Thursday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Matchup |
| Fresno | Lost, 9-8 | @ Albuquerque, 8:35 p.m. | Crowe (0-3, 5.40) vs. Senzatela (1-1, 5.77) |
| Harrisburg | Won, 6-5 (10 inn.) |
vs. Erie, 7:05 p.m. | M. Sanchez (8-4, 2.72) vs. TBD |
| Potomac | Won, 6-3; Lost, 1-0 |
@ Frederick, 7:00 p.m. | M. Peña (5-9, 6.42) vs. Hanifee (8-9, 4.35) |
| Hagerstown | Lost, 5-4 | vs. Greenville. 7:05 p.m. | Rutledge (1-0, 3.12) vs Bello (5-8, 5.79) |
| Auburn | ALL STAR BREAK | vs. West Virginia, 7:00 p.m. | TBD vs. TBD |
| GCL Nationals | OFF DAY | vs. GCL Mets, 12:00 p.m. |
El Paso 9 Fresno 8
• Braymer 6IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K, HR; 1-2
• Blazek (BS, 2; L, 2-2) ⅔ IP, 5H, 3R, 2ER, BB, K
• Read 3-5, 2R, 2B, 2HR, 2RBI
• Reynolds 3-5, R, 2-2B, 2RBI
Fresno nearly made it back-to-back wins for the first time in a month, but El Paso walked ’em off with three runs in the 9th for a 9-8 loss. Ben Braymer tossed his second straight quality start with three runs allowed on five hits (one HR) and three walks while striking out five. The blown-save-loss went to Michael Blazek who came into the 9th with an 8-6 lead and retired just two of nine batters faced. Raudy Read homered twice and doubled once while Matt Reynolds singled once and doubled twice. Both drove in two and both were thrown out at the plate.
Roster moves: LHP Sam Freeman (released Aug. 19 by Salt Lake) assigned from Washington.
Harrisburg 6 Akron 5 (10 inn.)
• Mapes 6IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 2K, 2HR
• Holland (W, 1-0) 2IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 2K, WP
• Stevenson 3-5, 2R, 2B, SB
• M. Taylor 3-5, 2R, HR, 3RBI, SB
• Bichette 1-2, R, 2B, SB
The Senators completed the sweep of the ‘Ducks with a 6-5 win in 10 innings. Tyler Mapes let in the first four Akron runs on seven hits (two HRs) but did not walk a batter and struck out two over six innings. Bryan Bonnell didn’t give up a run in 7th or 8th innings while Greg Holland pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and got two quick outs in the 10th, then, remembering he was auditioning for a spot in DC, threw a wild pitch and gave up a double to let in the final run. September callups Andrew Stevenson and Michael Taylor both went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base to lead the Harrisburg offense.
Potomac 6 Frederick 3 – COMP.
• Cate (W, 5-4) 7IP, 3H, R, ER, 0BB, 9K
• Bartow (SV, 6) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Freeman 0-2, 3R, 3BB
• Zimmerman 2-3, R, 2B, BB, RBI
• Corredor 1-2, 2B, 2RBI, 3BB, SB(yes, really)
Potomac piled on in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings to turn a 2-0 lead into 6-0 and held on for a 6-3 win. Tim Cate “relieved” Nick Raquet with seven innings of one-run ball, striking out nine with nary a walk. Angel Guillen was knocked about for two in the 8th before Frankie Bartow settled things down with a scoreless 9th for his sixth save. The Keys pitchers walked 11 so it should come as no surprise that the P-Nats were able to score six times on five hits with Ryan Zimmerman making his annual/de rigueur rehab appearance and going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI.
Frederick 1 Potomac 0 – GAME TWO
• Peguero (L, 0-1) 4⅓ IP, 3H, R, ER, 2BB, 7K
• Howard 1⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K, 3-1 IR-S
• Dunlap 1-2, 2B
• Harrison 1-3, 2B
Frederick pushed across a run in the 5th and held on for a 1-0 win in the nightcap. Francys Peguero got the spot start and pitched well, only to lose (SSDL) as he gave up three hits and two walks over four and 2/3rds while striking out seven. Hayden Howard let in one of three inherited runner and got the last five outs. Alex Dunlap and K.J. Harrison both doubled but Potomac mustered just five hits total and went 0-for-6 with RISP and seven LOB, including two in the top of the 7th.
Greenville 5 Hagerstown 4
• Adon 5IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, BB, 5K
• McMahan (L, 0-2) 2IP, 2H, R, ER, 0BB, 2K, HR
• Rhinesmith 3-4, R, SB
• Vickers 2-3, 2RBI
The Suns took a 4-2 lead after striking for three in the bottom of the 6th. The Drive tied it with two in the 7th and went ahead with a run in the 8th. Cole Daily led off the 9th with a single and was sacrificed to second, where he was able to watch Armond Upshaw fly out and Jackson Cluff strike out for Hagertown’s 5-4 loss. Joan Adon gave up an unearned run (two passed balls by Israel Pineda) on four hits and a walk while fanning five over five innings for the no-decision. Pearson McMahan took the loss on a one-out HR in the 8th as he finished the game with two hits and a walk over the last two innings. Jacob Rhinesmith led the Suns eight-hit parade with three singles, followed by Trey Vickers with two.
Auburn – ALL STAR BREAK
• Segura 1IP, 0H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 1K, WP
• Sanfler 1-3, RBI
• Mendez 0-2, K
Both Auburn position players started in the NYPL All-Star Game, with Caldioli Sanfler in right field and Ricardo Mendez in center field. Fausto Segura appeared in relief, giving up the final two runs to the “Blue” team, which won 7-4.
GCL Nationals – OFF DAY
The first-place G-Marlins lost, enabling the third-place G-Nats to pick up a 1/2 game. The gap is four games with ten games to play over the next eight days – four against the G-Marlins, two against the second-place G-Mets.
RS smiling @ Mendez in NYPenn League
Luke the angels DFAd another lefty reliever with only 91 MPH on fastball after Freeman release
The dogs must be up early getting your coffee brewed early for you – right ? Lol
Dozier goes on Paternity Leave. Cabrera keeps swinging.
Go Max
Loving the arm Nats have in Peguero
On the road .. no FRED for me this week
Updates appreciated daily
Repeat Tim Cate on Sens for EL playoffs !
The EL playoffs could also be more pitching work for Gabe K before he heads to AFL or winter league . Maybe Angel Guillen could move up for playoffs or Hayden Howard ??
Or Frankie “ Goes to Harrisburg “ Bartow
Trey Vickers learning several positions ala David Masters ??
Luke you can paraphrase that “ auditioning for a DC bullpen slot “ to “ his innner Wander wandered outward “….
Gotta love what Cate did yesterday, it’ll be great to see what he can do in Harrisburg next year.
Indeed, it would be great to see a Nats starting pitching prospect do better than just be a barely adequate No. 5 or get traded before he has a chance to really develop. Fingers crossed for Cate.
The story of this season has to be the emergence of several off-the-radar arms for the franchise.
Fuentes, Peguero, A. Hernandez, Bartow, Teel, Guillen, Troop and Istler, as well as our recently departed Johnston and Fletcher, have all been very good. Not a single one of these ten were in the site’s top 10 arms list (even though some of us may have individually liked a few of them). It’s going to be a VERY different top 10 next year with as many as 8 of this year’s ten (Mason Denaburg, Wil Crowe, James Bourque, Tim Cate, Sterling Sharp, Seth Romero, Kyle McGowin, Austen Williams, Tanner Rainey and Jackson Tetreault). Possibly only Crowe and Cate would be present next season!
Cate had another stellar outing last night, but we sort of knew he’d be good this year. Francys Peguero, on the other hand, is probably more surprising than Steven Fuentes’ emergence. At least Fuentes had a strong track record in relief. Peguero seem to have fallen off the prospect track after missing 2017 entirely to injury. It seems they’ve shifted him to relief recently to manage his innings, but he has a very good 2.78 ERA with 100 K in 108 IP. He’s a bit old for the level (23), but next year in Harrisburg won’t be too out of place.
Speaking of all these arms, the Nats are going to have some serious decisions to make this winter. Peguero, Fuentes, Guillen, Istler, Braymer, among others are all rule 5 eligible. As well as decisions about others on the 40 man roster, like Bourque, A. Williams, Voth and Barrett’s impending free agency.
Is this FINALLY the year Jakson Reetz breaks out? He’s had probably the quietest very good season in the system. He’s batting .257/.372/.446 and hit almost as many HR in 88 games this season as he has in his previous 299 games combined.
Other Potomac watchers like Luke can contradict me, but it appears his defense has improved (only 6 passed balls all season, and an excellent 41% CS%. Coupled with his always solid plate discipline and 23 years old, he could turn into a really interesting prospect.
Yet another example of how HS picks have so much more time to bounce around and struggle in the minors without it completely derailing their prospect status!
Looks like the Nats are actually going to have to protect Reetz by placing him on the 40-man roster. He and Barrera might make a good young catching combo starting by 2021 and 2022 when Zook and Gomes’s contracts run out if Pineda doesn’t become the stud some are predicting he’ll be.
By the way, has anyone else noticed Phillips Valdez has now thrown 11 games for the Rangers? The number of ex-Nats getting their debut this year is astounding: Gutierrez, Avila, Hearn, and Guilbeau, and Fletcher, Neuse, Luzardo, and D. Johnson could get their chance any day now.
The Nats roster situation breaks down as follows:
• Presently there are 43 players on the 40 man roster (3 on the 60 day DL which don’t count toward the 40)
• By my count, 11 of those 43 will be FAs after the season, and won’t count toward the 40 man roster until/unless they are re-signed before the date to add players from your system to the roster to protect them from the Rule V draft:
o Parra
o Kendrick
o Rendon (hope he is signed before roster decisions need to be made)
o Zimmerman
o Dozier
o Cabrera
o Venters
o Rodney
o Hudson
o Hellickson
o Guerra
• The following players have options which may not be renewed (guessing 2 of this group will not be on the 40 man roster when decisions need to be made who to add to the 40 man):
o Eaton ($9.5M Team Option) Likely picked up
o Adams ($4M Mutual Option) Probably not picked up
o Gomes ($9M Team Option – $1M buyout) Probably not picked up
o Doolittle ($6.5M Team Option – $500K Buyout, but Option becomes Mutual if Doo finishes 16 more games) Probably picked up
• The following players 11 are under team control, most have arbitration rights, but the Nats may take them off the roster following the season:
o Taylor
o Stevenson
o Adrian Sanchez
o Jake Noll
o Difo
o Spencer Kieboom
o Raudy Read
o Voth
o McGowin
o Grace
o Bourque
• That’s 26 players who may not be on the roster, creating as many as 23 roster open spots, when it comes time to decide who to add to the 40 man roster. IOW, there may be plenty of room for Rule V eligible Nats’ prospects after the season.
Disagree on Gomez–not a great first year, but he had worse in Cleveland. He’s experienced and relatively cheap. Adams may get picked up as well since Zim’s recent interview signaling he’ll take a huge pay cut to be part of a 1B platoon gives them a cheap (if hardly ideal) way to cover the position next year. Not saying I think it’s a great idea, but ownership loves Zim.
Can’t imagine the Nats will pick up the option on Gomes at $9 million. According to Fangraphs, there are 37 catchers with 200 plate appearances, and Gomes is rated #31 with a 0.3 WAR and rated #26 defensively. Maybe the Nats will re-sign Gomes to more team friendly contract, but doubt they pick up an option which would pay him in the top half of the starting catchers in MLB.
What the Nats do at 1B hinges on if the Nats re-sign Rendon. If the Nats sign Tony to a big contract, can see the Nats going cheap at 1B with Zim/Adams platoon, but if Rendon leaves, they can’t go with replacement level offense at the corners.
Pilchard, I’m agreeing with KK on Gomes. There is such a catching shortage throughout baseball and Reetz and Barrera don’t figure to be a factor until 2021. The Nats need someone.
It hurts a bit to see Phillips Valdez produce. He was in the Nats system for 7 years and was never able harness his electric arm. He’s already 27 at this point.