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Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Matchup
Fresno Won, 8-4;
Lost, 12-11		 @ Salt Lake, 7:35 p.m. Espino (7-2, 5.02) vs. Cahill (MLB Rehab)
Harrisburg OFF DAY vs. Bowie, 7:00 p.m. M. Sanchez (5-0, 2.52) vs. Wells (4-1, 1.92)
Potomac Won, 15-2 vs. Carolina, 7:05 p.m. Raquet (5-6, 4.97) vs. Ashby (0-0, 0.00)
Hagerstown Won, 3-1 @ Rome, 7:00 p.m. Adon (5-2, 2.93) vs. Javier (2-3, 3.95)
Auburn Postponed @ Mahoning Valley, 7:05 p.m. TBD vs. Turner (0-0, 3.60)

Fresno 8 Salt Late City 4 – COMP.
• Copeland 4⅔ IP, 8H, 4R, 4ER, 4BB, 4K, 2HR
• Blazek (W, 1-0) 1⅓ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 2K, 2-0 IR-S
• Marmolejos 2-3, R, 2-2B, RBI
• Stevenson 2-4, R, 3B
• Keller 2-4, R, 2B, 2RBI

After initially giving a go at blowing an 8-1 lead, Fresno’s bullpen settled down to finish off an 8-4 win in seven innings. Scott Copeland picked up where he left off in April and gave up three more runs on eight hits, including two HRs, and four walks. He was an out shy of qualifying for the win, which went to Michael Blazek for stranding two in the 5th and a goose egg in the 6th. José “Orange” Marmolejos, Andrew Stevenson, Alec Keller, and Jake Noll each had two hits as the quartet combined for three doubles and three RBI.
Roster moves: RHP Austin Voth returned to Washington.

Salt Lake City 12 Fresno 11 – GAME TWO
• Ondrusek 3⅓ IP, 9H, 8R, 8ER, 3BB, 4K, 2HR, HBP, WP
• Rodney (L, 0-2) 3BF, 2H, R, ER, IBB, 0K, WP
• Stevenson 3-4, 2R, BB, HR, 3RBI
• Marmolejos 3-4, R, RBI
• Noll 2-3, 3R, BB, HR, RBI

In the regularly scheduled game, the two teams scored in 10 of the 14 half-innings, with Salt Lake City walking off in the 7th for a 12-11 win. Grizzlies starter Logan Ondrusek was stung for the first eight runs on nine hits and three walks over three and a 1/3rd innings. The loss went to Fernando Rodney, who gave up a single, then a double, then an intentional walk, and then skipped one past the catcher (Raudy Read, as if you didn’t already know). Read had tied the game in the top of the 7th with a grand slam. Jake Noll and Andrew Stevenson also homered in the 13-hit, five-walk offense.

Harrisburg – OFF DAY
Ryan Zimmerman will skip getting a tetanus shot before his annual visit at the Pfitz in favor of rehabbing with the Senators, who start a six-game homestand against the BaySox and the RubberDucks.

Potomac 15 Carolina 2
• Johnston (W, 7-7) 6IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, BB, 7K
• German 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Freeman 4-4, 2R, 2RBI, CS, E(8)
• Reetz 3-5, 2R, 3B, 2HR, 5RBI
• Franco 2-4, 3R, 2B, BB

Potomac picked up where they left off in the first half and barbequed Carolina, 15-2 in the series opener. Kyle Johnston gave up an unearned run on five hits and a walk over six innings to win for the seventh time in 14 starts. He struck out seven. The question of who Tim Cate will replace in the rotation appears to have been answered as Carson Teel pitched the 7th and 8th. Jakson Reetz homered twice and tripled once while Cole Freeman singled four times to lead the P-Nats attack.

Hagerstown 3 Rome 1
• Irvin 6IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 3K
• Williamson (W, 1-0) 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Rhinesmith 1-4, R, HR, 2RBI
• Connell 2-3, 2-2B, BB

Cody Wilson’s RBI single tied it and Jacob Rhinesmith’s two-run HR won it as the Suns took the series opener from the Barves, 3-1. Jake Irvin gave up the Rome run on three hits and a walk while fanning three. The win went to Ryan Williamson who was perfect over three innings with three whiffs. Kyle Marinconz singled twice and Justin Connell doubled twice and walked once to pace the Hagerstown offense.

Auburn vs. Batavia – PPD
“Inclement weather” was cited for pulling the plug on this one about five hours before first pitch. They’ll shoot to make this one up on Saturday, July 6th.

19 Commments

  1. Jose Marmolejos is quietly having his best season yet. His slash of .303/.340/.526 might be benefitting from a PCL boost, but his limited time in the not pitcher friendly Eastern League was even better (.308/.372/.513). I really hope he’ll get a cup of coffee, even if his future doesn’t lie with the Nationals.

    Meanwhile, I’m very surprised there weren’t wide-spread changes in Harrisburg, Potomac and Hagerstown after their all-star breaks. I see Tim Cate finally got his promotion but there’s still several more.

    Players overdue for promotions:
    Potomac:
    -Banks (swap with Rhett Wiseman, who’s been overdue for a demotion unfortunately)
    -Freeman, (swap with Luis Sardinas whose .193 AVG simply isn’t good enough)
    -Istler (why he’s in Potomac at all is mystifying to me since he was dominating AAA just last season!)

    Hagerstown:
    -Jackson Stoeckinger (having spent the majority of last season in Hagerstown, and been very good this season, and at age 23, it’s time to see how he handles the Carolina League)
    -Jake Irvin (since the start of May, he’s been very good. In 42 IP, he’s got 37:10 K:BB, 3.16 ERA, 1.10 WHIP)
    -Joan Adon (he’s deserving of a promotion, but I understand given his age there’s less imperative to handle him as aggressively as the above three names)
    -Angel Guillen (like Adon, though he is two years older and could benefit from a more aggressive promotion)

    1. Possible we could see some moving around today and over the weekend, or possibly after Zimmerman’s rehab assignment.

    2. Johnston record mirrors pot Nats Jekyll and Hyde summer. 7-7
      Time for Braves scalps this weekend

    3. Sketches from Spain. :
      Adrián Sanchez to F troop should signal something happening @ Burg especially with Freeman trying out CF tonight
      Ahem: Upshaw. Double, walk . 2 RBI. Kudos to Anderson

  2. On another note, the Hagerstown manager is back to his old tricks of using the worst hitter as the lead off hitter. Fresh off a demotion, Armond Upshaw and his career .217 AVG (.194 prior to demotion) finally supplants Cody Wilson and his .210 AVG in the lead off spot.

    Results are as expected as Upshaw goes hitless.

    Meanwhile, Justin Connell and his .357 OBP (career of .372 and nearly as many walks as strikeouts) continues to get used elsewhere.

    1. Don’t think the manager has the final call of who plays and where they play. Playing time and position is not about winning games, but developing the players that the organization considers prospects. For whatever reason, the Nats are clinging to the notion that Upshaw is a prospect.

  3. Will this royal farms amidst construction across from my house be completed before the Nats get closer to the Wild Card spots??
    Will Antuna return in same time frame ?
    Enquiring minds want to know even in line @ Giant .
    Maybe an inverted promotion would be to see how Wiseman would tater in the PCL.

    1. The deeper in the season we go .. the more we will appreciate and admire Suzuki behind the plate

  4. Kyle Johnston and Jake Irwin are having similar yo-yo type seasons, looking great one start, then struggling a little the next. It was a good night for both on Thursday.

    I’ve said before that I can’t shake this idea that Johnston is sort of from the Simms/Mapes path, guys who’ll be pretty good through the minors but won’t quite make it. Johnston does have age on his side, though, as he won’t turn 23 until next month and may get a AA cup of coffee and/or AFL time in what is his age-22 season.

    Irvin may have a higher upside. He was said to be a 2d round talent until some late-season struggles dropped him to the 4th. He also has the looks-good-in-a-uniform vibe the Nats love (6-6, 225).

    We’ll see. For all the pitching the Nats have drafted and run through the system, they haven’t had a lot of success with guys making it to the majors (well, not counting all the guys they traded!).

    1. Johnston and Hill were your typical farm filler draftees
      Very interesting mix coming @ us on the GCL roster. Blend of Latin and stateside never seen before in GCL.

  5. So Ydens and Peterson have now signed, leaving Mendoza and Cronin as the only two remaining from the first 10 rounds unsigned, as they’re both in the CWS.

    Perhaps surprisingly, Peterson signed for above slot ($220k, slot is $208k), Ydens signed exactly for slot. That means the Nationals are now $195.1k under slot. HOWEVER, we gave Arruda $250k and Randa $300k…. Those are hits of $125k and $175k ($300k total), meaning we’re actually $104.9k OVER slot.

    I would have thought Mendoza would be an at/over slot pick, and Cronin at slot, so I’m not sure who they’re expecting to be willing to take $100k less than expected… or do we still have some wiggle room allowing us to exceed the pool allotment by 5%?

    1. Also, I just noticed we signed Michael Cuevas, a HS RHP from Texas, in the 23rd round for $125k. It’s a rare instance of a HS pick signing outside the bonus rounds… Will be interesting to watch his development!

  6. Will — I agree: I thought Cronin would want at least slot money, and that Mendoza would want over slot, probably at least $100K over. It’s hard to see that the Nats would be making all of these overslot signings if they didn’t already have tentative deals in place for these guys, though, as they were the Nats’ second and third picks in this draft.

  7. RE: roster moves
    Typically moves are made this Sunday between Hagerstown, Potomac and Harrisburg. Instead of a demotion for Sardinas, maybe he needs to be let go to pursue other opportunities.
    Also, thanks to all who have commented about Rhett Wiseman. It’s easy to see that he is a very streaky hitter. I’ve become very tired of his lazy defense.
    Hoping to see a few new faces in Harrisburg come Monday!

    1. Nick Banks has had a Lazarus spring to summer.
      Jeremy DeLaRosa. Arias, Fernandez , Leo Em’, Melendez for a few days. Danny Hernandez … GCL. Let’s roll out the short season ..

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