Tuesday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Probable Pitcher |
| Syracuse | Postponed | vs. Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. |
Chien-Ming Wang (rehab) vs. Miguel Batista (0-0, 6.35) |
| Harrisburg | Lost, 4-2 | vs. Bowie, 7:00 p.m. |
Shairon Martis (7-3, 2.70) vs. Oliver Drake (1-1, 9.00) |
| Potomac | Won, 1-0 | vs. Lynchburg, 12:05 p.m. |
Adam Olbrychowski (2-5, 5.36) vs. David Hale (1-3, 4.71) |
| Hagerstown | Lost, 8-6 | OFF DAY | N/A |
| Auburn | Won, 4-3 | @ Williamsport, 7:05 p.m. |
Nathan Karns (SS-A debut) vs. Mike Nesseth (1-2, 2.37) |
| GCL Nationals | Lost, 6-4 (12 inn.) vs. GCL Cardinals |
@ GCL Astros, 12:00 p.m. |
TBD vs. TBD |
| DSL Nationals | Won, 7-6 vs. DSL Giants |
@ DSL Cubs2, 10:30 a.m. |
TBD vs. TBD |
Syracuse-Buffalo — PPD
The Chiefs game against Buffalo was rained out and will be made up on Wednesday as part of a pair of 7-inning games. Yunesky Maya will start Game 1 and JD Martin will start Game 2. Chien-Ming Wang is still scheduled to makes his rehab start for the Chiefs tonight.
Bowie 4 Harrisburg 2
• Arnesen (L, 6-2) 6#8531; IP, 11H, 4R, 4ER, BB, 6K
• Pena 2⅔ IP, H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Rhinehart 2-4, R, 2B, RBI
• T Moore 2-4, RBI
• Jo Johnson 2-3, R, 2B, BB
Erik Arnesen was touched up early in a 4-2 Harrisburg loss to Bowie. In the first, he gave up a single, a walk, and a 2-RBI double. In the second, he gave up an RBI double, and in the third, he gave up a two out RBI single before settling down until he was removed in the seventh for Hassan Pena. Bill “The Godfather” Rhinehart doubled in Josh Johnson in the first for Harrisburg, and Rhinehart later scored on a Tyler Moore single in the third after leading off the inning with single. Potential comeback rallies in the fifth and seventh were snuffed out by Rhinehart and Derek Norris GIDPs. Despite the new “Harpersburg” promotion, Bryce Harper remains stuck in a slump (1-for-21 over last 6G) and was 0-3 with a walk. With the loss to Bowie, Harrisburg falls to 55-39, 3½ games ahead of Bowie with two games remaining in the key series against the second-place Baysox.
Potomac 1 Lynchburg 0
• Selik (W, 3-6) 6IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 4K
• Frias 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Nelo (S, 12) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Soriano 1-2, R, 2B
• Hood 0-2, SF RBI
A close but unexciting 1-0 win Last Night In Woodbridge
Lexington 8 Hagerstown 6
• Ray 2⅓ IP, 3H, 3ER, 4BB, 5K, HR
• Manno 1IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 2K (ERA 0.87)
• Martinson 1-5, R, GS HR
• Rogers 2-4, 2B, RBI
Hagerstown fell to the Lexington Legends 8-6 in a back-and-forth affair. Robbie Ray was hit hard early in the contest and could not make it out of the third inning. He gave up a leadoff single in the second, and after an RBI single in the third, he gave up two walks to load the bases before giving up the ball to Paul Applebee, who allowed one of the inherited runners to score on an RBI groundout before getting out of the jam. Applebee then proceeded to give up two more runs in the fourth to make the score 5-1. Hagerstown rallied to take a 6-5 lead after Michael Taylor’s tenth homer, a leadoff blast, and Jason Martison’s eleventh homer, a grand slam. Unfortunately, Wilson Eusebio gave up three runs in the seventh during his three innings of reliefto put the Suns down by the final score of 8-6. With the loss, Hagerstown falls to 13-11, 3½ games behind first-half winner Hickory in the Sally North.
Auburn 4 Batavia 3
• Bates 6IP, 8H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 3K
• Holt (W, 1-1) 3IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Perez 3-4, 2B
• Montilla 2-4, R
A three-run seventh and the pitching combo of former Univ. of North Carolina teammates Colin Bates and Greg Holt powered the Auburn Doubledays past the Batavia Muckdogs for a 4-3 win. Rick Hughes walked to start the rally, singles by Caleb Ramsey, Carlos Alvarez, and Adrian Nieto pushed in the first two runs while Justin Miller’s sac fly knocked in what proved to be the gamewinner. The win snaps a four-game losing streak and puts Auburn at 16-15, two games behind Jamestown.
GCL Cardinals 6 GCL Nationals 4 (12 inn.)
• King 5IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 4K
• Ja. Smith 2⅔ IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 2K
• P Severino 1-4, 2R, BB, RBI
• Karlen 1-4, BB, RBI, SB
With five in this one, 18 in the last four, and 31 in the last eight, the “E” light on the scoreboard continues to get a workout in the GCL faciities as the G-Nats lost again, 6-4 in 12 innings. No batter collected multiple hits and just three reached base twice. Brandon King started and went the first five, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts. The G-Nats’ won-loss mark is now 8-16, still nine behind the G-Marlins.
DSL Nationals 7 DSL Giants 6
• Mendez 5⅔ IP, 10H, 6R, 5ER, 0BB, 4K
• Barrientos (W, 2-3) 3IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Mercedes 2-6, 3RBI
• Eusebio 2-5, R, HR, RBI
• Mejia 2-5, R, 2-3B, RBI
With a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth, the DSL Nationals sent it to extras and scored the walkoff in the 11th for a 7-6 win. Yermin Mercedes drove in the gamewinner with a single to score “Fred” Ortega. Joel Barrientos got the win with three scoreless innings of relief. D-Nats starter Gilberto Mendez was charged with all six D-Giant runs on 10 hits over the first five and 2/3rds. The win improves the D-Nat mark to 20-22, six games off the pace.
Starting to wonder about 1B prospects. You’ve mentioned the MI logjam but with Morse, LaRoche, Marrero, Moore, and maybe Bloxom, it’s getting crowded. I’d say that Morse should be at 1B for a long time, if the Nats FO is sane. Let them find a home for LaRoche … but what of the prospects?
Good question, and one that wasn’t as clouded at the start of the season, but Morse’s performance really forces the issue. Morse CAN play OF, Marrero cannot. Moore is hitting like a monster, but I hear his defense and base running are not MLB caliber. In the end, Marrero seems to be hanging tough and proving himself, and he can’t be used in any other position. Either trade Marrero and LaRoche now and use Morse at 1st, or get Marrero on the team in Sept and for good. Either way: Keep Morse regardless at 1B or OF, Moore will never make the MLB (not enough overall talent), LaRoche needs to be traded, keep Marrero for a start at 1B in 2012. Bloxom can stay in the minors for a few more years. OK – all figured out. Have a nice day.
Huh i was thinking laroche at first. Morse at left and then trading laroche when harper comes up… Leave marrero where he is or trade him.
Moore’s defense is head and shoulders above Marrero’s and their baserunning is comparable to each other.
Have you seen both of them play? How do you know this? Curious, not trying to attack.
My only recollection is that there was a lot of praise for Marrero’s improved defense at spring training.
SD – Max is a ‘Burg regular. I would guess that Moore has quit the annoying tendency to stretch too soon and “ole” throws in the dirt to elicit that kind of praise. Neither will make you think of J.T. Snow, iykwim.
Yes, I agree with Sue…neither will remind you of Snow or anyone else in that mold.
Now, Marrero might have improved into this season and you are correct that I haven’t seen him short of some games on MiLB.com so I’m comparing 2010 Marrero to 2011 Moore here at Harrisburg.
Might consider Rhinehart’s left handed bat instead. That does make a difference.
My guess is that they trade LaRoche given Marerro’s progress and keep him as the AAA reserve for Morse. Moore: no defense, too many strike outs only one position. Another AL DH in the making waiting for just the right AL team (Baltimore) to place him with.
This is strange new world where we have reasonable prospect depth at a couple positions. We really won’t know what to do with Morse until we solve centerfield on the big club and see what Adam LaRoche can do when healthy next year. Are any of these first base prospects demanding promotion the way that Lombardozzi, Espinosa, Milone, and Peacock have? Marrero is holding his own at AAA, but he seems young enough that you can leave him there next year. The tougher decision will be what to do with Tyler Moore and Bloxom who would be old for their levels and don’t have other positions.
I say make Marrero wait until he earns it. If he does earn it, then he can platoon with LaRoche next year some. If he doesn’t, he’s still young for AAA.
Straw poll for this thread: Are you a believer in Tyler Moore?
My answer is not yet. Moore has an OBP south of .300 right now. The power is real, but the walks are invisible. I don’t know what you do with him, but I don’t say that he’s mastered AA well enough to supplant Marrero.
Bloxom can be put at 3rd, if they want him taking AB’s at AA, but he cant be at 3B in the majors
What I want and what I think will happen are different. This is what I want for 2012 and beyond:
1B – Morse (4th or 5th OF) / Marrero
LaRoche – Trade
Moore & Bloxom – Keep in minors (I don’t think they are real 1B prospects)
Rhinehart – AAA at 1B or OF if they don’t release him first (I think his contract is almost up – right?).
What will happen for at least 2012:
1B – LaRoche
Morse – OF/1B
Marrero – AAA
Moore – AA
Bloxom – A+
Rhinehart – AAA 1B or OF / Release
I attended the Harrisburg game last night on my way back to DC. Here’s some thoughts.
Bryce Harper – Hardest swing I’ve seen in a while. Hit the ball really hard to CF the second time up 400 feet to dead CF where it was caught on the Warning track. Did notice he threw a ball into the stands after a third out and had a good arm, although not really tested. Father was in stands with earbuds… in ears, not sure if that was his way of trying to “ignore people or what”… He was Filming his son just above the 3B dugout Noticed that when Arneson came out Harper kept to himself but the RF went to CF to talk… Seemed odd, but he could of been tired as it was a later 8:00pm start due to rain.
Arnesen- Didn’t seem to fool anyone right away as he got hit hard after a 1 hour rain delay to start the game.
Arnesen was really having trouble covering 1B on Ground Balls to 1B… Twice the runners beat him to the bag in the 4th inning and 1 scored, as a result of his “poor covering” of first…. It got so bad the batters appeared to purposely hit to 1B, and later in the game Rhinehart took a few himself even though they were very close. Arnesen needs to work on this BADLY!!!
Rhinehart and Moore were clearly the best hitters of the game going 2-4 and hitting the ball hard even on their outs. I liked Johnson leading off.
Other note: I’m not sure if this was the scouting report or what but then Sens helped Bowie’s Starter by swinging at the first or second pitch almost every at bat late in the game… It was VERY Noticable because several 1/2 innings only lasted about 6 pitches… If it was working for them I wouldn’t say anything, but I started to wonder what they were doing later and later in the game. Personally I think they really miss Randy Knorr.
Rhinehart- Man do I miss him in Potomac. Hit the ball hard… Hope he gets a chance in Syracuse and give Moore some time in the field and not DH…
Looking forward to attending the series in Bowie, next Monday -Wednesday.
It was my first time ever to City Island and if you haven’t been, it is definetely worth the trip. Apparently they just spent $45 million renovating it. Very Nice and Family friendly.
Sue or anyone in Potomac can anyone give me velocity on Nelo, Smoker and Testa. I appreciate it
Nelo 95-97
Smoker 94-96
Testa 83-87 (now a sidearmer)
cant tell by the box but it looks like this bull pen is starting to take shape wowo smoker 94-96 thats 10 mph faster then last year
where is manno s velocity
Low 90s, I think, but I’d have a better idea if he were in Potomac *ahem*
I don’t understand why there is a delay. Manno is 22, and he is kicking ass. Why not move him up?
Lets all be careful about Velocity. It very very important YES it is always overstated to the upside. For example , Manno sits 88-89 he will pop iy at 91-93 when he needs it but he sits 88-89. From what I saw of Nelo and I trust Sue 100% , I saw him sit 90-92 and popped it at 93 95 . Smokers arm looks good and God bless this young man, going from mid 80’s to low 90’s is a big step for him.
Exactly. Nelo is very much like Kimball — the harder he throws, the less accurate he is. He *can* hit 98, but it’ll be a ball if it’s taken 9 times out of 10.
As for Manno, I don’t think folks should get their panties in a bunch about how hard he throws. Deception, which he has, makes whatever he throws that much harder to hit. What we don’t know is if he’s deceptive enough to succeed against more polished hitters. My Hagerstown guy thinks that’s part of the reason Wort has leveled off from this time last year.
Sue Manno os a different Animal, and gosh I dont know even if Harper will be successful at the next level, but I can tell you this , A lefty sitting 88-90 with his make up and his projection of getting bigger and stronger, I would not bet a penny against him. and Sue I know him well and I must say not a good kid a absolute great young man. Ask any team mate in Hagerstown, Harper was asked about him and a huge smile was on Harpers face , and I quote Harper said , he is my boy and a great team mate that I am sure I will see very very soon. 9Very nice comment from Harper)