Tuesday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Probable Pitchers |
| Syracuse | Won, 3-2 | vs. Indianapolis, 6:35 p.m. |
Voth (1-1, 2.79) vs. Boscan, W (3-2, 1.61) |
| Harrisburg | Won, 6-4 | @ Richmond, 6:35 p.m. |
Williams (0-4, 8.84) vs. Crick (1-2, 4.43) |
| Potomac | Lost, 7-2 | @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m. |
Fedde (1-3, 7.15) vs. Povse (2-2, 2.97) |
| Hagerstown | Lost, 4-0 | @ West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. |
A. Lee (2-0, 1.80) vs. Sendelbach (2-1, 3.34) |
Syracuse 3 Indianapolis 2
• Hill (W, 1-2) 7IP, 4H, R, ER, 0BB, 3K, HR; 0-1, SF, RBI
• Gott (H, 4) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Severino 2-3, R, 2B
• Goodwin 1-3, R, HR, RBI
Syracuse scored single runs in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th, got seven strong innings from Taylor Hill, and held on in the 9th for a 3-2 win over Indianapolis. Hill gave up one run on a home run and four hits total with no walks and three whiffs to win for the first time in 2016. Trevor Gott pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the hold while Rafael Martin was credited with a save in the one-run 9th. Pedro Severino singled, doubled, and scored a run while Brian Goodwin hit his third home run of the season to pace the Chiefs’ offense.
Harrisburg 6 Richmond 4
• Giolito (W, 1-2) 6IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 4K, HBP
• Simms (H, 1) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Collier 3-4, R, 2B
• Soto 2-4, R, RBI
• Perez 1-2, 2R, 2BB
Lucas Giolito bounced back from his worst outing of the year to turn in his best in a 6-4 Senators win over the Flying Squirrels. The 21-y.o. turned in six innings of two-run ball with a walk, four hits, and a hit batsman as he won his first game of the season. A little luck also helped as Harrisburg rallied for three in the top of the 7th on a two-out, three-run triple by Cutter Dykstra. John Simms pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th to earn the hold while the offense piled on two more in the 8th and one more in the 9th. Veterans Zach Collier and Neftali Soto led the charge with five of the nine Harrisburg hits while Stephen Perez scored twice and drew two walks.
Lynchburg 7 Potomac 2
• Estevez (L, 0-2) 4IP, 8H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 1K
• Thomas 1⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 3K, 3-0 IR-S
• Keller 3-4, 2B
• Ward 1-3, R, BB, HR, RBI
Potomac lost its seventh straight game to Lynchburg in a 7-2 makeup game that wasn’t pretty. Wirkin “For The Weekend” Estevez lost for the second time with four runs given up on eight hits and two walks with one (1) strikeout over four innings. Matthew Spann was scratched by the Hillcats for three runs in the 5th and was saved from further damage by Justin Thomas who stranded three in the 7th and pitched a scoreless 8th. Alec Keller singled twice and doubled once to lead the P-Nats hit column while Drew Ward tied for the Carolina League lead with his 7th homer. Roster moves: RHP Dakota Bacus reassigned from Harrisburg; RHP Jake Johansen reassigned to Auburn.
West Virginia 4 Hagerstown 0
• DeRosier (L, 1-1) 5IP, 5H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 3K, 2HBP, 2WP
• Bach 3IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Sagdal 1-3
• Reetz 1-3
The Suns were eclipsed by the Sally League’s top starting pitcher in a 4-0 shutout by the Power. Mitch Keller shut down Hagerstown for six innings on two hits and a walk (his third of the season) to lower his ERA to 0.79 while striking out eight to push his league-leading total to 42 in 34IP. Losing pitcher Matt DeRosier let in all four West Virginia runs on five hits, three walks, and two hit batsman over five innings. Connor Bach shut down the Power for three innings on one hit in relief, but was matched by the two West Virgnia relievers. Ian Sagdal, Jakson “Did Anyone See My C?” Reetz, and Victor Robles each singled while Jeff Gardner drew the one Suns walk.
Giolito lives! Curious to see Simms used in relief. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s a “thing,” or if he just needed some work because of rain-outs. The demotion of Bacus from the long relief role at Harrisburg does make you wonder if that is Simms’s slot now, though.
Johansen sent to the limbo of being “assigned” to Auburn. That’s better than being released, but not much. That cat has used up at least 8.5 lives.
On the negative watch, Trea K’d three times to go with four the night before. Ouch. Yep, looks like he’s getting fully prepared to assume Espinosa’s regular role in the lineup. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Also, Glover got knocked around again, surrendering three hits and walk for two runs, with two K’s also in the equation.
Bravo to Taylor Hill for continuing to rebound after a very shaky 2015. He might end up on the back end of an MLB rotation yet.
Speaking of MLB rotations, you do have to wonder what the status of what some of the starter prospect arms is now with all five DC starters locked up at least through 2018. Obviously they’ll find a spot for Giolito if he proves to be the top-tier talent he’s claimed to be. But what of Cole, Voth, Lopez, Fedde, and others? I think the new Strasburg contract just increased the trade possibilities of some of our MiLB guys.
Turner whiffed in his PH appearance in the game before that, too – so he’s now whiffed eight times in his last nine plate appearances. Yuck.
RoArk to bullpen
I wouldn’t make any moves this season. But assuming we see more of Giolito of last night than Giolito of two starts ago, I’d trade Roark this offseason, while his value is still high, and get some much-needed offensive support. I’m looking at LF/CF/1B. Then depend on Voth and Giolito as the #5 SP next season.
By 2018, when Gio hits free agency, Lopez, Fedde, Avila and others will have worked their way to the top.
No way should Roark be in the bullpen. He’s the perfect No. 4/5 starter in that he never gets injured and almost always gives the team a chance to win when he starts. I would trade him before going down that disastrous road again.
Another Giolito note: he went six innings for the first time, having gone no more than four in his previous five starts. He’s logged just 24.2 innings after six starts. He would project to have 120-25 innings left for the season, however (and wherever) they choose to slice them. It’s clear that he still has much he can learn at AA. And with Stras re-signed, there may not be as much rush to see what he can do in the majors.
That can’t be good news for Johansen and it appears Rizzo is admitting he whiffed on this one when he made him the organization’s top pick in ’13.
The guy has a gun but can’t aim straight enough and relievers don’t have the luxury of walking 2 batters per outing.
Meanwhile, the player the Nats took one round later in 13, Drew Ward, is flourishing. We’ve all lamented the lack of power hitters in the Nats’ system. Nice to see Ward be the exception there.
Finally, intrigued to see what happens with Brian Goodwin. Nowhere to put him in Washington but he’s 25 and hitting .333 in AAA. Someone will take notice and make an offer if he keeps this up.
Looking back at that 203 draft; realize it’s only 3 years out, and there are prospects that will emerge, but I just looked at the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the 2013 draft, and it simply looks like there wasn’t a ton of talent that year.
Johansen was the 68th pick that year as the Nats gave up their first round pick to the Yankees for signing Rafael Soriano (the Yankees and made the necessary QO). With that pick the Yankees drafted Ian Clarkin who is currently in A ball (Tampa) with the following numbers 2-3 /4.70 /1.6 W-L/ERA/WHIP. Nats had a late first round pick because they finished the 2012 season with the best record in MLB.
Other than Kris Bryant, there is no player in that draft that has yet to make an impact in MLB.
The top 10 picks that year were:
Mark Appel HOU
Bryant CHC
Jon Gray COL
Kohl Stewart MIN
Clint Frazier CLE
Colin Moran MIA
Trey Ball BOS
Hunter Dozier KC
Austin Meadows PIT
Phil Bickford TOR
Appel and Moran (both were considered can’t miss) have been traded, and look like fringe MLBers at best.
Meadows and Frazier are still considered top prospects as Jon Gray, but the rest of them have generally dropped from the top prospect radar.
You have to wonder if the Nats’ assessment of the 2013 draft contributed to their willingness to punt the pick.
Good point. They punted the first pick, took a small-college flame-thrower with control issues with the second, and a high-school kid who would have to be bought out in the third.
Plus bailing out Boras with Soriano that year kept him happy; perhaps we’re now reaping some of the benefits.
Oddly enough, the Nats’ 2013 draft wasn’t half bad.
Voth, Ward, Simms and Ballou all have potential to make an impact on the ML roster. Then we flipped Pivetta into Papelbon (unfortunately), and Travis Ott was a piece that got us Turner and Ross. (Gott also came out of the ’13 draft). Pretty impressive when you look at how generally unimpressive the talent was that year.
But in looking back on it, I noticed Jake Walsh was drafted that year. I didn’t realize he was released, and I’m quite surprised.
I was impressed with his appearances. His numbers looked great for a reliever. He sported a career 1.65 ERA in the minors. Struck out 104 thru 109 IP. The only problem was that the Nats were extremely conservative with him. As a college player they sent him to the GCL, then let him bounce back and forth in A ball, but never gave him a chance in Harrisburg. Was he actually released or did he retire to pursue other things? I thought we might have found a diamond in the rough with him. What a shame.
Last June’s bullpen draft stuck a few nails
In some players coffins
Simms will be a starting pitcher.
Jeff on target about the bullpen draft. Big haul in the pen and a few names yet to find their way to a roster. Bacus is going the way of Wooten and Ian Dickson – lower minor talents with occasional flashes that the Nats picked up for major league trades that have run out of chances. We could have gotten more for Suzuki, but you can’t hit Turner-Ross every trade.
If Simms is a starting pitcher in the majors, it likely won’t be in DC. He’s just not that level of talent. But he certainly has more trade value as a starter than as a reliever. I thought they might be looking to move him after he showcased to well in AZ last fall.
Some of those guys like backus and Ian
Ate up IP when younger kids were not thrown
In the fire past two years
Thst TexAs roundup by Rizzo did not work
Out. JJ. Kyle Simmons and Robbie Dickey
Stalled somewhere
That MASN case lingering even has SS
Contract back loaded .
Anybody else irked ?
Whether or not it’s actually harming the Nats’ negotiating ability, they have to make it look like it is. Otherwise, the O’s will have a stronger case.
It’s annoying and petty of the Orioles for sure, but I’m not shedding any tears for the Lerners if they have to loan some of their money in the short-term to sustain the club. That’s the point of being an owner. Teams aren’t meant to just be a money making machine with no investments, like Loria or the Wilpons have been doing. The owners need to use their money to improve the team, thereby increasing the value of the franchise and making themselves money.
The Lerners are billionaires and they didn’t pay a dime for their $700m stadium. They can afford to cover the gaps in funding while the lawsuit is sorted out.