From the Archives: April 18

With the prospects for minor-league baseball in 2020 dimmer than these folks, I floated this idea in the previous post. Simply put: I’m cherry-picking from the News & Notes for this date from the past 10 seasons (i.e. the first ten of this site’s existence). If there’s a working boxscore, I’ll link to it, but none were usable for this date. I think that as long as I do this sporadically (every other day or so), it’ll serve its purpose of keeping the site going until there’s an end to “the new normal.”

SYRACUSE CHIEFS (2014)
Lehigh Valley 4 Syracuse 0 — GAME ONE
• Tatusko (L, 0-2) 6IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 3K, HR, HBP
• Delcarmen 1IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 0K
• Goodwin 1-3, 2K
• Perez 1-3

No hitting is good for schools, daycares and foster homes, but not so much for baseball. The Chiefs were held to three singles (Brian Goodwin, Eury Perez, Will Rhymes) and a double (Jhonatan Solano) as the Iron Pigs shut them out, 4-0 in the opener. Starter Ryan Tatusko spun a quality start of two runs on three hits and no walks over six innings but suffered his second loss. Manny Delcarmen was hit hard for the third straight outing, coughing up two runs on three hits without a walk or a strikeout while pitching the 7th. Tatusko was the “other guy” in the famous “Guz Two” fleecing of Texas at the 2010 trade deadline. Two months later, he would finish his professional career in South Korea with 12 starts and 14 appearances.

HARRISBURG SENATORS (2013)
Harrisburg Senators — OFF DAY
The news yesterday wasn’t about a lucky man who made the grade, but rather that Matt Skole’s injury was worse than initially feared. Instead of a fractured wrist, the 23-year-old has become the second position player this season to require Tommy John surgery. Unlike Spencer Kieboom, the injury is to his (left) non-throwing arm, which according to Washington GM Mike Rizzo, will require four months to rehabilitate. Considering that most recovery timetables do not allow a player to swing a bat until 12-14 weeks after the surgery, that estimate seems aggressive. Regardless, it’s a tough break for a player who was expected to shed the label of “a level behind where he should be” since being drafted in 2011. Skole would languish in the Nats minors until he became a free agent after the 2017 season. He made his MLB debut in May of 2018 and spent September 2019 as a 40-man recall.

POTOMAC NATIONALS (2012)
Potomac 5 Frederick 3
• Winters (W, 1-1) 6IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 6K, HR
• Eusebio (H, 1) 2IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 2K
• Oduber 2-4, 2R, 2B
• Taylor 1-3, 2B, 2RBI

After coughing up a two-run shot early, Kyle Winters settled down to turn in a quality start of six innings pitched to earn his first win for the P-Nats. Wilson Eusebio followed with two scoreless to give the ball to Rob Wort, who did his best imitation of Chad Cordero by walking one, giving up three straight singles, the striking out the side with the bases loaded for the save. Randolph Oduber paced the offense from the leadoff spot with a 2-for-4 night, followed by Michael Taylor, who doubled in the first two runs in the top of the 1st. David Freitas also connected for a solo shot in the 6th.
Unfortunately for the 25-y.o. Winters, that was the last win of his career. He was released a month later after six starts. Wort, who was a throw-in from the Twins-Nats 2010 deadline deal that netted bat-first catcher Wilson Ramos, would have a career year in 2012: 2-4, 13 SV, 2.38/1.71/1.08 with 95K in 56⅔ IP.

HAGERSTOWN SUNS (2011)
Hagerstown 8 Lakewood 3 — GAME TWO
· Jordan (W, 3-0) 6IP 5H 3R 3ER 1BB 1K 1HR
· Brown 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K
· Oduber 4-4, 2R, HR, 2RBI, SB
· Freitas 1-3, R, HR, RBI
· Harper 1-3, R, BB, RBI, SB

Randolph Oduber was one-man wrecking crew, going deep for the second time on the day and finishing the game 4-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base, his sixth on the season. Hagerstown would score in each of the first three innings. Starter Taylor Jordan got the win with six innings pitched, three runs allowed on five hits and a walk while striking out one and allowing a solo HR. After flopping in his previous stint for the Suns in late 2010, “The Groovin’ Aruban” was on his way to another strong-but-injury-marred season (.301/.361/.407 in 56G). Oduber would eventually get a few cups of coffee for Harrisburg over three seasons (2013-15), but was released after spring training in 2016. He played briefly overseas that year and has been playing for Lincoln in the independent American Association since 2017.