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Wednesday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 10-2 @ Rochester,
7:05 p.m.		 Laffey (5-2, 3.66) vs.
Meyer (2-1, 3.55)
Harrisburg Tied, 4-4
(Suspended, Top 8th)		 vs. Erie,
5:30 p.m.		 Kroenke (0-0, 4.50) vs.
Palacios (3-2, 5.04)
Potomac Lost, 8-2 @ Winston-Salem,
7:00 p.m.		 Turnbull (0-1, 10.80) vs.
Ortiz (0-4, 4.66)
Jaye (9-6, 4.11 in ’13 @ High-A)
Hagerstown Lost, 7-2 @ Delmarva,
10:35 a.m.		 Voth (1-3, 2.42) vs.
Rennie (2-3, 5.57)


Syracuse 10 Rochester 2
• Tatusko (W, 3-5) 6+ IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 6K, WP
• Mattheus 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Johnson 3-5, R, 2RBI, CS
• Hood 3-5, R, 2-2B
• Walters 2-5, R, HR, 3RBI

Syracuse clipped the Red Wings pitchers for 17 hits and nine unanswered runs en route to a 10-2 win. Ryan Tatusko got back-to-back wins for the first time this season, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over six-plus innings. It was his seventh quality start out of 11. Josh Johnson and Destin Hood both went 3-for-5 with a run scored as every Chiefs batter hit safely. Brock Peterson and Zach Walters both homered as eight of the Syracuse hits were of the extra-base variety. Roster moves: LHP Xavier Cedeno activated from 7-Day DL (eff. May 25), RHP Christian Garcia activated from 3-day TIL (eff. May 26), IF Zach Walters optioned from Washington, IF Jose Lozada placed on 7-Day DL (retroactive to May 26).

Erie 4 Harrisburg 4 — SUSP.
• Cole 4IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, BB, 0K, 0HR
• Bates 3IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Sanchez 2-2, R, 2BB, 2RBI
• Ramsey 1-2, 3B, BB, RBI

The umpires may have had an assist in this one as they refused to stop play in the 7th, just long enough for the Senators to draw back-to-back-to-back walks to tie the game at 4-4. A.J. Cole was hit hard, giving up four runs in the 1st and seven hits total but managed to make it through four innings. Colin Bates relieved with three scoreless while the Harrisburg offense single runs in the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and of course, the 7th. Play was halted with one out in the top of the 8th and will be resumed tonight with the regularly scheduled nine-inning game to follow.

Winston-Salem 7 Potomac 2
• Simms (L, 0-3) 5IP, 7H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K
• Harper 3IP, 3H, 5R, 4ER, 3BB, 2K, 3WP
• Oduber 2-4, R, SB
• Severino 2-4, R, SB

Winston-Salem put up three crooked numbers to erase an early 1-0 Potomac lead and knocked the P-Nats out of 1st place with a 7-2 win. John Simms lost for the third time in six starts, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five over five innings. Bryan Harper allowed the final five Dash runs on three hits and three walks and did not help his cause with three wild pitches. Randolph Oduber and Pedro Severino both went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored as Potomac was held to just six hits total. Roster move: RHP Ronald Pena placed on the 7-Day DL.

Delmarva 7 Hagerstown 2
• Silvestre (L, 1-2) 6+ IP, 8H, 5R, 5ER, BB, K, HR
• Ramos 2IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 0K, WP
• Lopez 2-3, R, 2B, BB
• Ward 2-4, 2K

Hector Silvestre was perhaps pushed an inning too far. The 21-y.o. southpaw gave up a three-run HR to third batter he faced in the bottom of the 7th to snap a 2-2 tie as the Shorebirds took a third straight from the Suns, 7-2. Silvestre gave up five runs total on eight hits and a walk, with one walk and a one K over six-plus innings. David Ramos was hit hard again in his second outing, giving up the final two Delmarva runs on five hits with neither a walk nor a strikeout in two innings pitched. Carlos Lopez reached base three times with a single, walk, and a double to lead the Hagerstown offense.

18 Commments

  1. Is Destin Hood for real? He hasn’t had anywhere close to a season like this since 2010 in the Gulf Coast League, and things are too far along to say small sample size. I’m almost ready to say that, considering the lack of production in LF since Bryce went out and that he isn’t due back for another month, the Nats have nothing to lose by calling him up and seeing what he can do.

    1. It sure is looking for real, isn’t it. After 98 AB’s, his OPS is .949!
      Stories like this are a good reason to be a minor league seamhead.

    2. Nothing to lose except a roster spot as Destin isn’t on the 40-man. That said, you can probably option Purke (or 60-day DL him) or Solano at this point without too much of a risk.

      Hood has been so good this year that I am starting to suspect that he has ‘discovered’ some ‘B-12’ and ‘flaxseed oil’ to help him along his way. Does that make me a bad person?

      1. I had always heard that Hood had the power, but the Nats were wanting him to learn to hit for average from the beginning. Apparently he can put on a show in BP when they let him go. Maybe this is side of him is finally coming out.

      2. Solano is having a break out year. Although with Sandy Leon back he’s been the SYR DH. But Leon is hitting way under the Mendoza … I wouldn’t give up on Solano he would almost definitely get picked up given he leads the team with homers.

  2. I’ve been intrigued by Hood too. But he’s not on the 40 man roster. Souza is. I’d bring him up and let him play every day till Bryce comes back. McLouth hasn’t sunk to Matt Stairs level, but he’s auditioning for the role of Xavier Nady

    1. There are good reasons for not bringing up Hood at this point (more time in AAA, Souza may be better suited) but ‘he’s not on the 40-man roster’ is not one of them. If you want to bring up Hood, you make room, maybe by releasing/DFAing McLouth or Hairston. You might have to do something like that when Bryce comes back. Even if you lose the man you let go to another team, shake the trees and a half-dozen McLouths will fall out.

      1. The team isn’t going to DFA McLouth or Hairston … yet. Hairston has been remarkably effective as a bench bat against LHP. McLouth has been terrible, sure, but the only reason that you release him at this point is if you assume that a terrible two months means that he will be terrible all season. With his plate discipline (12.74% BB rate this season, 9.87% career), baserunning and defense all showing that they are still solid despite his hitting misadventures McLouth is in a position that, if his bat comes back to essentially what it was last season (OPS+ 99, exactly his career average) then he’s very valuable.

        McLouth’s April and May are sunk costs, you can’t get those numbers back. What you miss if you DFA him is any positive regression. He’s 32, he’s not ancient. It’s a reasonable, though not guaranteed, to bet that he well get better from here throught he rest of the season. Now, you may well see him go on a “convenience” DL stint to try to get his head together while giving Souza a chance to play every day, or Tyler Moore moved to make room for Souza. But for the time being neither Hairston nor McLouth is a DFA candidate.

  3. Really happy with Hood’s bust out season, but if the Nats are going to recall an OF in the next few weeks, it will be Sousa. Pretty sure that Sousa is considered the better defensive player, he has a better arm, and has more power. Also, as mentioned above, promoting Hood would require a roster move; while promoting Sousa does not. If Hood keeps this up all season, the Nats will have some decisions to make as there are only so many OFs that they can put on the 40 man, and McLouth has a two year contract, and the Nats have other coveted OF prospects (Taylor and Goodwin).

    Definitely frustrating to have OFs putting up great numbers in AAA and AA, while the Nats have gotten zero out of LF since Harper went down.

    1. That’s true enough. Of course even if they bring up Souza they’ve still got to make a 25-man roster move, which may not be much easier than making a 40-man roster move, since they have no likely candidates on the 25-man with options at this point. But I’m sure MW and Rizzo realize they can’t just go with McLouth in LF until Harper comes back, which is why the notion of Zimmerman in LF may be more serious than we all first thought.

      1. Tyler Moore is a candidate to be moved back to AAA.

        And at this point if Zimmerman can play 3b at all the team may be better off with him at 3b and either Souza or a McLouth/Hairston/Moore rotation in LF than having Espinosa at 2b. Certainly they’d be better off offensively.

        1. But if they move Zimmerman to left field to shield his arm (shoulder)? That blocks both Souza and Hood. Best bets become Werth and Span. Werth is in decline in all categories but most especially defense. He may be better suited as a 4th outfielder in tandem with a McLouth-like left-handed bat. Span gets 9 million next season. Given his inability to function as an effective lead-off hitter, and given the advancement of Souza, Hood, Taylor, and even Goodwin with the IL’s 4th best OBP … and Goodwin, Hood, AJ Cole, Skole, etc. will be eligible for the rule 5 draft.

        2. And I’m not sure I agree with the premise that they would be that much better off offensively as implied, seems like Espinosa gets way too much blame for the offensive woes and very little for shoring up the infield defense and providing a better than capable backup shortstop.

          Tell me this post-All Star lineup is not similar to the 2012 high energy lineup?

          Werth RF
          Rendon 3B
          Zimmerman LF
          Harper CF
          Ramos C
          LaRoche 1B
          Desmond SS
          Espinosa 2B

          Excellent infield defense great offense with all capable of hitting for power.
          High OBP’s a the top. God mix of lefty-righty. Just replacing Morse with Zimmerman
          and placing Rendon at his natural position where he has been sterling 3B.

    1. In a related story, the sun will set in the western sky, which may or may not be blue, according to Mike Rizzo.

  5. this may be a reprint but I am hearing rumor of picking up a pitcher , lets just say a blast from the past A guy who did very well ,if true welcome back

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