Tag Archives: Potomac

Opening Day!

  By Luke Erickson | April 7, 2011 - 8:22 am | ,
30 Comments

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…

Potomac Announces Its 2011 Roster

  By Luke Erickson | April 4, 2011 - 2:27 pm | ,
28 Comments

As folks have noted in the comments, the Potomac roster has been released to the (mainstream) media.

For the newbies, this is home base for me (disclosure: I’m a season ticket holder, and have been since 2006) so when the P-Nats are home, I’ll do a gamer entitled “Last Night In Woodbridge” and let you know what I saw and/or am seeing. Though I mostly play it straight, I’ve been known to go off on a tangent or sometimes try a new angle.

This I offer in advance even if my tagline above or my bio below ought to explain it. My favorites are pretty easy to spot and I’ve been influenced to go a little easier on the players when they’re struggling, but I’m sure it can happen again. This is a blog, after all.

Without further ado…

PITCHERS
Alex Caldera
Mitchell Clegg
Ryan Demmin
Paul Demny
Marcos Frias
Trevor Holder
Pat Lehman
Carlos Martinez
Kyle Morrison
Adam Olbrychowski
Danny Rosenbaum
Josh Smoker
Rob Wort

CATCHERS
Brian Peacock
Sandy Leon

INFIELDERS
Cutter Dykstra
Rick Hague
Stephen King
Jeff Kobernus
Francisco Soriano
Steven Souza

OUTFIELDERS
Chris Curran
Destin Hood
Eury Perez
J.P. Ramirez

This is the inverse of what I’m used to. Usually, Potomac opens with just two or three guys 22 or younger and nine or ten guys 25 or older. This year, just three guys are 25 or older and twelve are 22 or younger. And while not all of our watchlist players are full-fledged prospects, there are still 19 20 of them here. Seven guys from the BA Top 30 and John Sickels’s book are here.

The biggest surprises we already knew: Rosenbaum and Holder are back, and are likely the first two in the rotation. The other three are going to be the tough to guess, with five guys that have mostly been starters. Josh Smoker and Rob Wort have both been late-inning guys, but one has to think that Demmin making the jump from Vermont has to mean he’s in the running to finish games, too.

Most of the other surprises are mild or have ready explanations (e.g. Sammy Solis is nursing a groin injury, per Adam Kilgore). Justin Bloxom is not here, which means that either someone’s been converted (Souza, King, Ramirez) or we’re likely to see a carousel at both first base and DH in order to balance offense and defense.

In any case, this may be the best roster on paper we’ve ever seen in Potomac. Like all teams in baseball, the question will be whether or not the pitching will be there, particularly in the second half. Opening Day is this Friday against the Lynchburg Hillcats.

Guessing The Rosters, Part Two

  By Luke Erickson | February 22, 2011 - 8:41 am | ,
28 Comments

So let’s get it out of the way, shall we? The Nats brass has been hinting at Hagerstown for Bryce Harper’s regular-season debut since last fall, but I’m not buying it. Why? Because the same thing was said about Strasburg last year and Potomac, but also because it will make for a move that’s part PR, part psychological ploy.

What I believe will happen is that Harper will play much like he did in the AFL and he’ll “earn” his first promotion right out of Spring Training. The spin will be that “He proved to us that it would just be a waste of time,” or something to that effect. But the reality is if they want him to “pay his dues,” slotting him one level below where he belongs instead of two will suffice.

Now before folks accuse me of self-interest, let me remind you that I was actually relieved that Strasburg didn’t come to Potomac last year. Sure, I missed out on seeing one of the great ones up close, but I also missed the throngs of overgrown fanboys. If you infer any animus, it’s to those folks, not young Mr. Harper.

Now enough waxing Oblio, let’s get back to the point. Here’s my take on the position players that will begin in Potomac this year:

CA – Sandy Leon
1B – Justin Bloxom
2B – Jeff Kobernus
SS – Rick Hague
3B – Steven Souza
OF – Destin Hood
OF – Eury Perez
OF – Bryce Harper
DH – J.P. Ramirez
BCA – Sean Rooney
BIF – Francisco Soriano
BIF – Stephen King
BOF – Chris Curran
BOF – Brett Newsome

I’m much less confident about this group versus yesterday’s. Kobernus and Hague could just as easily start at Hagerstown, but I’m slotting them here because of their age. Organizational guys like Sean Rooney and Brett Newsome may not break camp… or even go. Ramirez and Hood both need playing time in the OF, but I’m projecting that they’ll split time until Harper is promoted. This is generally the last roster to be set, but I anticipate very few holdovers from last season.

As always, let’s discuss in the comments.

Guessing The Rosters, Part One

  By Luke Erickson | February 21, 2011 - 8:16 am | ,
30 Comments

Now that we know who’s in the best shape of their life, who’s reported early, and who’s having visa problems, we can start to think about the minors and who’s going to end up where.

There’s an interesting dichotomy early in the 2011 Washingtion Nationals Spring Training — plenty of competition for pitchers, but supposedly less so for position players, with only LF and possibly CF up for grabs. While I’m not sure if I agree with that (particularly with Riggleman’s proclamation that Pudge Rodriguez is the starting catcher), I’ll reserve judgment until they actually play some games.

As folks have noted in the comments, the high minors (Harrisburg and Syracuse) are going to be very difficult to guess. It’s nearly a given that predicting pitchers is a fool’s errand, and looking over our watchlist, I can only honestly place six position players at Syracuse and Harrisburg. That’s Chris Marrero and Corey Brown (sorry, Peric) in New York and Steve Lombardozzi, Josh Johnson, Tyler Moore, and Derek Norris in Pennsylvania.

But I do think we can throw darts in terms of the position players in the low, full-season minors.

With that in mind, here’s my preseason gander at the Hagerstown, starters first (“B” before traditional positional abbreviations = Bench):

CA – David Freitas
1B – Mills Rogers
2B – Adrian Sanchez
SS – Jason Martinson
3B – Blake Kelso
OF – Randloph Oduber
OF – J.R. Higley
OF – Wade Moore
DH – Russell Moldenhauer
BCA – Wilfri Pena
BIF – Justino Cuevas
BIF – Michael Taylor
BOF – Justin Miller
BOF – J.R. Higley

Are there arguments to be made here? Of course there are. Moldenhauer might finally be put at 1B and Rogers could be used as a super-sub. Higley might not lose his job. Taylor might go to XST to get a little more seasoning (he turns 20 late in March). And of course the bluster about Bryce Harper opening the season in Rome on April could actually turn out to be true, but as you can see, I’m not fiddling nor is Georgia on my mind.

As always, discuss in the comments. Next up, a guess at Potomac.

Season Review: 2010 Potomac Nationals

  By Luke Erickson | November 1, 2010 - 8:35 am | ,
3 Comments

The half system one of the best things ever conceived for minor-league baseball. It’s an acknowledgment that player movement during the season affects the standings and helps generate interest in the second half. And it’s what helped make the 2010 Potomac Nationals’ pennant run possible.

The first-half Potomac team struggled to muster a consistent offensive attack, getting shut out seven times and scoring 10 or more runs five times, stumbling along to a 31-39 record — 10 games behind Frederick. The second-half team also started slowly, losing seven of its first 12 games before they headed up to Frederick, tied for last place. And then they swept the Keys to go to 8-7. After a split in Salem, Potomac returned to Woodbridge at 9-8. Despite having a rehabbing Jordan Zimmermann on the mound, they lost 3-1 to fall back to .500.

But a funny thing happened in that game. Potomac’s first baseman doubled in the lone run, his first game back after being benched in the second game of the doubleheader in Salem. The next afternoon, he homered. The night after that, he hit a grand slam and doubled twice. You know the rest of that story, but the hitting became contagious. Bill Rhinehart hit .281 in July after a .226 June. Michael Burgess went from .183 in June to .286. Sean Rooney, as part of the ripple effect of the Matt Capps trade that reassigned catchers from A+ to AAA, dropped down from Harrisburg, where he had been struggling as a backup, and picked up where he left off in ’09 and hit .308 in July.

Appropriately, this is a good time to take a look at how the Potomac bats compared to the rest of the Carolina League…

HITTING

TEAM AB R H HR BB SO AVG OBP SLG GPA SB
Potomac 4641 665 1166 109 539 1081 .251 .334 .402 .251 96
Lg. Avg. 4664 629 1212 90 435 1038 .260 .330 .388 .246 105

Bold = League Leader

PITCHING

TEAM IP ERA R/G WHIP HR BB SO H/9IP BB/9IP K/9IP K/BB
Potomac 1227.0 3.98 4.62 1.354 101 393 1082 9.3 2.9 7.9 2.75
Lg. Avg. 1221.1 3.92 4.53 1.349 90 435 1038 8.9 3.2 7.7 2.39

The batting numbers are what you might expect from a team that went 70-69 overall: slightly above or slightly below the league averages. Unfortunately, while it’s easy to find splits on individual players, it’s a little harder for teams, thus I can’t easily demonstrate just how much better the team was on offense in the second half versus the first. Also skewing the results are the Winston-Salem Dash, who were sensational on offense, hitting .288 as a team and averaging nearly a full run per game above the league average (5.31 vs. 4.53). Potomac would finish second to them in HRs and total bases.

In terms of pitching, Potomac’s only true calling card was avoiding the free pass, finishing second behind the Salem Red Sox for fewest walks allowed. Unfortunately, that was offset by allowing the third-most HRs and hitting the most batters. In prototypical fashion, the starters were young, the relievers were not, but unlike the bats, they were not the oldest group in the league (Frederick).

In keeping with the format we’ve established, here’s a look at the Top 16 batters in terms of plate appearances, followed by the Top 16 pitchers in terms of innings. Full statistics for the team can be found here.

Name Age Position(s) G @ Pos Fld% Err PA GPA
Tyler Moore 23 1B 116 .990 11 553 .282
Steve Lombardozzi 21 2B 107 .989 6 507 .269
Michael Burgess 21 RF/LF 99/1 .981 3 491 .265
Derek Norris 21 C 69 .988 7 399 .293
Jose Lozada 24 SS/1B/2B/LF 95/3/1/1 .938 27 385 .236
Robby Jacobsen 25 LF/3B/C/1B/P 59/26/10/2/2 .964 8 375 .221
Bill Rhinehart 25 LF/RF/1B 30/26/17 .978 5 346 .264
Nick Moresi 25 CF/RF/LF/P 49/15/14/1 .978 3 325 .213
Chris Curran 22 CF 70 .981 3 275 .209
Dan Lyons 25 3B/2B/SS 53/5/1 .959 7 274 .235
Brian Peacock 25 C/3B/LF 41/4/2 .994 2 235 .241
Wilberto Ortiz 25 3B/SS/2B 25/19/1 .931 12 187 .223
Sean Rooney 24 C 19 1.000 0 170 .244
Tim Pahuta 26 3B/1B 22/4 .931 8 155 .296
Francisco Soriano 22 2B/SS 21/7 .932 10 117 .219
Josh Johnson 24 3B/SS/2B 12/12/1 .966 3 113 .297

The naysayers like to point out the number of 25-year-olds that were on the team, either not noticing (slightly possible) or not knowing (quite probable) that 44% of the plate appearances were made by players 23 or younger. Add in the 24-year-olds (a not uncommon age for the league) and that number swells to 57%. With the exceptions of Bill Rhinehart and Tim Pahuta, none the “old men” on the team were above league average. Thus, it’s ignorant to write off this team’s offense as being too old for the level. That accusation can, however, be applied to the pitching…

PLAYER AGE G/GS W-L, SV ERA IP H BB SO WHIP HBP WP
Adrian Alaniz 26 24/12 8-4, 1 2.61 107 93 26 101 1.112 6 10
Brad Peacock 22 19/18 4-9, 0 4.44 103⅓ 109 25 118 1.297 4 10
Evan Bronson 23 21/16 2-5, 0 3.88 95 107 17 59 1.527 3 5
Marcos Frias 21 20/17 7-5, 0 5.69 91⅔ 105 35 59 1.527 5 3
Pat Lehman 23 21/14 5-4, 0 4.84 87⅓ 87 28 88 1.317 9 4
A.J. Morris 23 23/12 5-3, 2 3.88 72 67 27 61 1.306 6 3
Trevor Holder 23 15/14 3-3, 0 4.09 70⅓ 76 22 52 1.393 4 4
Jesse Estrada 26 22/4 3-2, 1 5.11 56⅓ 73 20 39 1.651 8 1
Clayton Dill 24 40/0 6-7, 1 4.41 51 50 33 48 1.627 1 11
Dan Leatherman 24 31/0 3-2, 11 2.12 46⅔ 31 12 57 0.921 2 2
Pat McCoy 21 30/0 2-1, 6 2.93 46 52 12 44 1.391 1 0
Daniel Rosenbaum 22 8/7 3-2, 0 2.09 43 35 13 31 1.116 0 3
Cory VanAllen 25 36/0 2-3, 1 4.28 41⅓ 49 8 48 1.379 1 3
Justin Phillabaum 24 29/0 0-6, 3 6.87 36⅔ 50 15 28 1.773 6 4
Carlos Martinez 26 18/1 0-0, 1 2.57 35 35 6 14 1.171 1 3
Jimmy Barthmaier 26 9/5 4-1, 0 3.62 32⅓ 36 7 26 1.330 3 3

The bullpen (with one rather obvious exception that should be easy to spot in the list above) was a strong spot for P-Nats all season long, and it should have been because it was almost entirely pitchers that were 24 or older — several with AA experience. Injuries forced Adrian Alaniz and Jesse Estrada into the rotation, but when callups from Hagerstown came, only Estrada was sent back. Alaniz and Barthmaier were considerable factors during the second half, which is not to diminish what Rosenbaum and Holder also meant down the stretch.

I’ve been told that the Potomac roster is the last one to be decided coming out of spring training, with the implication being that at least some of the “old men” are guys that might have otherwise been at Harrisburg, but were the odd man out because player X is at Syracuse and they’d prefer player Y to play every day so he’s going to AA instead of sitting the bench at AAA. The aforementioned trade for Wilson Ramos demonstrated that in practice as Devin Ivany was sent down to Harrisburg and Sean Rooney, in turn, came to Potomac.

I don’t believe, however, that the age of the Potomac roster is entirely explained by that. The tendency to draft college-age players is a factor. The lack of timely development of the high-school-aged prospects is a factor. But I think the days of the team being this old are numbered. Next year’s team will have a lot of the 20- and 21-year-olds from Hagerstown, and should become the youngest roster I’ve personally seen in Woodbridge.

But an older roster shouldn’t diminish what this team accomplished. They still had to beat out a loaded Wilmington team to win the half. They still had to beat the Frederick Keys, which also had a lot of older pitchers and was in the Top 3 in most offensive categories. And they faced one of the most powerful lineups in organized baseball and kept them from scoring their customary 5+ runs a game for the entire series, one that yours truly even thought may have been just too much to contain.

OBLIGATORY TOP 5 LISTS
Most of the “repeats” are pitchers, and before folks start chirping, I’ll explain #5. Marcos Frias was one two pitchers that went to the GCL and came back a changed pitcher. His overall numbers were horrid, but he finished the regular season strong and it carried over to the playoffs. That performance basically bumped Pat McCoy off the list, but I mention him here because the line is that close. Tyler Moore’s place is simply indicative of the fact that his weaknesses haven’t been put to the test at AA. Chris Curran gets the nod over Francisco Soriano due to his speed and defense, though Soriano has the better bat and a stronger arm.

Batters
1. Derek Norris
2. Steve Lombardozzi
3. Michael Burgess
4. Tyler Moore
5. Chris Curran

Pitchers
1. Brad Peacock
2. Daniel Rosenbaum
3. A.J. Morris
4. Trevor Holder
5. Marcos Frias

Monday’s News and Notes

  By Luke Erickson | September 7, 2010 - 7:33 am | ,
7 Comments

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

  By Luke Erickson | September 6, 2010 - 8:01 am | ,
3 Comments

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

  By Luke Erickson | September 5, 2010 - 8:13 am | ,
3 Comments

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

  By Luke Erickson | September 4, 2010 - 7:56 am | ,
5 Comments

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

  By Luke Erickson | September 3, 2010 - 8:19 am | ,
8 Comments

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.