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Thursday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 8-3 vs. Charlotte,
6:35 p.m.		 Hill (2-3, 4.53) vs.
Ranaudo (0-1, 2.08)
Harrisburg Won, 2-1 vs. Portland,
10:30 a.m.		 Williams (1-5, 5.55) vs.
Buttrey (0-6, 5.86)
Potomac Won, 5-2 vs. Salem,
7:05 p.m.		 Estevez (0-3, 4.41) vs.
Jimenez (2-2, 5.75)
Hagerstown Lost, 9-8 vs. Lexington,
7:05 p.m.		 DeRosier (1-2, 5.45) vs.
Ogando (4-2, 4.29)


Syracuse 8 Charlotte 3
• Cole (W, 4-2) 6IP, 5H, R, ER, BB, 2K
• Masset ⅔ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K, 3-1 IR-S
• Martinson 3-4, 2R
• Skole 2-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Solano 2-5, 2B, 5RBI

Syracuse broke out the bats twice for three spots while getting six strong innings from A.J. Cole as they took another from Charlotte, 8-3. Cole gave up a run (not on a home run) on five hits and a walk while striking out two (2) to win his fourth game. Jhonatan Solano came up big twice, stroking a two-run single in the 3rd and unloading the bases with a three-run double in the 8th. Jason Martinson led the hit column with three hits in four trips to the plate, scoring twice.

Harrisburg 2 Portland 1
• Giolito 7IP, 4H, R, ER, BB, 6K
• Harper (W, 2-0) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 0K
• Collier 2-4, 2R, 3B
• Kieboom 1-3, RBI, SAC

A walkoff walk ended this one in victory for the Senators by a 2-1 decision. Lucas Giolito got the start and went the first seven innings, giving up the SeaDogs’ run on four hits and a walk while striking out six. The win went to Bryan Harper, who Cordero’d his way through a scoreless top of the 9th with a hit and two walks allowed. Zach Collier singled to lead off the 9th, took second on a Spencer Kieboom sacrifice and scored after back-to-back-to-back walks by Shawn Pleffner, Cutter Dykstra, and Adrian Sanchez.

Potomac 5 Salem 2
• Valdez (W, 5-2) 6IP, 5H, 2R, 0ER, 0BB, 6K, WP
• Brinley (SV, 7) 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, K
• Read 3-4, 2-2B, 2RBI
• Abreu 3-3, 2R, 2B, BB, CS
• Marmolejos 1-3, 2R, BB, HR, 2RBI

The first four Potomac batters combined for eight hits, including two HR, and all five RBI as they doused Salem, 5-2. Phillips Valdez turned in another quality start with two unearned runs allowed on five hits with no walks and six K’s for his fifth win. Matt Belisle, Dakota Bacus, and Ryan Brinley each turned in a scoreless earning to go hold-hold-save in the scorebook. Andrew Stevenson and “Orange” Marmolejos both homered while Raudy Read and Osvaldo Abreu both collected three hits to lead the 10-hit, two-walk offensive effort.

Lakewood 9 Hagerstown 8
• Baez 3IP, 5H, 4R, 2ER, 3BB, 3K, 2WP
• Torres (L, 2-2) 1IP, 3H, 5R, 2ER, 2BB, K
• Lambert 4IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 3K, PO at 1B
• Wiseman 3-4, 2B, BB
• Sagdal 1-3, 2R, BB, SF, RBI, 2SB
• Reetz 1-3, R, 2B, BB, SF, RBI

Hagerstown led by scored of 2-0 and 4-2 but couldn’t catch Lakewood for a 9-8 loss in the Wednesday matinee. Joan Baez started and gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks over the first three innings. Luis Torres took the loss, pinched for five runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks in his lone inning of work. Trey Lambert shut down the BlueClaws for the final four innings, but Austin Davidson’s Earl Weaver special in the 6th was all the Suns could muster down the stretch.

11 Commments

  1. Strong starts from Giolito, Cole, and Valdez, and Giolito goes seven innings for the first time, with only one walk. Another solid appearance for Brinley as well, although there’s really not much place for him to move up with guys like Glover, Lee, and Harper already at AA.

    At Hagerstown, it’s good to see a 3-4 from Wiseman, who has clawed up to .238.

  2. I noticed that Matt Belisle made his first rehab appearance for Potomac yesterday. Are the Nats really going to bring him back up and send Solis back to Syracuse? Solis leads the Nats’ pen in BAA and is second to Petit in WHIP, and is just finally starting to pay dividends as a former 2nd rounder.

    Funny that Giolito suddenly has a great outing almost immediately after it was reported that the Nats had “tweaked” his mechanics this spring and that it hadn’t worked. Guess they should have left well enough alone. 🙂

    1. MLB roster moves often are not about who is playing/pitching the best. It’s about who can be optioned back to the minors without potentially losing the player to another team (i.s., who has options) . The fact is that Solis is more effective pitcher than Belisle right now, and Solis can throw multiple innings if needed; Belisle can’t. Even so, Solis can be sent back down, Would guess that Belisle has a clause in his contract that gives him the right to declare as a FA if the Nats send him to AAA. Solis doesn’t have the same leverage; so, Solis goes back down and Belisle stays up.

      1. That was sort of my point–option status or no, Solis’s not only a better pitcher but represents a player who cost the Nats a high draft pick and has taken a very long time to become a viable MLB pitcher. Belisle is strictly a AAAA fill in at this point.

    2. Unfortunately for Solis, he’ll get demoted to no fault of his own. Belisle can’t get demoted, while Solis still can. However, I fully expect that Belisle will be given a bit more rehab time than usual, since Solis has filled in admirably. With that said, Solis could still cut down on his walks.

      Also, Law first brought up Giolito’s changed delivery in early May in one of his chats. Apparently Maddux worked with him in ST, and Law had some choice words to say about the wisdom of such a decision (http://meadowparty.com/blog/2016/05/05/klawchat-5516/). Sometime this month, they switched back, and Giolito’s performance seems to have rebounded, with his command appearing to have returned.

  3. ‘Cordero’d’. 🙂

    >100 pitches for Giolito too. I think that’s the first time.

    Any injury updates on Robles and Ward? I know Ward is on the DL, just curious if anyone knows how serious?

  4. We have to go back awhile to find the last time that all of the affliliates and the major league team were all in contention for league leads. Well, that’s where we are at right now. Congratulations to the Nats organization, coaches, and minor league staffs.

    1. Ang the warm weather improving bats
      Sweet spots and pitchers release points
      And grips

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