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Thursday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Matchup
Syracuse Won, 4-2 vs. Louisville,
6:30 p.m.		 Voth (4-5, 3.55) vs.
Reed (2-8, 4.74)
Harrisburg Lost, 7-5 @ New Hampshire,
7:05 p.m.		 Mapes (1-1, 4.15) vs.
Zeuch (6-3, 3.23)
Potomac Won, 5-1 @ Myrtle Beach,
7:05 p.m.		 Baez (4-8, 4.87) vs.
Lacy (1-0, 1.69)
Hagerstown OFF DAY vs. Lakewood,
7:05 p.m.		 Tetreault (3-7, 4.75) vs.
Howard (5-7, 4.84)
Auburn Lost, 7-6 vs. Mahoning Valley,
6:30 p.m.		 Cate (1-1, 3.38) vs.
Mota (1-2, 6.39)
GCL Nationals Lost, 11-5 OFF DAY  

Syracuse 4 Durham 2
• Milone (W, 7-4) 7IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 10K
• Adams (SV, 7) 1IP, 3H, R, ER, 0BB, 0K
• Marmolejos 0-1, R, 2BB
• Ward 0-3, K, E(3)
Roster moves: RHP John Simms released; RHP Koda Glover from Potomac reassigned for MLB Rehab.

Akron 7 Harrisburg 5
• Long 5⅓ IP, 8H, 4R, 4ER, BB, 6K, HR, HBP
• Williams (L, 2-3) 1⅔ IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 4K
• Kieboom 2-5, 2R, 2B, RBI, 3K
• Noll 2-4, R, 2RBI
• Gushue 2-4, 2B, RBI

After four scoreless innings on Tuesday night, the Sens ‘pen quacked under pressure Wednesday afternoon and let in the tying runs in the 6th and the winning runs in the 8th as the ‘Ducks avoided the sweep with a 7-5 win. Jaron Long got the start and was charged with four runs on eight hits and a walk over five and a 1/3rd innings. Bryan Harper gave up the tying run for his first blown save while Austen Williams suffered his third loss with two runs allowed over an inning and 2/3rds. Carter Kieboom, Jake Noll, and Taylor Gushue combined for six hits, two doubles, three runs scored, and four RBI to power the Harrisburg offense.

Potomac 5 Myrtle Beach 1
• Raquet 4⅔ IP, 6H, R, ER, 2BB, 0K, WP, HBP
• Fuentes (S, 2) 2⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 2BB, K, 2-0 IR-S
• Bogucki (W, 1-1) 2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 3K, 2-0 IR-S
• Sundberg 3-4, R, HR, RBI
• Garcia 3-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Corredor 3-5

Potomac got four and 1/3rd scoreless innings from its bullpen as they took the series opener from Myrtle Beach, 5-1. Nick Raquet made his first start in nearly two weeks and gave up a run on six hits and two walks over four and 2/3rds innings. He struck out none. A.J. Bogucki got the first whiff of the game with tying runs on base to close out the 5th. Steven Fuentes also sent two runners back to the dugout by getting the last out of the 7th, then put up donuts in the 8th and 9th innings for his second save. Ian Sagdal was the beer man as the P-Nats racked up 15 hits, with Jack Sundberg, Luis Garcia, and Aldrem Corredor each collecting three. Roster moves: LHP Nick Raquet activated from the 7-Day DL; OF Nick Basto placed on the 7-Day DL.

Hagerstown – OFF DAY
The Suns return to the Muni from a 1-3 road trip in North Carolina to host the Shorebirds for four and the BlueClaws for four as they begin a stretch of 15 of 18 games at home.

Mahoning Valley 7 Auburn 6
• Teel 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 4K
• Day (L, 0-1) 2⅓ IP, 7H, 7R, 7ER, 2BB, 2K, 2HR, 2WP
• Daily 3-4
• Blash 2-5, R, HR, 3RBI
• O’Connor 2-5, R, 2B, RBI

It was not a good Day for Chandler as the 7th Round pick was touched for all seven Mahoning Valley runs in a 7-6 Auburn loss. Carson Teel got the start and threw three perfect innings with four strikeouts. Day allowed seven hits, including two home runs, walked two, struck out two, and threw two wild pitches over two and a 1/3rd innings for the loss. Jamori Blash’s Earl Weaver special capped off a four-run 1st for Auburn but the big fella also struck out with the tying run on second to end game. Cole Daily led the Doubledays hit column with three, followed by Blash and Pablo O’Connor with two apiece.

GCL Marlins 11 GCL Nationals 5
• Theophile (L, 0-1) 1⅓ IP, 6H, 5R, 5ER, BB, 0K, 2HR, HBP
• A. Hernandez 4⅓ IP, 6H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 3K
• Perez 2-5, 2R, 2B
• Cropley 2-5, 3RBI
• Quintana 2-4, R, 2B

The fourth time was not the charm for Rodney Theophile who retired just four of 11 batters faced in an 11-5 G-Nats loss to the G-Marlins. Theophile walked a batter, hit a batter, gave up six hits—including two two-run HRs—and five runs total over an inning and a 1/3rd for his first loss. Wilmer Perez singled, doubled, and scored twice while Tyler Cropley went 2-for-5 and drove in three to lead the G-Nats offense.

32 Commments

  1. Wow, the John Simms release is a head-scratcher, particularly in the middle of the season. He’s got a 3.69 ERA and gave up no runs in his last start. Anyway, farewell to an 11th-round pick who did quite well for himself over five years in the Nats’ system. The Nats drafted him out of both high school and college so had a long relationship with him.

    1. Here to chime in my confusion as well.

      Is there a difference between “released” and “retired”? I mean, there’s currently a very clear pathway for Simms to get big league experience imminently. With Fedde on the shelf, JRod underwhelming, Voth apparently unable to be used, Simms is like 3rd or 4th in line for starts. In September, depending on where the Nats stand in the playoff hunt, it could be an extremely high likelihood that he could have gotten a call up, since we have very little upper level SP depth (or across the org, for that matter).

      SP who could feature for the Nats in the next 2 seasons:
      Fedde
      Voth
      Rodriguez
      Milone
      McGowin
      and Simms (until today)

      And that’s it from Potomac up.

  2. Garcia has three three-hit games out of his last four games. Looks like he’s adjusting to the A+ level OK. He now has 18 hits in his 11 games at Potomac.

  3. I had been watching Simms closely. Found it hard to believe. What does it accomplish? To make room for McGowin? Maybe he asked for it in order to be able to sell himself as a starter elsewhere. Other than Milone, and the Valdez experiment, Voth, Fedde, its a strange time to let him go.

      2. That’s very generous of the Nationals, but it feels like a really odd time to do so. If he gave it another couple months, he’d likely get a cup of coffee, and with the impending exodus of Nats SPs, he might even find a spot in the rotation next season.

        But then again, if he’s lost the passion for the game, there’s not much that can be done but wish him the best.

        1. Given what my sources have told me, that Simms asked for his release and it was granted is almost certainly true. He’s been bounced back and forth between the bullpen and starting because of need, not the Nationals estimation of his utility. We think much, much more highly of him than the Nats do.

    2. Good to see Agustin activated as Basto was bumped to 7 day DL.
      Gil, you are happy for Pryor to get more ABs in auburn now.
      Hey 19. Wiseman

    1. Romero isn’t anywhere near Potomac yet. Sharp strikes me as comparable to Simms, although Simms had higher K/9 numbers. In other words, I don’t see a high ceiling for Sharp, although I’d be glad for him to prove me wrong. I have higher hopes for Crowe but certainly value Luke’s ongoing concern that he hasn’t been particularly dominant while compiling his gaudy 9-0 record. One suspects that similar concerns by the Nats have kept him from already being in Harrisburg.

      Perhaps McGowin moves into Simms’s rotation slot at Syracuse and Crowe takes over for McGowin at Harrisburg? I’ve been impressed with what Michael Tejera has done with the pitchers at Harrisburg, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with Crowe.

    1. Think so, but with Strasburg coming back and with rumors of the Nats sniffing around for starters, there may not be the opportunity. Milone has been solid over the last month.

    2. There was some discussion of this on yesterday’s thread. If I were a bettin’ man, I’d say they’re going to trade for a starter. Maybe they give Roark one more chance before they do, maybe they don’t.

  6. Me – let’s put a fence around your comments, lock both of ours in, and see who’s right in a year from now.

  7. Not “me,” but KW.

    Watch what happens over the next year, including if one of them goes in a Realmuto deal. But I’m telling you that in a year, all three of Romero, Crowe, and Sharp will be in the discussion of who can be called up as needed, just as we speak of the Fedde et al crowd now.

    1. There’s no Realmuto deal, or at least I hope there’s not. He’d be nice to have, but not at the price the Fish would want. If the Nats pay a moderately big price (in terms of prospects), I think it will be for a starting pitcher.

      Romero likely will start next season at Potomac. Unless he’s switched to reliever, he’ll be doing well to finish with half a season at Harrisburg and an AFL cameo, basically the trajectory Crowe is on now. (Everyone please note that I made a sort of optimistic comment on Romero!) (Although my real hope is that he just regains trade value and becomes someone else’s headache.)

      I’m not convinced that Sharp is an MLB starter (as I said, I hope he proves me wrong). Crowe could be. Of the three, if any of them has a chance to start an MLB game in 2019, it’s him. He’d be down the pecking order, though. If he continues to progress, it would be more realistic to hope that he’s in the rotation conversation in the spring of 2020. (Insert caveat of how long it’s been since the Nats have developed a Nats-drafted pitcher for their own rotation, particularly if Fedde doesn’t stick.)

      I don’t mean to be a naysayer. It’s hard to develop quality MLB starters. Goodness knows the Nats need some, as there figures to be a lot of churn in the rotation this coming offseason. Gio and Hellickson will be free agents. They’re losing faith in Roark (could he even be non-tendered?). Fedde has yet to prove anything. Ross is coming back from injury and will be innings-limited next year. The only sure things are Stras (who has opt-outs after ’19 and ’20) and Max, who isn’t getting any younger.

      1. I would go for Roark non- tender if
        Patrick Corbin was the reaction
        Repeating myself: Texas Rangers always scooping up arms. Nice farm system to deal with.

      1. Wow, look at this. At Potomac in 2013 before he was promoted to start 2014 at Harrisburg, Schwartz had a FIP of 3.67 and a WHIP of 1.29. This season at Potomac before he was promoted, Sharp had a FIP of 3.61 and a WHIP of 1.29. Yeah, I’d say that’s a comp.

  8. I don’t think Luke was speaking of Sharp numbers wise. He’s seen him pitch.

    It’s early, but Sharp has already shown more at the AA than Schwartz ever did. Sharp had one atrocious start in which he was lit up like a Kennedy at an open bar 🙂

  9. Feels like Simms has been around forever, and consistently pretty good — certainly worse performances in Syracuse this year. It looks like he was put on the TIL the day before he was released. Does this mean this is a retirement rather than the organization letting him go?

    In all events, good luck to him.

  10. Interesting that Wiseman has 19 HRs now but his RBI minus the taters is very low. Granted he has hit down in the lineup early season

  11. Regarding Simms, maybe he wants to pitch in Japan or Korea? Sometimes minor leagues want to get a release for that purpose.

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