Thursday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Matchup |
| Fresno | OFF DAY | @ Tacoma, 10:05 p.m. | Ondrusek (4-6, 7.35) vs. McCaughan (0-5, 12.10) |
| Harrisburg | Lost, 3-0 (10 inn.) |
vs. Altoona, 7:00 p.m. | Mapes (5-6, 4.81) vs. Bolton (2-2, 4.85) |
| Potomac | Won, 7-0 | vs. Myrtle Beach, 7:05 p.m. | Cate (4-3, 3.75) vs. Little (0-1, 16.88) |
| Hagerstown | Lost, 5-1 | @ West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. | Rutledge (1-0, 2.70) vs. E. Johnson (0-3, 3.86) |
| Auburn | Lost, 4-0 | vs. Williamsport, 7:00 p.m. | R. Gomez (1-4, 6.43) vs. Aponte (2-1, 3.98) |
| GCL Nationals | Won, 8-5 (11 inn.) |
vs. GCL Marlins, 10:00 a.m. (DH) |
Fresno – OFF DAY
The Grizzlies begin a grueling 11-game road trip against the Rainiers for four, the Chihuahuas for three, and the Isotopes for four with no scheduled off days. Two games separate Fresno from Tacoma for last place, four games from Albuquerque and Salt Lake for the league’s worst record.
Altoona 3 Harrisburg 0 (10 inn.)
• McGowin 6IP, 4H, 0R, BB, 5K
• Bonnell (L, 2-5) 1IP, 2H, 3R, 2R, 0BB, 1K, HR
• Bichette 2-4, 2B
• A. Sanchez 0-2, 2BB
Bryan Bonnell imploded for the third straight outing, coughing up all three Altoona runs on a home run in the 10th in Harrisburg’s 3-0 loss. Kyle McGowin got the start and toyed with the Curve for six shutout innings, giving up four hits and a walk while striking out five. Austen Williams, Jacob Condra-Bogan, and Greg Holland each put up a goose egg before Bonnell, who was working on three days rest, was put in the game. Dante Bichette went 2-for-4 with a double. The rest of the lineup went 0-for-28.
Potomac 7 Myrtle Beach 0
• Raquet (W, 10-8) 7IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 5K
• Peguero 2IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K
• Sundberg 4-5, R
• Freeman 4-5, 2R
• Davidson 2-4, 2RBI
Nick Raquet tossed seven shutout innings to win his fifth straight start, as the P-Nats shut out the Pelicans 7-0 on three hits. Raquet walked three and gave up two hits while striking out five to become the Nats second ten-game winner (Joan Adon). Francys Peguero allowed the third hit and issued a walk while finishing the game. Jack Sundberg and Cole Freeman both went 4-for-5 while K.J. Harrison and Gilbert Lara went deep (nos. 8 and 3 for Potomac respectively) as the P-Nats pounded out 15 hits total. Salem won its fourth straight to maintain a 2½ game lead on Potomac.
Roster moves: RHP Jackson Tetreault demoted from Harrisburg; RHP Jorge Pantoja placed on the 7-Day I.L.
Lakewood 5 Hagerstown 1
• Schaller (L, 2-3) 5IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, BB, 6K
• A. Hernandez 3IP, 2H, R, ER, 0BB, 4K
• Daily 2-4, R
• Upshaw 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI
Lakewood got to Reid Schaller for two in the 2nd and that would end up being enough as they took the rubber game from Hagerstown, 5-1. Schaller recovered to finish with five innings of two-run ball on four hits and a walk while fanning six, but lost for the third time in nine starts. The Suns were held to just five hits and three walks, with Armond Upshaw breaking up the shutout with an RBI double in the 3rd. Upshaw also walked and was joined by Cole Daily (two singles) and Nic Perkins (two walks) in reaching base twice.
Williamsport 4 Auburn 0
• C. Romero (L, 0-4) 5IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 4K, WP
• Willingham 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Ydens 1-3, HBP, SB
• Sanfler 1-4
The Crosscutters scored two in the 5th and two in the 6th and shut out the Doubledays on two hits, 4-0. Carlos Romero lost for the fourth time and he let in two on five hits and three walks while fanning four. Jeremy Ydens was the sole Auburn batter to reach base twice, doing it the hard way with single and a hit by pitch. Caldioli Sanfler was the only other hit as the rest of the lineup walked four times.
GCL Nationals 8 GCL Astros 5
• Yean 5IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 7K, HR
• Cuevas (W, 1-0) 3IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 0K, HBP
• J. Peguero (SV, 1) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• V. Pena 4-6, 2R, 2-2B
• Diaz 2-5, R, 2B, BB, CS
• Gomez 2-5
Strong starts from two 3d rounders, Raquet and Schaller, both of whom have been a little underwhelming thus far in their careers. Schaller didn’t show up in Hagerstown until midseason, so I guess it’s fair to guess/assume that he’s working his way back from some sort of injury. He was mostly a reliever in college so it just starting to get stretched out. With Raquet, the Nats have given him every opportunity to remain a starter. We’ll see if it pays off for him/them.
Sorry to see Tetreault demoted. I hope Austen Williams had a good chat with him before he departed about how often he bounced between A+ and AA before things clicked.
Good to see McGowin remaining sharp. He would figure to be a part of the expanding roster call in September since he’s already on the 40-man.
I’m also sorry to see Tetreault sent down. I’m sure it was a great learning experience for him and I look forward to seeing him back in HBG to start next season!
Perhaps with the work loads inHarrisburg divided up retooling Jackson T @ Potomac not a bad thing since club could play .600 ball for rest of month and finish .500 slate
Lost in conversation. Strasburg pitching like an under the radar Cy Young candidate. Chirpy bird, shark attack and conga dugout dance line. Definitely a year FP can sum up with : adventures on the pillows.
Still like the upside to Carlos Romero in Auburn … not Caesar the late suave actor …
Lots of good news today with the starting pitching.
A bit of a head scratcher with Tetreault, his ERA was 4.73 and, while not great, was not terrible for some who has moved up a level.
McGowin was solid again last night . Two if the four hits he surrendered should gave been caught. It was a long night offensively for the Sens.
Just read that the Mariners are calling up Taylor Guilbeau, so the Grizzlies will miss him.
Jerry promised that.
Eye candy take seats from GCL 8/15: espino
Getting stronger. Martina looking good for 2020 full season somewhere
Arias has some wheels …
Racquet has been steadily improving throughout the season and now he is going deeper into games with 7 IP last night. Understand that there have been many doubters, but seems like he is rounding into legit prospect status.
I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I think Raquet is probably headed down the Matt Grace path. That’s not really a knock; Grace has appeared in 175 MLB games. I just looked him up, and the Nats made the switch with him at the exact same stage Raquet is now, after his age-23 season at Potomac. Frankly, I think Grace was much better served by that divergence in career path at that time than others like Austen Williams were by prolonged insistence that they continue to try to be starters.
Grace is the only Nat-drafted member of the bullpen, and he and Suero are the only Nat-developed players. Williams and Bourque have had cameos this year, and of course Glover would be a part of the conversation if he was healthy. I understand why the Nats continue to try to make starters out of college relievers, including Peterson this year, and Schaller and Teel from last year’s draft, among others, but as regularly pointed out, they’ve traded an awful lot of folks over the years to perpetually resolidify their bullpen. Maybe they should more consciously/consistently try to develop guys in-house for bullpen roles.
KW agreed on Raquet and Grace, who has the face of a future color guy in somebody’s broadcast booth.
Just when the momentum perks for all the affiliates the end of the season looms on the horizon .
Koda Glover 100 pct healthy in 2020 would be an added gift
I wish Davey would talk more off the cuff about his time in Montreal around Buck Rodgers, Larry the Bear Bearnerth, Felipe Alou , Eli and others …