Saturday’s News & Notes

Given a choice, you should always pick good pitching over good hitting… but, oh man, why can’t you have both? That’s the question/theme for Friday night on the Nats farm.

Rochester 4 Syracuse 2
• Perry (L, 0-1) 7IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 4BB, 3K, HR
• Davis 1IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 1BB, 1K
• Walters 1-3, 2B, SF, RBI ^{(9-game hit streak)}
• Rhymes 1-3, R, BB

After three games with softball scores, it was some good ol’ hardball in Game Four as the Red Wings doubled up the Chiefs, 4-2. Ryan Perry tossed seven strong innings, letting in both Rochester runs on six hits (one home run) and four walks with three strikeouts, but left trailing 2-0. His teammates loaded em up with no outs in the 7th but came away with just one run on a Zach Walters sacrifice fly. Two innings later, they got two runners into scoring position with one out, but again could only plate one with a flyball out. Wondering why Chris Marrero was taken out of Thursday’s game and skipped yesterday. Auburn Citizen sportswriter Ben Meyers has the answer.

Bowie 3 Harrisburg 1
• Broderick (L, 1-1) 6IP, 7H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K, HR
• Holland 1⅓ IP, H, 0R, BB, 0K
• Komatsu 2-4, R, 2B
• Bloxom 1-3, SF, RBI

Brian Broderick rebounded from a poor outing last Saturday to turn in his second quality start, but the offense fell three runs short as Bowie knifed Harrisburg, 3-1. The BaySox scored single runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th frames as Broderick worked around nine baserunners (seven hits, two walks) with rehabbing Wilson Ramos gunning down one of ’em. Erik Komatsu was the sole Senator with multiple hits as Bowie’s trio of moundsmen held Harrisburg to just six hits and struck out 10. Justin Bloxom drove in the lone run with a sacrifice fly in the 6th. Roster move: To make room for recently demoted LHP Pat McCoy, RHP Pat Lehman was placed on the 7-Day DL, while C Wilson Ramos joined the team on rehab assignment

Potomac 5 Myrtle Beach 1
• Ray (W, 2-1) 6IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB, 8K
• Herron (H, 3) 1⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 3K, 2-0 IR-S
• Keyes 2-3, R, HR, RBI, CS
• Taylor 1-3, R, HR, 3RBI

This was the lone game that had both good hitting and good pitching as Potomac beat Myrtle Beach, 5-1. Robbie Ray threw six shutout innings in his fourth straight quality start and fanned eight to raise his league-leading strikeout total to 34 (in 29IP) and lower his ERA to 1.55 (his 2.53 FIP is not too shabby, either). Kevin Keyes missed the scoreboard with his solo shot, while Michael Taylor’s three-run shot landed in the LF cheap seats as both homered for the second time on this road trip.

Hickory 3 Hagerstown 2
• Anderson 6IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, BB, 5K, WP
• Dupra (L, 1-2) 3IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 3K, HR
• Wa. Ramos 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI
• Renda 2-5, R, 2B
• 0-for-12 RISP, 9 LOB

The clutch hit eluded the Suns all night long as Hickory got the big fly in the 8th for a 3-2 win. Brian Dupra took the loss for his one mistake, a two-run homer, in three innings of relief. Dixon Anderson pitched the first six with just an unearned run allowed on four hits and a walk. He struck out five. Hagerstown had but six hits but got 12 men into scoring position and plated none of them, as an error sent in the first Suns run and an RBI double by “Help Me” Wander Ramos drove in Stephen Perez (who reached on an error) for the second.