Saturday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Probable Pitchers |
| Syracuse | Won, 9-3 | @ Charlotte, 7:05 p.m. |
McGregor (3-2, 3.62) vs. Drabek (0-1, 1.89) |
| Harrisburg | Lost, 6-5 | @ Trenton, 7:00 p.m. |
Voth (2-2, 4.03) vs. Lail (1-2, 4.37) |
| Potomac | Lost, 4-1 | @ Frederick, 7:00 p.m. |
Bacus (1-0, 3.00) vs. Horacek (2-3, 3.57) |
| Hagerstown | Won, 5-2 | vs. West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. |
TBD vs. Brewer (0-1, 7.20) |
Syracuse 9 Charlotte 3
• Spann (W, 1-0) 6IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, 4K, WP
• Meek 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Burriss 3-5, 3B, 2K
• Mastroianni 3-5, R, RBI, SB
With A.J. Cole sent to join the parent club in San Diego, Matt Spann bridged the gap with six strong innings of two-hit ball, with one run let in on two hits and two walks for the win. Sam Runion failed to retire the three batters he faced in the 7th and left with the bases loaded. Doug Slaten Mitch Lively got the next three outs but let in all three baserunners to lose the shutout. Emmanuel Burris and Darin Mastroianni both went 3-for-5 to lead the Chiefs offense.
Roster moves: RHP A.J. Cole recalled to Washington, LHP Matthew Spann reassigned from Potomac.
Trenton 6 Harrisburg 5
• Alderson (L, 1-1) 2+IP, 4H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 0K, HR
• Demny 2IP, 0H, 0R, 2BB, 3K
• Lisson 1-3, R, 2B, SF, 3RBI
• Goodwin 1-3, 3R, 3B, BB, RBI
Harrisburg was unable to come back from two four-run deficits (4-0, 5-1) and fell to Trenton, 6-5. Tim Alderson was activated from the DL to make the start but will likely go right back as he left after two batters into the third, charged with four runs on four hits with no walks and no strikeouts. The ‘pen kept the Sens in striking distance with six innings of two-run ball, as the offense made the most of its six hits and seven walks for five runs with Mario Lisson driving in three while going 1-for-3 with a double and Brian Goodwin scoring three times while going 1-for-3 with a triple.
Roster moves: RHP Tim Alderson activated from the 7-Day DL, C Cole Leonida released.
Frederick 4 Potomac 1
• Simms (L, 0-4) 6IP, 6H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 3K
• Self 2IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 0K, HR
• Mesa 2-4, R, CS
• Perez 1-2, 2B, 2BB, SB
The breaks continue to elude both John Simms and the P-Nats as they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Keys. Simms spun six innings of two-run ball, one earned on six hits, no walks, and three strikeouts but lost for the fourth time. It was his second straight quality start. Derek Self was dinged for two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to put the game out of reach. Tablesetters Narciso Mesa (2-for-4) and Steven Perez (1-for-2, 2BB) got on five times but only scored once as Potomac was 0-for-6 with RISP and left on six baserunners.
Hagerstown 5 West Virginia 2
• Williams (W, 5-1) 6IP, 7H, R, ER, 2BB, 4K
• Van Orden (SV, 1) 3IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 0K, HBP
• Gardner 2-4, 2B, 3RBI
• Marmolejos-Diaz 1-3, 2R, 3B, BB, 2K
The Suns scored in each of the first three innings to build a 4-1 lead and cruised to a 5-2 win vs. the Power. Austen Williams won for the fifth time in seven starts, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks while striking out four. Drew Van Orden closed out the game with one run let in for his first save. Jeff Gardner drove in three with a two-run double in the 1st and an RBI single in the 3rd while “Orange” Marmolejos-Diaz walked and tripled and scored twice to pace the Hagerstown offense.
Trea Turner Update
Turner went 2-for-4 with a double and a whiff in 4-0 Mission loss. His on-base streak is now 15 games, over which he has hit .407/.500/.630 with 10 runs scored, nine walks, two home runs, and 12 RBI.
Trea Turner comes her June 13th I believe….where does Rizzo put him, AA or AAA?
I’m guessing AA for the short term….
Cue Pat Methany. Better Days Ahead
Turner. AA for starters. Much baseball left until
Sept and playoffs
Hard to believe that Turner is not headed to AAA in one organization or another. Difo is holding his own offensively in AA but has already been bumped up.
If I had to bet on a plan, I’d concur on Turner to AAA with Difo at AA. There are other possibilities, though. They could bump Renda to Syracuse, move Difo to 2B, and give Turner and Difo some double-play time together at AA. One could also make the argument that since Difo is a year older, has shown a bit more power than Turner thus far, and is far less likely than Turner to become a contract issue down the road, that they push Difo to AA with an eye toward a Sept. call-up, or earlier if (Heaven forbid) they have more INF injuries.
All in all, this is a good “problem” to have, as both are performing at the peak of what could have been expected of them, and both seem to be acquitting themselves OK at SS, which was also a question.
Oops, meant to say that they push Difo to *AAA* with an eye toward a Sept. call-up.
Big news on Leonida. After 5+ years in the Nats system, I wish him well. Like they say, make ’em rip that jersey off you.
On Turner, remember he’s in a big-time hitters league. Give him at least a month or two in Harrisburg to see what happens.
Good point about Turner the Texas League.
What’s the story on the Spann jump from Potomac to Syracuse? Was it just a matter of him being the best arm available for that particular night? Ross would seem the most likely candidate for the longer-term bump from AA to AAA, but he just pitched a couple of nights ago.
This (A+ to AAA) happens roughly once a year (recent examples: Neil Holland in ’12, Brian Dupra in ’13 and ’14), and yes, it’s simply a matter of Spann being an available starter. It would not surprise me, however, if they decide to drop him into Harrisburg’s rotation to cover for Alderson’s next turn or two — especially with Paolo Espino also having recently missed time due to injury, too.
Texas may be a hitters’ league, but not everybody hits. He is sustaining a tear and appears to just be gaining momentum. The buzz from spring training in San Diego was that Turner was a special player, and he is showing that and showing that he can field the part as well.
The Renda to Syracuse idea is interesting, especially since Renda has been with the Nats and performing even as he has moved slower.
But this discussion has moved away from developing a double play combo with the performance of Escobar (and even Espinosa!!) at the ML level. Suddenly the obvious need for two middle infielders is not so obvious, although with Desmond fading, success pushes Turner and Difo faster to the doorstep for 2016.