Friday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Matchup |
| Fresno | Lost, 8-5 | @ Sacramento, 10:05 p.m. | Ondrusek (3-3, 9.09) vs. Quiala (4-4, 5.64) |
| Harrisburg | Won, 7-2 | vs. Richmond, 7:00 p.m. | Mapes (3-5, 5.52) vs. Williams (3-7, 3.59) |
| Potomac | Won, 5-4 | @ Myrtle Beach, 7:05 p.m. | M. Peña (5-4, 5.48) vs. Assad (2-6, 3.63) |
| Hagerstown | Postponed | @ Lakewood, 7:05 p.m. | Irvin (4-6, 4.72) vs. McKay (3-4, 5.03) |
| Auburn | Lost, 8-3 | vs. Connecticut, 7:00 p.m. | R. Gomez (1-0, 6.05) vs. Lance (1-1, 2.45) |
| GCL Nationals | Lost, 7-5 | OFF DAY |
Sacramento 8 Fresno 5
• Ross (L, 2-2) 5IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER, BB, 5K
• Bourque 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K, BK
• Stevenson 3-5, 3-2B
• Gushue 2-4, R, HR, 3RBI
• Marmolejos 2-4, BB
Sacramento broke open a one-run game with three runs in the 7th as they took the opener, 8-5. Joe Ross got the start and took the loss with four runs allowed on six hits and a walk over five innings. Taylor Guilbeau’s AAA debut was the aforementioned three-run 7th. Andrew Stevenson doubled three times in five trips to the plate while Taylor Gushue drove in three with a two-out single in the 4th and a two-run HR in the 8th to lead the Grizzlies offense.
Roster moves: OF Collin Cowgill placed on the 7-Day I.L., retroactive to 7/6; RHP Scott Copeland placed on the 7-Day I.L., retroactive to 7/8; LHP Taylor Guilbeau, RHPs Wil Crowe and Ronald Peña, OF Chuck Taylor reassigned from Harrisburg.
Harrisburg 7 Richmond 2
• Voth (W, 1-0) 6IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 6K, HBP
• Mills 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• M. Taylor 3-5, R, 3B, 2RBI, SB, CS
• Bichette 2-3, R, BB, 2RBI
• Banks 1-3, R, BB
Flush with AAA/AAAA talent, the Senators came back from the break with a 7-2 win over the Flying Squirrels. Austin Voth toyed with Richmond for six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out six on 78 pitches. Justin Miller broke up the shutout with the obligatory HR coughed up in the 7th while Jordan Mills and Bryan Bonnell each put up a goose egg. Michael Taylor singled twice, tripled once, and drove in two while Dante Bichette Jr. went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBI to pace the Harrisburg offense.
Roster moves: RHPs Kyle McGowin, Erick Fedde reassigned from Fresno; OF Rafael Bautista reassigned from Hagerstown; RHP Kyle Barraclough optioned from Washington; RHP Justin Miller assigned from Washington for MLB Rehab; IF Austin Davidson, OF Rhett Wiseman, RHP Steven Fuentes (retroactive to July 6) placed on the 7-Day I.L.; OF Zach Collier activated from 7-Day I.L. and released.
Potomac 5 Myrtle Beach 4
• Teel 5⅓ IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 5K
• Howard (BS, 1) ⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 0K, 2-2 IR-S
• Fletcher (W, 3-1) 2⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Freeman 3-4, 2R, 3B, 2RBI, 2SB (20, 21)
• Lara 3-4, RBI
• Abreu 2-4, R, 2B
Potomac rallied for two in the 8th to take their 8th one-run game, 5-4 over Myrtle Beach. Carson Teel pitched into the 6th for the first time in his professional career (H/T P-Nats PR) but got just one out in before getting into trouble with his second walk and seventh hit allowed. Hayden Howard was credited with a 1/3rd of an inning but did not retire a batter himself (Gage Canning threw out a runner at 2nd) and left for the eventual winning pitcher, Aaron Fletcher, who stranded two and was perfect for two and a 1/3rd. Canning would also factor in the game-winning rally, as he led off the 8th with a single and scored on Cole Freeman’s triple to tie the game. Aldrem Corredor, the Carolina League leader in RBI, got #65 with a single to left to plate Freeman and give the Potomac the winning margin.
Hagerstown vs. Lexington – PPD
The rains washed away the series finale between the Suns and Legends. They’ll make it up next month when Hagerstown visits Lexington.
Connecticut 8 Auburn 3
• Galindez 3IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 0K, WP
• Chu 3⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 6K
• Yankosky (L, 1-1) 2IP, 3H, 5R, 4ER, 2BB, 1K
• Arruda 2-3, R
• Sanfler 1-5, R, RBI, SB
The Doubledays and Tigers combined to go 4-for-29 with RISP and left on 20, but Connecticut prevailed over Auburn, 8-3 with five runs in the final two innings. Nelson Galindez gave up the first three Tigers runs on six hits and no walks over three innings. After stranding two in the 7th, Tyler Yankosky let in one in the 8th and four in the 9th to take the loss. Five errors and six walks helped the Doubledays score three runs on just four hits. J.T. Arruda was the sole Auburn batter to have multiple hits as he went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
GCL Marlins 7 GCL Nationals 5
• Hiraldo 4IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 4K, HBP, PO at 1B
• Klobosits 1IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 1K, HR
• Gonzalez (BS, 1; L, 0-1) ⅓ IP, 2H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 0K, 0HR
• B. Fernandez 3-3, BB, RBI, 2SB
• Emiliani 3-4, R, HR, 4RBI
• Strohschein 1-3, 2B, BB
Has the front office finally realized how difficult it is to have your AAA team located 2300 miles away?
Is this the move we predicted in March, in that they’d stash all their big league-ready players in Harrisburg? Seems like it.
Hope this gives them the needed push to do what it takes to find a suitable AAA home in 2020.
The Lerners are developers. Richmond is growing (now the 44th largest metro area in the US), buy a AAA franchise and move it to Richmond as part of a Richmond development project. Helps the MLB club; helps build the VA I-95 fanbase. Having your highest minors franchise in Fresno sucks.
The Nats could also buy the company that owns the Virginia Beach AAA team. That would be the smartest play.
Anyone who has been to Richmond knows there needs to be a brand new stadium built.
Is the Virginia Beach club considered Norfolk in name ??
Let’s say that s in reverse. David Segui before PEDs was Corredor .
I know that’s a fantasy for a lot of people but Richmond is now a AA territory. Buying the Flying Squirrels doesn’t get them into AAA. To get into the International League, they would have to buy an existing team. To move that team to Richmond, the Flying Squirrels have to vacate it. Even if they bought both the Squirrels and an existing IL team and switched classifications, they’d have to (A) get permission from multiple leagues and (B) abandon Harrisburg.
IMO, there was an opportunity last year when the Redwings were bickering with Rochester over stadium issues. The Nats could have bought both and solved a lot of problems. That too is easier said than done but it seems pretty obvious that the Nats are not going to get back into the IL any other way.
A shoe will drop soon in near future for AAA
Not a coincidence that the Nats pitching has improved since Menhart took over.
Senators producing since the evolution of the lineup ( one doesn’t know whether to say promotion or demotion )
Bichette , Jr not a bad add
Any word on truth behind Fuentes on 7 day IL ( take a breather as we give work to another ) ???
Somebody deserves a beer and a dog calling the Kyle call to DC
Is JD Hammer if the Phillies the grown doppelgänger to the kid in Jerry McGuire grown up?
Phillies desperate to stall Stras momentum to no avail. A challenge on a ball which whistled Dixie by Knapp Jersey ?
See why we dislike Filly?
Did Suzuki change chest protectors between innings ??
Tell me Boxberger failed his physical!!
Hooray for a healthy Howell @ Hags to give skipper Anderson another rifle out of the bullpen.
George Bamberger would like Irwin outing tonight
Digging the small ball guys around two big boppers in suns lineup
Also, it’s nice to see that cluster of 2018 college pitching begin to differentiate themselves.
Fletcher, Bartow, Cate, and Teel have all done very well for themselves, and could be in the major league mix by late next season, if things go well.
Will, this may just be a short-term deal because of the run of games in PHI-BALT-ATL and DC. We’ll see. Who knows, maybe Fedde can actually find his grove against AA hitters. The presumption is that Voth is still the 5th starter right now for the big club and was just staying on rotation because of the break. It’s still good to see such a confident performance from him.
I’ve been on the Fletcher bandwagon since he was drafted, as he was the Friday starter for a solid U of H team. Goodness, he’s looking like a 14th-round steal now, though. He gave up four runs in his first Potomac appearance and then NONE in 10 games since then, across 21.6 IP, during which he has a 26/4 K/BB ratio. He sure looks like the real deal. The only question would seem to be whether they keep him in relief or give him a look as a starter.
That worked great for Fuentes.
Davidson came off of the IL and started at 1st for Senators last night. Yes, nats have finally placed a lot if 40 man roster guys in HBG for the quick call to DC.
Not seeing where Rhett Wiseman was placed on the IL. He didn’t play last night but that’s not unusual after playing in the all star game.
Davidson was activated from the IL last night and played 1st base.
YES, the Nats FO finally figured out their players can’t make a cross country trip and be game ready.
Happy that HBG has been stocked.
Got it directly from the Sens PR. MiLB isn’t always up to snuff.
Lou Collier lost in the numbers game as Banks moves up. An org guy who bought some time for a couple players .
Let’s see if Malvin on the mound can mimick his last outing.
I saw Guilbeau’s rough inning. There was a leadoff hit that was a multi-bouncer through a drawn-in/shifted infield; it should have been a routine 6-3 but the fielders were out of position. The second hit was a double lined hard into the gap. Then he hit a batter with a breaking ball that took off on him. Next batter grounded out 1-3. Batter after that rolled into what should have been a 4-3, but Kieboom (who looked like he was thinking about a tag play at home) just completely fanned on the hopper right past him, and two runs scored. Next batter grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
It wasn’t a great inning, but Guilbeau pitched a lot better than the box score.
The Zach Collier era is over. He was picked #34 in the 2008 MLB draft by the Phillies as a HS outfielder (same draft that the Nats used the #9 pick for Aaron Crow).
He was out of baseball after the 2014 season, and the Nats took a chance on him in 2016, but his speed diminished over time, and he never developed power. Good luck to Zach in his future endeavors!
If you have a history of having your AAA affiliates lose a lot of games, does that affect your ability to get your AAA team where you want it? Do the Nats have an incentive to field a Fresno team that can win games?
It’s a factor, but not nearly as large as most people think it is. Relationships matter more. From what I’m told, the Nats are not highly regarded, which is why they were the last team standing in the 2018 affiliate dance. Nobody wants to hear it, but this is where the Nats miss Stan Kasten. He’s the one that got them out of the PCL, out of Savannah (the one affiliated full-season facility that’s reportedly worse than Potomac), and out of Vermont (which is slightly better despite being 71 years older) from 2006-2010. These may have been only marginal improvements, but they’re more than what’s happened since his departure.
Save Fuentes for later season
Converse Taylor burning beer league base paths hopefully