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Thursday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Matchup
Fresno Won, 7-6 vs. Iowa, 10:05 p.m. Voth (3-4, 4.64) vs. Alzolay (1-1, 3.12)
Harrisburg Lost, 1-0 (10 inn.) @ Richmond, 6:35 p.m. Crowe (5-5, 3.76) vs. Lawson (2-2, 4.39)
Potomac Lost, 4-1 @ Fayetteville, 7:00 p.m. Johnston (5-7, 5.20) vs. Donato (3-6, 5.18)
Hagerstown Lost, 9-4 vs. West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. Peguero (2-5, 2.63) vs. Florido (2-2, 3.95)

Fresno 7 Iowa 6
• Ross (W, 1-0) 5IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 2K, HBP
• Alvarez (H, 2) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Read 2-3, R, 2-2B, BB
• Hernandez 2-3, R, 2B, BB
• Marmolejos 2-4, 2-2B, 2RBI

Fresno broke out for five runs in the 5th to take a 5-2 lead then added two more in the 7th for a 7-3 advantage. As you’ve no doubt deduced, that was almost too big a lead for the ‘pen as longtime Nats farmhands Derek Self and Dakota Bacus cordero’d through the 9th to give up three runs and three hits after two were out in the 9th before leaving the tying run 90’ away for a 7-6 win in the opener. Joe Ross made the start and picked up his first AAA win this year with five innings of two-run ball on six hits and a walk while striking out two. Raudy Read and José “Orange” Marmolejos both doubled twice while Yadiel Hernandez singled, doubled, and walked to lead the Grizzlies offense.

Richmond 1 Harrisburg 0 (10 inn.)
• Braymer 8IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 7K
• Bonnell (L, 1-1) 1⅓ IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 1K
• A. Sanchez 1-4, BB
• C. Taylor 1-4

There was but one hit for the Flying Squirrels, but it was enough to beat the Senators, 1-0 in 10 innings. Ben Braymer and Bryan Bonnell combined on a no-no for nine and a 1/3rd innings before Richmomnd’s Jalen Miller singled in the free runner for the game’s only run. Braymer walked one and struck out seven in eight innings, his longest professing outing. Bonnell lost for the first time for Harrisburg with one strikeout over an inning and a 1/3rd. Adrián Sanchez and Chuck Taylor collected the two Sens hits while seven walks and two errors led to ten runners left on and an 0-for-11 mark with RISP. The Altoona Curve also lost, clinching the E.L. West first-half title and sending the Harrisburg Senators to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Down East 4 vs. Potomac 1
• M. Peña (L, 4-4) 4IP, 5H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 5K, HR
• Pantoja 2IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 3K, HBP
• Dunlap 1-3, R, 2B
• Meregildo 1-3, RBI

Down East jumped on Malvin Peña for all four runs in the 1st and cruised to a 4-1 win as its starter, John King, held court for nine innings with just three hits and one walk allowed. Peña lost for the fourth time while giving up five hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out five. Jeremy McKinney (2IP), Jorge Pantoja (2IP), and Hayden Howard (1IP) combined for five shutout innings of relief. Alex Dunlap doubled, took third on an error, and scored on Omar Meregildo’s RBI single. KJ Harrison singled to lead off the fourth for the team’s final hit and final baserunner as King retired the last 17 batter faced.

Lakewood 9 Hagerstown 4
• Irvin (L, 4-4) 3⅔ IP, 9H, 7R, 5ER, BB, 2K, WP
• Vann 2IP, 0H, 0R, 4BB, 2K
• Marinconz 3-3, BB, RBI, CS
• Cropley 1-2, 2R, 2BB, HR, RBI
• Lara E(16), Pineda 2PB (12, 13)

The BlueClaws pinched the Suns for five runs in the 4th and prevented the sweep with a 9-4 win in the series finale. Jake Irvin suffered his fourth loss as he was charged with seven runs (five earned ) on nine hits and a walk over three and 2/3rds innings. Kyle Marinconz reached base four times with three singles and a walk while Tyler Cropley homered, scored twice, and walked twice to pace the Hagerstown offense.

13 Commments

  1. Randy Big Unit Johnson once pitched a no no in AAA Indy but lost when a walk scored.

    1. The only guy worth promoting to Potomac if Freemsn goes to Harrisburg is Marincanz since Shaddy retired lol
      Interesting that our guy Jim Callis doing the mock draft already likes Nats with prep R/R OF

      1. A nice feather in the cap for fans. Playoffs on city isle because DC seems fourth place ….

        1. Brass wasn’t kidding when they said the lefty bats in the lower levels would suffice in relation to this recent draft
          Mendoza , Ahu, and the pure OF with lefty bat Randa son.
          DeLaRosa , Jeremy , Arias, Rhinesmith , … this means brass gaining confidence in Banks as season goes along. ? Sanfler @ GCL…

    2. 7 out of 11 would be awesome home stand. 8 or 9 even better
      Luke. Draft pick signings held close to the best like state secrets

  2. Ben Braymer = wow. Someone yesterday was trying to propose Raquet as the next Matt Grace, but as of now, Braymer appears to have a higher ceiling than Raquet. He’s also been more successful as a starter in the minors than Grace ever was (or than Raquet has been). Braymer’s current WHIP is 0.95, average against .187, FIP of 3.46.

    Good to see a strong start from Joe Ross. Farther down the ranks, Irvin really has been on a roller coaster this season as he’s been introduced to pro ball. He’s had some excellent outings, and some not-so-excellent ones.

    1. Let’s just hope Rizzo stops treating young lefties as if they are $20 bills at a strip club. The whole reason the team found itself nearly bereft of MLB caliber southpaws in the first place was because so many had been dumped via trade. Had Rizzo just sent Taylor Jordan to Detroit instead of Robbie Ray in the Doug Foster trade, for example, they wouldn’t have had to pay through the nose for Corbin. I fear that Rizzo is going to dump prospects yet again in a futile attempt to get this highly flawed team to the playoffs when stockpiling young arms to reload for next year would make a lot more sense.

      1. Karl you are so spot on with that !! Luzardo perhaps further back the train track.
        Curious to see if Nats steak away a couple draft selections lefty in that 35-40 round range. Especially the lefty from Laguna Beach CA

  3. In his 8 starts in May and June Braymer has given up more than 2 runs once, and has pitched 7 or more innings 5 times. That’s really solid. Braymer put up good numbers last year too, when he was used as both a starter and a reliever. Looking like a strong 18th round pick.

  4. Even if the Nats improve in the standings in the next month to the point that they’re not “sellers” at the deadline, I don’t see them being big buyers this year, either. They really need to stay under the luxury tax line, and they have very, very little space to add salary. So for once, I think/hope we’re fairly safe from losing much in the way of “our” prospects, at least this summer. (But don’t blame me if I just jinxed us!)

    1. Agree. Appears that the plan this season was stay under the cap anyway, but the temptation to cross over the threshold is lessened when the team has 10th best record in the NL.

  5. Under luxury cap. Budget watching proved with all the farm free agents and Indy League vagabonds added

  6. Nats announced they have signed 20 of their 2019 draft picks. The top pick signed to date is 5th rounder Tyler Dyson PHP from U of Florida.

    Their second and third picks, 3rd rounder Drew Mendoza and 4th rounder Matt Cronin, can’t sign until after FSU and Arkansas finish play in the CWS.

    Here is the link to the signings: https://twitter.com/Sam4TR/status/1139244152019927045/photo/1

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