NationalsProspects.com

Monday’s News & Notes

All four affiliates win on Sunday (well, at least once)

The Quick Rundown…

Team Yesterday’s Result Today’s Game Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Chiefs Won, 4-2; Lost, 7-2 @ Indianapolis, 7:05 p.m. Tom Milone (3-4, 3.63) vs.
Brian Burres (2-6, 3.94)
Harrisburg Senators Won, 7-4 OFF DAY N/A
Potomac Nationals Won, 5-4 vs. Frederick, 7:05 p.m. Evan Bronson (1-2, 3.18)*
vs. Robert Bundy (5-3, 2.91)
Hagerstown Suns Won, 6-5 vs. Greensboro, 7:05 p.m. Robbie Ray (2-0, 0.38) vs.
Zachary Neal (3-3, 4.18)
DSL Nationals OFF DAY vs. DSL Rangers, 10:30 a.m. Felix Moscat (0-1, 7.36) vs.
David Perez (0-0, 0.00)

*Officially, TBD, but this is an educated guess

Syracuse 6 Indianapolis 4 (comp. of susp. game)
• Detwiler (W, 4-5) 6IP, 5H 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 7K
• Balester (H, 3) 1⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 3K
• Antonelli 2-4, R
• Marrero 2-4 R, GS HR, 5 RBI
Chris Marrero quickly announced that the suspended game was all but over with a 7th-inning grand slam off Indianpolis reliever Cesar Valdez. Hassan Pena gave up two doubles and was responsible for two runs that made the final score 6-4. Ross Detwiler earned a much-needed win with six strong innings, allowing two runs, only one of which was earned. Jhonatan Solano was placed on paternity leave while Carlos Maldonado was activated to take his place.

Indianapolis 7 Syracuse 2
• Meyers (L, 3-2) 6IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 1BB, 6K, 1HR
• Marrero 2-4, R
• Blanco 1-3, R, 2BB, SB

Syracuse engineered a first inning run using small ball that would make Interim Jim proud. Blanco reached on a fielding error from Indianapolis first baseman Miles Durham. Blanco steals second. Blanco advances to third on an at ’em ball by Matt Antonelli and former Harrisburg Senator great Jesus Valdez plates Blanco on a sac fly. Classic gift ’em on, get ’em over, get ’em in that gets Blanco one of our hitting stars for the game. The rest of the game didn’t go so well and Syracuse didn’t see the lead again in a 7-2 loss. In the second, Miles Durham went from friendly gifting errors Miles to evil raking RBI triples off Brad Meyers. He later scored to give Indianapolis a 2-1 lead. Marrero singled on a sharp grounder in the fourth and later scored, but that would be all for the Chiefs.

Harrisburg 7 Erie 4
• Roark (W, 3-1) 7IP, 4H, 3R, 3ER, 4BB, 3K
• Zinicola (S, 2) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Moore 1-5, R, 2R HR (#11), 2RBI
• Lombardozzi 2-4, R, RBI, BB
• Gilbert 3-4, R, 2RBI
• Derek Norris: 0-3, R, 3BB (Ed. Note: A SoulD fave)
If small ball is textbook AAA, AAAA offense for the Nats, the fifth inning of Sunday’s contest is typical AA offense of the future for the Nats we hope. An unknown quantity, Chris Rahl, gets a leadoff double. Tyler Moore escorts him home with a long ball. Three more runs score and the Sens find themselves up 5-1. In the 7th inning another rally was keyed by…another Derek Norris walk, as the Harrisburg backstop was walked to load the bases with two outs after a Tyler Moore strikeout. Archie Gilbert puts his name in the boxscore big time with a two-run single and that give the Sens all they would need in an eventual 7-4 win.

Potomac 5 Wilmington 4
• Clegg 4⅓ IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 1K
• Frias (H, 2) 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Peacock 2-4, R, 2B, SB, CS
• Cuevas 3-4, R, RBI
• Perez 1-5, R, 3B, 4K

They needed five pitchers to do it, but the Potomac Nationals outlasted the Wilmington Blue Rocks for 5-4 decision for a series sweep and their fourth straight victory. Starter Mitchell Clegg faltered in the fifth, leaving with one out and two on but ahead 3-1. Josh Smoker let in both runners and one of his own to fall behind 4-3, but the offense, which had gotten three runs in the top of the fifth, got two more in the sixth to give Smoker the win. Adam Olbrychowski and Marcos Frias earned holds with three scoreless innings combined while Hector Nelo pitched the ninth for the save, his second of the season.

Hagerstown 6 Greensboro 5
• Cole (W, 1-4) 5IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 8K, 2HR
• Eusebio (S, 2) 2IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Kelso 2-5, R
• Freitas 1-3, R, 2B, BB, 2RBI
• Zimmerman 2-2, 2R, 2B, 3B, BB, RBI (All luck, this guy will never make it)

Even when the face of the franchise is in town, Bryce Harper can steal the headlines. Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-2 with a double and a triple, a walk, and an RBI to help lead Hagerstown past Greensboro, 6-5. A.J. Cole got his first professional win, though he did give up two solo HRs, pitching the requisite five innings and allowing four hits total, no walks, and striking out eight. The win extended the Suns lead over the Grasshoppers to 2½ games and reduced their magic number to 12.

13 Commments

  1. Don’t you love the media….first reporting (either MILB or MLB where I read it) that Harper was hit in the foot and needed to be helped to the clubhouse. Well, he was hit in the knee and walked under his own power with no limp to the clubhouse. LOL Sensationalism at it’s best…

    Zim was awesome, but you could surely tell the throw is just not there yet. And one grounder he really could have had but didn’t want to extend himself. I don’t blame him. But it sure was fun to see him up close.

    Frietas is really starting to be the “home run guy” and one of those batters who you think could hit it out every time he comes to bat. I like them pitching around Harper to get to him…it’s backfired at least once if not twice now.

    Kelso deserves the team MVP for the first half IMHO. If he continues his fielding/hitting the rest of the season, regardless of where he ends up after the first half, he really needs to be on the radar as a top prospect. Also, Sanchez has been awesome. I liked him in limited work last year, and i’m starting to think where he is in the pecking order in the system – above or below Lombardozzi?

    1. Thanks, TBRFan, I too had read where Harper had big trouble making it back to the dugout.
      Harper was walked about 3 weeks ago to get to Freitas and he responded with a Grand Slam!
      The scouting report on Sanchez is helpful; his numbers aren’t there yet, but he’s only 20 and nothing but big time potential.
      Did anyone mention to Zimmerman how dumb it is to slide headfirst lately?
      Hague is still out after the same dumb thing.

  2. To give you a little insight into Rahl – he’s 27 and an OG in the making. Last season, he played well in 87 games with the DBacks Triple-A team.

    He’s the type of guy I love to watch on a baseball field – nothing flashy and does everything well. The typical “professional” player.

    He can play all three OF positions although the Sens have had him mostly playing RF. While he has a strong arm, it’s not a prototypical RF arm. Lack of HR power this year, but gap power is there eveident by his 6 doubles and 3 triples. Plus speed defensively and on the bases.

    1. He makes me wonder if perhaps that might be the reason Harper might get bumped there next perhaps along with Destin Hood? There’s room in that outfield for those two to grow as Gilbert, Rahl, and Tucker all look to be Org players there? Kelso could also potentially fit well there?

      While things look pretty crowded in Potomac this year?

      But all would have to be able to hit AA pitching.

      1. I don’t think the OG guys like Rahl are saying much about what The RiZzO will do. If it comes down to it, Rahl will get moved up or down one level to accomodate a superior prospect. Jesus Valdez at AAA is an example of this kind of OG.

        OT: Just curious, anybody here sad that we didn’t protect Michael Martinez and keep him at Syracuse. Phillies apparently liked SSS from his Syracuse multitasking last year.

  3. Wondering if anyone could tell me something about this Cuevas kid.

    1. A DSL grad, member of the ’08 championship team. Kind of streaky. Decent fielder. Only 22 but getting the OG treatment with Hague at Potomac, Martinson at Hagerstown.

  4. What will @souldrummer do if Rizzo decides to “plate” Derek Norris and use him to get Tampa Bay to give up BJ Upton during a pennant race?

  5. So, Syracuse will need another SP after Tuesday’s game – Harrisburg is on an off-day, so either Peacock or Mock are available for promotion & ready to pitch Wednesday. My best guess would be Mock, with Carr shifting to the 7-DL to make room on the roster.

  6. @peric
    I’ll live with it to be honest. At this point, The RiZzO has to be getting close to settling in on Ramos as his guy. Rizzo traded for him, and he’s been looking like a find. Norris may be injury prone and he doesn’t seem like a SPAD catcher. He seems like an AL walking machine who can both catch and DH. When I latch on to guys like Norris, I root for the player’s professional career first. Personally, I’d just be happy to see him to get to play in the bigs sooner rather than later and join a team that I respect. That said, if Upton stinks once he gets here, I will have zero positive to say about him.

  7. One thing to think about with a possible trade – Upton is entering his last year of Arbitration in 2012 (26yo, turns 27 in August) with Tampa Bay, while Norris is controllable for another 7 years (22yo, drafted in 2008) by Washington. If CF is still a hole at the end of the year, a FA signing might work better than a trade that could turn into a 1-year rental.

  8. @BinM
    Nah, I think that the arbitration issue is why they want to make the trade. Upton is a salary dump for the Rays because they aren’t interested paying arbitration. Sign him up for a cheaper return since he’s a one year expensive rental (in other words, no Norris please!) and cash him in for either a deadline flip or some Type A picks if he’s not worth bringing back.
    Remember, we’ve got The Cash. That means deals where more salary and revenue stress are coming to us than they would for other teams are right up alley. Just ask the agents for Robbie Ray, AJ Cole, and now Anthony Rendon whether they like Our Cash.

Comments are closed.