Thursday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Probable Pitchers |
| Syracuse | OFF DAY | @ Buffalo, 7:05 p.m. |
Maya (8-8, 3.76) vs. Olson (4-6, 4.78) |
| Harrisburg | Won, 3-2 | @ Binghamton, 6:35 p.m. |
Wang (MLB rehab) vs. Mazzoni (4-3, 3.21) |
| Potomac | Tied, 3-3 (suspended) |
vs. Salem, 5:05 p.m. (comp.) |
Karns (7-2, 1.84) vs. Celestino (7-6, 4.34) |
| Hagerstown | Won, 12-7 | @ West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. |
Hill (9-6, 4.72) vs. Von Rosenberg (3-4, 3.73) |
| Auburn | Won, 10-5 | @ Staten Island, 11:00 a.m. |
Lee (1-0, 3.38) vs. Black (0-0, 2.49) |
| GCL Nationals | Won, 5-2 | vs. GCL Marlins, 12:00 p.m. |
Santana (1-3, 7.13) vs. TBD |
| DSL Nationals | Won, 8-3 | @ DSL Pirates2, 10:30 a.m. |
Valdez (2-1, 7.02) vs. Sanchez (3-3, 3.03) |
SYRACUSE CHIEFS — OFF DAY
It’s six straight games against the Bisons with a four-game series in Buffalo over the weekend and two in Syracuse early next week.
Harrisburg 3 Binghamton 2
• Pucetas (W, 7-4) 5IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 3K
• McCoy (SV, 2) 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, K
• Skelton 2-4, R, 2B
• Bloxom 2-4, R, 2B
Kevin Pucetas and a quartet of relievers combined to limit the Binghamton Mets to just five hits as the Harrisburg Senators broke a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win in upstate New York. Pucetas went the first five innings with one run allowed on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Paul Demny, Marcos Frias, Hector Nelo, and Pat McCoy each threw an inning, combining for four innings, with one unearned run on two hits and three walks. Justin Bloxom and James Skelton both went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored to lead the Senators offense.
Salem 3 Potomac 3 — SUSP.
• Meyer 5IP, 6H, R, ER, 3BB, 3K
• Carr 2IP, 2H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, K
• Holland 2IP, H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Werth 2-3, R, 2B, BB
• Taylor 2-4, R, 2B
• Hague 2-4, R, RBI
Sorry, no LNIW for this one, which was suspended at 3-3 in bottom of the 9th after raining off-and-on for most of the evening. It will be completed tonight at 5:05 with the regularly scheduled contest at 7:05 p.m. Alex Meyer started and turned in five innings with one run allowed but also gave up six hits and three walks — all with two outs in the 4th. With a rehabbing Jayson Werth leading off and playing in CF, Potomac scored its three runs in the bottom of the first, with a double from Werth and singles from Michael Taylor, Ricky Hague, and Jason Martinson. Salem tied it in the 7th with three steals and a pair of singles, taking advantage of a hit batsmen and a passed ball.
Hagerstown 12 West Virginia 7
• Rauh (W, 1-1) 5IP, 8H, 5R, 4ER, 3BB, 3K
• Bates (SV, 3) ⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K, 3-0 IR-S
• Jimenez 3-4, 2R, HR, 2RBI
• Miller 3-5, 2RBI
• Ortega 3-5, 3R
• Skole 2-4, 2R, 2B, HR, BB, 4RBI
Hagerstown pounded out 17 hits en route to a 12-7 win over West Virginia, reclaiming a share of first place in the Sally League North. Brian Rauh got the “W” despite a subpar line of five runs on eight hits and three walks over five innings. Six Suns collected multiple hits, three notched three safeties, with Matt Skole leading the total-base count with six, thanks to a double and his league-leading 23rd home run, which increased his RBI tally to 80 (2nd in the Sally). Colin Bates got the cheapest save possible by the rules, retiring one batter in the 9th with with bases loaded and a five-run lead.
Auburn Doubledays 10 Staten Island Yankees 5
• Encarnacion 5IP, 7H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K, HR
• Henke 2⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K, 2-0 IR-S
• Renda 3-6, R, 2-2B, SB(10)
• Kieboom 3-4, 2-2B, BB, 3RBI
• Rendon 1-2, R
Apparently, it’s a rule that all games in New York City must take nearly four hours, as the Auburn Doubledays outslugged the Staten Island Yankees, 10-5 in three hours and 45 minutes (plus a 15-minute rain delay). The lead changed hands five times before Auburn scored the last five runs in the 7th and 8th innings. Starter Pedro Encarnacion got the no-decision with three runs allowed on seven hits and three walks. Reliever Travis Henke earned the win with two and 1/3rd perfect innings, striking out three. Obligatory Anthony Rendon mention: Played third base and went 1-for-2 with a run scored but left game the half-inning afterbeing hit by a pitch near his left ankle (he was not taken out for a pinch-runner).
GCL Nationals 5 GCL Marlins 2
• Vasquez (W, 2-6) 5IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 3K
• Dicharry (H, 1) 3IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Piwinica-Worms 3-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Lippincott 2-5, 2-2B, 2RBI
• Jennings 2-4, R, BB, 2SB
The G-Nats posted a picket fence in the first three innings and snapped a two-game slide with a 5-2 win. Daury Vasquez got the start and the win with both Marlins runs allowed on four hits and three walks and three strikeouts. The G-Nats collected 11 hits total with Will Piwinica-Worms leading the hit column with a 3-for-5 game. Hayden Jennings, who shares a birthday with some kid named Bryce Harper, led off and went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and two stolen bases.
DSL Nationals 8 DSL Pirates2 3
• Valdez 4IP, 3H, 2R, 0ER, 3BB, 2K
• Chavez (W, 2-0) 3IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Bautista 3-5, R, RBI, SB
• Aguero 2-3, BB, RBI
• Marmolejos-Diaz 2-5, R, RBI
The D-Nats twice put up three-spots in the scorebook en route to an 8-3 win over the DSL Pirates2. Philips Valdez started and went the first four innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits and three walks while setting down two on strikes. Jose Chavez got the win in relief with three scoreless innings, with four hits allowed and three strikeouts. Rafael Bautista paced the 12-hit attack with a 3-for-5 effort, scoring a run, driving in a run and stealing base #34.
Hey everybody, I want to give a shout-out to Sean Hogan @ D.C. is for baseball (just click the above link) for his detailed analysis of the Nats draft picks.
Looking at the Auburn & GCL posts here, I find myself doing a lot of “who’s that?”. His work & worth is invaluable, and after reading his always updating analysis, I actually have some idea who these people are. Thanks Sean!
How does one even take a HBP to the ankle?
Rotten luck, it would seem.
Also, I saw that the Suns put up two runs against Rinku Singh… the kid the Pirates got out of India after that talent contest.
I love what Huntington has done as a GM… specifically to find new ways to acquire talent.
Wish the Nats were as forward thinking. (Not to staging a contest in India) but to have the foresight to stretch their boundaries and look for talent in unconventional areas/ways.
It seems to be de rigeur to bash the Nats for only tapping the D.R. for foreign talent. But there are thirteen (13) guys on the DSL roster that were born elsewhere, including three that were born in the U.S. to (presumably) Dominican parents. Eight of the remaining 10 are from Venezuela, and there is one from Colombia and one from Panama. And as you can see below, almost all are very young:
U.S.-Born
Kevin Cerda (18)
Thomas Alvarez (17)
Angelo Dilone (19)
Venezuela
Armando Echenique (17)
Andres Martinez (17)
Juan De Los Santos (18)
Younaifred Aguero (19)
Jorge Tillero (18)
Mario Sanchez (17)
Melvi Salazar (17)
David Ramos (20)
Colombia
Jorge Berrio (17)
Panama
Miguel Atencio (17)
Obviously, it remains to be seen if any of these guys will develop and play north of Florida, but it should also be noted that among the guys that have played, the Nats are below the league average for age for batters (18.1 vs. 18.5) and right at league average for pitchers (18.9).
Thanks for the breakdown Luke!
I forgot what country it was… but weren’t the Rays creating a baseball academy in an area that hadn’t really been probed for talent yet?
Would love to see the Nats spread some funds out to the development area of academies as well. Maybe that will come in following years as Rizzo continues to build his root structure within the organization.
Any readers seen the movie ‘Pelotero’? Heard about it on the espn BT podcast. Sounds pretty interesting — documentary about baseball in the DR. From what was said, MLB is basically trying to discredit the movie and distance itself from the content. Sheds some light on what players endure working their way through baseball in the DR. I think I’m going to check it out. Would like to know if any readers on here have seen it and if so, what their thoughts are. Thanks in advance.
Here’s Keith Law’s review on his personal blog: http://meadowparty.com/blog/?p=2303
Haven’t seen it… but I did see ‘Sugar’. Which was the story of a kid from the DR that made it to the states as a pitcher… and having to learn the culture/adjust to a new lifestyle.
Pretty good flick.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0990413/
Where’s the link to Sean Hogan’s analysis about the Nats draft picks?
First link on the blogroll. Or here.
*obligatory promote Skole already post*
(If I could program it, I’d have “like”, “dislike”, and in honor of Spike: meh.)
Wirkin Estevez threw 2 innings in the GCL today. Rehab has begun, it would seem.
Wow, I thought his injury was much more serious.. Great news.
Although now that he’s getting healthy, you’l have to use his mandatory nickname from now on.
Same as ‘Orange’.
So I click on this post, see Auburn has an early afternoon game, check on their box score and see Anthony Rendon is 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored and an RBI., thru 6 1/2 innings.
He’s also playing 3B and started a double play.
I imagine he’ll be in Hagerstown or Potomac in the next couple of days
We can hope, but I have a feeling that the sign he’s ready for full-season ball is when they play him all nine innings on defense. From what the prospect-watchers say, the problem is not the bat — the sweet swing hasn’t been affected — it’s the D, which makes sense since the most recently injured ankle (left) is the plant foot for batting but the first step on defense at 3B.
A bit off topic Luke but I wonder if you are surprised with the defensive performance of Leon thus far with the Nats? Admittedly I have not seen all of his games but there seems to be a concern on the part of the team. Certainly on the part of the blog posters.
Remember how Lombardozzi suddenly got better when he started playing everyday? I wouldn’t worry — I’ve seen enough of Sandy to know that he can do the job. Developmentally, I’d rather have him playing everyday at Syracuse.
thanks
Sandy has the quickest release I have ever seen for a catcher and that includes Pudge. Leon’s defense will keep him in the big leagues for many years.