Saturday’s News & Notes

Syracuse 3 Columbus 2
• Billings 5⅔ IP, 7H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 6K
• Hill (W, 2-1) 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 2K, 1-0 IR-S
• Gwynn 2-3, R, 3B, BB
• Martinson 1-4, R, HR, RBI

Three Syracuse relievers combined for three and a 1/3rd shutdown innings while Jason Martinson went deep again in a 3-2 win vs. Columbus. Bruce Billings got the start and made it through five scoreless before the Clippers got to him in the 6th to tie the game at 2-2. Rich Hill, Eric Fornataro, and Evan Meek each struck out two as they earned the win, hold, and save respectively. Tony Gwynn Jr. walked, singled, and tripled to lead the Syracuse hit column while Martinson’s 4th HR in the 6th turned out to be the gamewinner.
Roster moves: C Jeff Howell placed on the 7-Day DL; OF Kevin Mattison assigned from XST; RHP Matt Swynenberg placed on restricted list.

Harrisburg 2 Bowie 1
• Ross (W, 1-1) 6+ IP, 8H, R, ER, BB, 5K
• Mendez (SV, 2) 3IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 4K, 1-0 IR-S
• Lisson 2-4, 2B
• Hague 1-3, CS, OF assist at HP

Ricky Hague drove in the winning run and threw out the tying run in the Senators’ 2-1 win over the BaySox. Joe Ross got his first win with another quality start: six-plus innings of one-run ball, scattering eight hits, walking one, and fanning five. Gilberto Mendez stranded a runner in the 7th and retired the first six batters he faced before giving up back-to-back-to-back singles with one down in the 9th, the last of which Hague got the second out with a play at the plate. Mendez sealed the deal with a strikeout to earn his third save. Both Harrisburg runs came in the 2nd on three straight hits as Matt Skole homered, Wilmer Difo doubled, and Hague singled.

Salem 4 Potomac 1
• Spann (L, 0-4) 6IP, 9H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 2K
• Napoli 2IP, 0H, 0R, BB, K
• Ballou 1-4, BB
• Perez 0-2, R, 2BB

Salem shut down Potomac’s offense for a 4-1 win, the seventh loss in nine games for the P-Nats. Matt Spann lost for the fourth time in as many starts, charged with all four Red Sox runs on nine hits and two walks. David Napoli followed with two shutout innings of relief. Table-setters Isaac Ballou and Stephen Perez both reached base twice, with Perez scoring the lone run on fielder’s choice off the bat of Spencer Kieboom in the 4th. Potomac was held to four singles and five walks and was 0-for-8 with RISP, leaving nine men on base.

Hagerstown 3 Greenville 2
• Valdez (W, 2-1) 6IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 4K
• Orlan (SV, 3) 3IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 4K, WP
• Carey 3-3, 2B, BB
• Reistetter 3-4, R

It wasn’t pretty — aided by an error and two sac flies — but Hagerstown’s three-run 4th was enough for Phillips Valdez and R.C. Orlan to work with for a 3-2 win over Greenville. Valdez spun six shutout innings, allowing just two hits, no walks while striking out four to earn his second win. Orlan was sideswiped by the Drive for two runs in the 7th but recovered to post zeroes in the 8th and 9th to earn his third save. D.K. Carey and Matt Reistetter both collected three hits to lead the Suns’ ten-hit parade.

Trea Turner Update
Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases (nos. 3 and 4) in San Antonio’s 8-6 win last night. Yesterday, MLB reportedly amended the Pete Incavligia rule to make Turner’s Nat-but-not-really-a-Nat situation less likely to occur.