Wednesday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Probable Pitchers |
| Syracuse | Lost, 5-4 | Rochester, 7:00 p.m. |
Laffey (12-5, 3.38) vs. Johnson (9-7, 3.60) |
| Harrisburg | Lost, 6-4 | @ New Hampshire, 6:35 p.m. |
Kroenke (2-8, 6.53) vs. Lawrence (9-8, 3.71) |
| Potomac | Won, 3-1 | @ Wilmington, 5:05 p.m. |
Spann (8-5, 4.16) and Turnbull (2-3, 5.02) vs. Pounders (0-0, 1.80) and TBD |
| Hagerstown | Lost, 5-4 (10 inn.) | @ Asheville, 7:05 p.m. |
Suero (3-1, 2.32) vs. Jiminian (13-5, 4.15) |
| Auburn | Lost, 4-1 | @ Batavia, 7:05 p.m. |
Van Orden (1-3, 4.58) vs. Holmes (0-1, 2.60) |
| GCL Nationals | Lost, 8-2 | vs. GCL Cardinals, 10:00 a.m. |
TBD and TBD vs. TBD and TBD |
Lehigh Valley 5 Syracuse 4
• Treinen (L, 8-2) 4⅔ IP, 5H, 5R, 4ER, 3BB, 1K, WP
• Delcarmen 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, K
• Kobernus 3-4, RBI
• Hood 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI
The Chiefs’ squandered two outs at home plate in a tough 5-4 loss to the IronPigs. Starter and loser Blake Treinen was his own worst enemy. In the 2nd, Russ Canzler walked, advanced on a wild pitch and later scored on an RBI groundout. Following a game-tying RBI double by Brandon Laird scoring Emmanuel “Manny” Burriss in the top of the 3rd, Treinen loaded the bases on a single and two walks before Mikael Franco’s Giancarlo Stanton-imitating grand slam put Syracuse down to Lehigh Valley, 5-1. A two-out rally in the 6th yielded an RBI double from Destin Hood that scored Brandon Laird and an RBI single from Jeff Kobernus, though Hood was gunned down at the plate trying to score to end the inning. The Chiefs hit four consecutive two-out singles in the 8th to get one run back, but Syracuse third base coach Joe Dillon waved Hood home again and the IronPigs threw him out again to prevent the tying run from scoring. Lehigh Valley’s Luis Garcia only needed just eleven pitches to strike out two Chiefs in a clean 9th and record his 21st save.
Roster moves: RHP Sam Runion reassigned from Harrisburg, RHPs Aaron Barrett, Blake Treinen activated from the 7-Day DL; RHP Daniel Stange placed on the 7-Day DL; UT Jose Lozada placed on the 3-Day TIL.
New Hampshire 6 Harrisburg 4
• Espino (L, 6-5) 7⅔ IP, 9H, 6R, 6ER, BB, 8K, 2HR, HBP
• Herron ⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K, HBP, 2WP, 1-0 IR-S
• Vettleson 2-3, 2R, 2B, BB, RBI
• Canham 2-4, R
Harrisburg reverted to losing form and resumed its tragic march toward franchise history in a 6-4 loss to New Hampshire. Starter and loser Paolo Espino took one for the team. After recording the first two outs in the 1st, Espino gave up two runs on four straight singles. The Rock Cats tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the 3rd on a two-run homer by Brad Glenn that scored Kevin Nolan. Harrisburg declined the gift of an unearned run from the Rock Cats when Jason Martinson was picked off at first base right before Drew Vettleson’s solo home run in the 4th. In the bottom of the inning, New Hampshire made the score 5-1 on a Michael Crouse triple and a Derrick Chung single. This edition of the Harrisburg comeback that fell short included two runs in the 7th and one in the 8th, but Brad Glenn hit his second homer of the night to extend the score to 6-4 before Gregory Infante issued only a walk while recording his 21st save.
Potomac 3 Wilmington 1
• Bacus (W, 6-6) 7IP, 5H, R, ER, 2BB, 8K, WP
• Mendez (SV, 13) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, K
• Wooten 2-3, R, BB
• Norfork 2-4, R
• Ballou 2-4, BB
Woe be to the folks who decided to hit the concession stands (and/or the bathroom, depending on how well the hot dogs were cooked) during the 5th, as both teams scored their only runs during that inning as the P-Nats defeated the Blue Rocks, 3-1. Dakota Bacus turned in his best outing of the season, striking out eight over seven innings with just the lone run allowed on five hits to even up his won-loss mark at 6-6. Bryan Harper and Gilberto Mendez followed with a scoreless inning apiece to earn hold no. 5 and save no. 13 respectively. The bats were still breezy (13K) but the offense connected for eight hits, with Isaac Ballou, Khayyan Norfork, and John Wooten each singling twice. The win combined with a Lynchburg loss lowers the magic number for Potomac to take both halves to three.
Roster moves: OF Steven Souza removed from roster, assignment to Potomac completed.
Asheville 5 Hagerstown 4 (10 inn.)
• Pivetta 5IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, K
• Thomas (BS, 5) 4IP, 1H, R, ER, 0BB, 6K
• Johns (L, 3-1) ⅔ IP, 1H, R, ER, IBB, 0K
• Mesa 2-5, R, 2-2B, RBI
• Yezzo 2-4, R
Suns’ reliever Sam Johns allowed a sacrifice fly to Cesar Galvez, which scored Max White in the 10th inning to give Asheville a 5-4 victory against Hagerstown. The Suns did have a chance to secure the win in the 9th after loading the bases with two outs, but Cody Dent grounded out to send the game to extras. Nick Pivetta started the game and pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, leaving with a 4-2 lead. However, the Hagerstown bullpen was not able to hold the lead as Justin Thomas allowed a solo home run to Jose Briceno in the 6th inning to knot the score up at 4 runs apiece. Narciso Mesa and James Yezzo paced the Suns’ offense with four of the team’s six hits. Hagerstown remains two games ahead of Greensboro in the Sally Lg.’s North Division 2nd Half standings with six games remaining. Hickory won to stave off elimination, but is five games behind. The Suns magic number to clinch a playoff spot, which was incorrectly reported as one on Sunday, remains at two.
Jamestown 4 Auburn 1
• Bourque 5IP, 3H, R, ER, 0BB, 6K
• Webb (L, 0-1) 2⅔ IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 2K
• Langlois 2-4, 2B
• Gunter 2-4, 2B, RBI
A two-run 7th inning was the difference as Jamestown defeated Auburn 4-1. The loss snapped the Doubledays’ three-game winning streak. After allowing back-to-back hits to start off the inning, Auburn reliever Joseph Webb threw a wild pitch, which allowed both runners to score the decisive runs of the game. The Jammers then added on a single run in the ninth inning to cap off the win. Cody Gunter drove in the Doubledays’ lone run of the night in the fourth inning. The loss combined with a Brooklyn win officially eliminated Auburn from the NYPL playoffs. Things were not all that grape for Jamestown as it was revealed Monday that they will be relocating to Morgantown, WV for the 2015 season, a move that will disrupt the NYPL’s scheduling and divisions, as Jeremy Houghtaling of the Auburn Citizen (link) notes.
GCL Marlins 8 GCL Nationals 2
• Ohlendorf 1⅔ IP, 2H, R, ER, BB, 3K, HBP
• Sisk 1⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K, 3-0 IR-S
• Baez (L, 1-3) 4⅔ IP, 4H, 4R, 4ER, BB, 4K, HR, HBP
• Corredor 2-2, 2BB, 2RBI
• Reetz 1-2, 2BB, SB
After falling behind 1-0 early, the G-Nats got the tying run in the 4th then went ahead 2-1 on Aldrem Corredor’s RBI single. Alas, there were three more innings to play and the G-Marlins scored seven unanswered runs to extend the Senators South skid to eight games by an 8-2 count. Ross Ohlendorf made his first appearance in three months and was charged with a run on two hits and a walk while hitting a batter over an inning and 2/3rds. The loss went to Joan Baez, who was torched for four runs on four hits and a walk over four and 2/3rds for his third loss. Corredor reached base four times with two singles and two walks to pace the G-Nats offense, while Jakson Reetz was close behind with a single, two walks, though he showed his age by making the third out at third base to end the 6th.
Roster moves: RHP Ross Ohlendorf assigned from Washington for MLB rehab.
Ok here I go I live in Harrisburg , love my team and I try I really try to be a good fan. I even have my PC ready to go at 7 to watch my team. Sorry not much of a life during baseball season I just root and cheer for my team ,but Lord forgive me they suck. I am a true baseball guy, I pride myself on stats and knowing the in’s and out’s of the game. we are not very talented and I would bet this year we have seen maybe , just maybe 3 prospects. The nats management must think that Harrisburg will continue to support crap. I don’t think so. We throw guys like Kroenke every 5 days and let go of one my favorite guys Manno who has always done a great job for this organization. We keep guys like Bates Herron Dupra Demney and I can keep going who just flat out stink. Mr Rizzo Mr Harris . This is unacceptable,and for a life long fan like me I understand it is about player development and I am not a trophy chaser but for Christ sake , start getting a better feel for role players , start understanding the concept of clubhouse guy and talent. It is getting very difficult to stay dedicated
Jed, I have been clowning Harrisburg the last few weeks because they are truly an abysmal team. Don’t you just feel sometimes that they are underpaid organizational guys who resent having to fulfill contracts with a coach they may not like and are eager to home with quick at bats since they know that they’re not going to get promoted to the stacked Syracuse roster? Guys like Dykstra and Martinson have got to be really frustrated knowing that they are playing on a team that’s going nowhere and that they are unlikely to crack Syracuse this year. I imagine it was okay watching Harrisburg when Taylor was on the roster. I was at the three home run game when he literally hit a ball right in front of me that barely cleared the fence for his second home run. Since he’s been promoted to Syracuse and then Washington, however, I really feel for any fan of the Senators. The Senators, however, unlike Potomac (and maybe Hagerstown. Haven’t been in a couple of years.) do have what appears to me to be an excellent game day experience. The Park is renovated. The concourse is great. They seem to get the amenities side of it as well. The city of Harrisburg seem to know that City Island is a jewel of a piece of community property and there’s lots do there before and after you’re done crying about the latest Harrisburg loss. Personally, I might take even Harrisburg’s horrific last few weeks over Hagerstown’s flirtation with Fredericksburg. At least you can know that the product’s got to be better next year because it’s hard to conceive of how it can get worse. In Hagerstown, you never know if this is the last year you’ll ever have a baseball team and the city doesn’t have the State Government that Harrisburg has an economic engine to ensure future growth and economic success for the team. Long comment, but I hope that things get better for Harrisburg while Hagerstown finally solves its stadium issues and remains our low A affiliate for the foreseeable future.
Honestly folks. One stinker of a year in Harrisburg
History with nats proves a hicup in the talent pool.
Next year everybody will be chomping @ the bit
To see this years Potomac bunch .
Severino coming along quite nice and so young
Any scuttlebutt as to why Manno was released? His numbers were better than decent (3-0 3.44 24K 18 IP). In light of his solid play and Harrisburg’s obvious lack of quality players, would guess that it was something off the field. Strange.
Pilchard way off base about manno. You are talking about a highly educated, and Highly thought of individual not just by our management but by most people in baseball. He asked for his release to start Grad school. I was told he very much wanted to start his life rather then be a professional minor league player. I am not saying I agree with him , I personally think he can be a very effective lefty guy but my opinion means very little
Mel, I think that you are right. Harrisburg’s probably got contractual rights to him for the season. He’s committed to being a AA player for Harrisburg in organized baseball or nowhere at all. Manno’s bright. I hope that he doesn’t give up. I hope that he chooses to play overseas and uses his brains to master the culture and his arm to master the league. I hope he earns his right back into the affiliates and tears it up. I know Manno’s Minions will never give up on that guy as long as he doesn’t.
Mel,
With all due respect, I was not off-base at all. As stated, given his solid performance, I expected that it was an off-the-field issues that led to his release. Leaving baseball to go to grad school is exactly the type of off-the-field issue that I suspected.
Mel – A fellow Dookie (and a teammate of Chris’s) also called it quits to go back to school; he just wasn’t released. All-around, it’s a matter of semantics. This is one of many reasons why I’d prefer that MiLB.com abandon the farce of the 7-Day DL and 3-Day TIL and simply call it the Inactive List.
SoulDrummer. I think both of your comments are on the money.Listen Harrisburg is small town baseball and thats a good thing. The town really needs the entertainment value of the team. The team is well supported by the community and I just feel that the national organization have to do a better job and provide a better product. Everyone who reads this blog should read the words of Souldrummer, because they ring true. Most of the guys on the team stopped playing two months ago (shame on them). I sit on the 3rd base side very close to the dugout. I watch body language, I speak with the players every game and encourage them to play hard. I am a nobody to them and to the readers but I try my very best to see the positive., Also Souldrummer not a minion but a true fan of Manno. If this young man was released shame on the management of the nationals. He was very good in the short time that I have seen him and In fact I was told by 3 players and one coach that Manno was so well like in the clubhouse and in the pen, that when he left the team was very upset. The pitching coach I quote said to me that Manno was about to take off. He also said that Manno treated everyone as if they were his family and that he really was great person to have on the team,. By the way if you are checking , its the same pitching coach that had him in A ball in hagerstown. So my point is that Upper level management should certainly develop players , that is the name of the game but fans like me will not tolerate another season like this. If you fail , fail by giving your all, some one is ALWAYS watching
As a charter member of ‘Manno’s minions’ I was so happy to see him back with the Nats, but I understand. As a Duke guy, he has a lot of good options. I would love to see him back but there’s such a small chance of that.
Mel, a warm welcome back. It took lively Chris Manno discussion to bring you back from your sabbatical.
Hey mark always a pleasure. I read this wonderful blog daily. You guys do an awesome job . Manno in a Nats uniform will not happen again. I have to say I am super disappointed about this, but I tip my hat to not just Manno but to any young man or Women who controls their own destiny. Baseball is a cruel cruel game in many ways. The minor league ball players are working below min wage, something has to give. How can the Nationals keep for example a Chris Manno if at the age of 25 , he is earning $1600 a month for only 5 months a year. Now he goes home in September (unemployed) and has to get ready for next season. Lifting weights,running ,throwing. It is impossible. As a Duke graduate , what do you think his upside is. Its not just manno its any young man who has a dream, at some point reality sets in and you have to live a productive life. again thanks mark ,always a pleasure my friend
sorry Pilchard i mis read your text whenever i hear off the field issues it usually means the player did something against the so- called code of conduct my sincere apologies
Luke the players call it the fathom DL I could not agree with you more. I think you may be speaking about Worms and yes he went to Medical school. My only guess is school started in August and these boys had to make a choice. But Luke you make a great great point Get rid of the 7 and 3 day D L . I think the difference was that Onle player asked for his release and the other just retired