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Monday’s News & Notes

The 19-4 Senators were the only affiliate to win. Again.

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Matchup
Fresno Lost, 6-2 vs. El Paso, 9:35 p.m. Espino (2-1, 6.86) vs. LHP Jerry Keel (3-0, 4.39)
Harrisburg Won, 3-2 @ Reading, 6:45 p.m. TBD vs. Medina (0-0, 3.00)
Potomac Lost, 2-1 @ Winston-Salem, 7:00 p.m. TBD vs. Kubat (2-0, 1.23)
Hagerstown Lost, 14-4 OFF DAY N/A

Reno 6 Fresno 2
• Copeland (L, 1-1) 5IP, 6H, 5R, 5ER, 0BB, 5K, 2HR, HBP, WP
• Bacus 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Noll 1-3, 2B, BB
• Hernandez 2-3, BB, CS

Scott Copeland picked up where the Fresno ‘pen left off on Saturday night and waved in five more runs in the first two innings to put this game on ice for Reno, 6-2. Copeland finished his outing with three scoreless frames but the damage was done: five run on six hits (two HRs), no walks, and five K’s. Vidal Nuño and Dakota Bacus sandwiched a goose egg around Austin Adams’s run in the 7th but four errors and four walks weren’t enough to supplement the five hits (one HR, Raudy Read) mustered by the Grizzlies.

Harrisburg 3 Hartford 2
• Crowe (W, 3-0) 5IP, 2H, 0R, 4BB, 4K, WP
• Barrett (SV, 5) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Goeddel 3-3, R, HR, 2RBI
• Wiseman 2-4

Conversely, the Senators ‘pen did what seems to be unthinkable elsewhere: they faltered but ultimately held a three-run lead for a 3-2 win in the series finale against the Yard Goats. The old Joan Baez pitched the 7th and gave up two runs on two hits and a throwing error (his) before giving way to the new Joan Baez after issuing a leadoff walk in the 8th, as the new version struck out the side with tying run on 2nd. Aaron Barrett struck two more in the 9th to earn the save, his fifth. Wil Crowe picked up the win (#3) with five goose eggs despite six baserunners (two hits, four walks). Goeddel also singled twice as did Rhett Wiseman to lead Harrisburg hit column of seven. Roster move: RHP Erick Fedde recalled to Washington.

Carolina 2 Potomac 1
• Borne 5IP, 2H, R, ER, 0BB, 3K, HR, HBP, WP
• Fuentes 3IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Bartow (L, 0-1) ⅓ IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 0K, HBP, WP
• Upshaw 1-3, R
• Banks 1-4, 2B, RBI

The Curse of the GBI struck as Frankie Bartow hit the lead off batter, wild-pitched him to second, and loaded the bases on walks before giving up the walk-off singled for a 2-1 Potomac loss to Carolina. Grant Borne got the late nod over the previously announced starter Jackson Tetreault and spun five innings of one-run ball on two hits (one HR). He walked none and struck three. Steven Fuentes tossed three scoreless to keep things close and lower his season ERA to 0.60. Nick Banks’s RBI double drove in Armond Upshaw in the 3rd but the rest of the lineup was just 1-for-22 with seven K’s and one walk (Cole Freeman, the only batter to reach base twice).

Greensboro 14 Hagerstown 4
• Irvin (L, 0-3) 1IP, 7H, 9R, 9ER, 2BB, 0K, HR(GS)
• German 3IP, 2H, R, ER, BB, 2K, HR
• O’Connor 3-4, 2-2B
• Connell 2-2, 2B, BB, RBI

The good news is Jake Irvin only issued two walks. The bad news is that he only pitched one inning, in which he was charged with nine runs on seven hits, including a grand slam in a 14-4 demolition of the Suns by the ‘Hoppers. Greensboro took the four-game series, 3-1 while Hagerstown finished its eight-game homestand with a 2-6 mark. Pablo O’Connor singled once and doubled twice while Justin Connell reached base three times on a single, double, and a walk to lead the 11-hit, three-walk offense.

19 Commments

  1. Tetreault to be promoted in Fedde’s wake?

    I’d be interested to hear from the Harrisburg folks about whether Crowe has looked as dominant as his stats show. He’s now looking like a legit MLB starter prospect, totally dominating at AA.

    Good to see Borne bounce back after some recent struggles. Hope we can say the same about Irvin the next start down the road.

    1. Crowe’s.emergence could be part of the reason the big club has finally decided that Ross can be used as a reliever after all. Now if they would just do the same with Voth so they can find out if he’s a viable bullpen arm before his last option expires after this season.

    2. Big question mark on Tereault not starting Sunday, if it’s because he’s heading to AA good for him.
      After Fedde was terrific Sunday you have to figure the Nats give him 2-3 more shots with the big club.

      I was just reading that AAA now uses the juiced ball that the majors have while the rest of the minors use the non-juiced ball that has been standard.
      Like the PCL needs any more offensive advantage.

    3. Yes , crowe has looked good so far. It’s far different than what we saw at the end of last year.

      Fedde was great yesterday. I plan to be in Reading tonight and tomorrow and will, hopefully, provide input on two more wins.

    4. Well, there sure are some decisions that need to be made about pitching in Potomac. Tetreault is the only one in the rotation looking remotely competent (next best ERA is Raquet at 7.56!), so while Tetreault could get bumped to Harrisburg, we might see Reyes released, and Johnston and Pena demoted in favour of Andrew Lee or Carson Teel (who are starters being used in relief at the moment), or any of Tim Cate (it’s frankly surprising he’s still in Hagerstown) or Francys Peguero, or less likely one of the recently converted bullpen arms in Hagerstown like Tapani, Fletcher or Stoeckinger.

        1. No idea. We don’t know who’s hurt or who’s been released and when a player isn’t on a public roster, neither BA nor MiLB seems to publish that information.

    6. Bourne making headway makes that surfacing of Taylor Hearn in Texas .before Hearn succumbed to that Ranger DL bug.
      Wow Feddes stuff was Sharp Sunday. That was helped by a drive from Burg versus a long flight (s) from fun filled Fresno .

      1. HBG was playing in Hartford, CT and Fedde flew to DC early Sunday morning so that makes his outing even more impressive.

  2. Gogo Goeddel!!
    Excuse my combustion explosion folks yesterday. Perhaps I may have exhibited what many in Nats brass are going through.

  3. Looks like Fedde may be back in the big club’s rotation by Memorial Day. Hellickson has been walking the tightrope, tossing up pure slop. Even a LOOGY would have trouble surviving with an 89 MPH fastball these days.

  4. LM — good word on Crowe. Don’t know if it’s the Tejera influence on Crowe and Fedde, but there’s some magic pitching sauce at work somewhere on the Isle. Yesterday was probably Fedde’s best MLB outing ever. Yes Karl, Hellickson can’t keep stinking it up like that and keep a job, particularly with Fedde and Ross pitching well. I suspect that Fedde would get the first look as a starter replacement, as he’s stretched out, plus they’re limiting Ross’s innings and he’s looking like an increasingly useful piece of the beleaguered ‘pen.

    Will — I pretty much agree with your pipeline assessment. I will note that Borne previously hadn’t been starting and got the assignment over Lee and Teel, although that could have been due to recent workloads as much as anything. I agree that that they could pretty much sub out the entire Potomac rotation aside from Tetreault and see if others can do better. Raquet and Johnston sure are looking like candidates for a move to the ‘pen. They need to move Cate up as well to give a starter slot to those you mentioned among Tapani, Fletcher, or Stoeckinger.

    1. Fedde was placed in hbg for when a starter was injured in DC so it was a surprise he came out of the pen. Maybe he will be their long reliever?

    2. Agreed . Cate with Narron in A plus should be an interesting under study
      June 19. Draft 22 arms sign 20 plus the usual fishing in the tropics by Johnny DiP—-…

      1. One of the card makers should print one commemorating the youngest HR trio under 21 with the three on a vertical designed card. Upper Deck if they are still in the business!

  5. Last year, Wil Crowe pitched 26 AA innings last year, the ugly results:

    26 IP 31 H 18 ER 4 HR 16 BB 15 K — .307 AVG 1.78 WHIP

    This year, he has pitched 28 AA innings so far, the impressive results:

    28 IP 17 H 3 ER 0 HR 7 BB 25 K — .189 AVG 0.86 WHIP

    Ridiculous improvement.

  6. LM. I am employed in the airline industry. Bradley Intl to DCA is a short hop compared to Fresno – some connector city – DCA .
    Still. Humans being human. Airline travel can be annoying
    Anyway. I love Bryan Meijia getting more ABs with Sardinas lending the switch hit vaudeville
    Act .
    What will go away first ? These allergens in the air or a long sour Nats losing trend ??

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