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Wednesday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 3-2 (10 inn.) vs. Toledo,
1:05 p.m.		 Walters (1-1, 6.00) vs.
Farmer (6-1, 2.98)
Harrisburg Lost, 1-0 vs. Richmond,
12:00 p.m.		 Strasburg (MLB Rehab) vs.
Mejia (0-0, 2.70)
Potomac Won, 4-3 @ Lynchburg,
6:30 p.m.		 Giolito (2-4, 4.08) vs.
Peoples (4-3, 6.27)
Hagerstown Won, 8-4 @ Kannapolis,
7:05 p.m.		 Williams (6-1, 1.96) vs.
Martinez (2-6, 7.52)


Syracuse 3 Toledo 2 (10 inn.)
• Espino 7IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, BB, 5K
• Martin (W, 3-3) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Hague 2-4, 2B, 2RBI
• Burriss 1-3, BB

The Chiefs rallied for two in the bottom of the 9th and one in the 10th to win their third straight, 4-3 over the Mud Hens. Paolo Espino started but got the no-decision with seven innings of two-run ball, giving up five hits and a walk and striking out five. The win went to Rafael Martin with two perfect innings in the 9th and 10th. Ricky Hague went 2-for-4, including the game-tying RBI double in the 9th, to lead the Syracuse offense, followed by Emmanuel Burris who was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Richmond 1 Harrisburg 0
• Voth 7IP, 3H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Demny (L, 2-3) 1IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 1K
• D. Robinson 1-4, SB
• Severino 1-3

The Flying Squirrels broke up the Star Trek convention on the Metro Bank Park scoreboard with the one and only run in the 9th for a 1-0 win that stopped the Senators five-game win streak. Starter Austin Voth threw seven scoreless innings with just three hits and no walks allowed. He struck out three. The loss went to Paul Demny on an unearned run that scored when Harrisburg failed to turn a double play. Derrick Robinson and Pedro Severino account for the two (2) Sens hits on the night.
Roster move: SS Trea Turner assigned from Washington.

Potomac 4 Lynchburg 3
• Pivetta (W, 6-4) 7IP, 6H, 2R, 1ER, BB, 7K,
• Self (H, 4) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Perez 2-4, 3RBI
• Norfork 2-3, 2R, 3B, BB, RBI

Nick Pivetta tossed seven strong innings while Adrian Sanchez made a game-saving play in the 9th as the P-Nats downed the Hillcats, 4-3. Pivetta let in two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk and struck out seven while earning his sixth win. Derek Self pitched a scoreless 8th for the hold, his fourth, while Nick Lee stumbled through the 9th (a run, two walks, and a hit) to get credit for his seventh save. Stephen Perez went 2-for-4 and drove in three, including two in the 7th on a two-ouy single that broke a 2-2 tie, to lead the Potomac hit column.

Hagerstown 8 Kannapolis 4
• Reyes (W, 3-4) 6IP, 6H, R, ER, 3BB, 1K, HR, WP, BK
• Van Orden 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Read 2-3, R, 2B, 2BB, 2RBI
• Masters 2-4, R, 2-2B, RBI
• Gardner 2-4, R, 2B, BB

The Suns lapped the Intimidators five times in the first two innings en route to an 8-4 checkered flag in Game One of their three-game series. Luis Reyes gave up a solo HR in the 4th and six hits total over his six innings of work to get the win, his third. He walked three and struck out one. Raudy Read reached base four times with a single, double, and two walks and was one of five Suns to notch multiple hits, as Hagerstown collected 13 total and walked eight times.
Roster moves: IF Carlos Lopez placed on the 7-Day DL; RHP Sam Johns reassigned from Auburn.

13 Commments

  1. Okay, I still don’t know whether Difo will now play second base. I assume so … but …

  2. One might guess that Bostick took Hague’s
    Utility role while Cutter is around for depth .
    Wilmer will get his share of SS/2b especially
    If Turner bumps up to Cuse.
    Good to see Perkins sign and begin his
    Experience in learning to switch – hit . Plus
    Nats did sign the Alabama lefty .

  3. Is Difo dinged? He did leave the game last week after the first inning. Mick, are you out there? What’s the scoop?

    1. Difo led off and played short on Sunday, so I doubt there’s an injury issue that’s keeping him out of the line-up. My guess is that now that Brian Daubach has new pieces on his roster to play with, he wants to see what they can do.

    2. Might Difo be in limbo pending the outcome of trade negotiations with the Reds for Chapman?

  4. Since we’ve all been a bit negative in recent weeks, I wanted to focus on some of the positives of yesterday. It’s the first time in a while (maybe this season) that we’ve had strong outings from each of our SPs. Espino, Voth and Pivetta are looking like some of the few success stories this season.

    Voth, in particular, seemed gassed after two promotions last season, so after a slightly bumpy start, he’s really settled down over the past month. 2.29 ERA, 31 K, only 3 BB, 0.85 WHIP in 35 IP.

    You know who he reminds me of? Tommy Milone

    Compare their seasons in Harrisburg (Voth in ’15 vs Milone in ’10):

    K/9: 8.50 vs 8.83
    BB/9: 1.78 vs 1.31
    ERA: 3.56 vs 3.02
    FIP: 2.75 vs 2.74
    WHIP: 1.14 bs 1.17

    1. My bet is that if a Chapman trade happens, the Nats will be giving up Difo plus two pitching prospects not named Giolito or Ross.

      1. What if we keep Difo, and give Escobar back for Clippard?

        With Espinosa hitting and Rendon back, IF depth isn’t a need. Bullpen depth, though…

        1. Give Escobar back? One of only two (Bryce, duh) Nats that have hit consistently this season? A guy the Nats have control of for three seasons, versus three months of Clippard?

          I wouldn’t do that deal at all. You say IF isn’t a need even though Rendon isn’t rolling yet, Desmond has sucked, and Espinosa’s track record doesn’t (or shouldn’t, at least) fill one with absolute confidence. That’s hubris.

          And just to close the deal, the Nats would be getting 2015 Clippard back, and he just hasn’t been as good this season. Despite pitching in a pitcher’s park practically tailored to his game (Clippard gets a lot of popups + much foul terrirory = many free outs) and that plays a much better defense than the Nats do, Clippard’s FIP, WHIP, K/9 and BB/9 are all at or about equal to his career worst numbers as a relief pitcher.

          We all lament the loss of Billy Burns, but in the aggregate the offseason moves with the A’s are about a push for the Nationals. The Burns deal is very much a negative, but the Escobar deal has the Nats way ahead.

  5. On another note, BP has a few new(er) scouting reports up on Nats prospects. Apologies if these have already been posted:

    Joe Ross: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_pit.php?reportid=279 and another http://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_pit.php?reportid=272

    Reynaldo Lopez: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_pit.php?reportid=276

    Austen Williams: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_pit.php?reportid=263

    Also, this one on Dale Carey (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_bat.php?reportid=218) was posted in early May, but I seem to have missed it amidst the others on Osvaldo Abreu and Jefry Rodriguez

    They caught Lopez before his recent slump. The reviews are spectacular (70 future grade). The reviews of Ross are also very good, but only in the 50-55 range.

    The reports on Williams and Carey, though, are not so good.

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