Sunday’s News & Notes

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 13 Syracuse 0
• Roenicke (L, 4-6) 4IP, 7H, 6R, 6ER, BB, K, 2HR
• Stange 2IP, 3H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Rhymes 2-4, 2-2B

The Syracuse Chiefs weren’t watching last night’s 11-0 drubbing of the Philadelphia Phillies by the Washington Nationals from the dugout. But had they been, they were not inspired to win as they lost by the even uglier score of 13-0 to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Only reliever Daniel Stange, who only allowed three hits during his shutout 5th and 6th innings, can hold his head high. Perhaps Jeff Howell, who pitched a perfect one-third of an inning and stranded two runners to end the madness, can too. Offensively, only Will “Skills” Rhymes, whose two doubles came when Syracuse was already down 6-0 to the Evil Empire’s AAA minions, warrants mention. Thanks to a PawSox loss, the Chiefs held onto their one-game division lead, but the gap between 1st place and 3rd place was narrowed to one and a half games by a RedWings win.

Harrisburg 3 Akron 2
• Espino (W, 5-3) 8IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 8K, HR
• Benincasa (SV, 5) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Martinson 2-4
• Latimore 1-3, 2B, BB, 2RBI

In contrast to the Chiefs, the Senators have decided to make a noble final speech before they are voted out of their playoff offices for the 2014 season. Nobody should lose to a RubberDuck, and tomorrow Harrisburg will go for a rare home four-game sweep of Akron. Starter and winner Paolo Espino was down 1-0 with no outs in the 1st following a wild pitch and a double, but he wriggled out of further harm with a flyout to Michael Taylor, a lineout to Drew Vettleson and a groundout to Jason Martinson. After a Bryan Miles homer put Harrisburg down 2-0 in the top half the 4th, Quincy “The Dude” Latimore countered with a two-run double in the bottom half before Jason Martinson was gunned down at home. Cutter Dykstra returned to the lineup for the first time since Independence Day and celebrated by singling and scoring the decisive run in the bottom of the 5th on a Matt Skole two-out single. Ric Flair was upset and stalked off angrily, however, because he only got to yell “WOOOO!” twice during Robert Benincasa’s fifth save.
Roster moves: IF Cutter Dykstra activated from 7-Day DL, C Mitch Canham placed on the 7-Day DL.

Potomac vs. Carolina — PPD
They’ll play two today to make up for the rainout on Saturday. With an off day on Monday, both teams are shuffling the deck and neither is showing their hand as to who’s pitching today.
Roster moves: RHP Gilberto Mendez activated from the 3-Day TIL, UT Justin Miller placed on the 7-Day DL.

Hagerstown 1 Charleston 0
• Lopez 5IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Webb (W, 4-1) 3IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 4K, 2 pickoffs
• Johns (SV, 1) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Bautista 2-4, SB(60)
• Difo 2-3, R, 2B, BB, HR, RBI

Three Hagerstown pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout while Wilmer Difo provided the margin of victory with a solo shot in the 9th in a 1-0 win over Charleston. Reynaldo Lopez only struck out three but turned in another five scoreless innings to bring his total to 11 in his two starts since returning from Auburn. Joseph Webb followed with three more zeroes on the scoreboard, giving up a hit and a walk (both were picked off at first) and getting the benefit of Difo’s blast for his fourth win. Sam Johns pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save. Difo also doubled and walked as the Suns piled up nine hits but also hit into three double plays.

Staten Island 5 Auburn 2
• Dickey 4+ IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K
• Mapes (L, 0-1) 1IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 1K, 1-1 IR-S
• Page 2-3, BB
• Mejia 2-4, 3SB

Auburn led this one 2-1 at the halfway mark but gave up four unanswered runs in the 5th and 6th innings to lose to Staten Island, 5-2. Robbie Dickey put baserunners in four of five innings he started, leaving with one on and no outs in the 5th. Tyler Mapes let in that runner and one of his own to suffer the loss, his first. The Doubledays were held to just six hits with Matt Page and Bryan Mejia accounting for four of the five singles, and Clay Williamson connecting for the lone extra-base knock, a double in the 5th.

GCL Mets 6 GCL Nationals 4
• W. Davis (L, 0-1) 3IP, 6H, 4R, 2ER, 2BB, 1K, HR
• Mills 3IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 4BB, 2K
• Gutierrez 2-4, BB, RBI
• Reetz 1-2, R, 2BB, SB, CS

With a four-run 9th the G-Nats made this game a whole lot closer than it really was as they fell to the G-Mets again, 6-4. Eleventh Rd. pick Weston Davis took the loss with four runs (two earned) given up on six hits and two walks over three innings. Aldrem Corredor’s two-run HR highlighted the G-Nats lone rally of the game. Kelvin Gutierrez singled twice and walked once while Jakson Reetz walked twice and singled once to lead the seven-hit, five-walk offense for the G-Nats.

DSL Nationals 4 DSL Orioles2 3
• Fuentes (W, 2-2) 5IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 9K, WP
• Cespedes 3BF, 1H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 0K
• Vargas 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K, WP, 3-3 IR-S
• Pimentel 2-4, 2B
• Agustin 2-4, R

Angher Cespedes did his best Rafael Soriano imitation, putting three straight runners on in the 8th with a 4-0 lead to set up a Chad Cordero save for Migeul Vargas as he let in all three runners on a wild pitch and a double before getting the last six outs in a 4-3 D-Nats win over the D-Orioles2. The meltdown nearly took away the win from Steven Fuentes, who struck out nine in five innings with just a walk and two hits allowed. Seventeen-year-olds Davinson Pimentel and Telmito Augustin both went 2-for-4 to lead the D-Nats attack.