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Tuesday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 9-3 vs. Pawtucket,
7:05 p.m.		 Cole (1-5, 4.32) vs.
Spruill (4-7, 4.54)
Harrisburg OFF DAY vs. Akron,
7:00 p.m.		 Bates (4-1, 3.70) vs.
Merritt (8-7, 3.61)
Potomac OFF DAY @ Lynchburg,
6:30 p.m.		 Spann (0-6, 4.87) vs.
Brown (7-9, 5.32)
Hagerstown Won, 5-4 vs. Charleston,
7:05 p.m.		 Bach (4-2, 3.39) vs.
Maher (2-4, 2.46)
Auburn Lost, 6-3 @ West Virginia,
7:05 p.m.		 Fedde (3-1, 2.70) vs.
McGarry (1-1, 4.86)


Syracuse 9 Pawtucket 3
• Strasburg (W, 1-1) 5⅔ IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 11K
• Grace (H, 8) 1⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 0K
• Turner 3-4, 3R, 2B, BB, SB
• den Dekker 3-4
• Keyes 2-5, R, 2B, 2RBI

Jason Martinson’s grand slam in the 6th broke open a 5-3 ballgame as Syracuse tripled up Pawtucket, 9-3 and moved one game closer to 5th place. Stephen Strasburg gave up two runs on five hits and struck out 11 over and walked none over five and 2/3rds innings to earn the win. He threw just 85 pitches, 55 for strikes. Trea Turner singled twice, doubled once, and scored three times. Matt den Dekker also went 3-for-4 as the Chiefs racked up 13 hits total.
Roster moves: SS Jason Martinson activated from 3-Day TIL; OF Tony Gwynn Jr., RHP Taylor Hill placed on the 7-Day DL.

Harrisburg — OFF DAY
Harrisburg returns from 3-4 trip to Northern New England for a three-game set against Akron before heading back out on the road for six games against Erie and Reading.

Potomac — OFF DAY
After three months of insanity, the P-Nats schedule returns to the more normal week-on, week-off for most of August as they head to Lynchburg for three, then Carolina for three before coming back to Woodbridge next Tuesday for three apiece against Winston-Salem and Wilmington.

Hagerstown 5 Charleston 4
• Orlan 5IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 5K, HR
• Lee (BS, 1; W, 1-0) 2IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K
• Marmolejos-Diaz 3-4, 2B
• Mejia 2-4, 2R, 2B, 3B, RBI
• Gardner 2-4, 2R, RBI

Jeff Gardner led off the bottom of the 9th with a single and scored on Osvaldo Abreu’s single up the middle to give the Suns a 5-4 walkoff win over the RiverDogs. Andrew Lee got the dreaded blown-save-win for Andrew Lee, whose fielding error came around to score to tie the game in the top of the 9th. R.C. Orlan made the start and turned in five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while fanning five. Jose “Orange” Marmolejos-Diaz led the hit column with a 3-for-4 night, followed by Bryan Mejia and Gardner, who both went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

West Virginia 6 Auburn 3
• Guilbeau (L, 1-2) 4+ IP, 11H, 6R, 5ER, 2BB, 1K
• Gunter 2IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 3K, 1-0 IR-S
• Kerian 3-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Eusebio 1-4, R, HR, 2RBI

The Black Bears mauled the Doubledays for five unanswered runs to take this one by a 6-3 score. Taylor Guilbeau took the brunt of the beating, charged with all six runs (five earned) on 11 hits and two walks over four-plus innings. He struck out one (1). David Kerian went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI while Diomedes Eusebio cracked a two-run HR to cap off Auburn’s three-run 2nd, which gave the Doubledays a 3-1 lead that disappeared when West Virginia scored two in the bottom of the 3rd (then two more in the 4th, and one more in the 5th).
Roster move: OF Darryl Florentino promoted from the GCL Nationals.

16 Commments

  1. Cody Gunter starting to look promising in his transition to pitcher, 14.1IP, 7H, 4BB & 15K after a couple of rough early outings.

    Still only 21

    1. He and Thurston Jeff Howell
      Over analysis ?? Ward lifted in third for
      Norfolk. Time to stock Corona beer phitz –
      Reegie has arrived from burg !!

  2. There was the good and the bad with Turner last night–he got 9th SB, but also committed his 9th error. I don’t think he is necessarily a lock to join the big club in September. Clearly, he still has fielding issues to work on and they are under no pressure to add him to the 40-man roster just yet.

    Not to mention that given the way Matt Williams coddles his veterans, Turner likely would get little playing time anyway. The Arizona Fall League seems like a better option for him to get him ready for next year.

    1. Totally agree. The usual 40 man roster crunch is coming & it’s almost a given that Williams would mismanage him.

    2. The Nats are dull, dull, dull and if they wake up and start scoring runs, great. But if they keep treading water, we’ll see Turner because he is one of the only justifiable risks they can take. It’s not like they will bench Zimm for Tyler Moore. Turner is a two legged shot in the arm and just what a plodding bunch needs.

      As for Mejia, we can quibble with him, but he has shown power at the middle infield across two levels, is young, has the GCL 13 pedigree, and has already shown he can play all over the field. It will never happen, but I’d be as excited to see him get to Potomac as I would be Robles in Harrisburg. Lots of lower level talent to be made room for in a complete flush of the flameouts in the system.

      I am just queasy that the Nats are going to lose Fister without even a supp pick, and possibly Span and Desmond as well. Unless Rizzo has a plan, this is quibble I reserve with the Nats management. They should have learned from Dan Haren and should have dumped aging inventory like the did with Morse. Now none (OK, maybe Span) of these guys may earn QO.

      Tyler Watson on the bump today. If a team gets suppp picks and the high budget that comes with it, Nats can draft HS stars after round ten and squirrel away bonus money and sign em all. Maybe that outpaces a prospect haul otherwise – supp pick plus extra bonue money for HS signs.

      2. Mark it down–Nats will get only one supplemental pick for ZNN.

        Desmond has destroyed his value so thoroughly that it will be an Edwin Jackson-like decision not to make him a QO. I was at the stadium last night and was trying to watch the gun as Fister pitched. He hit 90 a couple of times early (and not coincidentally looked okay in the first two innings), but struggled to reach 88 thereafter. I still like the quick and efficient way he pitches, but if his velocity is gone permanently he’s done as an effective starting pitcher. As for Span, risking paying a 32-year old speedster $16 million.for even one season was dicey anyway, and his injuries this year make it an easy decision to forgo the QO for him.

        1. And for that I am just sick. I cannot help but think they could have bundled Desmond and Fister in a deal with a prospect or two to get a high grade package. Dombrowski shed his rentals overnight, Latos and Leake got traded. At this point I hope the Nats have gotten waivers on them in order to clear and trade in August as a team’s acute demand may arise.

          1. Agree. GG. Somebody should do a tee shirt
            With a classy black cat – cat Ballou ???
            Yoga time for Nats fans. Breathe – Nats get
            Home cooking next vs mets.
            Hey I am having a dull summer
            Powerful moon – new or full- over citi
            Field this past weekend .

        2. I’d take that bet, as I think they’ll get at least 2 & probably 3.
          I think all of the injuries make it much more likely they offer the QO to Span, as I think they’d be happy to have 4 solid OFs (although I’m sure Span will decline).
          I also have to continue hoping that one of Fister or Desi has a strong enough finish to the season that the Nats could be confident that they would decline the offer in hopes of a multi-year deal.

          1. Agree, Span definitely gets the QO and I think Desi will as well – he’s a tradeable asset even at 1 year $16MM, and perhaps the Nats pick up a few million in that deal for a nice prospect or two. Fister also gets the QO unless his velocity completely falls off.

  3. Bryan Mejia is quite possibly the most perplexing baseball player I’ve ever seen.

    He’s now had 155 plate appearances this season. His average is a fantastic .338 between Auburn and Hagerstown, and his .568 SLG is amazing for a left fielder. For a 2B, it’s outrageous.

    But then you notice his walks. Or rather his walk (singular). Yes, that’s a 0.6% BB rate.

    I don’t get it. I understand how Bartolo Colon can go 216 PA without taking a walk, because he’s a terrible batter. He strikes out literally half the time, and only twice advanced past first on a hit.

    But Mejia, by all accounts, seems to be pretty good! He hits for a high average and great power, which would suggest he’s got a pretty good eye at the plate. His strikeouts are pretty good too. Only a 18.7% K rate.

    If I were a pitcher, I’d throw balls a foot outside the strikezone out of sheer curiosity to see if he’d swing. You can’t go 155 PA and only come away with one walk. I fear pitchers at higher levels are going to feast on him.

    Has anyone seen him hit? Or have any insight?

    1. I don’t think they learn how to take a pitch until they’re off the island. There’s that longstanding line that you don’t walk off the island.

      2. Longstanding stereotype, but no longer totally accurate–look at Robles for instance. I too am perplexed as to why pitchers are throwing anywhere near Mejia’s strike zone. One BB in that many PAs is insane.

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