Still not much new to report on the MLB-MLBPA impasse. But if you got questions, WaPo’s Dave Sheinin has answers.
Louisville 8 Syracuse 2 – 2012
• Roark (L, 3-8) 5IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 5K
• Severino 1IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Bynum 2-3, R, BB
• Komatsu 1-3, BB, CS
Louisville built a 4-0 lead off losing pitcher Tanner Roark and cruised to an 8-2 win over Syracuse. Roark gave up seven hits and walked two while striking out five, but suffered his team-leading 8th loss. Seth Bynum led the Chiefs attack with singling twice and walking in four plate appearances. Former Nats farmhand “Dolla” Bill Rhinehart homered in the 9th inning. In the midst of the darkest days of the Nats franchise (2008), a 23-y.o. vaulted from Low-A to AA in the space of 15 days. Though Bill Rhinehart put up a .990 OPS in that year’s fall league, the .719 mark he had with Harrisburg (vs. .834 with Hagerstown and 1.010 with Potomac) was more indicative that he had indeed been rushed. He struggled to a .681 mark in 2009 with the Senators and by 2010 he was demoted to High-A, where he found his footing and was an integral part of Potomac’s 2010 championship team. Alas, Rhinehart would be traded to Cincinnati in 2011 and rise to AAA in 2012, but he would be released in August after batting .228/.303/.365 in 92G.
Harrisburg 8 Akron 0 – 2014
• Cole (W, 5-2) 5IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 7K
• Espino (H, 1) 3IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Ramsey 3-3, R, BB, 2RBI
• Hague 2-4, 3R, 2B
• Taylor 2-4, R, 2RBI
Three Harrisburg pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout while the offense pounded out 11 hits in an 8-0 shutout of Akron. Thanks to the long stretches watching his teammates duck up the opposing pitchers, Cole was limited to five innings, with just two hits and a walk allowed while striking out seven, but earned his 5th win. Caleb Ramsey reached base four times in four plate appearances and drove in two to lead the Senators attack, followed by Ricky Hague and Michael Taylor, who both went 2-for-4. In 2012, Taylor struggled to a .680 OPS that gave many people pause as to his status as a top prospect, even if he was only 21. He repeated the level in 2013, batting .263/.340/.426, and then 2014… he took off: a .935 OPS in 98G at AA then, after about a week at AAA, he made his MLB debut. While he’s since been supplanted by Victor Robles, Taylor has been a valuable reserve and one of the more exciting OFs that I personally witnessed.
Salem 6 Potomac 5 – 2015
• Giolito (L, 1-4) 6IP, 11H, 6R, 5ER, 0BB, 8K, WP
• Mapes 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Wooten 2-3, 2-2B, BB, 2RBI
• Martinez 2-4, R, RBI
• Bostick 3-5, 2R, RBI, SB
Potomac rallied from a 4-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead but had no answer for single runs in the 5th and 6th innings to drop the series finale, 6-5. Lucas Giolito gave up all six runs on 11 hits over six innings. He walked none and struck out eight while losing for the fourth time in six starts. John Wooten continues to swing a hot bat, connecting for two doubles, driving in two, and drawing a walk to reach base three times, as did Christopher Bostick, who went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Like a lot of players—Dominican or American—High-A is where the dream dies. For both John Wooten and Estarlin Martinez, 2015 would be his final season as a pro at ages 24 and 23 respectively.
Hagerstown 5 Delmarva 1 – 2019
• Irvin (W, 4-3) 5⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 3K
• Howell 1⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 2K, 1-0 IR-S
• Pineda 2-3, R, 2BB, RBI, PB(11)
• Jo. Sanchez 2-3, R, BB, RBI
• Rhinesmith 2-5, 2RBI
Hagerstown ended its four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against Delmarva. Jake Irvin returned from his phantom injury to pitch into the 6th with nary a run and just four baserunners (two hits, two walks) and win his fourth game. Jacob Howell kept the shutout going by retiring five of the next seven batters but Chandler Day lost it while giving up a HR in the 8th while finishing the game. “Raudy” Pineda and Jose Sanchez both went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Suns offense. Jacob Howell was among the three-dozen-plus sent packing last week by the Nats, as was Trey Vickers, who was the Hagerstown catcher this day in 2019. Odds are pretty good there will be one or two more from the 12 in this day’s boxscore, and even better that none of these players will play another game in Hagerstown.