NationalsProspects.com

Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Lost, 5-1;
Won, 6-1		 @ Rochester,
7:05 p.m.		 Cole (6-4, 4.35) vs.
Wheeler, J (6-1, 2.64)
Harrisburg Lost, 13-5 @ Reading,
7:05 p.m.		 Mapes (7-5, 3.41) vs.
Viza (1-1, 5.09)
Potomac Won, 3-2 (10 inn.) @ Myrtle Beach,
7:05 p.m.		 Williams (0-2, 2.37) vs.
Leal (9-3, 3.33)
Hagerstown Won, 3-2 (10 inn.) vs. Delmarva,
7:05 p.m.		 Bourque (0-3, 7.56) vs.
Costello (0-0, 1.88)
Auburn Won, 5-2 @ West Virginia,
7:05 p.m.		 Pena (1-1, 10.57) vs.
TBD


Rochester 5 Syracuse 1 – GAME ONE
• Lopez 6IP, 3H, R, ER, 4BB, 4K
• Harper (L, 1-1) 1⅔ IP, 2H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, K, WP, HR(GS)
• Goodwin 2-4, SB
• Bostick 1-3, R

Rochester’s Adam Walker connected for a walkoff grand slam in the first extra inning as the Redwings flew past the Chiefs, 6-1. Reynaldo Lopez turned in six innings of one-run ball on three hits and four walks and struck out four. Bryan Harper took the loss as he loaded the bases in the 8th with a single and two walks (one intentional). Brian Goodwin went 2-for-4 and Christopher Bostick went 1-for-3 to account for three of the five Syracuse hits.

Syracuse 6 Rochester 1 – GAME TWO
• Espino (W, 5-7) 7IP, 7H, R, ER, BB, 7K
• Ramsey 3-3, 2B, 3B, 4RBI
• den Dekker 2-3, 2R, 2B, 2RBI, SB
• Solano 1-2, R, BB

Paolo Espino went the distance while Caleb Ramsey ran out of game to complete the cycle as the Chiefs took the nightcap, 6-1. Espino let in the lone Redwings run on seven hits and a walk over seven innings for his fifth win. Ramsey singled, tripled, doubled, and drove in four runs in his three at-bats to lead the Syracuse charge, which included nine hits and two walks total.

Reading 13 Harrisburg 5
• Whiting 6⅓ IP, 5H, 4R, 3ER, 3BB, 6K
• Brinley (BS, 1; L, 0-1) ⅔+ IP, 4H, 5R, 5ER, 0BB, 0K, 3HR, HBP, 2-2 IR-S
• Perez 2-3, 2R, 2B, BB, HR, RBI
• Ballou 3-4
• Soto 2-4, 2R, 2B, HR, RBI

A 4-1 lead proved to be too small for the Harrisburg bullpen to hold as they were immolated for 12 runs over two and 2/3rds innings in a 13-5 loss to Reading. Boone Whiting got the no-decision with four runs charged to him on five hits and three walks while striking out six over six and a third innings. Ryan Brinley let in both inherited runners by giving up a single and HR before getting the last two outs of the 7th. Things got worse in the 8th when he served up back-to-back homers then hit a batter, which got him tossed and then manager Matt LeCroy was ejected shortly thereafter. He suffered both a blown save and a loss, if not a suspension and/or fine. Neftali Soto, who was one of three Sens named to the E.L. All Star Game, homered early and Stephen Perez homered late as the Senators collected 11 hits total on offense.

Potomac 3 Myrtle Beach 2 – 10 inn.
• Mayberry 6IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 7K, HR
• Thomas (W, 2-2) ⅔ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K, 1-0 IR-S
• Orlan (SV, 8) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Schrock 3-5, RBI
• Vettleson 2-3, R, 2B, BB, RBI

Max “For Those About To” Schrock came through again with another extra-inning game-winner as the P-Nats reeled off their sixth straight win, 3-2 over the Pelicans in 10 innings. Whit Mayberry turned in a quality start of two runs allowed on four hits as he walked none and struck out seven in his Potomac debut. Justin Thomas was the winner in relief while R.C. Orlan set the side down in order in the 10th to earn the save, his eighth. Schrock went 3-for-5 to lead the Potomac hit parade while Drew Vettleson also reached base three times with a single, double, and a walk, which he drew in the 10th to score on Schrock’s third single.

Hagerstown 3 Delmarva 2 – 10 inn.
• Avila 5IP, 6H, R, ER, 3BB, 5K
• Pantoja 3IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• VanVossen (W, 2-2) 2IP, 2H, R, ER, 0BB, 1K, HR
• Davidson 1-3, 2B, BB
• Encarnacion 1-3, BB, RBI

Angelo La Bruna’s first career longball was a walkoff in the 10th as Hagerstown edged Delmarva, 3-2. It made a winner out of Mick VanVossen, who gave up a solo HR in the 9th but pitched a scoreless 10th. Pedro Avila got the start and gave up a run on six hits and three walks over five innings. The Suns managed just five hits total, but got three extra-base hits (doubles by Austin Davidson and Edwin Lora) and four walks to make the most of their limited opportunities.
Roster moves: LHP Taylor Hearn activated from the 7-Day DL; RHP Matt DeRosier placed on the 7-Day DL.

Auburn 5 Mahoning Valley 2
• Mills (W, 2-1) 5IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 6K
• Fuentes (H, 1) 3IP, 3H, R, ER, 0BB, 2K
• Vilorio 2-4, R, RBI
• Brandt 1-3, BB, 2RBI

The Doubledays put up three runs in the 2nd, added two in the 4th and cruised to a 5-2 win to take this one, 5-2 from the Scrappers. McKenzie Mills got his second win with one run allowed on two hits and three walks while striking out six. Luis Vilorio singled twice and drove in one while Clayton Brandt drove in two and singled once as Auburn produced five runs from five hits and five walks, with a little help from three Mahoning Valley errors.

16 Commments

  1. A very solid first AAA start for Lopez, aside from the four walks. By my calculations, he’s got less than 50 innings left for the season, though, so it will be interesting to see how they use him. Who knows whether they still have thoughts of trying to use him in the ‘pen with the big club at the end of the season.

    Too bad Max Schrock has been so intimidated by that Carolina League pitching. I hope he finds his footing there soon and can start contributing. He showed up acting like the Daniel Murphy of Woodbridge.

    Alas, not such a good start for Brinley at AA. Shake it off. There’s always tomorrow.

    Great to see Tyler Hearn already back to Hagerstown after a couple of GCL outings. Perhaps he can ramp it up quickly and get a cup of coffee at Potomac before everything’s done.

    As for the Hagerstown DL, I keep asking whether anyone knows anything about Andrew Lee, who’s been MIA for a month now. I hope it isn’t arm issues, as I think he already had one TJ in his past.

    1. Was thinking the same thing on Schrock, talk about no adjustment period.

      It’ll be fun to see how all these promoted players perform in the next week.

      1. I must admit, I was a Schrock skeptic when the Nats gave such a big over-slot deal to a 13th rounder last year. He was said to have questionable defense, and his size didn’t suggest too much power potential. As always, I’m glad to be proven wrong in a positive way. I don’t know what his ceiling is, but it’s clearly higher than I expected.

  2. If anyone said the only starting pitcher in the upper minors who made the All Star team would by Tyler Mapes, you would have been referred for psychiatric meds.

    Someone in the scouting department deserves a raise.

    1. Well . . . should we praise the success of a 30th-rounder, or lament terribly that he’s currently the only one from his 2014 draft class as high as AA? Or maybe we can do both.

      I assume that Bostick, Harper, Lopez, and Giolito would have gotten all-star consideration if they hadn’t already moved along. I must admit that I chuckled when I saw the trio who had been picked.

  4. Since there’s so much Espinosa chatter in the Natosphere today, I just checked yesterday’s box scores to see what Trea is doing. He was at SS for both games, as he was the day prior. I don’t know what that means for the CF experiment, other than that it doesn’t seem to be a priority at the moment.

    1. I thought FP hit HRs from both sides of dish
      Vs a memorable white sox slapping in MTL??

  7. BA reports in transaction section
    Nats sign battery mate to Williamson
    From NC State

    1. Shepard hitting cleanup today vs GCL Marlins
      Who have a lefty swinging OF from Redendo Beach

  8. kW, we all know that. I’m raising a different point to be proud of, that few pegs can claim all stars in AA drafted so low only two years ago.

    And, you never know who will emerge!

    1. As I said, we can do both. I still get depressed when I look at the 2014 draft list, though. The turnaround in quality in the 2015 draft was miraculous. It has a 27th-rounder already in AA in Brinley. (Perhaps scouted by the same area scout who suggested Mapes at Tulane?)

Comments are closed.