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Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers
Syracuse Won, 2-1 @ Pawtucket,
7:05 p.m.		 Giolito (1-2, 2.76) vs.
Elias (10-5, 3.78)
Harrisburg Won, 8-6 vs. Hartford,
7:00 p.m.		 TBD vs. TBD
Potomac Won, 3-1 vs. Myrtle Beach,
7:00 p.m.		 Silvestre (0-0, 3.38) vs.
Underwood (C.L. debut)
Hagerstown Lost, 8-2 @ Asheville,
6:35 p.m.		 Guilbeau (4-2, 3.72) vs.
Tinoco (3-7, 5.83)
Auburn Lost, 6-2 vs. West Virginia,
7:05 p.m.		 Bogucki (0-5, 7.66) vs.
Beddes (5-3, 2.48)

Syracuse 2 Pawtucket 1
• Espino (W, 8-11) 8IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, 8K
• R. Martin (S, 22) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Lombardozzi 3-4, R, RBI
• Skole 2-4, R, HR, RBI

Paolo Espino turned in eight strong innings and Rafael Martin didn’t blow the save as Syracuse edged Pawtucket, 2-1. Espino let in one unearned run on four hits and two walks while fanning eight to tie A.J. Cole for the team lead in wins with eight. Martin tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his 22nd save. Matt Skole singled and homered while Steve Lombardozzi went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the Chiefs’ offense.

Harrisburg 8 Bowie 6
• Blackmar (W, 4-5) 7+ IP, 4H, 5R, 5ER, 4BB, 3K, HR
• Benincasa (H, 1) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K, 2-1 IR-S
• Jeroloman 3-5, R, RBI
• Pleffner 2-4, 2-2B, BB, RBI
• Bautista 2-5, 2R, 3B, 2RBI

The Sens put up crooked numbers in three straight innings to win an 8-6 slugfest versus the BaySox. Mark Blackmar pitched into the 8th and was charged with five runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three to win his fourth AA game. Robert Benincasa let in one of two inherited runners in the 8th but earned the hold while Mitch Lively was credited with the save in the 9th for preserving the lead despite giving up a run. Brian Jeroloman singled three times while Shawn Pleffner doubled twice to lead the Harrisburg hit parade.
The RubberDucks fell to the Seawolves again and now lead the Sens in the loss column by just one game.

Potomac 3 Frederick 1
• Whiting (W, 11-3) 6⅓ IP, 5H, R, ER, BB, 4K, HR
• Sanchez (SV, 2) 1⅓ IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Drew 1-1, 2B, 2RBI, 2BB
• Abreu 1-3, BB, RBI, CS(10)

Rehabbing Steven Drew doubled in two (hey, that rhymes!) to lead Potomac to a 3-1 victory that, coupled with a Lynchburg loss, put the P-Nats back in a first place tie in the C.L. North. Boone Whiting pitched into the seventh for the ninth time in 23 starts, giving up the lone Frederick run on five hits and a walk while striking out four to earn his team-leading 11th win. Robert Orlan and Mario Sanchez both recorded four outs to close out the game and earn the hold and save, respectively. Raudy Read led off the 5th with a triple and Osvaldo Abreu followed with a single to account for the third Potomac run. The P-Nats managed just four hits total, but drew seven walks. Roster moves: IF Stephen Drew assigned from Washington for MLB rehab; OF Alec Keller placed on the 7-Day DL; OF Narciso Mesa reassigned from Hagerstown.

Charleston 8 Hagerstown 2
• Rodriguez (L, 7-11) 1⅔ IP, 4H, 7R, 7ER, 7BB, 0K
• VanVossen 3⅓ IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 3K, HR
• La Bruna 2-4, R, CS
• Wiseman 2-4

The RiverDogs jumped on Jefry Rodriguez for seven runs in the first two innings to cruise to an 8-2 win over the Suns in the series finale. Rodriguez walked seven and gave up four hits over just an inning and 2/3rds to lose his 11th game. Angelo La Bruna and Rhett Wiseman both went 2-for-4 to pace the Hagerstown offense. Roster move: OF Telmito Agustin activated from the 7-Day DL.

West Virginia 6 Auburn 2
• Mills (L, 4-5) 5⅓ IP, 5H, 6R, 4ER, 2BB, 5K, HR(GS)
• Mooney 1⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K
• J. Soto 2-4, RBI
• Ortiz 1-4, R, 2B

West Virginia’s Albert Baur smacked a grand slam in the 6th to snap a 2-2 tie and Auburn had no answer, losing 6-2. McKenzie Mills gave up the gamewinner with one out in the 6th and was charged with all six BlackBear runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks while fanning five. Juan Soto picked up where he left off in the GCL and singled twice and drove in one to lead the Doubleday offense. Roster move: OF Juan Soto promoted from the GCL.

16 Commments

  1. That’s 24 HRs for Matt Skole at AAA, which is third in the IL. The only player in the entire Nationals organization with more homers is Daniel Murphy.

    Have the Nats ever not given someone with that many HRs at AAA a call-up?

    1. He deserves it. Too bad he isn’t on the 40 man roster and we’ll need two spots for Burnett and Latos before him.

    2. You never know, but I doubt that the Nats are going to be willing to drop someone off a tight 40 man roster so that Skole can sit on the bench in DC for the last 3 weeks of the season. They already will need to drop someone (guessing den Dekker) to activate Latos, and just don’t see the Nats willing to cut another player loose when Skole is not in the Nats plans f0r the rest of the season.

  2. When does Jefry Rodriguez move to the bullpen? I saw him once last year and he didn’t seem to have a clue where his pitches were going -however, he seemed to have good stuff. His stats aren’t good this year – I have to think his time as a starter is running out.

  3. Latos, Burnett, Severino, Goodwin, Grace, Gott and Martin all promoted to the MLB roster.

    den Dekker DFA’d; Ross goes on the 60 day DL (which shows how much the Nats are struggling not to DFA anyone else as Ross will come off the DL in the next week or so).

    2. Pilch, I agree. I don’t think they’re DFAing anyone to bring up Skole. The Ross 60-day move (he last pitched on July 2 so is already at 60) kicks the can down the road a little to see where we are with the health of Ross, Stras, Solis, and Drew.

      I’m sitting here watching Glover dominate against the Mets. HE’S the story of the system this year.

  4. Soto is the biggest news of the system since short season began. How many 17 year old Latin players have played in SS? Can’t be many. He is the fastest rising prospect in the Nats system right now.

    Martin promoted. Despite periodic meltdowns, he held down the closer spot and survived to eat ml innings down the stretch. But he does look to be on the bubble just the same.

    FG, when you raised this last week, I said, let’s see Skole get to 25 and then we’ll talk. I do believe that if Skole rakes in the home stretch, they’ll find room for him on the 25.

    1. Skole’s sub .800 OPS is what is holding him back. They’ve had plenty of hitters with better OPS numbers at AAA in recent years (Walters, Hood, Brandon Laird, Corey Brown), all of whom have done nothing at the MLB level. Even Souza, whose 2014 OPS at Syracuse was more the 200 points higher and who was two years younger, has struggled to hit MLB pitching.

  5. I’m not completely sold on Skole, but I am sold on him as three things: 1) an upward trajectory player who is recovered from injury 2) a two way player who can play ML defense 3) a true power bat 4) a guy who can hit clutch and hit pinch.

    Whatever his OPS is, he is not Laird ( a proven 4a player), Brown ( a player given a chance albeit a brief one who did not seize it), Walters (who keeps getting chances and showed great off the bench power but far more swing and miss, and Hood ( a late bloomer with less power who just got promoted to the Marlins). And count me among those who think Souza will have a nice career if he stays healthy.

    To say Skole’s ceiling is AAA is, in my opinion, disproved by his year of work.

    1. All of those guys were at least a year younger at Syracuse. Skole will be 28 next year. His chances of having any impact at the MLB level are practically nil.

      1. Skole has committed 2 errors all season, one each at 3B and 1B.

        That’s good defense in any league.

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