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Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Lost, 5-3 vs. Columbus,
6:35 p.m.		 Milone (2-4, 6.16) vs.
Jaye (3-3, 4.25)
Harrisburg Won, 12-2 vs. Portland,
7:00 p.m.		 McGowin (2-0, 2.89) vs.
Hart (3-3, 3.22)
Potomac Lost, 2-0;
Lost, 10-8		 @ Buies Creek,
6:00 p.m.		 Sharp (4-2, 2.98) vs.
Saldana (5-0, 2.57)
Hagerstown Cancelled @ Kannapolis,
7:05 p.m.		 Johnston (0-1, 2.51) vs.
Lewis (1-1, 3.91)

Syracuse 10 Toledo 2
• Voth (L, 3-3) 6IP, 9H, 4R, 3ER, 3BB, 4K, HR
• Adams 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Falu 2-3, R, BB
• Marmolejos 1-4, R, HR, 2RBI

The Mud Hens scored in three of the first four innings to build a 4-0 lead and held on for 5-3 win in the series finale. Austin Voth lost for the third time in five starts as he gave up those four runs on nine hits and three walks over six innings while striking out four. Irving Falu extended his modest hit streak to seven games with two singles and also walked while Jose “Orange” Marmolejos connected for a two-run HR to lead the Chiefs’ five-hit, four-walk assault. Roster moves: RHP Trevor Gott optioned from Washington; RHP Cody Satterwhite released; RHP Edwin Jackson will be released today.

Harrisburg 12 Hartford 2
• Rodriguez (W, 4-3) 6IP, 1H, 2R, 0ER, 3BB, 9K, 2HR; 0-2, R, BB
• Fleck 2IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Johnson 3-5, 3R, 2-2B
• Ward 2-5, 2R, 2B, HR(GS), 6RBI
• Abreu 2-4, R, 2-2B, BB

Drew Ward drove in six as Harrisburg completed the sweep of Hartford with a 12-2 demolition. Jefry Rodriguez walked three but allowed just one hit and two unearned runs over six innings while fanning nine. Kaleb Fleck (2IP) and Derek Self (1IP) combined for three scoreless to complete the one-hitter. Daniel Johnson led the Sens’ hit column with a 3-for-5 night, followed by Abreu (2-for-4) and Ward (2-for-5). The trio combined for five doubles and six runs scored.

Salem 2 Potomac 0 – GAME ONE
• Mapes 2⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Braymer (L, 1-1) 3⅔ IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 3K
• Noll 2-3
• Mejia 1-2, 2B

In the completion, the Red Sox struck for two in the bottom of the 4th and kept the P-Nats off the board for a 2-0 shutout. Tyler Mapes started on Wednesday and gave up two hits over two and 1/3rd innings before play stopped. Last night, Ben Braymer finished the game and took the loss, allowing both Salem runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three. Jake Noll singled twice, Bryan Mejia doubled once, and Alec Keller and Rhett Wiseman both singled once to comprise the Potomac offense.

Salem 10 Potomac 8 – GAME TWO
• Crownover 3IP, 7H, 6R, 6ER, BB, K, 2HR
• Pantoja (L, 0-2) 1IP, 3H, 3R, 3ER, BB, K
• Mejia 3-4, 3R, 2B
• Lora 3-4, R, 2B, 2RBI
• Kieboom 2-4, R, HR(GS), 4RBI

In the nightcap, Salem scored in four of its six “ups” as they swept the doubleheader with 10-8 win. Matthew Crownover was lit up for six runs on seven hits, including two HRs (nos. 5 and 6 in 48⅔ IP), and a walk while striking out one (1) in three innings. The loss went to Jorge Pantoja, who gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in a single frame. Bryan Mejia and Edwin Lora both went 3-for-4 with a double while Carter Kieboom hit his third grand slam and seventh HR to pace the P-Nats attack.

Hagerstown vs. Hickory – CNCLD
The rains claimed yet another game from the Suns, with this one canceled because the two teams are done with their first-half meetings. Roster move: RHP Carlos Acevedo placed on the 7-Day DL.

10 Commments

  1. When Voth finished for the night on May 1, his ERA stood at 0.76 and he looked on his way to a remarkable comeback story. When he finished for the night on May 31, his ERA registered at 5.06, actually an improvement from the 5.58 it had reached at its peak, and, well, the comeback story is into another chapter of struggle.

    Carter Kieboom got off to a slow start at Potomac and kinda got lost in the Soto wake. After two months, though, he’s at .290/.379/.456 in A+ at age 20. It would be interesting to get a report from Luke on his defense. It’s hard to fault his progression at the plate. Plus with Trea at SS for the foreseeable future, Kieboom doesn’t have to be SS-good defensively. I assume he’s ticketed for 2B or 3B with the big club.

    Daniel Johnson has also quietly bounced back from a slow start to a solid .286/.354/.414 at AA. His 22-homer power is MIA (only one thus far), but he has continued to find the gaps, with 11 doubles and six triples. If he’s competing for a reserve OF spot with Stevenson in a couple of years, I think Johnson has the higher offense ceiling, as well as a much better arm.

  2. If EJax is released today, will Rodriguez be moved up? If the Nats need SP help, Fedde looks to be the next up. Voth has struggled recently. They did bring up Rodriguez for a day, so I wonder if they will give him a look against AAA offenses.

    1. I have some concerns about who is “next up” for the big club with EJax gone. The assumption would be Fedde, but there’s not a lot about his AAA stats this season that make one think he’d be able to come close to replacing what any of the current Nat MLB starters are doing. Beyond Fedde, it gets worrisome quickly, with Voth waning right now and Milone and Vargas just fighting to hold onto pro careers.

      I would say that Dragmire gets the promotion over Rodriguez. AA is where Rodriguez needs to be to continue honing his craft. Does Wil Crowe get the call to Harrisburg as part of the conga line?

  3. If Johnson was hitting with the same power he showed a year ago he’d be looking like a stud prospect right now. Hopefully he finds it soon because the other parts of his game have shown improvement especially base stealing acumen. Most people after last year put at least a 55 on his power with some saying its plus a 60. This year it’s been below average. I know AA pitching is harder to tap in to but he has time so we will see.

  4. I was listening to the Nats radio feed Wednesday and they had Terry Byrum from Harrisburg in to fill in Dave Jagler. Byrum has been broadcasting Minor league games for 17 years now.
    He was asked who stood out to him at Harrisburg; after the expected talk about how he was blown away by Soto said the 2 guys who most impressed him were Johnson & Gutierrez, that they were on a straight line trajectory.

    I’m very much rooting for Drew Ward; 6 RBI’s is a great day.

    2. Gutierrez does look impressive in person. However, I just don’t see his path to the majors, at least for a contender. He’s going to have to play a corner position, 3B/1B/LF. To do that, he’s got to have HR power. He just doesn’t. He hasn’t even shown much gap power this year, either, with a total of only 11 extra-base hits. To compound matters, the market is so depressed for corner mashers that the Nats can pick up someone like Mark Reynolds, who can play 3B, off the street for nothing and have him hit six homers in 14 games.

      Maybe Gutierrez would have some utility value in the majors, but in general you want such folks to either be able to play SS or be a HR threat off the bench if they’re playing the corners. Gutierrez is neither.

      Also, Gutierrez’s K% is on an alarming climb, from 15.6 in 2016 at Hags, to 24.1 in 2017 at Potomac, and now at 27.0 in 2018 at AA. His BB% now is only 6.3.

      So . . . while I pull for all of “our guys” to make it, I just don’t see the ultimate place for this one. He may have more trade value than he does ultimate value for the Nats if they keep him. But I’ve been wrong before, and I’d be glad for him to prove me wrong again. He sure LOOKS like a guy who could hit 30 homers, but right now that’s three times his career total.

  5. I can see Phillips Valdez sliding over to the rotation or Dragmire moving up. Good! Jackson served his purpose as #8-9 depth. Now others deserve to show what they have.

    Johnson is still an early career player. His power is real and he knows it is. That he is not selling out to try to help his stat line will help him in the long run. I am sure other teams are trying to pry him loose. Six assists as well, already, most of them awhile ago. No one running on his arm.

    The Nats have plenty of OF depth at the upper minors. No needs to rush Johnson. Let’s see how he ends his year. And how Michael Taylor and Victor Robles end theirs.

    2. Philips Valdez could end up as a Tanner Roark type in Syracuse … alternating between the bullpen and starting. Its how Tanner got promoted by excelling at both simultaneously.

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