Tuesday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Probable Pitchers |
| Syracuse | Won, 5-3 | @ Lehigh Valley, 7:05 p.m. |
Treinen (8-1, 2.96) vs. O’Sullivan (5-10, 4.44) |
| Harrisburg | Lost, 9-7; Won, 5-3 |
@ New Hampshire, 6:35 p.m. |
Espino (6-4, 3.76) vs. Copeland (8-8, 3.74) |
| Potomac | Lost, 6-0 | @ Wilmington, 6:35 p.m. |
Bacus (5-6, 4.47) vs. Almonte (6-7, 4.80) |
| Hagerstown | OFF DAY | @ Asheville, 7:05 p.m. |
TBD vs. TBD |
| Auburn | Won, 5-4; Won, 2-1 |
vs. Jamestown, 7:05 p.m. |
Bourque (2-5, 4.36) vs. DuRupau (2-2, 2.29) |
| GCL Nationals | Lost, 4-3 | @ GCL Marlins | TBD and TBD |
Syracuse 5 Lehigh Valley 3
• Cole (W, 7-0) 5IP, 4H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 8K, HR
• Grace (H, 7) 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Martin (SV, 9) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Rhymes 2-3, R, 2B, BB, RBI
• Laird 2-4, BB, RBI
• E. Perez 2-4, R, BB
The Syracuse Chiefs earned a tough, professional 5-3 team win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Their 2nd-inning two-run rally set the tone. A one-out single by Eury Perez, a Destin Hood single advancing Perez to third, a sacrifice fly by Jhonatan “Onion” Solano, and a Will Rhymes RBI double led to a 2-0 lead that Syracuse would hold for the rest of the night. In the 3rd, Syracuse added runs by Michael Taylor and Tyler Moore while hitting four singles and recording a walk to take a 4-0 lead. In the 4th, Lehigh Valley scored three runs highlighted by Philadelphia hot prospect Mikael Franco’s two-run homer off starter and winner A.J. Cole. After starter and loser Brad Lincoln departed, Emmanuel “Manny” Burriss hit an RBI single to capitalize on an earlier throwing error by new pitcher Hector Neris. Rafael Martin tossed a dominant two innings, striking out three on a total of 27 pitches, to record his ninth save and lower his ERA to a tidy 0.88.
New Hampshire 9 Harrisburg 7 (12 inn.) — GAME ONE (COMP.)
• Espino 6IP, 10H, 4R, 4ER, BB, 4K
• Herron 2IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K
• Self (L, 1-3) 1IP, 4H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 0K, HR
• Vettleson 2-3, R
• Skole 3-6, 3-2B, 3RBI
• Keyes 2-6, R, HR, RBI
The Harrisburg Senators’ pitching staff waited until the 12th inning to blow the game in a 9-7 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Most of this game was played on July 27th, but rain defeated both teams efforts to complete a getaway game from Harrisburg in the 12th inning with one out. On July 27th Harrisburg was a competitive team that fought back in the ninth inning to tie the game at 6-6 on Matt Skole’s game tying 25th double in front of his home fans. Skole’s attempt at a walk off run on a Kevin Keyes single was thwarted by an outfield assist from left fielder Mike Newman to nab Skole at home plate. On Aug 25th. Richard Bleier took the pitcher’s rubber in New Hampshire with a two-run lead, struck out Caleb Ramsey, and casually tossed a grounder from Drew Vettleson to first base to quickly record his first save for New Hampshire’s “road” win.
Harrisburg 5 New Hampshire 3 — GAME TWO
• Rivero (W, 2-6) 6IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 5K, HBP
• Herron (SV, 6) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Skole 3-4, 3R, BB, HR, 3RBI
• Martinson 2-4
• Vettleson 2-4, 2B
New Hampshire temporarily stalled the Harrisburg Senators dubious march toward history by coughing up four unearned runs in its 5-3 loss. The Senators’ win ended an eleven-game losing streak (12 if you count the suspended “Game 1” loss). Harrisburg took a 5-0 lead on Matt Skole’s two-out, three-run homer, but all three runs were unearned due to the throwing error that allowed Adrian Sanchez to reach base. Harrisburg winner Felipe Rivero provided the quality start Harrisburg desperately needed. Gustavo Pierre reached second base on a leadoff double to start the 6th, but after Rivero plunked Jorge Flores, a double play and a strikeout quickly erased the only real danger Rivero faced in six clean innings of work. Up 5-0 to start the seventh, Derek Self gave up a double to Andy Burns and Matt Skole committed an error while Mr. Burns crossed home plate. Self then gave up a two-run homer to Michael Crouse. Tyler Herron pitched a scoreless ninth to end Harrisburg’s efforts to give the game away and record his sixth save, the first for Harrisburg since Herron last managed the feat on August 13th.
Roster moves: RHPs Omar Poveda, Sam Runion reassigned from Syracuse (Blake Treinen, Aaron Barrett due off the DL today).
Frederick 6 Potomac 0
• Rauh (L, 2-3) 5⅔ IP, 9H, 6R, 5ER, 2BB, K, WP
• Encarnacion 3⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 5K, 2-0 IR-S
• Miller 1-3
• Renda 1-4
Potomac closed out its home schedule with a 6-0 loss that wasn’t even that close. Officially, the wind was listed at 2 mph from RF to LF, but thanks to Parker Bridwell’s changeup, there was also some breeze from home plate as the P-Nats bats fanned 15 times. Bridwell was perfect through six and a 1/3rd innings before Tony Renda singled to right to break it up. The loss was charged to Brian Rauh for giving up all six Keys runs on nine hits and two walks over five and 2/3rds innings. Pedro Encarnacion stranded two to close out the 6th and finished the game for three and a 1/3rd scoreless innings of relief. Wilmington and Lynchburg both lost to ease Potomac one step closer to a double-half win. The P-Nats travel to the 95 Toll Plaza state to take on the Blue Rocks for four games beginning tonight.
Hagerstown — OFF DAY
Barring a 2011-Barves/BoSox collapse, the Suns will make the 2014 Sally League Northern Division playoffs. Unlike the Carolina League, there is no reward for a double-half win in the Sally League, so it’s semantics and aesthetics from here on out for Greensboro and Hagerstown. The final ’14 Suns regular-season road trip is to the bandbox on the mountainside that is McCormick field to play the Tourists before closing out the home schedule with four games from Friday to Monday against the Blue Claws.
Auburn 5 Jamestown 4 (9 inn.) — GAME ONE
• McDowell 4IP, 4H, R, ER, 0BB, 3K
• Sanchez (W, 6-1) 1⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K, 2-0 IR-S
• Williamson 3-5, R
• Abreu 3-5, R, SB
• Marmolejos-Diaz 2-4, SF, RBI
Auburn rallied in the 7th to send Game One to “extras,” where “Orange” Marmolejos-Diaz squeezed a flyball deep enough to score Clay Williamson for the game-winning sac fly in the 9th. The 9-1-2 combo of Williamson, Osvaldo Abreu, and Marmolejos-Diaz combined for eight of the 12 Doubledays hits, with Williamson and Abreu both singling in the 9th. Mario Sanchez, who stranded a pair of runners with two out in the 8th, got his team-leading sixth win while retiring all four batters he faced in relief.
Auburn 2 Jamestown 1 — GAME TWO
• Reyes 5IP, 5H, R, ER, 2BB, 2K
• Mapes (W, 1-1) 2IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 2K
• Mejia 1-4, 2R
• Marmolejos-Diaz 2-3, 2-2B, BB
Pitching carried the Doubledays in Game Two while poor defense lost it for the Jammers, 2-1. Bryan Mejia got on with a two-base throwing error, took third on a passed ball, and scored the second Auburn run on another Jamestown error. The yakety-sax defense made a winner out of Tyler Mapes, who worked around two hits and two walks in his two innings of relief to get the “W.” Luis Reyes returned from the GCL to start and turned in five innings with one run let in on five hits and two walks.
GCL Marlins 4 GCL Nationals 3
• Costa (L, 0-2) 2IP, 0H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, K, WP
• Morales 5IP, 8H, 3R, 3ER, BB, 2K
• Keniry 1-3, R, 2B, BB, RBI
• G. Ramirez 1-4, 3B, 2RBI
The G-Nats tumbled to their seventh straight defeat by a 4-3 count to the G-Marlins. John Costa made it out of the 1st and through the 2nd in his second appearance, but was charged with his second loss for letting in the first run of the game on an error, wild pitch, and an RBI groundout. The G-Nats (s)lumber awoke in the 7th with an RBI double by Connor Keniry and a two-run triple by Gilberto Ramirez in the 7th, but were held to just five hits and four walks total.
With the Chiefs now almost certain to make the Governor’s Cup playoffs, interesting question emerges of how many of them the Nats might call up on September 1. I suggested on another board that all or most of them would be left in Syracuse for the postseason (which could last a while if the Chiefs win the Cup and so end up playing in the AAA Championship Game against the PCL champion on September 16) and got hooted down by several people. Most folks (at least in DC) would likely feel the needs of the big club come first, but if the Nats call up, say, Taylor, Trienen, Cole, Martin, and Grace and maybe others, and the Chiefs end up losing the first round, it won’t do much for affiliate relations.
Cole, Martin and Grace are not on the 40 man roster, and there is no one on the current 40 man roster that looks like a candidate for the 60 day DL (Scheirholtz took the last spot when the Nats put McLouth on the 60 day DL); so, I don’t see the Nats adding anyone from the current Cuse roster to the 40 man roster absent a major injury; so, Cole, Martin and Grace will not get the call (barring injury) at any time.
That limits those on the Cuse roster with a chance to be called up to Taylor, Treinen, Barrett, Hill, Cedeno, Leon, Solano, Moore and Perez. Of that group, it’s a lock that the Nats call up either Barrett or Treinen (maybe both) if they are healthy, and one of the catchers, probably Leon, on September 1. Also, Souza will likely be activated off the DL and join the Nats. Even though the bench is right-handed heavy, I also don’t think that the Nats wait to call up Tyler Moore as there is no current back-up first baseman on the roster. That is probably the extent of the call-ups until Cuse’s playoff run ends.
When the playoff run ends, I would guess that they will call up Taylor to pinch-run, and play defense, and Cedeno to add another situational lefty, but I don’t see more than that coming up.
The Nats’ rationale for limiting the additions to the roster has nothing to do with affiliate relations, but is likely driven by the fact that there is no current need for other eligible players to join the team. Naturally, this could change if the Nats play a 16 inning game on August 31 or a current Nat gets banged up. In the consideration of priorities, servicing the MLB roster to ensure the Nats have the best chance to win dominates over ever other concern, particularly the playoff prospects for AAA Syracuse.
I think Jeff Kobernus is also a candidate for a call-up. My guess is that one of Kobernus, Taylor & Eury get a call-up on Sept 1 to give the Nats an extra pinch running option (my guess would actually be Kobernus), and at least one of the other two would come up after the Chiefs playoffs.
I’d add that there are still candidates for potential replacements Rafael Martin and Matt Grace. Two guys who I deem might just help the Nats more than the Bear and Cedeno. Both of these relievers are multi-inning types and aren’t limited to 1 and done as apparently are Cedeno and Barrett. Both have put on very strong performances in the 2nd half for Syracuse.
One candidate for DFA or the DL might be Ryan Mattheus? But, yes, this does seem unlikely? Another possible candidate might be Jhonotan Solano? He’s pushing 30 and it seems like he might never see the active roster again? Have they already attempt revocable waivers on these two and what was the result? Other possibilities for the 60-day DL might be Rivero and Solis although both are apparently back and trying to work themselves back into baseball shape in the minors?
Its really hard to say though so … this is a lot of speculation.
Even though Harrisburg is abysmal, Felipe Rivero has showing something lately. He has not been scored upon in his last two starts, striking out 11 and walking only 2. In fact, Rivero has only been scored on once since he returned from the DL in July. That’s six out of seven scoreless appearances. Looks like he is justifying the 40 man roster spot that the Nats have held for him all year.
Stating pitching should be excellent next season with Giolito, Rivero, Voth, Reynaldo Lopez, probably Solis again. Beyond that I’m not sure whether they’ll be improved much?
friends can someone please tell me what happened to Chris Manno I see released next to his name on his profile. I watched him in Harrisburg and he was lights out and am from Hagerstown where he was by far the most effective pitcher on the staff.
I can not believe the Nats released him