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Monday’s News & Notes

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Team Yesterday Today Pitching Matchup
Fresno Postponed vs. El Paso, 7:05 p.m. Voth (3-4, 4.54) and Ondrusek (1-0, 0.00) vs.
Overton (0-2, 8.25) and Enns (5-3, 5.71)
Harrisburg Lost, 7-1; Lost, 1-0 vs. Reading, 12:00 p.m. Crowe (4-3, 3.24) vs. Jo. Romero (0-1, 12.46)
Potomac Lost, 5-2 vs. Frederick, 1:05 p.m. Teel (2-0, 1.53) vs. Baumann (1-2, 3.82)
Hagerstown Won, 4-2; Lost, 4-3 @ Delmarva, 2:05 p.m. Peguero (2-3, 2.39) vs. Rodriguez (5-0, 1.50)

Fresno vs. El Paso – PPD
It’s another rainout for Fresno, which had had none in the last three seasons 2015 and now has three in 2019. They’ll shoot for two this afternoon to make it up.

Reading 7 Harrisburg 1 – GAME ONE
• Braymer (L, 3-3) 6IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 6K; 1-2
• Bonnell 1IP, 3H, 5R, 2ER, BB, 3K, 2HR
• Sagdal 2-3, RBI
• Davidson 1-3, R, 2B

Five runs in the 7th put the game out of reach as the Sens lost for the seventh time in eight games, 7-1. Ben Braymer allowed the first two on five hits and a walk while setting down six on strikes for this sixth quality start and was rewarded with his third loss. Bryan Bonnell gave up two homers and three hits total while issuing a walk and striking out the side in his return to AA. Ian Sagdal drove in the lone Harrisburg run with his second single in the 4th as the Senators mustered just five hits and two walks total.

Reading 1 Harrisburg 0 – GAME TWO
• Fuentes 4IP, 3H, 0R, BB, 4K
• Guilbeau (L, 0-2) 1⅔ IP, 2H, R, ER, 0BB, 2K
• Goeddel 1-2
• Kieboom 1-3, 2B

The Phils shut out the Senators 1-0 on four hits to sweep the doubleheader. Steven Fuentes made the spot start and threw four scoreless innings with three hits and one walk allowed and four whiffs. The loss went to Taylor Guilbeau, who let in the Reading run on two hits during the 6th. Spencer Kieboom was the only Harrisburg batter to reach second base, hitting the lone extra-base hit with a two-out double in the 2nd. Luis Sardinas, Tyler Goeddel, and Ian Sagdal each had a single but nobody drew a walk.

Frederick 5 Potomac 2
• Johnston (L, 5-5) 6IP, 7H, 3R, 3ER, BB, 4K, HBP
• McKinney 3IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, BB, K, 2-0 IR-S
• Freeman 2-4, BB, SB
• Banks 2-5, 2B

Kyle Johnston did his part with a quality start, but the P-Nats bats managed just six hits as the Keys took Game Three, 5-2. Johnston allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four but lost for the first time in nearly a month to drop to 5-5. Jeremy McKinney finished the game after coughing up two in the 7th to turn a one-run deficit into a three. Nick Banks and Cole Freeman combined to go 4-for-9 with a double (Banks) and a walk (Freeman) and two RBI (one apiece) while the rest of the Potomac lineup went 2-for-23 with five walks.

Hagerstown 4 Delmarva 2 – GAME ONE
• Irvin 4⅔ IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 4K, HBP
• Fletcher (W, 2-3) 2⅓ IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 3K, 2-0 IR-S
• Rhinesmith 1-3, R, 2B, BB, CS, OF assist at 3B
• C. Wilson 1-3, R, RBI, 2SB (15,16)

In the opener, the Suns squeezed four runs out of four hits with the help of six walks and two errors to double up the Shorebirds, 4-2. Jake Irvin pitched into the 5th but fell one out shy of qualifying for the win as he was charged with both Delmarva runs on four hits and three walks over four and 2/3rds. Aaron Fletcher stranded two and finished the game to pick up his second win, as he struck out three and walks none. Jacob Rhinesmith doubled and scored a run while Cody Wilson went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and two stolen bases to pace the Hagerstown offense.

Delmarva 4 Hagerstown 3 – GAME TWO
• Guillen (L, 0-3) 4IP, 3H, 4R, 1ER, 3BB, 3K, WP
• Howell 2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Connell 2-4, R, 2B
• Meregildo 1-2, R, HR, BB, RBI

Delmarva took advantage of errors in both the 2nd and 3rd innings to score three unearned, which still count as the Shorebirds took the nightcap from the Suns, 4-3 to split the doubleheader. Angel Guillen lost for the third time as he allowed all four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out… wait for it… three. Jacob Howell tossed two scoreless in his 2019 season debut, giving up two hits and a walk while fanning two. Justin Connell singled, doubled, and scored a run while Omar Meregildo homered and walked to lead the Hagerstown attack.

17 Commments

  1. Did Guillen and Fuentes start yesterday because of the double-header and they didn’t want to use their normal starter? Or do they have some strange idea to convert them to starters? Hope it’s the former.

    Also, I must have missed his first game a few days ago but Jacob Howell does indeed still exist! I would’ve sworn he was just another Grant DeBruin. One of those players who has long ago ended his career, but for some odd reason no one bothered taking them off the roster online.

  2. Fuentes was great in his spot start, but I do have to scratch my head about “why.” He hasn’t been a starter in four years and isn’t stretched out at all. Seems needlessly risky to me to extend him like this.

    Meanwhile, Fletcher is a starter who is stuck coming out of the ‘pen to support the starts of guys who thus far haven’t been as good as him. He’s ready for Potomac, and to be in the rotation.

      1. Interesting to see Teel getting another start. I think his future is likely in relief, but it’s good experience and it may indicate he’s got preferred status with the organization now.

        I still don’t understand why Fletcher is at Hagerstown other than that he’s the only pitcher there who can reliably get outs.

      2. Teal does it again today. 4+ innings, 0 runs, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts. He’s been lights out.

      1. Voth and Pegeuro deserved better
        Cane game 2 in Fresno was such a spring training -ish pitching chorus line. Logan O. Blaze and Kontos
        Thank goodness no HA3

  3. After watching the big club yesterday with another dismal bullpen performance, this something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile.
    The Nats have been signing veterans off the scrap heap all season and this is what they have in Fresno.
    1) Dakota Bacus — 8 years in the organization, slowly working his way up the ladder. He has a ERA of 1.39 and a WHIP of 1.05!
    2) Derek Self — Also 8 years in. He has a ERA of 2.35 and a WHIP of of .95!

    Needless to say, this is in the PCL, so you can lower these numbers by 20% compared to any other league.
    It has always been said when you’re with an organization that long they know all your flaws.
    That can be the only reason the front office keeps trotting out retreads when they have 2 players who should have been given a shot long ago.

    1. You could have made the same case for Bourque, Adams, Williams, or McGowin. All of whom had strong MiLB numbers, but were terrible once they reached the mound in the majors.

      I think there’s some sort of psychological problem with the coaching staff. You just can’t just coincidentally have such consistency in ineptitude of an entire pitching staff. Every single relief pitcher (all 15 of them) is performing waaaayyy worse than average. Even Doolittle, who’s been solid, is sporting a 3.70 FIP, well above his career of 2.48. You don’t get coincidences like that.

      Players are either psyched/stressed out when they take the field, or are being given bad coaching advice. Either problem rests squarely at the feet of the coaching staff and management.

      We know it wasn’t the pitching coach now. So who’s left to take the blame? (This is a rhetorical question.)

      1. Not disagreeing, but how do you know that Backs and Self won’t produce in D.C. if you don’t try.
        At some point you will get lightning in a bottle.

        1. I don’t understand it either. The brass ignored a high-performing late-20s pitcher when their bullpen needed help in 2015, and then the Yankees and Orioles got three seasons of a sub-2 ERA from Richard Bleier.

          No way Bacus and Self could do *worse* than Austen Williams, Austin L. Adams, and James Bourque have done. Collecting guys like Kontos and Blazek with a bit of a track record is good with me, but I agree, why not give the organizational guys a shot?

  4. Jose Marmolejos shows up on the Harrisburg roster today. What is the brain trust in DC up to??

  5. Maybe they sent Marmo to Harrisburg for his release like they just did to Chris Dominguez?

    1. Hard to tell, they just put Sharp in the I.L. retroactive to Saturday, and methinks he’s not hurt = roster shenanigans.

      1. I didn’t watch Sharp’s last start, but his pitching line was unlike him. He’s been collecting nearly out (on balls in play) on the ground, but batters were putting the ball in the air a lot last time out. So, who knows.

      2. Luke. Stubby had to have been a Bull Terrier because I have a Boston who literally goes into panic mode when big storms pass over like the one a few days ago.
        But he is just way too handsome and one you can take to a wedding in a pinch with his tuxedo
        Baseball thought. With all this money Lerners saved on not signing Kimbrel or Adam Dunn with better doooo, I will be disappointed if Nats don’t match their int’l signing crop in Soto , Garcia and Jo Sanchez .
        Has anybody ever considered how many IP an Indy League arm chews up in AAA/ AA that could be allocated to a draft product arm ??

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