Tuesday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Probable Pitcher |
| Syracuse | Won, 8-3 | @ Toledo, 12:00 p.m. |
Brad Peacock (2-1, 4.41) vs. Thad Weber (5-7, 5.56) |
| Harrisburg | OFF DAY | @ Reading, 7:05 p.m. |
Oliver Perez (2-2, 3.46) vs. Tyson Brummett (2-5, 3.34) |
| Potomac | OFF DAY | @ Salem, 7:05 p.m. |
Sammy Solis (4-1, 3.26) vs. Chris Hernandez (9-5, 2.68) |
| Hagerstown | Lost, 14-13 (10 inn.) |
@ Hickory, 7:05 p.m. |
A.J. Cole (2-6, 3.47) vs. Luke Jackson (4-2, 4.56) |
| Auburn | Won, 13-6 | vs. Connecticut, 7:05 p.m. |
TBD vs. Wilsen Palacios (2-2, 3.96) |
| GCL Nationals | OFF DAY | @ GCL Cardinals, 12:00 p.m. |
Gregory Baez (1-1, 3.90) vs. Stalyn Lopez (1-1, 2.93) |
| DSL Nationals | Won, 5-4 @ DSL Mets1 |
@ DSL Phillies, 10:30 a.m. |
Felix Moscat (3-4, 4.44) vs. TBD |
Syracuse 8 Toledo 3
• Meyers 4⅔ IP, 2H, 0R, 5BB, 6K
• Bronson (W, 1-0) 4⅓ IP, 3H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 3K
• Bernadina 1-2, 2R, HR, RBI, 3BB
• Antonelli 2-3, 2R, 2B, HR, 2RBI, BB
Syracuse jumped out to an 8-0 lead as they defeated Toledo 8-3 last night. The Chiefs had ten hits and had solo shots from Roger Bernadina (first game since being optioned down) in the first and Matt Antonelli in the third. Steve Lombardozzi, Chris Marrero, and Matt Antonelli all had two-hit nights. Brad Meyers made his first start for Syracuse since June 30th and pitched 4 2/3rds innings of shutout ball. He threw 52 strikes on 84 pitches before being lifted for Evan Bronson (first AAA appearance) with runners on first and second and two outs in the 5th. Bronson induced a lineout to end the inning. The southpaw answered the call for duty and went the rest of the way to get the victory and give the Syracuse ‘pen a badly needed break (10⅔ IP on Sat/Sun), suffering a three-run hiccup in the 7th. With the win, Syracuse improves to 48-60, 13½ games in back of Lehigh Valley and two games up over fifth place Buffalo.
Harrisburg Senators — OFF DAY
After a night off, it’s a six-game trek for the Harrisburg across Pennsylvania with three in Erie and three in Reading before returning home a week from tonight. Tanner Roark became the latest Senator to win Pitcher of the Week honors with his two wins last week against Bowie and Binghamton.
Potomac Nationals — OFF DAY
Likewise, it’s a six-game swing down I-81 for three against Salem, then a six-plus-hour ride to Myrtle Beach for three against the Pelicans before a seven-plus-hour trek home for a rematch against the same two teams for seven games next week.
Hickory 14 Hagerstown 13 (10 inn.)
• Grace 4+ IP, 9H, 5R, 4ER, 0B, 3K
• Eusebio 2⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 2K
• W Moore 3-4, 4R, 2B, 3B, RBI, BB
• Keyes 3-5, HR, RBI, BB
• Sanchez 3-6, R, RBI
In a game that featured 27 runs and 33 hits, the Hickory Crawdads were the last man standing. The Suns built (and blew) leads of 5-1, 9-5, and 13-10 before letting in three in the 9th, and the gamewinner in the 10th. Starter Matt Grace was knocked from the box after failing to retire the first five batters he faced in the 5th, while Suns relievers were battered for nine runs on seven hits and three walks over five and 1/3rd innings, with Dean Weaver taking the blown save (9th) and Sam Brown taking the loss on a single, hit batsman, a wild pitch and a sac fly. Wade Moore, Kevin Keyes, and Adrian Sanchez each had three hits in the losing effort. Hagerstown falls back to .500 at 18-18 and trails Hickory now by four games.
Auburn 13 Tri-City 6
• Dupra 4IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 2K
• Kreis (W, 1-1) 3IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, K, HR
• Skole 4-6, 2B, 4RBI
• Burns 3-5, 3R, HR, 4RBI
With a five-run top of the 9th, the Auburn Doubledays spayed any chance the ‘Cats would come back for a 13-6 win and three-game sweep. Jeremy Mayo was the only hitter held hitless, as Auburn pounded out 18 hits, with Matt Skole leading the onslaught with a 4-for-6 game and four RBIs. Alex Kreis got the win in relief of Brian Dupra, while Aaron Barrett go the save but no Doubleday pitcher went untouched as the Tri-City lineup collected 11 hits, including home runs off Kreis and Barrett. The win moves Auburn to 25-19 for the season, good for sole possession of second place in the Pinckey Division one game behind Mahoning Valley, but leading the wild-card race by one game over Brooklyn, Jamestown and Williamsport.
GCL Nationals — OFF DAY
The G-Nats didn’t lose yesterday… but they get the chance to extend their five-game losing streak today with the first of four games against the rest of the GCL East, starting with the G-Cards.
DSL Nationals 5 DSL Mets1 4
• Silvestre 5IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 3K
• Kl Rodriguez (W, 2-2) 3IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Eusebio 2-5, R
• Mejia 2-3, R, 2B, 2RBI
Late-inning home runs by Adderling Ruiz in the 8th and Algenis Ramirez in the 9th made the difference as the D-Nats held off the D-Mets1 squad for a 5-4 win. Kelvin Rodriguez got the win with three scoreless innings of relief of starter Hector Silvestre, who went the first five and allowed two runs on six hits and three walks. J.J. (Jorge Jr.) Hernandez battled past two errors that led to two unearned runs but still got the save (#4). Diomedes Eusebio and Bryan Mejia combined for four of the eight D-Nat hits, the longball masking a woeful 1-for-10 game with RISP. The win puts the D-Nats two games over .500 at 28-26, 4½ games off the pace in the B.C. South.
The box score for the Hagerstown game looks like a Little League special.
I hope Dean Weaver is hurt, because that’s the only chance that he’ll get any better. He’s moving in the wrong direction.
Let’s give a shout-out to Michael Taylor here, 2 HR’s and 6 RBI’s (!!!). I know the F.O. likes him a lot, they’ve got him learning a completely new position and they’re on record as saying that once he gets more comfortable defensively, he’ll start hitting.
Mark: In my mind, Weaver has clearly regressed this year. After attending the FIL in 2009, he posted decent numbers last year in HAG. This year, he’s been a train wreck, both in POT (where I had the misfortune of witnessing a couple of appearances) and in Hagerstown as well. I initially had hopes for him as a possible ‘bridge’ reliever or set-up man when he signed, but what he’s throwing right now doesn’t even cut it in low-A.
Rizzo has released better pitchers than him already this season, imo.
Hi Sue,
I know that high first rounders usually wait until the last minute to sign (especially Boras clients), but the Nats have yet to sign any of their first 5 picks. I find this a bit concerning given that outside of Rendon and Purke, you would think the others would have been signed by now. Have you heard if any progress is being made? Also, what about any recent Latin America signings?
I’m not privy to the inner workings, but I would worry more that a pick signs versus when he signs. That said, one of the unfortunate consequences of drafting good talent and paying top dollar is that agents (let’s not be childish: Boras is paid to extract every dollar possible from a team, just like any and every other agent. He represents the best talent because he’s very good at what he does) will work the clock. The Nationals are the only team to not have signed its top 5, but more than a few still have three or four of their top 5 unsigned.
I’ve spotted a couple of names this month in the DSL that may qualify as such: Algenis Ramirez and Junior Geraldo, but I’d expect that most of the IFAs won’t be announced until the offseason. Even BA hasn’t had much aside from a spit take about who will spend what, which is precisely the kind of talk-radio, Mel-Kiper-Jr. “journalism” I detest.
I’ll tag my two-cents worth on here as well. With the non-waiver deadline out of the way, and with two weeks left on the signing deadline, Rizzo can now expend more of his time & energy in the ‘dance with the Devil’ (Boras), and the representatives for the other unsigned draft picks.
I’d hope he can close deals on 7-8 more of this years’ picks, pushing the total above my over/under of 32 for the year. Keep in mind, MLB & herr Selig try to keep over-slot signings quiet until the last possible moment, so there may be a couple of players who have agreed to terms whose paperwork hasn’t been submitted yet.
I think Hagerstown misses Manno Iwas told by my blog friends that he has looked good for Bakersfield
God Luck Manno
So, glad that the Johnny Gomes, rather than Matt Stairs, can now struggle below the Mendoza line off the Nats bench.