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Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 11-2 vs. Buffalo,
7:05 p.m.		 Cole (3-5, 3.86) vs.
Copeland (9-3, 1.96)
Harrisburg Lost, 3-0 vs. Bowie,
7:00 p.m.		 Giolito (0-1, 5.94) vs.
Additon (1-0, 0.00)
Potomac Won, 5-1 vs. Wilmington,
7:05 p.m.		 A. Williams (3-3, 2.48) vs. TBD
Hagerstown Won, 12-0 @ Kannapolis,
7:05 p.m.		 Howell (0-0, 0.00) vs.
L. Martinez (4-10, 5.71)
Auburn Won, 7-5 @ Tri-City,
7:00 p.m.		 Guilbeau (1-2, 4.67) vs.
Armenteros (1-1, 4.03)


Syracuse 11 Lehigh Valley 2
• Bleier (W, 4-1) 7IP, 6H, R, ER, 2BB, 3K; 1-3, R, BB, RBI
• J. Gutierrez 1IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 0K
• Turner 3-4, 2R, 2B, BB, RBI
• Burriss 3-5, 2R, 2B, 2RBI
• Keyes 2-5, 2R, 2B, 2RBI

The only thing hotter than the Chiefs are their wives and girlfriends (*rimshot!*) as they smelted the IronPigs, 11-2, for their 10th straight win. Richard Bleier spun seven innings of one-run ball on six hits, two walks, and three whiffs. He also contributed to his own case with a walk and a single and started two double plays. The offense racked up a baker’s dozen of hits with Trea Turner and Emmanuel Burriss both collecting two singles and a double and scoring two runs.

Reading 3 Harrisburg 0
• Simms (L, 1-2) 6IP, 5H, R, ER, 2BB, 3K
• Dykstra 1-4, OF assist at 2B
• Pleffner 1-4, 2B

Former Nationals farmhand Nick Pivetta led a quartet of pitchers that shut out Harrisburg on three hits, 3-0. Pivetta struck out eight over five and 2/3rds with just one walk for the win. John Simms was the tough-luck loser with one run allowed on five hits and two walks over six innings. Cutter Dykstra and Pedro Severino both singled while Shawn Pleffner doubled to account for the three hits, all against Pivetta. Reegie Corona and Isaac Ballou drew the two walks for the Sens to account for the five baserunners left on base.

Potomac 5 Winston-Salem 1
• Dickson (W, 2-2) 5IP, 3H, R, ER, 5BB, 2K, HBP
• Thomas (H, 1) 2⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 5K, HBP
• Martinez 3-3, R, 2B, BB, 2RBI
• Wright 2-3, R, 2B, RBI
• Norfork 2-3, 2R, BB

A pair of two-run rallies in the 2nd and 8th innings by the P-Nats was the difference as they took the third of four games from the Dash for a 5-1 win. Ian Dickson walked five but made it through five innings with the lone Winston-Salem run let in on three hits. He struck out two and hit a batter. The bottom third of the order combined to go 7-for-9 with four runs scored, two walks, two doubles, and three RBI.
Roster move: OF Reed Johnson assigned from Washington for MLB rehab.

Hagerstown 12 Augusta 0
• Amlung (W, 3-1) 6⅔ IP, 5H, 0R, 0BB, 7K
• Cooper 1⅓ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K
• Page 3-4, 3R, 2B, BB, RBI, SB
• Mejia 2-5, R, 2B, 3RBI
• W. Rodriguez 2-5, R, RBI

Hagerstown missed two extra points, but punched the ball in twice in the second half for a 12-0 shutout vs. Augusta. The Suns scored in every inning from the 4th to 9th with a total of 13 hits and four walks. Matt Page led the way with a walk, two singles, and a double while going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Justin Amlung won his third Low-A game with six and 2/3rds shutout innings pitched, allowing five hits, no walks and fanning seven.
Roster moves: OF D.K. Carey placed on the 7-Day DL; C Jake Mayers activated from the 7-Day DL.

Auburn 7 Tri-City 5
• J. Rodriguez 5⅔ IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 7BB, 7K, HR
• Torres (W, 5-0) ⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K, 2-0 IR-S
• Schrock 4-5, 3R, 2-2B
• K. Gutierrez 3-5, R, 2B, 2RBI
• Tillero 2-4, R

The Doubledays broke open a 2-2 tie with two-run outbursts in the 7th and 8th innings and survived a bullpen meltdown for a 7-5 win vs. the ValleyCats. Jefry Rodriguez did his best imitation of Nuke LaLoosh with seven walks and seven strikeouts over five and 2/3rds, giving up two runs on three hits, including a solo shot. Luis Torres vultured the win by getting the last out of the 6th before Auburn took the lead in the top of the 7th. Max Schrock led the Auburn attack with two singles and two doubles while going 4-for-5 with three runs scored.
Roster move: RHP Erick Fedde demoted from Hagerstown.

19 Commments

  1. Wait… why was Fedde demoted? Don’t tell me the Nats are using Fedde as an emergency starter between Auburn and Hagerstown. That would be seriously irresponsible.

    Plus, his start wasn’t all that bad. 6 ER certainly makes it look a lot worse than it actually was. 5 H 2 BB through 4.1 innings isn’t terrible. And he didn’t get hit too hard- no HR allowed but gave up 2 doubles.

    Very odd.

    1. “Very odd.” +1

      Bleier continues to make his case as the organization’s pitcher of the year. Pivetta exploits the weaknesses of a lineup he knows well.

    2. Home versus Away for his next start maybe? He’d be on the road for Hagerstown but at home for Auburn. I dunno.

      Maybe it was a temporary spot start in Hagerstown all along; the Suns seem to have skipped both Reyes and Van Orden this last time through, giving those starts to Howell and Fedde.

      Speculating.

  2. what are 10 game win streaks made of?

    top of the fourth, first two Lehigh batters single, next guy up hit a liner up the middle, hits the pitcher’s leg, then deflects off the umpire’s ankle right to Turner who flips to second, on to first. Two!

    any way the parent club can call up some of that good karma?

    1. No, they don’t. Turner is not going to be much help and he’s not ready yet. He’s committed 10 errors in 41 games at Syracuse. When you are a SS, your defense is every bit as vital as your hitting and Desmond has once again fixed his defensive issues. Even when he is fully ready, Turner is not expected to be a plus defender.

      Also, Turner himself is not going to be enough to salvage the Nats’ free fall, and starting his free agency clock a year early would be an act of pure desperation. As a ST holder for the big club, I’m not looking forward to going to the six additional games I have tickets for given how the Nats are collapsing, but I also don’t want them mortgaging the future for nothing.

      1. I don’t want to see Turner until April 15th of next year. Use Espinosa and Escobar as your middle infield pairing then call up Turner and give him the spot. Get that extra year of service.

        Desmond has been on fire lately. .936 OPS over the last week, maintaining a .866 OPS for the last month to go with 7 homers and a serviceable BA. No reason to replace him now; he’s finally hitting!

        1. Todd–absolutely right. Desmond’s strong offense of late is also the reason why Espinosa has been riding the pine despite having much better overall numbers on the season.

        2. I’m going to love watching Turner play next year after April 15. Agree with Todd on this.

        3. I understand the service time issues, but when MW’s strategy to salvaging the season is Taylor leading off and Escobar bunting in the first, we need some desperate measures. Turner is probably the only potential impact bat in the minors and has the speed and contact hitting that we need. If he jnderperforms, we can always send him back to AAA until June 1 and make up the service time. But losing to the Mets? Yuck

  4. Carey injured. Suns still rakling.
    I guess everybody is blocking out this nast Nats road trip which may be the
    harbringer of a ten game lead for mets by Sept 1st. feels like Expos 1982 cards run past expos after carter SI cover.

  5. Turner has everything to do with why Syracuse is winning. Just as Harrisburg changed gears when he was in town. He is a catalytic jolt in an organization where the major league team is dull as dust. If the team wants to win, something has to be done before we revisit Expo history.

  6. Let’s not everybody forget Victor Robles. He’s settled down with a .350+ OBP in his last 10 games.
    Looks like the Nats are going to keep him in Auburn for the duration.

  7. always good to visit expo history.
    my gut was right> after watching fred and potnats play a few years…Brandon Webb becomes a Nat.
    a lefty bat for Potnats late season drive to bookend with Alex somebody like Wooten.

    1. Branden Webb DHing vs. WS INtimidators tonight. line up better balanced with his lefty bat

  8. Ah, the Expos. Used to take my grade sixes to the Olympic Stadium for their end of the year trip. We’d swim in the Olympic pool, ride bikes in the velodrome (kids stayed on the bottom), and take in an Expo game. Saw Rocket Richard sitting behind us one of those games. That was a highlight.

    1. nice
      nice as in the aces getting Friday Ws. AW, G force and Cole.
      nice pickup by brass in DM leading off for Cuse.
      GG. now Webb joins the chorus line audition in Potomac for Sens16, but as NatsGM loves to say> that boat has
      sailed….. lol..
      the Nats losing streak and bad luck tastes like a big bowl of soggy cereal /// BECAUSE the waitress talks too much and she is darn too cute…
      time for packer football.

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