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Tuesday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse OFF DAY vs. Lehigh Valley,
7:05 p.m.		 Jordan (4-4, 2.46) vs.
O’Sullivan (1-1, 4.70)
Harrisburg OFF DAY @ Reading,
7:05 p.m.		 Voth (4-5, 2.90) vs.
Lively (8-7, 3.87)
Potomac OFF DAY vs. Winston-Salem,
5:05 p.m.		 TBD and Rauh (2-0, 2.43) vs.
TBD and Clark (7-3, 1.97)
Hagerstown OFF DAY @ Augusta,
7:05 p.m.		 TBD vs. Young (7-2, 3.84)
Auburn Lost, 10-5 @ Connecticut,
7:05 p.m.		 Hearn (1-3, 2.89) vs.
Watkins (4-2, 2.70)


Syracuse — OFF DAY
Sadly, Syracuse cannot play Pawtucket the rest of the season, so they’ll have to see if they can continue their streak against the likes of Lehigh Valley and Buffalo as they return home for six games tonight.

Harrisburg — OFF DAY
The Senators embark on a brief three-game road trip (Reading) after an off day on Monday before heading home for a weekend homestand (Bowie). Next week, the pattern repeats, with a visit to Akron on Tuesday through Thursday, then back to City Island to host Portland.

Potomac — OFF DAY
The P-Nats resume the July 13th suspended game tonight, down 3-1 to the Winston-Salem Dash before playing a seven-inning game for a de facto doubleheader. Weather permitting, of course.

Hagerstown — OFF DAY
The Suns are riding a four-game win streak as they head out on the road to Georgia and North Carolina for three games apiece against Augusta and Kannapolis. It’s also the start of 13 straight games without a scheduled off day.

Connecticut 10 Auburn 5
• Crownover 4⅔ IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, BB, 2K
• Overton (L, 1-1) 1⅓ IP, 4H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 1K, HR, 2-0 IR-S
• Robles 2-3, R, SB
• Encarnacion 2-4, RBI
• Wiseman 2-4, R

The Tigers unloaded on the Doubledays bullpen to turn a 4-1 deficit into a 10-5 smackdown to even the series at 1-1. Matt Crownover started and lost steam in the 5th, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over four and 2/3rds innings. Connor Overton stranded two in the 5th but was pummeled for three runs in the 6th to take the loss. Auburn racked up 11 hits with Victor Robles (who left after diving and missing a triple in the 6th), Randy Encarnacion, and Rhett Wiseman each collecting two singles.

14 Commments

  1. OK Luke, don’t bury the lead that Robles hurt himself. Please keep us updated on that front. I was hoping he would get a cup of coffee in Hagerstown sometime soon.

    What’s the off-day topic of conversation? How about candidates for the AFL. Bryce went at 17 and 18, so there would be a precedent to send Robles at that age. The AFL guys are usually more advanced, A+ to AA types, but it’s hard to think of many hitters from that group. I guess Bostick would be a good candidate. Severino could use a repeat appearance if he doesn’t end up on the MLB bench in Sept. Drew Ward, maybe? There are several guys at Hagerstown who might be considered. AFL arms are always tricky to predict. The Nats are so careful with arms that they tend to send guys who have had injury-shortened seasons, or relievers. Maybe Purke gets another look there? Someone like Nick Lee?

    1. For the one AFL selection below AA ball, I would think they’ll send someone who they think is on the fast track to the big club. I’m thinking Stevenson or Abreu best fit the bill there.

      For it to be Robles, they would have to believe that like Bryce he would be capable of joining the Nats at a very young age. It will be interesting to see, as both he and Stevenson have to be the leading internal candidates to potentially replace Werth in LF, assuming Werth is able to play out the remaining two years on his contract as a starter.

      1. Gotta say Stevenson is looking like a great draft pick…possibly our future leadoff hitter. Hopefully his performance is not a mirage and he can continue to hit at the upper levels. And Watson looks like to be a complete steal!

      2. I would think that Stevenson would be a great candidate except that he has been playing ball basically year-round already with the college season and the long run to the CWS. Just-out-of-college players do go sometimes, though, at least for some teams. Turner went last year for the Padres.

        Why not throw Robles in the deep end? At least put him on the taxi squad and expose him to the higher level of play. I don’t think Werth will hold up full time for two more years, so there’s an opening with the big club for someone like Robles, Stevenson, and/or Wiseman to emerge and perhaps be doing what Taylor has done this season for the big club in 2017.

      3. From the department of what might have been: Austin Byler is in rookie ball, low for his age to be sure, but sure bringing the power.

        Byron Kerr’s interview with Cathcart today should leave no one surprised if Robles moves on to Hagerstown before year’s end. Maturity + talent = advancement.

        Robles left game with dizziness (cautionary) after making two diving attempts in short order, accoding to BBA Ben Badler, who watched him last night and is aglow.

        Also, Best tools in AAA report: No Nats (no surprise), though Fastest IL Baserunner: Our old friend Eury Perez.

        1. Thanks for the update on Robles. I was really wanting Byler, considering the Nats’ general lack of power across the system. The fact that he fell to the 11th round leads me to guess that his expected price was too high for the Nats, or anyone else, for a senior with no leverage, particularly one limited to 1B.

        2. Break up the gcl Nats. Two straight wins over cards
          With one double from Brandt as only extra bagger.
          G man hit in three hole. 2 hits for DiNatale

  2. Since there were 3 short season games yesterday in Florida and the Dominican, here’s a couple of notes from those games.

    For the DSL Nats, Roberto Medina, from Colombia, went 3-5 with a HR (his first of the season). At 17, he’s hitting .318/.400/.515 through 25 games. Not bad. Oh, did I mention he’s a catcher?

    Apparently, they teach plate discipline in Venezuela. Aldrem Correrdor, a LF, took his 37th walk in 189 ABs for a 16% walk rate. He also went 4-5 with a HR, to put together a 296/.411/.423 on the season. He was a “failure” last season in the GCL, despite putting up a .411 OBP, so he’s been demoted back to DSL, though he seems to have found some power this year, hitting his firs 3 HRs this season (none in the previous 2 years). He’s still only 19, so hopefully he gets another shot in Florida.

    In the GCL, little Ryan Ripken is putting together a very solid season- .295/.340/.455. He’s newly 22, so he’s not very old, but the Nats will need to be more aggressive with him next year.

    Anderson Franco, recipient of $900k a couple years ago, is showing signs he’s worth that money. Even though he’s only 17 (turns 18 on Saturday), he putting up a respectable .285/.321/.415

    Temito Agustin is another player that’s been highlighted a few times here. He’s adjusted well to the jump from DSL, where he sported a .909 OPS, to GCL putting up 341/.380/.482. He’s also got a 13 games-reached-safely streak going on. In fact, he’s not reached base in 2 of his 26 games this season.

    Finally, Tyler Watson, our 34th round selection, who we were able to lure away from college in large part thanks to $400,000 and Andrew Stevenson for being so cheap. Has looked good in 2 games so far, including yesterday. He’s gone 4 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 0 ER. He’s started both games, but been yanked after 2. Presumably, the Nats are planning on slowly stretching him out, as he projects as a SP, and is 6’6″, 220.

      1. Yeah, about two years above the average. But that’s also an average, because guys like Franco (17), Agustin (18) and Watson (18) bring the average down. It’s also why the Nats need to be more aggressive with him next year. A quick promotion from Auburn to Hagerstown next season would put him right back on track developmentally.

  3. Corredor. Oliver Ortiz then Soto
    The bottom of the lefty swinging depth
    Chart.
    Oliver deserves some kudos

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