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Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Postponed @ Lehigh Valley,
11:05 a.m.		 Cole (5-6, 3.15 in ’15) and
Jordan (5-6, 2.95 in ’15) vs.
Ja. Thompson (11-7, 3.73 @ AA in ’15) and
Morgan (0-6, 4.74 in ’15)
Harrisburg Won, 10-6 @ Altoona,
6:00 p.m.		 Mapes (6-3, 2.38 @ A+ in ’15) vs.
Holmes (0-2, 2.74 @ A+ in ’15)
Potomac Won, 6-1 @ Wilmington,
7:00 p.m.		 Estevez (0-0, 13.50 @ AFL in ’15) vs.
P. Fernandez (0-6, 8.82 in ’15)
Hagerstown Lost, 4-0 vs. Delmarva,
7:05 p.m.		 TBD vs.
B. Gonzalez (4-9, 5.71 in ’15)


Syracuse – PPD
They’ll play two this morning in Lehigh Valley to make up two of the four games that were postponed between the Chiefs and the Iron Pigs.

Harrisburg 10 Altoona 6
• Simms 5IP, 3H, R, ER, 4BB, 7K
• Bacus (BS, 1; W, 1-0) 1IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, K
• Sanchez 3-4, 2R, 2B, SF, 2RBI, SB
• Kieboom 3-5, R, 2B, 3RBI
• Ballou 3-5, 2R, 2B

Harrisburg ended a see-saw battle with a four-run 8th to take the season opener from Altoona, 10-6. Isaac Ballou, Spencer Kieboom, and Adrian Sanchez went single-double-double to lead off the inning and start the scoring binge. The trio combined for nine of the Sens’ 14 hits on the night. John Simms started and labored through five innings (83 pitches), issuing four walks and fanning seven, but allowing just one run and three hits in a no-decision. Dakota Bacus got the benefit of the bats with a blown-save-win as he let in two runs in the bottom of the 6th that his teammates got back in the 7th. Roster moves: RHP Tim Alderson reassigned from Syracuse; RHPs Robert Benincasa, Neil Holland, OF Drew Vettleson placed on the 7-Day DL

Potomac 6 Wilmington 1
• Valdez (W, 1-0) 5IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 7K, HBP
• Robinson (H, 1) 3IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 6K
• Stevenson 2-5, CS
• Ward 2-4, 2R, HR, RBI
• Read 1-3, R, HR, 2RBI

Rain delayed the first pitch to 8:19 p.m., but the fans who stayed might have wished they’d bailed as the P-Nats crushed the Blue Rocks, 6-1. Three Potomac pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, with starter Philips Valdez piling up the first seven in five innings while allowing just one run on three hits and a walk. Raudy Read and Drew Ward both homered while leadoff man Andrew Stevenson singled twice to lead the P-Nats’ nine-hit, three-walk offense.

Delmarva 4 Hagerstown 0
• A. Lee 5IP, 3H, 0R, 2BB, 5K, HBP
• VanVossen (L, 0-1) 3IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 1K, HBP
• Page 1-3, BB
• Wiseman 1-4, 2B

Delmarva broke up the Star Trek convention on the Municipal Stadium scoreboard with a pair of crooked numbers in the 8th and 9th innings for a 4-0 shutout of Hagerstown. Andrew Lee got the start and worked around six baserunners — three hits, two walks, one hit batsman — over five scoreless innings for a no-decision. Mick VanVossen and Tommy Peterson were both touched for two runs in relief, with VanVossen wearing the “L.” Matthew Page was the only Suns batter to reach base twice as the Delmarva pitchers limited the Hagerstown offense to just three hits and four walks.

12 Commments

  1. One question answered: my guy Andrew Lee is still a starter, and a pretty effective one, although it does sound like he walked a tightrope. Actually, decent starts all the way around from Lee, Exxon Valdez, and Simms.

    Another hopeful sign: power from Drew Ward to start the season. I see that they still have him trying to make it at 3B. I’ll guess 1B is occupied unless they decide to give “Orange” a look in the OF at some point.

    1. I do recall from Sickels’s writeup that the scouts think “Orange” is too slow for the OF

  2. According to the box score, Stevenson got picked off twice. Having moved up so quickly, I guess he needed to learn that pro pitchers have much better moves than the college guys.

  3. Observations:

    Harrisburg – Adrian Sanchez starts, Dykstra does not. Winter wakeup? Bautista three walks – new for him. Nick Lee still has to harness control. Great to see Benincasa and Vettleson still in the organization. Simms starts better than last year.

    Potomac – Valdez returns to the promise of early 2015. A forgotten prospect with promise, Mick thought he would start in AA. Read batting cleanup in a lineup with three other hitters with more apparent pop. Less pressure for Ward. Alec Keller playing out of the shadow of Stevenson. Retreads getting action on the bump in AA and A+.

    Hagerstown – Kelvin Gutierrez hits third in a lineup with Rhett Wiseman. Ryan Ripken gets a sink or swim, a big developmental leap forward, or keeping seat warm for Kerian or others in extended spring.

    1. True true Gil about Read who hit some
      Cleanup last year @ hags
      Ripken is sink or swim with Kernien

      I held off saying this due to respect to
      Ripkens. Would ryan be in chain if his
      Name was Smith or Jones?

    2. Adrian Sanchez starts, Dykstra does not. Winter wakeup?

      Considering Sanchez is a much, much better 3B, probably not.

  4. Oh, and perhaps most important – Nats prospects at three levels – no errors. Opponents – six errors. Good start!

  5. Let’s give some early love to Drew Ward & Kieboom.

    Thought Vettleson was released, good to see him maybe get a chance later.

    1. I was also thinking that Vettleson might be moving on to his next career. When he was acquired, he seemed to have prospect-level talent. I know it’s probably hoping against hope that guys like Vettleson and Goodwin finally have a light bulb turn on and they start living up to their physical gifts, but it would be a great story.

  6. Vettleson’s progress has stagnated more from injury than ceiling of non-performance

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