Columbus 4 Syracuse 3 – 2016
• Voth (L, 3-3) 7IP, 4H, 4R, 4ER, BB, 5K
• Gutierrez 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Martinson 2-5, R, 2B, 2RBI
• Goodwin 2-5, R, RBI
The Chiefs’ circle of the drain took another spin with a 4-3 loss to the Clippers, the seventh straight defeat. Austin Voth went seven innings, shutting out Columbus for six of them, but the four-run 5th rigged him with his third loss with four hits (three doubles) and one walk allowed. He struck out five. J.C. Gutierrez both followed with a goose egg, but the Syracuse offense continues to struggle. While they drew 10 walks, just one of them scored and the team left on 14 while going 3-for-14 with RISP. Jason Martinson and Brian Goodwin both went 2-for-5 with a run scored to lead the seven-hit effort. Martinson played for nine seasons in the Washington system, beginning with Vermont in 2010 and ending with Syracuse in 2018. He hit 19 or more HRs three times, stole 23 or more SBs three times, and struck out 127 or more times in six seasons.
Altoona 3 Harrisburg 1 – 2019
• Mapes (L, 3-3) 5IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 2K, HBP, WP; 1-1, 2B, RBI
• Mills 1⅔ IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Bichette 1-3
• S. Kieboom 1-3
The Curve posted a picket fence through the first three innings and the Sens couldn’t knock it down, losing 3-1 to close out of the first half. Tyle Mapes gave up all three runs on six hits and two walks over five innings for his third loss. Jordan Mills and Ronald Peña combined for three scoreless innings of relief to keep things close. The Harrisburg offense was held to four hits and two walks, with Mapes collecting the sole extra-base hit – an RBI double in the 3rd. Mapes saw his run with the Nats end last month after five seasons, one surgery, and a 33-24 mark in 119 appearances. His best season was in 2016 for Harrisburg, in which he went 12-10 with a 3.19 ERA in 25GS.
Potomac Nationals — ALL-STAR BREAK (2013)
The Carolina League blasted the California League 12-2 in San Jose. Billy Burns went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two stolen bases, while Adrian Nieto went 0-for-1 coming off the bench. Blake Schwartz tossed a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out a batter. Robbie Ray did not pitch. The Schwartz was strong with Blake in 2013, as the soft-tossing righty went 13-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 147IP with Hagerstown and Potomac in his age-23 season. Alas, injuries and/or ineffectiveness (take your pick) struck in 2014 as he was limited to 67 innings and dropped from AA back to High-A. He made three starts in April 2015 and then retired.
Hagerstown 5 Lexington 5 – 2017
• Bogucki 3⅔ IP, 5H, 5R, 3ER, BB, 2K, WP
• Howard 4⅓ IP, 3H, 0R, 2BB, 6K
• Noll 2-4, R, RBI
• Franco 2-4, RBI
• Perkins 1-2, 2R, 2BB
Hagerstown got one run in the 5th and two more in 7th to even this up at 5-5 before rain halted play in the 9th. As the final game of the first half, they won’t make it up, so it’ll go in the books as a tie on Father’s Day. A.J. Bogucki got the start and was ineffective over three and 2/3rds innings, letting in five runs on five hits and a walk. Hayden Howard was effective with four and a 1/3rd scoreless innings pitched with six K’s, two walks, and three hits allowed. Jake Noll and Anderson Franco both went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Suns tallied nine hits and two walks total. Franco was a highly touted (read: expensive) IFA in July 2013, costing 4x as much as some schlub named Victor Robles. After posting OPS’s of .725 and .759 in the DSL and GCL in 2014 and 2015 (and .640 in the NYPL for 11G), a back injury limited him to just 24G in the GCL in 2016. Despite his lack of experience north of Florida, the Nats sent him to Hagerstown in 2017, where he played his only true full season (120G, .620). After another injury-shortened year in 2018, Franco finally made it to High-A in 2019 but retired in July, six weeks short of his 22nd birthday.
Auburn 6 Batavia 5 – 2012
• Jordan 1⅓ IP, 3H, 3R, 1ER, BB, 2K
• Medina 5⅓ 2H, 0R, BB, 7K, 2-0 IR-S
• S. Perez 2-4, R, 3B, HR, 4RBI, E
• Ramos 2-4, R
Stephen Perez drove in the last four Doubleday runs, including two on a triple in the 9th to break a 4-4 tie as Auburn edged Batavia, 6-5. Perez also homered while going 2-for-4 on the night but committed one of the three Doubleday errors. Starter Taylor Jordan lasted just an inning and a third (no mention of injury in any of the local coverage, so perhaps he was on a pitch count) after giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk while striking out two. Silvio Medina tossed five and a 1/3rd innings in relief (another indication that Jordan’s outing was limited) with just a walk and two hits allowed. Seven of the nine Auburn batters got a hit, with Wander Ramos joining Perez as the second multihit Doubleday. “Help Me” Wander Ramos was a GCL All-Star in 2011, though he was 21 and repeating the level. That he wasn’t elevated to Hagerstown at for his age-22 was a clue that the Nats did not think as highly as many of us did here at the time. Indeed, Ramos went from a 1.054 OPS in ’11 to .826 in ’12 and .778 in ’13. He was released in spring training in 2014.