather permitting, as the Potomac Nationals mount their 2010 Mills Cup title defense against the Lynchburg Hillcats, a team that’s expected to be a force in the Northern Division with eight BA Top-30 prospects from the Atlanta organization (Myrtle Beach switched affiliation to Texas, thanks in no small part to having the same owner).

News & Notes starts back up tomorrow, so a shout-out in advance to our foreign correspondent, April Whitzman (a.k.a. @Alleycat17 on Twitter) who’ll be helping out for the second straight year.

BEAT-GUY ROUNDUP

While I hope folks come here first, I also want to help support the local media in each market with a few links…

Harrisburg Announces Its 2011 Roster

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  28 Responses »
Mar 312011
 

The Harrisburg Senators and Washington Nationals have released the preliminary 25-man roster for the 2011 season, which features 16 returnees and 20 players that played for the organization in 2010.

Derek Norris, Tyler Moore, Patrick McCoy, Bill Rhinehart and Jimmy Barthmaier join the team from the 2010 Carolina League Champions in Potomac while offseason acquisitions Matt Antonelli, Erik Davis, Buck Coats, Jon Turner and Archie Gilbert help round out the roster.

Breaking it down by position (watchlist players are in bold)…

PITCHERS
Luis Atilano
Erik Arnesen
Jimmy Barthmaier
Erik Davis
Jeff Mandel
Ryan Mattheus
Brad Meyers
Pat McCoy
Brad Peacock
Hassan Pena
Ryan Tatusko
Cory VanAllen

CATCHERS
Devin Ivany
Derek Norris

INFIELDERS
Matt Antonelli
Adam Fox
Josh Johnson
Steve Lombardozzi
Tyler Moore
Tim Pahuta

OUTFIELDERS
Buck Coats
Archie Gilbert
Bill Rhinehart
Jon Tucker
Jesus Valdez

As previously reported, Harrisburg opens the season a week from today against Bowie, with an exhibition on Tuesday against the Hagerstown Suns in Hagerstown. As the press release states, the roster is subject to change. Folks interested in learning the numbers associated with the players shold check back with the Harrisburg website on Monday.

Season Review: 2010 Harrisburg Senators

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  9 Responses »
Nov 092010
 

In the upper minors, there is no half system, which makes the 2010 Harrisburg Senators playoff run even more impressive. At the halfway mark, their record stood at 34-37, more than a dozen games back and in fourth place. Down the stretch, they would go 43-28 and shave that lead to five games to earn the Eastern League’s Western Division wild card, beating out Bowie and Akron by a game and two games respectively.

The Senators would lose to the eventual Eastern League champions, the Altoona Curve — a team that featured several players with playoff experience in winning the 2009 Carolina League championship with the Lynchburg Hillcats. Like Potomac, this team gelled at just the right time, and got some significant help with the addition of two starters — Ryan Tatusko and Tanner — that would become known as “The Guz Two” because they were acquired from Texas in the Christian Guzman trade.

You know the drill: Let’s look at how the Senators compared to the Eastern League…

HITTING

TEAM AB R H HR BB SO AVG OBP SLG GPA SB
Harrisburg 4726 598 1188 121 398 948 .251 .314 .390 .239 86
Lg. Avg. 4755 656 1232 113 470 1008 .259 .332 .397 .249 97

Italics = League Trailer

PITCHING

TEAM IP ERA R/G WHIP HR BB SO H/9IP BB/9IP K/9IP K/BB
Harrisburg 1252.0 3.51 3.94 1.255 102 400 1108 8.4 2.9 8.0 2.77
Lg. Avg. 1244.0 4.21 4.63 1.370 113 470 1008 8.9 3.4 7.3 2.14

Bold = League Leader

As we just saw from our most recent World Champions, great pitching can carry mediocre-to-poor hitting and the Senators were no different. Offensively, the Sens were in the bottom third of the league for runs scored, hits, doubles, RBI, SBs, walks, OBP, and SLG percentage. They were middle of the pack for HRs and triples, and surprisingly for a team that was dead-last in BBs, they stuck out the third-fewest.

What this team could do well, however, was pitch. They managed to lead the league in ERA despite their #2 pitcher (in terms of IP, of course) sporting a 5.80 ERA. Seven of the Top 16 pitchers had ERAs below 3.00. As you can see from the bolded categories, they led the league in some of the most important ones: runs allowed, earned runs allowed, and ratio, and were second in baserunners allowed (WHIP) and walks, and third in strikeouts. In fact, we almost had a microcosm of Harrisburg vs. the Eastern League on the same staff, with Jeff Mandel as the former and Jason Jones as the latter.

In terms of batters, the stalwarts of the 2009 Potomac Nationals — Chris Marrero, Danny Espinosa and Jesus Valdez — were the top three batters in terms of plate appearances, runs, and RBIs. But beyond that it was the usual mix of formers, might-haves, were-it-nots (whatever euphemism you’d prefer for the “other guys” on the team) that were complementary parts, of which the best can be said is that they played league-average defense, with the exception of the catchers, who led the league in baserunners caught and worked with the pitchers to tie for the fewest stolen bases allowed.

As in previous season reviews, let’s look at the Top 16 (in terms of Plate Appearances or Innings Pitched) which puts the cutoff at 100PA and 32⅓ IP. The full team statistics can be found here.

Name Age Position(s) G @ Pos Fld% Err PA GPA
Chris Marrero 21 1B 129 .984 18 577 .270
Jesus Valdez 25 RF/LF 67/58 .990 2 569 .242
Danny Espinosa 23 SS 98 .964 15 434 .266
Brad Coon 27 CF 107 .996 1 413 .232
Michael Martinez 27 2B/OF/SS 83/17/3 .969 14 387 .234
Marvin Lowrance 25 LF 61 .978 2 357 .283
Jhontan Solano 24 C 89 .993 5 345 .225
Tim Pahuta 27 3B/1B 50/12 .956 9 303 .208
Edgardo Baez 24 RF/CF/LF 52/22/7 .983 3 300 .235
Josh Johnson 24 SS/2B/3B 35/19/17 .977 6 258 .280
Ofilio Castro 26 3B/2B 57/10 .981 3 225 .197
Adam Fox 28 3B/2B/LF 36/5/1 .875 13 171 .175
Leonard Davis 26 OF/IF 27/8 .952 4 123 .243
Steve Lombardozzi 21 2B 27 .971 3 118 .299
Sean Rooney 24 C 30 .982 14 109 .165
Devin Ivany 27 C/1B 24/1 .988 3 100 .297

Believe it or not, the average age of the batters (24.7) wasn’t that far off from the league average (24.3) nor were they the oldest in the league. With three 22-year-olds (Norris, Lombardozzi, and Burgess) expected to begin the season in 2011, that number may trend downward unless more than one of them gets the bump to Syracuse. Just six of these sixteen were above the league-average for GPA, as you’d expect for team as a whole being in the bottom third of the league. But the good news was the pitching…

PLAYER AGE G/GS W-L, SV ERA IP H BB SO WHIP HBP WP
Tom Milone 23 27/27 12-5 2.85 158 161 23 155 1.165 4 7
Aaron Thompson 23 26/26 4-13, 0 5.80 136⅔ 164 53 95 1.588 5 5
Andrew Kown 27 15/15 6-4, 0 3.83 84⅔ 83 19 47 1.205 3 1
Hassan Pena 25 48/0 2-2, 1 4.29 71⅓ 73 30 64 1.444 6 8
Rafael Martin 26 21/14 5-4, 0 3.61 67⅓ 55 26 58 1.203 1 6
Cole Kimball 24 38/10 5-1, 12 2.33 54 33 31 75 1.185 5 13
Jack Spradlin 25 39/1 1-1, 1 4.09 50⅔ 51 18 49 1.362 4 2
Adam Carr 26 36/0 6-1, 5 3.04 50⅓ 43 14 48 1.132 1 3
Chuck James 28 21/2 8-0, 2 1.59 45⅓ 28 7 50 0.772 6 3
Erik Arnesen 26 13/5 2-2, 2 2.81 41⅔ 36 7 35 1.032 1 1
John Lannan 25 7/7 1-4, 0 4.20 40⅔ 49 10 28 1.451 4 0
Jeff Mandel 25 7/7 1-4, 0 3.82 40 37 13 27 1.250 2 1
Brad Peacock 22 7/7 2-2, 0 4.66 38⅔ 33 22 30 1.422 0 0
Ryan Tatusko 25 6/6 3-1, 0 1.72 36⅔ 30 13 36 1.173 1 1
Tanner Roark 23 6/6 1-1, 0 2.50 36 35 9 33 1.222 0 0
Ross Detwiler 24 7/7 2-2, 0 2.48 32⅔ 38 7 31 1.378 2 1

There’s not much that I haven’t said already about the top dog on the pitching staff, Tom Milone. I’ll be looking forward to seeing how Sickels, BA, and the scouts at MLBA rate him this time around, now that he’s put up the numbers at the level that commands attention outside the prospect universe. Aaron Thompson was his counterweight in terms of affecting the team’s numbers as a group, and is likely to repeat this level in ’11, along with Brad Peacock and Tanner Roark.

Ryan Tatusko is the best candidate to join Milone at Syracuse next season, but beyond that is guessing game. Given the modern usage of AAA as a taxi squad, much will depend on the FAs that get signed between now and this spring. As mentioned in the comments, we’re still not at the point where the AA team has more prospects than organizational guys. While that will improve next year with the influx from Potomac, I expect to look over the ’11 Opening Day Roster and see a fair number of ’84s and ’85s in the DOB column.

Obviously, there’s some overlap with Potomac and some AFL bias in these lists. And like last week, naming a fifth bat is perfunctory. Johnson gets the nod because he’s versatile and handles the bat well. It’s no secret that next week will be even more of a, um, crapshoot when it comes to this part of the review.

OBLIGATORY TOP 5 LISTS

Batters
1. Danny Espinosa
2. Chris Marrero
3. Steve Lombardozzi
4. Michael Burgess
5. Josh Johnson

Pitchers
1. Tom Milone
2. Cole Kimball
3. Brad Peacock
4. Adam Carr
5. Tanner Roark

Monday’s News and Notes

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  7 Responses »
Sep 072010
 

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result
Syracuse Chiefs Lost, 4-3
Harrisburg Senators Won, 6-5
Potomac Nationals Won, 7-6
Hagerstown Suns Lost, 7-3

Syracuse Chiefs L, 4-3 @ Pawtucket Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Arnesen (L, 6-8) 8IP 7H 4R 4ER 3BB 3K 1HR
Pitching Star: None
Hitting Star #1: Orr 2-4, R, HR, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Burke 1-3, R, HR, RBI
Notes: Erik Arnesen went the distance, two veterans went deep, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Pawtucket as the Syracuse Chiefs lost 4-3. The PawSox touched Arnesen for the four runs with three in the second, and one in the fourth before Arenesen would retire 13 straight before a one-out walk in the eighth. Pete Orr and Jamie Burke both hit solo HRs in the top of the fifth to cut the Pawtucket lead in half. A bunt single by Brian Bixler and two errant pickoff throws set up the third Syracuse run in the sixth before the PawSox pitchers would bear down, allowing just a walk and a hit batsmen over the final three innings. With the loss, Syracuse finished 76-67, 11 games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Harrisburg Senators W, 6-5 @ Binghamton Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Roark 5⅔ IP 8H 4R 2ER 1BB 10K 1HR
Pitching Star: Pena 1⅓ IP 1H 0R 0BB 0K
Hitting Star #1: Johnson 2-3, 2R, 2BB, HR, 3RBI
Hitting Star #2: Burgess 2-4, 2B, RBI
Notes: A loss by Bowie clinched Harrisburg’s playoff spot, but the Senators made it a moot point with a 6-5 win over Binghamton. Josh Johnson delivered the knockout punch in the top of the ninth with a three-run home run to complete the comeback that had begun in the seventh as the Senators overcame deficits of 4-0 and 5-3 to beat the B-Mets. Starting pitcher Tanner Roark went the first 5⅔ innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk while striking out ten. Cole Kimball shook off a solo HR surrendered in the eighth to pitch a scoreless ninth and got the win, his fifth for Harrisburg this season. The Senators travel to Altoona tomorrow for Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-five series for the opening round of the Eastern League playoffs.

Potomac Nationals W, 7-6 vs. Kinston Box | Gamer
Starter/Pitching Star: Frias (ND) 6⅔ IP 6H 0R 0BB 8K
Hitting Star #1: Jacobsen 1-4, 3RBI
Hitting Star #2: Moresi 2-4, R, HR, 2RBI
Notes: See what happened on the final Monday Afternoon In Woodbridge

Hagerstown Suns L, 7-3 @ West Virginia Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Solis 2IP 2H 0R 0BB 2K
Pitching Star: None
Hitting Star #1: Hague 2-4, 3B, HR, 2RBI
Hitting Star #2: Perez 2-4, R, 2SB (63, 64)
Notes: Sammy Solis made his second professional appearance and maintained his 0.00ERA with two scoreless innings pitched, two hits allowed, and two batters set down on strikes. Relievers Paul Applebee and Wanel Vasquez were slightly less effective, surrendering seven runs on 14 hits and two walks over the next six innings as the Hagerstown Suns ended 2010 with a 7-3 loss, its third straight defeat. The top of the order, Eury Perez and Rick Hague, combined for four of the nine Suns hits, with Perez stealing his 63rd and 64th bases and Hague tripling and homering for 2RBI. Hagerstown finished the second half in sixth place with a 29-41 mark and went 65-75 overall.

Sunday’s News and Notes

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  3 Responses »
Sep 062010
 

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result Today’s Game Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Chiefs Won, 5-4 @ Pawtucket, 1:05 p.m. Erik Arnesen (6-7, 3.91) vs.
Ramon Ramirez (4-5, 3.03)
Harrisburg Senators Won, 13-3 @ Binghamton, 1:05 p.m. Tanner Roark (1-1, 2.37) vs.
Dylan Owen (4-4, 4.23)
Potomac Nationals Lost, 1-0 (10 inn.) vs. Kinston, 1:05 p.m. Marcos Frias (7-5, 6.14) vs.
T.J. McFarland (11-5, 3.13)
Hagerstown Suns Lost, 4-3 (10 inn.) @ West Virginia, 1:05 p.m. Paul Applebee (6-5, 3.82) vs.
Brett Lorin (2-3, 5.73)
Vermont Lake Monsters Won, 7-4 SEASON OVER N/A

Syracuse Chiefs W, 5-4 @ Pawtucket Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Martis 5IP 4H 3R 3ER 4BB 4K
Pitching Star: Carr (SV, 9) 2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K; 1-3 IR-S
Hitting Star #1: Lambin 2-3, 2R, HR, BB, SB, 2RBI
Hitting Star #2: Burke 2-4, R, 2B, RBI
Notes: A two-run rally in the top of the 8th broke a 3-3 tie and some clutch pitching by Adam Carr led the Chiefs to a 5-4 victory over the Pawtucket Red Sox. Seth Bynum hit a sacrifice fly to get the go-ahead run and hitting star Chase Lambin’s solo HR provided the insurance run. The PawSox loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8th with no outs to chase Atahualpa Severino. Carr came on and and got two groundouts (and an assist) and a called third strike to end the threat, then set down the side in the ninth for his ninth AAA save. Severino got the win, while starter Shairon Martis got the no-decision with five innings pitched, and three runs allowed on four hits and four walks.

Harrisburg Senators W, 13-3 @ Binghamton Box | Gamer
Starter/Pitching Star: Tatusko (W, 3-1) 7IP 6H 1R 1ER 0BB 6K
Hitting Star #1: Coon 5-5, R, HR, 3RBI
Hitting Star #2: Burgess 2-4, R, 2BB, 2RBI
Hitting Star #3: Johnson 2-4, 4R, 3B, 2BB, 2RBI
Notes: The Senators are now in the driver’s seat for the E.L. West wildcard, thanks to 13-3 win over the Binghamton Mets and a 1-0 loss by Bowie. An eight-run third inning put this game away early, as Harrisburg pounded out 18 hits, with Brad Coon leading all hitters with a 5-for-5 effort. Starter Ryan Tatusko went seven strong innings, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out six. A Senator win or Bowie loss this afternoon in Richmond will seal the deal.

Potomac Nationals L, 1-0 (10 inn.) Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Barthmaier 5IP 4H 0R 0BB 4K
Pitching Star: Testa 3IP 0H 0R 1BB 4K
Hitting Star: None
Notes: See what happened Sunday Afternoon in Woodbridge

Hagerstown Suns L, 4-3 @ West Virginia (10 inn.) Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Hicks 6IP 2H 1R 1ER 4BB 5K
Pitching Star: Weaver 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K
Pitching Un-Star: Garcia (BS, 2) 2IP 3H 2R 2ER 0BB 2K
Hitting Star #1: Rogers 2-4, HR, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Taylor 2-4, 2B, RBI
Notes: A leadoff HR in the bottom of the 10th downed the Suns by a 4-3 tally. The Suns bullpen was unable to hold a 3-1 lead, ruining a strong start by Graham Hicks, who gave up just one run on two hits and four walks over the first six innings. The Suns left eight runners on base and went 1-for-6 with RISP, with Mills Rogers and Michael Taylor pacing the offense as each went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Vermont Lake Monster W, 7-4 @ Staten Island Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Mattheus 2IP 2H 1R 0ER 0BB 3K
Pitching Star: Ott 3IP 1H 1R 1ER 1BB 2K
Hitting Star #1: Rowe 2-4, 3B, 4RBI
Hitting Star #2: Moldenhauer 2-5, R, 2-2B, RBI
Notes: Two three-run rallies led the Lake Monsters past the Staten Island Yankees for a 7-4 win, just their 15th in the past 45 games. Ryan Mattheus led the parade of pitchers, going the first two innings with an unearned run allowed on two hits. Billy Ott followed for the next three, giving up one run on one hit and one walk and Christian Meza got the rulebook win as the first of four relievers to pitch a single inning. Connor Rowe led the Lake Monster offense with two hits and four RBI.

Saturday’s News and Notes

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  3 Responses »
Sep 052010
 

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result Today’s Game Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Chiefs Lost, 8-2 @ Pawtucket, 6:05 p.m. Shairon Martis (8-7, 4.04) vs.
Fabio Castro (7-9, 4.76)
Harrisburg Senators Lost, 3-2 @ Binghamton, 6:35 p.m. Ryan Tatusko (2-1, 1.82) vs. TBD
Potomac Nationals Won, 2-0; Lost, 7-5 vs. Kinston, 1:00 p.m. Jimmy Barthmaier (4-1, 4.15) vs.
Marty Popham (4-4, 4.28)
Hagerstown Suns Lost, 7-0 @ West Virginia, 2:05 p.m. Graham Hicks (1-6, 5.64) vs.
Eliecer Navarro (1-2, 3.32)
Vermont Lake Monsters Lost, 3-1; Won, 7-2 @ Staten Island, 4:00 p.m. Ryan Mattheus (1-0, 0.00) vs. TBD

Syracuse Chiefs L, 8-2 @ Rochester Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Kown 5IP 3H 1R 0ER 1BB 6K
Pitching Star: 1IP 1H 0R 1BB 2K
Pyrotechnician: Wilkie (BS, 5)(L, 4-4) ⅓ IP 4H 6R 6ER 0BB 0K 1HR
Hitting Star #1: Martinez 2-3, BB, SB
Hitting Star #2: Burke 2-4
Notes: A six-run seventh put the brakes on a 12-game skid for Rochester and ran the Syracuse playoff bus off the road as the Red Wings flew past the Chiefs 8-2. Josh Wilkie was torched for six runs, including a three-run home run (just his second this season) during the inning. Starter Andrew Kown went the first five innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and a walk while striking out six.

Harrisburg Senators L, 3-2 @ Binghamton Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Peacock (L, 2-2) 4⅔ IP 3H 3R 3ER 4BB 7K 1HR
Pitching Star: Pena 2IP 1H 0R 0BB 4K
Hitting Star: Johnson 2-3, R, 2B
Notes: With both Bowie and Harrisburg losing by a single run, the odds of a one-game playoff just got a little higher. Brad Peacock gave up all three of Binghamton’s runs in a 3-2 loss, going 4⅔ innings and giving up three hits (one a home run) while walking four and striking out seven. Four Binghamton pitchers combined to stifle the Senators, who managed just four hits and couldn’t take advantage of five walks, hitting into three double plays.

Potomac Nationals W, 2-0; L, 7-5 Gamer
GAME ONE | Box
Starting Pitcher: Holder (W, 3-3) 6IP 3H 0R 0BB 6K
Pitching Star: McCoy (SV, 6) 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K
Hitting Star #1: Moore 1-3, RBI (110)
Hitting Star #2: Norris 1-2, R, BB, RBI
Notes: See how Potomac clinched Last Night In Woodbridge

GAME TWO | Box
Starting Pitcher: Martinez 4IP 5H 1R 0ER 1BB 2K
Midgame BP: Phillabaum 1⅓ IP 4H 6R 6ER 3BB 0K 1HR
Pitching Star: Lehman 1⅔ IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Lyon 2-3, R, 2B, BB
Hitting Star #2: Moresi 2-3, 2B, 2RBI
Notes: See how Potomac clinched Last Night In Woodbridge

Hagerstown Suns L, 7-0 @ West Virginia Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Demny (L, 6-10) 4⅔ IP 3H 3R 2ER 0BB 3K
Pitching Un-Star: Erb 1⅓ 3H 4R 4ER 2BB 2K
Pitching Star: Graham 2IP 2H 0R 0BB 1K
Hitting Star: Cuevas 3-4
Notes: The West Virginia Power pulled the plug on the Hagerstown Suns with a 7-0 shutout of the Hagerstown Suns. Starter Paul Demny was touched for the first three runs on three hits and no walks over 4⅔ innings. Relever Shane Erb coughed up the next four on three hits and two walks over the next 1⅓ innings. Justino Cuevas paced the Suns offense with three of their six hits.

Vermont Lake Monsters L, 3-1; W, 7-2 Gamer
GAME ONE | Box
Starting Pitcher: Jordan (L, 2-3) 5⅓ 5H 3R 2ER 0BB 8K
Pitching Star: None
Hitting Star #1: Labrie 2-2, BB
Hitting Star #2: Freitas 2-3
Notes: The clutch hit escaped the Lake Monsters in game one, as the fell to the Staten Island Yankees by a 3-1 tally. Hitters of the game Ronnie Labire and David Freitas accounted for four of the five hits for Vermont, which left seven runners on base. Starter Taylor Jordan allowed all three SI-Yank runs on five hits and no walks while striking out eight.

GAME TWO | Box
Starting Pitcher: Swynenberg (W, 5-2) 5IP 4H 1R 1ER 2BB 2K
Pitching Star: None
Hitting Star #1: Martinson 2-2, 2R, 2B, BB, 2RBI
Hitting Star #2: Mozingo 3-4, R, RBI
Notes: A five-run third pushed Vermont towards the doubleheader split as the Lake Monsters would go on to a 7-2 victory. Jason Martinson would single, double, and walk while driving in two and scoring twice to join Chad Mozingo (3-for-4) for hitting-star honors. Matt Swynenberg won his 5th game with one run allowed on four hits and two walks over five innings.

Friday’s News and Notes

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  5 Responses »
Sep 042010
 

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result Today’s Game Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Chiefs Won, 4-1 vs. Rochester, 7:05 p.m. Andrew Kown (2-4, 3.79) vs. TBD
Harrisburg Senators Won, 9-1; Won, 3-1 @ Binghamton, 7:05 p.m. Brad Peacock (2-1, 4.50) vs.
Robert Carson (1-6, 8.74)
Potomac Nationals Won, 5-0 vs. Kinston, 5:00 p.m.
(doubleheader)		 Trevor Holder (2-3, 4.48) and
Carlos Martinez (0-0, 2.90) vs.
Joseph Gardner (12-5, 2.69) and
Austin Adams (5-1, 1.51)
Hagerstown Suns Won, 6-5 @ West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. Paul Demny (6-9, 4.25) vs.
Jason Erickson (7-6, 4.44)
Vermont Lake Monsters Lost, 7-4 @ Staten Island, 5:00 p.m.
(doubleheader)		 Taylor Jordan (2-2, 5.08) and
Matt Swynenberg (4-2, 4.84) vs. TBD

Syracuse Chiefs W, 4-1 @ Rochester Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Mock (W, 1-1) 6IP 4H 1R 1ER 2BB 3K
Pitching Star: Bisenius 1⅓ IP 2H 0R 0BB 2K
Hitting Star #1: Bynum 1-3, 2R, BB, HR, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Davis 1-3, 3B, BB
Notes: Back-to-back RBI doubles by Chase Lambin and Pete Orr broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh as the Syracuse Chiefs won their sixth straight game by a score of 4-1. Garrett Mock started and pitched six strong innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks to go with three K’s, while three Chiefs relievers combined for the final three scoreless innings. The win kept pace with Columbus, as the tragic number is now down to one, meaning Syracuse has to win out and the Clippers to lose out just to force a tie.

Harrisburg Senators W, 9-1; W, 3-1 @ Binghamton Gamer
GAME ONE | Box
Starter/Pitching Star: Milone (W, 12-5) 7IP 7H 1R 1ER 1BB 9K
Hitting Star #1: Marrero 3-4, 2R, HR, 3RBI
Hitting Star #2: Burgess 2-4, 2R, 2HR, 3RBI
Hitting Star #3: Lombardozzi 3-3, 2R, 2BB, HR, RBI
Notes: For the second straight season, Tom Milone has posted a 12-5 won-loss record, as the 23-year-old tossed a complete game in the opening game of the doubleheader. The 12 wins leads the Nats minors by two over teammate Chuck James, and the nine strikeouts is 14 ahead of teammate Brad Peacock. Chris Marrero, Mike Burgess, and Steve Lombardozzi all went deep, combining for eight of the 12 Harrisburg hits.

GAME TWO | Box
Starting Pitcher: Alaniz (W, 1-0) 5IP 2H 0R 2BB 5K
Pitching Star: Spradlin (H, 0) 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Johnson 2-3, 2R, 2-2B
Hitting Star #2: Burgess 1-3, R, HR, RBI
Notes: The nightcap was a scoreless pitcher’s duel through five full innings before Mike Burgess went deep for third time on the night, his solo HR giving the Senators a 1-0 lead in the sixth. Harrisburg added two more in the seventh to extend the lead to 3-0. Binghamton would get its lone run in the bottom of the seventh as Brahaim Maldanado greeted closer Cole Kimball with a big fly, which was just the third hit of the night for the B-Mets. Starter Adrian Alaniz went the first five innings, allowing just two his and two walks while setting down five on strikes.

The doubleheader sweep pulls Harrisburg into a tie with Bowie for the E.L. West wildcard. In the event of a tie, Bowie would host Harrisburg for a one-game playoff.

Potomac Nationals W, 5-0 @ Salem Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Rosenbaum (W, 3-2) 6IP 4H 0R 0BB 4K
Pitching Star: Dials (H, 4) 2IP 2H 0R 0BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Jacobsen 2-4, 2R, 2B, HR, 2RBI
Hitting Star #2: Moore 1-3, R, HR (30), RBI (109)
Notes: With Wilmington idle, the Potomac Nationals shut out the Salem Red Sox 5-0, reducing their magic number to reach the playoffs to just one. Tyler Moore and Robbie Jacobsen both went deep in a three-run eighth that put the game out of reach. Starter Danny Rosenbaum went six scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and striking out four. Zach Dials pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th and A.J. Morris closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth. The win also clinched a playoff berth for this weekend’s opponent, the Kinston Indians.

Hagerstown Suns W, 6-5 @ West Virginia Box
Starting Pitcher: McCatty (W, 1-1) 5IP 4H 1R 0ER 0BB 8K
Pitching Star: Morrison (SV, 2) 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K
Hitting Star #1: Newsome 2-5, R, 2-2B
Hitting Star #2: Leon 2-5, 2R, 3B, RBI
Notes: The Hagerstown Suns built a 6-1 lead and survived two late rallies to edge past the West Virginia Power, 6-5. Shane McCatty started and allowed just one unearned run on four hits over five innings while striking out eight to get the win. Kyle Morrison stopped the bullpen giveaways with 1-2-3 ninth on three strikeouts. Hitters of the game Brett Newsome and Sandy Leon both went 2-for-5 to pace the 10-hit Suns attack.

Vermont Lake Monsters L, 7-4 @ Staten Island Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Hansen 4IP 11H 4R 4ER 1BB 4K
Pitching Star: Ray 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K
Pitching Un-Star: Jenkins (L, 2-7) 3IP 3H 3R 3ER 2BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Rowe 2-4, 2B; Two OF assists at HP
Hitting Star #2: Kelso 2-4, SB
Notes: Vermont completed its collapse with a 7-4 loss to Staten Island, which coupled with a Connecticut win, eliminated the Lake Monsters from the playoffs. Pitching and clutch hitting were both AWOL as Bobby Hansen started and threw for four innings, giving up four runs on 11 hits and a walk and the Vermont offense went just 3-for-15 with RISP, stranding 10 runners. Connor Rowe doubled in a 2-for-4 night and gunned down two runners at the plate to earn hitting star honors along with Blake Kelso, who stole a base while also going 2-for-4.

Thursday’s News and Notes

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  8 Responses »
Sep 032010
 

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result Today’s Game Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Chiefs Won, 7-3 vs. Rochester, 7:05 p.m. Garrett Mock (0-1, 7.20) vs.
Chris Province (0-1, 7.27)
Harrisburg Senators Lost, 3-2 @ Binghamton, 5:35 p.m.
(Doubleheader)		 Tom Milone (11-5, 2.92) and
Adrian Alaniz (0-0, 3.00) vs.
Mark Cohoon (5-3, 4.36) and
TBD
Potomac Nationals Won, 10-3 @ Salem, 7:05 p.m. Danny Rosenbaum (2-2, 2.43) vs.
Stolmy Pimentel (9-10, 4.18)
Hagerstown Suns Lost, 8-6 @ West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. TBD vs. TBD
Vermont Lake Monsters Lost, 8-1 @ Staten Island, 7:00 p.m. TBD vs. TBD

Syracuse Chiefs W, 7-3 vs. Rochester Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Detwiler (W, 1-0) 5IP 5H 3R 1ER 1BB 2K
Pitching Star: Balester (H, 4) 2IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Bixler 1-2, R, 3BB, 2RBI; OF assist at 3B
Hitting Star #2: Botts 3-4, RBI
Notes: It may be too little, too late but the Chiefs closed out their home slate with their fifth straight win, a 7-3 victory over Rochester. Starter Ross Detwiler went five innings, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while Colin Balester and Atahualpa Severino each tossed two scoreless innings in relief. Brian Bixler reached based four times and drove in two to lead the Chiefs offense. The win combined with a Columbus loss kept Syracuse’s elimination number at two with four to play.

Harrisburg Senators L, 3-2 Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Thompson (ND) 5⅓ IP 6H 2R 2ER 4BB 4K
Pitching Star: Martin 1⅓ IP 1H 0R 1BB 0K
Hitting Star #1: Burgess 2-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Lombardozzi 1-3, R, BB, HR, RBI
Defensive Star: Baez, OF assist at HP
Notes: Solo home runs by Mike Burgess and Steve Lombardozzi were enough to chase blue-chipper Kyle Drabek, but the Senators were filibustered by the Fisher Cat bullpen as New Hampshire chipped away with single-run innings three times to come back for a 3-2 win. Starter Aaron Thompson threw 5⅓ innings and gave up two runs on six hits and four walks while striking out four. Harrisburg was held to just five hits, and could not capitalize on the six walks issued by New Hampshire, grounding into three double plays. The loss, combined with a Baysox win, dropped the Senators a ½ game behind Bowie in the E.L. West wildcard race.

Potomac Nationals W, 10-3 Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Bronson (W, 4-7) 6⅓ IP 4H 2R 1ER 2BB 4K
Pitching Star: Wort 1IP 0H 0R 1BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Walton 3-5, 2R, 2B, HR, 3RBI
Hitting Star #2: Norris 3-5, 2R, 2-2B, BB, 3RBI
Hitting Star #3: Moore 3-4, R, BB, RBI
Notes: Jamar Walton’s three-run HR in the top of the fourth broke open a 1-1 game as the Potomac Nationals would break out for a 10-3 win over Salem. Combined with a Wilmington loss, the P-Nats’ magic number is now just two with five games to play. Evan Bronson made a triumphant return to the P-Nat rotation, tossing 6⅓ strong innings with two runs allowed on four hits and two walks. Also collecting three hits were Derek Norris, and the newly anointed Carolina League MVP Tyler Moore, as the Potomac offense collected 16 hits overall.

Hagerstown Suns L, 8-6 Box
Starting Pitcher: Clegg 5IP 7H 3R 3ER 2BB 3K 2HR
Pitching Un-Star: Garcia (BS, 1)(L, 4-4) 2⅓ 4H 5R 5ER 3BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Leon 3-4, 2R, 2-2B, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Hague 3-4, 2B, BB, 2RBI
Notes: The Suns bullpen couldn’t hold a 5-3 lead, coughing up five runs in three innings as the Lexington Legends took the game 8-6. Starter Mitchell Clegg allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks. Lexington turned four double plays to offset the 12 hits and five walks surrendered. Sandy Leon led the hit parade with two doubles and a single in hs four at-bats.

Vermont Lake Monsters L, 8-1 Box | Gamer
Starting Pitcher: Barrett 4IP 5H 4R 4ER 1BB 5K
Pro Debut: A.J. Cole 1IP 1H 0R 1BB 1K
Hitting Star: Kelso 1-4, R, HR, RBI
Notes: The death-spiral continues for Vermont, as the Lake Monster were spun 8-1 by the Brooklyn Cyclones for their eight loss in the past 11 games. Aaron Barrett made the start ahead of announced starter A.J. Cole and tired the Cyclones out with four runs allowed on five hits and a walk before Cole came on for a scoreless inning of relief for his pro debut. Blake Kelso’s solo HR in the eighth broke up the shutout, the third of three hits the Lake Monsters would manage on the night. The loss dropped Vermont to 2½ games behind Tri-City in the Stedler Divison and reduced the elimination number to just two.

Wednesday’s News and Notes

 News and Notes, Uncategorized  6 Responses »
Sep 022010
 

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result Today’s Game Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Chiefs Won, 7-2 vs. Rochester, 7:05 p.m. Ross Detwiler (0-0, -.–) vs.
Cole DeVries (0-1, 4.42)
Harrisburg Senators Won, 2-1 @ New Hampshire, 6:35 p.m. Aaron Thompson (4-13, 5.89) vs.
Kyle Drabek (14-9, 2.89)
Potomac Nationals Won, 4-2 @ Salem, 7:05 p.m. Evan Bronson (3-7, 4.06) vs.
Brock Huntzinger (7-7, 3.90)
Hagerstown Suns Won, 9-1 @ Lexington, 7:05 p.m. Mitchell Clegg (9-3, 3.38) vs.
Tanner Bushue (7-8, 3.92)
Vermont Lake Monsters Won, 6-4; Lost, 3-2 @ Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m. A.J. Cole (pro debut) vs. TBD

Syracuse Chiefs W, 7-2 @ Rochester
Starting Pitcher: Maya (W, 1-1) 5⅔ IP 6H 1R 1ER 2BB 3K
Pitching Star: Wilkie (H, 9) 1⅓ IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K
Hitting Star #1: Bynum 3-3, BB
Hitting Star #2: Martinez 3-5, R, 2RBI
Hitting Star #3: Maldonado 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI
Notes: A four-run 5th gave Yunesky Maya all the run support he would need as the Chiefs would beat the Red Wings by a final count of 7-2. The Cuban defector’s first American professional win saw him go 5⅔ innings and give up one runs on six hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts. Veterans Seth Bynum, Michael Martinez, and Carlos Maldonado were the hitters of the game, combining for eight of the 11 Syracuse hits. The win kept pace with Columbus for the wild-card race, but the elimination number is now two with five to play.

Harrisburg Senators W, 2-1 @ New Hampshire
Starting Pitcher: Roark (ND) 6⅓ IP 5H 1R 1ER 3BB 2K
Pitching Star: Pena 1⅓ IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K
Hitting Star #1: Johnson 2-3, 2R, 2-2B, BB
Hitting Star #2: Baez 1-3, BB, RBI
Notes: Edgardo Baez’s RBI single in the top of the 9th gave Harrisburg the 2-1 edge over New Hampshire. Tanner Roark got the no-decision, giving up the lone Fisher Cat run on five hits and three walks over 6⅓ innings. Hassan Pena and Jack Spradlin (who got the win by retiring the lone batter he faced) built the bridge for Cole Kimball, who pitched a scoreless bottom of the 9th for his 11th save for Harrisburg. The win keeps pace with Bowie, as the elimination number for the Baysox is now six. Fourth-place Akron lost to reduce its elimination number to three.

Potomac Nationals W, 4-2 @ Salem
Starting Pitcher: Frias (W, 7-5) 6IP 3H 1R 0ER 2BB 3K
Pitching Star: Martinez (H, 2) 2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K
Hitting Star #1: Rooney 1-4, R, HR, 2RBI
Hitting Star #2: Jacobsen 2-3, 2B, RBI
Notes: Marcos Frias tossed his first quality start in nearly six weeks, while backup catchers Sean Rooney and Robby Jacobsen powered the Potomac offense to a 4-2 win over the Salem Red Sox. Frias went six innings and gave up an unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out three. Rooney’s two-run blast in the top of the 4th broke a 1-1 tie to give Potomac the lead. In the 5th Jacobsen, who had been pressed into duty when starting catcher Derek Norris was ejected in the third, doubled in Francisco Soriano to extend the lead to 4-1. The win kept pace with Wilmington and reduced their magic number to clinch the second-half title to four, with two more to play in Salem before hosting red-hot (eight straight wins) Kinston this weekend.

Hagerstown Suns W, 9-1
Starting Pitcher: Solis 2IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K
Pitching Star: Applebee (W, 6-5) 7IP 4H 1R 1ER 0BB 5K
Hitting Star #1: Cuevas 2-4, R, 2-2B, SB, 2RBI
Hitting Star #2: Ramirez 2-5, R, 2B, 2RBI
Hitting Star #3: Hague 2-5, R, 2B, BB
Notes: Sammy Solis made his professional debut, tossing two perfect innings as the Suns debunked the Legends 9-1. The top third of the order (Hague, Cuevas, Ramirez) combined to go 6-for-14 with four doubles, four RBI and five runs scored as the Suns pounded out 14 hits overall. Paul Applebee followed Solis with seven solid innings, giving up the lone Lexington run on four hits, no walks, while setting down five on strikes.

Vermont Lake Monsters W, 6-4 (8 inn.) @ Brooklyn (Game One)
Starting Pitcher: Grace 4⅔ IP 3H 4R 2ER 1BB 2K
Pitching Star: Crane (W, 3-3) 3IP 1H 0R 2BB 2K
Hitting Star #1: Moldenhauer 2-4, R, 2B, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Kelso 2-3, 2R, BB
Notes: The Lake Monsters overcame a 4-0 deficit with picket fence of crooked numbers, scoring two runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings to win 6-4 in the first game against Brooklyn. Russell Moldenhauer’s two-run double tied the game at 4-4 to help him earn Hitting Star honors alongside Blake Kelso. Starter Matt Grace allowed all four Cyclone runs on three hits and a walk over 4⅔ innings, while Dustin Crane got the win with three scoreless innings of relief.

Vermont Lake Monsters L, 3-2 (8 inn.) @ Brooklyn (Game Two)
Starter/Pitching Star: Demmin 5IP 3H 0R 0BB 3K
Hitting Star: Moldenhauer 1-3, R, HR, RBI
Notes: The nightcap also went into “extra” innings, but this time the Cyclones came out on top by a 3-2 score as reliever Wilson Eusebio literally threw the game away with an error on a sacrifice bunt. Reliever Ryan Demmin turned in a strong spot start with five scoreless innings with three hits allowed and three batters struck out. Russ Moldenhauer was the hitter of the game again with a solo HR that gave the Lake Monsters an early 1-0 lead. With the doubleheader split, Vermont remains in third place, 1½ games behind Tri-City with an elimination number of just four with five games to play. Fourth-round draft pick A.J. Cole has been listed to start tonight, which would be his professional debut.

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