Monday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Matchup |
| Syracuse | Won, 7-3 | vs. Pawtucket, 6:35 p.m. |
Voth (4-7, 4.13) vs. Haley (5-7, 3.59) |
| Harrisburg | Won, 5-4; Won, 4-3 |
OFF DAY | N/A |
| Potomac | Won, 10-1 | OFF DAY | N/A |
| Hagerstown | Lost, 4-2 | vs. Lexington, 7:05 p.m. |
Hill (2-3, 3.69) vs. TBD |
| Auburn | Lost, 2-0 | vs. West Virginia, 6:30 p.m. |
Ramirez (2-4, 2.65) vs. LoPresti (1-1, 5.79) |
| GCL Nationals | OFF DAY | @ GCL Mets, 12:00 p.m. |
Syracuse 7 Durham 3
• Adams (H, 2) 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, K
• Robles 0-3, PO @ 1B
• Marmolejos 2-5, R
Roster moves: 1B-OF Jose Marmolejos outrighted from Washington.
Harrisburg 5 Bowie 4 – GAME ONE
• Darnell (W, 7-5) 6IP, 3H, R, ER, 0BB, 2K, HR
• Bacus (SV, 2) ⅔ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K, 1-0 IR-S
• Kieboom 2-3, 2R, E(6)
• Noll 2-2, RBI, HBP, E(9)
• H. Jones 1-3, 2R, BB
The Sens built a 4-0 lead after three, added a run in the 6th, and held on in the 7th for a 5-4 win in the opener. Logan Darnell tossed six innings of one-run ball (HR) and walked none to win his seventh game. He gave up three hits total and struck out two. Ronald Pena nearly blew the save as he retired just one of five batters faced in the 7th before Dakota Bacus stranded the tying run while getting the last two outs for the save, his second. Carter Kieboom and Jake Noll both singled twice (and committed an error) to lead the Harrisburg offense (defense, not so much).
Harrisburg 4 Bowie 3 – GAME TWO
• Long 5⅓ IP, 8H, 3R, 3ER, BB, 3K
• Williams (W, 3-3) 1⅔ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K, 2-0 IR-S
• Norfork 1-3, R, HR, 3RBI
• H. Jones 1-3, R, BB, SB, OF assist at 2B
The BaySox built a 3-0 lead after three only to see it go poof with Khayyan Norfork’s third HR. Bowie then quite literally threw it away in the bottom of the 7th as an errant throw on a steal of second base got past the infielders and the outfielders for a 4-3 walkoff win and a doubleheader sweep for Harrisburg. Jaron Long got the no-decision as he gave up all three BaySox run on eight hits and a walk over five and a 1/3rd innings. Austen Williams stranded two in the 6th and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to earn the win. The Senators managed just five hits but drew five walks, including 12-pitch effort by Hunter Jones, who scored the game-winning run.
Potomac 10 Carolina 1
• Johnston (W, 2-1) 6IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 5K
• Condra-Bogan 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Garcia 4-5, 3R, 2-2B
• Sagdal 3-5, 3R, HR, 3RBI
• Banks 3-4, 2R, 2B, BB, 3RBI
Potomac scored early and often Sunday Afternoon in Woodbridge.
Lakewood 4 Hagerstown 2
• M. Pena 5IP, 4H, R, ER, BB, 7K
• Bartow (BS, 1; L, 0-2) 1⅔ IP, 4H, 3R, 3ER, BB, 2K, HR
• Caulfield 2-3, 2B
• Canning 1-4, R, HR, RBI
The Suns’ philanthropy repeated itself with another game given away in the 9th as BlueClaws walked off with a three-run HR and a 4-3 win in the series finale. Malvin Pena turned five innings of one-run ball on four hits and a walk while striking out a season high of seven. Frankie “Goes to Hagerstown” Bartow gave up a leadoff single to start the 9th but after getting two outs on a caught stealing and a whiff, issued a walk, a single, and a three-run HR to get the blown-save-loss. Phil “Don’t Call Me Holden” Caulfield singled and doubled while Gage Canning homered to lead the Hagerstown offense.
Connecticut 2 Auburn 0
• F. Peguero (L, 2-3) 5IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 4K, HR
• Tapani 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Pryor 2-4
• O’Connor 1-3, BB
Auburn couldn’t complete the sweep of Connecticut, falling 2-0 in the finale. Francys Peguero gave up both Tigers runs on a two-run HR in the 3rd and three hits total over five innings. He walked one and struck out four while losing his third game. Ryan Tapani threw three scoreless and Nector Ramirez one to keep things close, but the Doubledays were 0-for-8 with RISP and left on nine baserunners. Jonathan Pryor singled twice to lead Auburn’s six-hit barrage.
GCL Nationals – OFF DAY
Four weeks are left in the GCL season, which has the G-Nats in 4th place and 2½ games ahead of the G-Marlins for last place.
I’m beginning to think that it would be best for the Nats to just not trade away all their prospects by the trade deadline. Rumours are that the Nats offered Robles and S. Kieboom for Realmuto.
While a short-term rebuild would be the best course of action for this severely flawed 2018 team, if we can make it until August 1 without trading away Robles or C. Kieboom, we’ll be much better off. Plus. we can always trade either of them away in December if we want too, but at least at that point, we’ll have a much clearer picture of where we stand with Harper, and not naively trying to add some 2 month rentals while trading away our future.
I’ve seen a slightly different rumour – not that the Nats offered Robles and Kieboom, but that the Marlins asked for both of them when the Nats opened discussions about a trade – so the Nats said no.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/07/frisaros-latest-straily-ziegler-barraclough-realmuto.html
Personally? I think that the Nats should trade Harper in the next 2 days; especially considering the draft pick we get back if we retain him. An OF of Taylor, Eaton, Soto, plus Robles in the wings and Adams playing the occasional LF would be just fine for the rest of this season.
I’ve heard that the Nats offered Robles for Realmuto — which I don’t love by itself — but that the Fish held out for both Robles and Kieboom, which is nuts.
With 2B open after this season and 3B possibly after 2019, I just don’t see how the Nats could afford to part with Kieboom. They have more OF options going forward, particularly now that Soto has established himself ahead of schedule, so they could “afford” to lose Robles and still have an OF of Soto/Taylor/Eaton. That said, six years of Robles is probably more valuable than two of Realmuto.
Luke, I’d be interested in your take on Garcia now that you’ve gotten to see the latest golden child for a few games. How does he compare with the conga line of Robles, Soto, and Kieboom that trooped through Potomac over the last couple of years?
You can take Soto off that list — that kind of ascent happens once a decade. He’s probably most similar to Carter Kieboom, minus the power plus the speed.
I’m like Randolph Duke at the end of Trading Places: Get back in there at once and sell, sell!
This season is shot. This whole “needed more urgency” talk is loser bullshit. If you don’t have urgency in that game at this point in the season, the team has a LOT of problems and it makes no sense to trade away valuable assets to try and salvage a season for players that can’t find urgency is games they have to win to have a shot.
I was really PO’d by the big club’s performance over the weekend. Those two games were embarrassing.
You read my line of Ralph Bellemy the other day formerly guest! LOL
subject change : being an ole long time ex-po fan who admired Dave Martinez playing for the
“Kentucky Colonel” awarded Buck Rodgers when he was skippering Joe Heskith , Tim Burke and
others, I must admit reading Ken Rosenthal”s hint @ clubhouse discord makes the mind think about
Randy Knorr positioned @ Cuse.
Reverting back to Buck Rodgers, I recall Buck canned in Milwaukee in favor of Harvey Kuenn, who lead the Harvey Wall Bangers to the WS vs. the winning Cardiac Cards.
Time for a change in the dugout. Knorr is a Lerner loyal soldier.
Rodgers was given KY Colonel title when managing the Indianapolis Indians AAA vs those
Louisville Redbirds. by the way,.,…..
Back to current prospects…
I think Austen Williams has reached the Call Him Up, He’s Ready stage. Or at least earned a promo to AAA.
In 24 games this season, all at AA, he’s 3-3 with one save in 51.2 IP with a 1.39 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, 69 Ks and just 13 BB. His K9 rate is 12.0 and his K/BB is 5.3. He hasn’t plunked a batter or allowed a home run and only thrown two wild pitches. His opponent’s batting average is .182.
After struggling as a starter the past two years, he’s completely reinvented himself as a dominant middle reliever capable of going more than 2 innings per outing. He turns 26 later this year so he’s pretty much reaching his physical peak. He’s been an all-star at A-ball as a starter and now at AA as a reliever. Not sure what else he has to show to move up.
I posted Austen Williams’s numbers last week. If the big club does have a fire sale on relievers, he deserves a look. Whether he’ll get one due to how reluctant they are to make 40-man moves would remain to be seen. He would definitely seem on track to be added in the fall before the Rule 5 draft.
Meanwhile, speaking of such things, glad to see we didn’t lose Orange in the DFA squeeze. I didn’t understand why he was added to the 40-man in the first place. There’s no market for a 1B with no HR power, particularly when guys like Reynolds and Lind can’t get contracts.
Leandro Emiliani, an 18-YO left-handed hitting OF/1B from Colombia hit his 3rd HR in the GCL. He was an IFA last summer and this is his first season of pro ball, having skipped the DSL.
Three homers isn’t Ruthian power but in the GCL, it’s a pretty good haul, especially in just 90 ABs and for being just 18. With the exception of a couple of 17-YO Yankees prospects, all the players in the GCL with more than 3 homers are 1-3 years older than Emiliani so he appears to be in a good place, power-wise, for his age.
Also, I like when the Nats have good prospects from Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua and some of the lesser baseball countries. Shows they are looking under more rocks and not just limiting themselves to the DR and Venezuela.
I’m hoping Yadiel Hernandez can emerge as a late-blooming 4th OF to convince the Lerners to get into the bidding wars for young Cubanos.
I just cant see giving up Carter Kieboom for Realmuto when there doesn’t seem to be another
infielder beneath Carter in the depth chart unless brass has high hopes for Luis Garcia to mature
fast.
Daniel Hernandez seems like a kid to watch mature up the chain learning the defensive footwork and mechanics besides having apparent nice gap capabililities in DSL.
What would Dylan Bundy cost the Nats?