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Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 14-6 @ Buffalo,
6:05 p.m.		 Laffey (2-0, 2.00) vs.
Diamond (2-2, 2.83)
Harrisburg Lost, 8-4 @ Trenton,
6:30 p.m.		 Long (1-0, 1.04) vs.
Lail (1-2, 4.23)
Potomac Lost, 5-2 vs. Frederick,
7:05 p.m.		 Reyes (2-2, 4.22) vs.
Grimes (3-1, 1.75)
Hagerstown Won, 7-0 @ Kannapolis,
7:05 p.m.		 Avila (1-0, 2.25) vs.
Thompson (1-2, 5.01)


Syracuse 14 Buffalo 6
• Voth 6IP, 6H, 5R, 5ER, 2BB, 6K, HR
• Davis (W, 3-0) 1IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K
• Turner 3-6, 2R, 2-2B, 2RBI, SB
• Goodwin 3-5, 2R, HR, 4RBI
• Ramsey 2-4, 3R, 2B, BB, 2RBI

A touchdown in the 7th inning broke up a 5-5 tie as the Chiefs stampeded the Bisons, 14-6. Austin Voth was knocked around for five runs on on six hits, including a homer, over six innings. He walked two and struck out six. The win went to Erik Davis for pitching a scoreless 7th. Brian Goodwin went 3-for-5 with a HR and four RBI while Trea Turner singled once and doubled twice as the Chiefs pounded out 15 hits with every batter in the lineup hitting safely.

Hartford 8 Harrisburg 4
• Simms (L, 1-2) 3IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, BB, K, HR
• Glover 1IP, 3H, 3R, 3ER, BB, 2K, HR
• N. Lee 2IP, 0H, 0R, 2BB, 2K
• Bostick 3-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Difo 2-4, 2R, 2B

Hartford put up crooked numbers in three innings as they doubled up Harrisburg, 8-4. John Simms came off the DL to spin three innings but was the losing pitcher with two runs let in on two hits and a walk over three innings. Christopher Bostick led the Sens hit parade with a 3-for-4 night, followed by Wilmer Difo and Stephen Perez, who both went 2-for-4. Roster moves: Activated C Spencer Kieboom, RHP John Simms from the 7-Day DL; Placed RHP Austen Williams on the 7-Day DL retroactive to May 2; Reassigned C Jake Lowery to Auburn.

Frederick 5 Potomac 2
• Whiting 7IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 4K
• Ross (L, 0-1) 2IP, 1H, 3R, 0ER, BB, 2K
• Marmolejos 1-3, R, 2B, BB, CS
• Carey 1-4, 2B

The P-Nats literally threw away the game in the 9th as the Keys scored three unearned runs on two throwing errors and a passed ball to win, 5-2. Starter Boone Whiting went the first seven innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits and a walk while fanning four. Greg Ross, who took the loss, finished with two innings pitched, three unearned runs allowed on one hit and one walk, and two K’s. The Potmac offense was held to just five hits, with Jose “Orange” Marmolejos the sole batter to reach base twice with a walk and a double.

Hagerstown 7 Kannapolis 0
• A. Lee (W, 2-0) 5IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 6K, WP, PO at 1B
• Crownover (SV, 1) 4IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Lora 4-5, 2-2B, 4RBI
• Wiseman 4-5, 3R, 3B, RBI
• Robles 3-5, R, RBI, OF assist at HP

Andrew Lee turned in his customary five strong innings and left with a 7-0 lead. Matthew Crownover baked four more donuts to complete the Hagerstown shutout of Kannapolis by the same score. Lee struck out six, walked none, and struck out six in his second win. Crownover gave up a hit and a walk and struck out three while earning his first save. Edwin Lora and Rhett Wiseman both went 4-for-5, with Lora driving in four and Wiseman scoring three times, as the Suns batters piled up 17 hits total.

16 Commments

  1. So do the Nats send Taylor down to AAA, and that puts a halt to Goodwin’s stretch of success this season?

    1. I think it’s more likely they will option den Dekker, although the argument could be made that Taylor really needs the everyday at-bats. No matter who it is, Goodwin isn’t going to sit. He’d probably yield CF to Taylor, though.

      1. I wouldn’t mind Robinson getting shown the door either.

        But more importantly, Turner’s promotion, Drew’s subsequent DFA and Espinosa’s benching can’t come soon enough!

        Our SS’s have hit a putrid slash of .162/.264/.252. Meanwhile Turner continues to rake. He’s now at .320/.398/.466. (Ironically, his “failed” stint with the Nats last season of .225/.295/.325 was still far better than what Espinosa and Drew have mustered this year). I’m glad the Nats are winning in spite of the black hole at short, because it could have gotten nasty if the FO insisted on keeping Turner down until his Super 2 status expired.

        1. I don’t think Robinson has any options left, and I doubt they would DFA him. That said, he only had one (1) hit all season until he got three across the two games he started this week. Skole isn’t doing enough to make himself a viable option for that bench spot, though.

          I think/hope the date that the Nats have in mind for Turner is May 29, not July. We’ll see. I don’t think they see Drew as an everyday possibility at SS. Would they eat the $3M and release him if/when they bring up Turner? Drew is currently “hitting” a cool .103.

  2. Great jobs by Lee and Crownover in their start and start-like appearances for Hagerstown. Lee has a 1.80 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 25/5 K/BB over 30 innings, while Crownover has a 1.25 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 17/7 K/BB over 21.2 innings.

    Up the food chain, uncharacteristic shaky outings by Voth and Glover.

    Very good to see Wiseman’s and Difo’s bats showing some life. Three more hits apiece from Robles, Schrock, Turner, and Goodwin, and two for Gutierrez, all hitting well over .300.

  3. I get that he’s young. I get that he shouldn’t be rushed. I get that he needs to learn his trade. But if he carries on this way, Luke will see Victor Robles in the flesh pretty soon 😉

    (Supplemental – I’d guess he’ll see Schrock too….)

    1. I would think that Schrock will be moved up faster as he’s older, has college experience, and is fluent in English (insert South Carolina crack here). With Robles, particularly since he’s starting to show some HR power, I’d like him to keep doing what he’s doing and get comfortable with it, at least for another six-eight weeks or so. I do think he’ll see Woodbridge this summer, but perhaps not until July or so.

    2. As good as Robles has been, I really doubt he gets moved from Hagerstown before the end of the year (sometimes the Nats move prospects for the minor league playoffs). He is still 18, and is 2 and a half years younger than the South Atlantic League average age.

      Assuming no injuries or regression, would guess that the plan for Robles is Hagerstown this year; Potomac next (2017); Harrisburg when he is 20 (2018) with the outside possibility of an MLB call-up during the second half of that year. Competing for a starting MLB spot in 2019 when he is 21. Even that is an aggressive schedule, but I doubt it would be any faster than that.

      1. You’re may be being too cautious. Robles’s OPS is higher than Harper’s was at Hagerstown at exactly the same age. If he can do that all season, he’ll mark himself as a potential superstar, the type of player who gets his first taste of the majors while still in his teens, or 20 at the latest.

      2. A few years ago, I would have agreed with this timeline but the game has trended younger quite a bit the last few years, and teams are now much more willing to take a player whenever he’s ready. If he keeps it up, I’d bet he’s in Potomac in the 2d half.

    3. Let’s see what happens when they shuffle the deck at the end of the first half… I have a feeling that’s when position players might be moved up/down

  5. Well, at least we now know Koda Glover is human. So there’s that.

    (Though I kinda liked thinking he was some sort of cyborg sent from the future to eradicate past bullpen woes.)

  6. There comes a time when players force the issue on promotion. If Schrock (whom I think will be promoted first for reasons I explained several days ago) and/or Robles keep climbing toward .400 and playing adequate defense and showing mastery of the level, they are both going to get promoted, and that’s that. Robles is already playing above his age, and he is dominating. It is what it is.

    This is not a Trea Turner situation. And the Nats rolled the dice on their starters, and the team is in first place. Were the team to tank, things might be a bit different. But 18-8 gives a team the luxury.

  7. Victor Robles is 3-5 and even throws a guy out at home.

    Ho Hum. I wonder if he naps during the games sometimes as Low A is not much of a challenge for him.

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