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Monday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 4-3 vs. Buffalo,
2:00 p.m.		 TBD vs. Copeland (2-1, 2.00)
Harrisburg Lost, 6-2 @ Portland,
2:00 p.m.		 TBD vs. TBD
Potomac Won, 6-5;
Won, 5-4		 @ Frederick,
2:00 p.m.		 Spann (9-5, 3.92)
vs. Brault (2-0, 0.69)
Hagerstown Won, 5-2 vs. Lakewood,
1:05 p.m.		 Cooper (7-4, 5.78) vs.
Prosinski (5-5, 3.50)
Auburn Lost, 7-6 vs. Batavia,
2:05 p.m.		 Bourque (2-5, 4.03) vs.
Smigelski (2-1, 4.66)


Syracuse 4 Buffalo 3
• Espino 6⅔ IP, 2H, R, ER, BB, 4K
• Mattheus (H, 7) 1⅓ IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 2K, 2-0 IR-S
• Delcarmen (BS, 3)(W, 4-4) 1IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, BB, 0K
• Hood 2-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI
• Moore 2-4, R, 2-2B
• Solano 2-3, R 2B, 2RBI

The Chiefs followed up their division-clinching road victory Saturday with a thrilling 4-3 walkoff win Sunday over the Bisons. Syracuse jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd with a Tyler Moore double followed by two-out doubles from Greg Dobbs and Jhonatan Solano. The Chiefs then loaded the bases with one out in the 4th on a Brandon Laird single, Destin Hood double and Greg Dobbs walk. Solano kept the line moving with a single that scored Moore, but Jose Lozada grounded into an inning-ending double play. Buffalo tied the game up with an RBI double by Brett Wallace in the 7th off starter Paolo Espino, an RBI double by Dalton Pompey off reliever Ryan Mattheus in the 8th, and an RBI single off Manny Delcarmen in the 9th. Order was restored when Destin Hood led off the 9th against Chris Hynes with his tenth homer to end the proceedings.
Roster moves: RHP Paolo Espino reassigned from Harrisburg; RHP A.J. Cole transferred to GCL Nationals roster.

Portland 6 Harrisburg 2
• Kroenke (L, 3-9) 5IP, 4H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 2K, HR
• Benincasa 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Canham 2-3, RBI
• Vettleson 2-4, R

The Harrisburg Senators suffered through a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Portland Sea Dogs yesterday. Mike Miller hit a homer to put Portland up 1-0 with one out in the 1st. After Jason Martinson and Drew Vettleson singled, Mitch Canham tied the score at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly that drove home Martinson. Miller continued his devastation against Harrisburg with a bases-clearing double in the 5th that scored Ryan Dent, Heiker Meneses and Shannon Wilkerson against starter and loser Zach Kroenke. Neil Holland gave up two more runs on an RBI double to Jonathan Roof and a sacrifice fly double play where Caleb Ramsey gunned down Roof trying to advance to third. Portland’s Mike McCarthy made things interesting in the 9th when Harrisburg loaded up the bases and scored a run on a one-out RBI single by Ramsey. Portland closer Noe Ramirez was then summoned to record his eighteenth save, which came on a Quincy Latimore double play.

Potomac 6 Frederick 5 — GAME ONE
• Ohlendorf 3IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Harper (W, 2-0) 1IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K, 1-0 IR-S
• Mendez (SV, 15) 1⅓ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K, 2-0 IR-S
• Ballou 2-4, R, 2B, BB
• Renda 2-3, R, 2BB, SB
• McQuillan 2-2, R, 2BB

After a 92-minute rain delay, the P-Nats racked up four in the 1st and held on for a 6-5 win in the opener. Ross Ohlendorf came out of witness protection to pitch three shutout innings, with two hits and a walk given up and two set down on strikes. Pedro Encarnacion blew a 5-0 lead with five runs allowed over an inning and 2/3rds in relief. The game-winning run came on a double-play ball in the 6th after Khayyan Norfork walked and took third on Mike McQuillan’s second single of the game. Bryan Harper, who stranded the go-ahead run in the 5th, got the win while Gilberto Mendez racked up his 15th save with four-out save. Tony Renda singled twice and walked twice to pace the Potomac offense.

Potomac 5 Frederick 4 — GAME TWO
• Bacus (W, 7-6) 5IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, K, HR
• M. Rodriguez (SV, 1) 2IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Wooten 2-2, R, 3B, BB, 2RBI
• Martinez 1-3, R, 3B, 2RBI

In the nightcap, the two teams traded punches in the 2nd and 3rd innings with the P-Nats outpointing the Keys, 5-4 to sweep the doubleheader and eliminate Frederick from the playoffs. Estarlin Martinez smacked a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch to open the barrage in the 2nd, while John Wooten’s one-out triple drove in the fourth and fifth Potomac runs in the 3rd. Dakota Bacus weathered one run in the 2nd (HR), and three in the 3rd, but made it through five innings to earn his seventh win. Manny Rodriguez spun two scoreless innings in his Carolina League debut to earn the save.
Roster moves: RHP Ross Ohlendorf assigned from Washington for MLB rehab.

Hagerstown 5 Lakewood 2
• Pivetta 5IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 3K, HBP, WP
• Lee (W, 1-0) 2IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• C. Lopez 2-3, 2B, BB
• Chubb 1-2, R, 2BB
• Masters 1-3, 2R, 2B, RBI

The Suns rallied for three in the bottom of the 8th for a 5-2 sportswriter’s win that secured the Sally North second half title (and not much else, thanks to the Sally League’s playoff procedures). Nick Pivetta got the start and let in two over five innings on six hits, no walks and three whiffs. Jake Johansen turned in his first scoreless outing in three weeks with doughnuts in the 6th and 7th innings while Nick Lee got the win with a pair of zeroes in the 8th and 9th. Carlos Lopez reached base three times with a walk, a single, and a double while Wilmer Difo hit home run no. 14 to lead the Hagerstown attack.

Batavia 7 Auburn 6
• Reyes 5IP, 3H, R, ER, 0BB, 3K
• McDowell (L, 1-3) ⅔ IP, 6H, 6R, ER, 0BB, 0K
• Read 2-5, 2-2B, 3RBI, PB(10)
• Abreu 2-5, R, E(20)
• Gardner 2-5, R, 2B, E(4)

For the second straight night, the Auburn bullpen melted down for a six-run 8th inning. This time, however, the offense had only built a 6-1 lead and thus fell 7-6 to Batavia. Two critical errors aided in the train wreck, rendering five of the six runs charged to Chase McDowell as unearned, though the 23-y.o. did give up six hits in the space of nine batters. The implosion erased five innings of one-run ball by starter Luis Reyes, who allowed three hits, no walks, and struck out three.

13 Commments

  1. Just noticed that the Gulf Nats have a pitcher called Joan Baez. Wow! Adds a whole new dimension to ‘We Shall Overcome’.

    1. He was “demoted” so Espino could pitch yesterday. He’ll probably be “promoted” in the next three days.

          1. “The Nationals are playing at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, and Washington isn’t announcing its callups until the players land in that city. But the absence of starter Blake Treinen from the Chiefs rotation strongly suggests he was one of the recalls.

            First baseman Tyler Moore and catchers Sandy Leon and Jhonatan Solano are among the Chiefs’ 40-man players who were not in the lineup for Syracuse’s regular-season ender against Buffalo at NBT Bank Stadium.

            Outfielders Michael Taylor and Eury Perez and infielder Jeff Kobernus are 40-man players who are in the lineup for the Chiefs today.”

  3. The Chiefs just announced the six players lost from the roster in the first wave of September call-ups.

    Steven Souza
    Sandy Leon
    Tyler Moore

    Blake Trienen
    Xavier Cedeno
    Aaron Barrett

    Next we wait to see if Matt Skole comes up to join teammate Michael Taylor. Kevin Brown might not think much of him but Skoley has really come on toward the end to make himself the superior batsman in Harrisburg over Taylor. Kevin Brown might be pleasantly surprised if Mr. Skole appears on his lineup card.

    1. Was just researching this… It’s indisputable that losing Souza & Cole will hurt, but Solano vs. Leon is basically a wash on offense, and in the short run, defense. Likewise for Grace vs. Cedeno. Moore’s been slumping in August (.621OPS), and Treinen has made all of three starts. Barrett hasn’t been a key cog all season long, so you’re not losing what you never really had.

      Not sold that Skole will be called up, but if so, I’d have him ride the pine in favor of Dobbs as the playoffs are no place to learn to adjust to AAA pitching.

      1. It might help to put Felipe Rivero on the pitching staff and perhaps Colin Bates. Why not have Skole and Cutter Dykstra on the bench? And maybe Quincy Latimore? They’re going to be short some power with the loss of Moore and Souza.

  4. Friends: what a sight watching the suns pour champaigne over themselves followed by fireworks last Thursday.
    The silver lining for the Harrisburg season is the group of guys who will aid Chiefs take flight in sept playoffs.
    Joan Baez was one of the handful of Latin arms who soared early season. The first for the mid season visa for viera.
    The kid should wear number 17. kkkkkk
    Another take on the free agent signing group including Espino, Poveda, Simmons and McGregor plus Zach K : they will be needed next season as assignments fall into place along with the usual XST rehab group. kudos to several of those guys really stepping up especially Espino.
    Good to see Nic Lee back in action.

      1. Plus there’s free agents Mitch Lively and Sam Runion who have done well enough for the Chiefs and I believe before that the Senators?

    2. As for Latin players taking off I guess the best example might be Wilmer Difo and his .368 wOBA and .831 OPS
      in Hagerstown.

      Most seem to think the Nats need a new second baseman. Perhaps this switch hitter will provide the answer in the short-term? The walks versus strikeout ratio certainly looks promising along with the XBH numbers.

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