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Thursday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Lost, 6-4 @ Buffalo,
7:05 p.m.		 Cole (6-7, 4.44) vs.
Hutchison (6-4, 3.19)
Harrisburg Won, 5-4 @ Hartford,
5:05 p.m.		 Long (3-2, 2.22) vs.
Marquez (9-5, 2.69)
Potomac Won, 2-1 @ Carolina,
7:00 p.m.		 Williams (1-3, 4.56) vs.
Navarro (4-2, 4.66)
Hagerstown OFF DAY @ Hickory,
7:00 p.m.		 TBD vs. TBD
Auburn OFF DAY vs. West Virginia,
7:05 p.m.		 Mills (3-2, 3.38) vs.
TBD


Lehigh Valley 6 Syracuse 4
• Voth (L, 5-7) 6IP, 5H, 5R, 4ER, 2BB, 7K, WP
• Martin 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, K
• Goodwin 3-5, R, HR(10), RBI
• den Dekker 2-4, R, 2B, 2RBI

Lehigh Valley scored in four straight innings to overcome a 3-0 deficit and take the game, 6-4, complete the three-game sweep of Syracuse. Austin Voth continues to struggle, losing for the fifth time in eight starts. The former UDub pitcher gave up five runs on five hits and two walks while fanning seven over six innings. Brian Goodwin homered for the 10th time while going 3-for-5 while Matt den Dekker singled and doubled as the Chiefs collected 12 hits but drew no walks.

Harrisburg 5 New Hampshire 4
• Valdez 7IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K
• Benincasa (BS, 1; W, 1-0) 1IP, 2H, R, ER, 0BB, 2K
• Ward, Kieboom 2-3, R
• Perez, Keyes 1-3, R, HR, 2RBI

Kevin Keyes and Stephen Perez both homered and drove in two as the Senators made the most of their limited offense to take the series finale from New Hampshire, 5-4. Phillips Valdez turned in another strong start, walking just two, as he allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings. Robert Benincasa got the blown-save-win with some help from the New Hampshire defense in the 8th as Harrisburg turned a hit batsman into the deciding run with a sacrifice and an error. Andrew Robinson worked around a one-out single in the 9th to earn the save. Drew Ward and Spencer Kieboom both singled twice and scored a run to round out the six-hit, no-walk offense. Roster move: IF Wilmer Difo recalled to Washington.

Potomac 2 Salem 1
• Mayberry (W, 3-1) 6IP, 5H, R, ER, 3BB, 4K
• Holland (SV, 1) 3IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Mejia 1-2, R, HR, 2RBI
• Masters 1-3, 2B

Bryan Mejia’s two-run homer combined with some decent pitching was enough for Potomac to prevent a series sweep by Salem with a 2-1 win. Whit Mayberry won for the third time with six innings of one-run ball on five hits and walks with four strikeouts. Neil Holland tossed three scoreless to close out the game and earn the save. Austin Davidson walked, Osvaldo Abreu and Jose “Orange” Marmolejos singled, and David Masters doubled to comprise the P-Nats attack.

Hagerstown – OFF DAY
The first-place Suns visit the Crawdads for the final time this season with a four-game set beginning tonight. Hagerstown leads Greensboro by just a half game, which is critical because the two teams meet just once in the second half (Aug. 26-28).

Auburn – OFF DAY
Auburn returns home to host West Virginia for three before heading back out on the road to NYC to visit Staten Island. The Doubledays trail by nine games in the Pinckney Division and eight games in the NYPL Wild Card race. Roster moves: RHP Trevor Gott reassigned from the GCL for MiLB rehab; OF Oliver Ortiz reassigned to the GCL.

19 Commments

  1. Odd that Oliver Ortiz got demoted. He’d been playing well at Auburn: .274/.354/.342

    There’s been so many head scratching decisions by the Nationals recently, I think I need to stop trying to find logic in the moves.

    1. OO. Reminds me of Al Oliver number
      With Expos
      They should call his demotion 3 day
      TIA. Temporary insanity .
      No roster assignments for the
      Two Latin SS bonus baby’s ??

      1. So I wone be accused of senility

        Single O for Scoop Oliver who cost
        Expos just Larry Parrish with
        Tim Wallach in the wings

  2. Taylor still MIA from the Syracuse lineup . . .

    Has Voth just reached his level at AAA, or is he bummed at being bypassed by the Giolito and Lopez call-ups, or perhaps a bit of both? I still think that he could be an effective #4/#5 with an MLB club, but likely not the Nats.

    2. Too early to write him off. That said, there is likely a reason the scouts have not been all that high on him. The Nats are long past the days when a marginal prospect like John Lannan could race to the majors in one season.

      1. Don’t presume they are not still hopeful for him, unless he gets no PT at GCL. Too many young OF-1B & DH at Auburn to play every day, and Perkins–Banks-Johnson playing every day and team has not yet given up on Ripken. Let’s see where we are in a few weeks.

        1. We are still awaiting that first true trade between the Os and Nats. I noticed Os outrighted Cuban Henry U. hmmmm.
          I repeat , Gil, OO might benefit from some one on one time
          with JJ and J. Meijia.
          GG, don
          t give up on Meijia and Davidson so quick. Lets say a trade this month exits Ward…..Meijia and Davidson make good
          component bats in 2017 Harrisburg. notice how quick the lefty
          hitting infielders fanned out from last two drafts?
          I am hunching Rizzo dials pittsburgh on Melaconen.

    3. Not writing him off but I think Voth’s value as a prospect may have crested. He’s been really shaky the past few weeks. His last 8 games his ERA is 4.6 and his WHIP is 1.5 while his K percentage is down. He’s been so strong the rest of his minor league career that he deserves the benefit of the doubt that this is just a rough patch. But until he turns it around, I don’t think his value in a trade is very high.

      1. The what have you done for me lately slant here is amusing.

        If Voth pitches a shutout in his next two starts, is his value as a prospect on the rise again?

        There is danger in over-emphasizing a hot streak or a cold streak as its far better to analyze a player based upon a season (or multiple seasons) of work. Always kills me when a player has a hot two week stretch and the inevitable calls for a promotion arise. In May, there was clamoring to put Voth in the rotation; now, his value as a prospect has peaked?

  3. I don’t know if it’s been discussed here as of yet, but MLB.com has posted their midseason prospects list for the Nationals with several noteworthy changes.

    http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2016?list=was

    In my opinion, it places way too much emphasis and credit on the recent draft and international signings despite none of these players having played much, or any, in minor league baseball.

    Luis Garcia (29), Yasel Antuna (25), Jesus Luzardo (18), Nick Banks (13), Sheldon Neuse (9), Dane Dunning (8) and Carter Keiboom (7) are all on the list while less-heralded guys in the system who have produced in the minor like Brian Goodwin, Jose Marmolejos-Diaz and Tyler Watson are not.

    At the end of the day these lists are pretty meaningless. The only rankings that matter are by Mike Rizzo and his staff (and contemporaries on other teams). But it seems odd that so much emphasis is being placed on players who have done nothing or very little in the minors so far but had good reps as amateurs.

    1. Agree. Let’s consider the core
      Who still grind @ hags in first
      Place with interesting re enforcements .
      Have the Nats signed more than
      19 kids past the july 2 deadline
      Besides Landerson Pena?
      Being a true nats fan down to DSL
      Call me Yefri. Lol

    2. I don’t know whether to call the MLB.com list funny or laughable. On a positive note, though, there isn’t a real clunker in the bunch, and some serious talent missing from the list. Plus how many other teams could even pretend to have 13 guys better than Glover and Cole?

      And yes, I’m on the Tyler Watson bandwagon and don’t understand what he’s got to do to get some notice.

      1. He’s got to throw harder than high 80s to get the prospect recognition. Otherwise scouts probably want to see how his stuff plays in the higher minors first since he doesn’t have velocity that lights up the radar guns.

    3. Nice to see Avila finally get on a list. Surprised Difo held his ranking. Glover and Schrock seem low

  4. Here’s another thing to put out there on Voth and the greater Nats’ pitching sphere. When this season started, the only sure thing for the Nat 2017 rotation was Scherzer. Gio was likely to be back as well. Everyone assumed Strasburg would be gone. Roark was coming off a shaky 2015 and was no guarantee to make the 2016 rotation (remember the Arroyo flirtation?) And while everyone was pulling for Ross, there was always the chance that the league was figuring him out. So probably Max, Gio, and Ross for 2017, plus two likely openings.

    Now? Stras shocked the world and re-signed. Roark has been one of the top 10-15 starters in the NL. Ross seems to be no fluke. Gio may be the weakest link, but he was strong in CLE and is a better option right now than Giolito or Lopez.

    Anyway, my point is that the Nats have gone from possibly needing two or three new starters in 2017 to possibly having to move an established guy to even find one place. These developments have completely changed the landscape for fifth-starter candidates like Voth or Cole. It’s a good “problem” for the Nats to have, but it also may change the career arc of some guys.

    1. All the more reason why I’d like to see some of these guys – Cole and Lopez come to mind, along, of course, with Glover – moved to the bullpen to help the big club.

  5. Frankly, I like my list a lot better. Schrock at 19? He appears to be the organizational player of the year, with Mapes the pitcher of the year, as they start the back stretch. I’d like to see Schrock at AA by year’s end.

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