Potomac homered twice and scored all four runs with two outs as they doubled up Frederick, 4-2 to take the series, 3-2 and keep its slim playoff hopes alive. Combined with a loss by the Red Sox, the P-Nats crept back to within three games going into their final (scheduled) off day of the 2017 season.
Much like Steven Fuentes last night, Luis Reyes looked like he was on the ropes early, as he walked three in the first inning. The, um, key difference? With nobody out, Reyes induced a critical double play to keep the Keys off the board.
The 22-y.o. then recovered to throw seven strong innings without no additional walks, allowing one run on five hits and striking out five in his 26th start of the season – his second-longest outing of the season and his 11th quality start overall.
Offensively, the P-Nats collected eight hits total and drew three walks. The game-winning, three-run rally came in the 4th, beginning with Jake Noll’s first Carolina League big fly to tie it at 1-1. After back-to-back walks sandwiched around a Frederick pitching change, Tyler Beckwith singled to left to put Potomac up 2-1 while Bryan Mejia singled to right to make it, 3-1.
An inning later, Rhett Wiseman bounced one off the top of the left-center field fence for what was initially ruled a double, then, after an umpire conference, his 13th homer of the season to give the P-Nats their fourth and final run.
R.C. Orlan came on in the 8th to close out the game and retired five straight before giving up a two-out single in the 9th, but bore down on a long at-bat with Jomar reyes to get the 6-3 grounder to secure the win and earn his fifth save for Potomac.
On Tuesday, the Woodbridge nine travel to Lynchburg to face the both-halves winner of the Carolina League North division while Salem and Frederick meet in Frederick. Because the Red Sox and Keys play each other (i.e. both can’t lose) and Potomac does not play Salem again, the P-Nats must keep winning and hope for some help from the Keys in the next series and the Dash, which plays the Red Sox over the final four games of the regular season.