Friday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Probables |
| Rochester | Lost, 10-2 | vs. Lehigh Valley, 6:05 p.m. | Muñoz (0-3, 7.94) vs. Nelson (7-2, 4.16) |
| Harrisburg | Won, 8-5 | vs. Bowie, 6:30 p.m. | Luckham (AA debut) vs. Tavera (3-7, 4.96) |
Lehigh Valley 10 Rochester 2
• T. Romero (L, 5-6) 4IP, 3H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K, HR
• Rainey 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Rutherford 3-5, 2R, 2B(10), HR(5), RBI
• Hill 2-4, BB
Lehigh Valley broke open a 3-1 game with three unearned runs in the 6th and beat Rochester handily, 10-2. Tommy Romero made his ninth start for the Red Wings and lost for the sixth time, giving up three runs on three hits (one HR) and three walks over four innings. Blake Rutherford fell shy of the cycle with the usual (no triple) while hitting his 10th double and fifth HR while Derek Hill also reached base three times with two singles and a walk to lead the Red Wings offense.
Harrisburg 8 Bowie 5
• M. Cuevas (W, 4-8) 5IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 6K
• Powell (SV, 1) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 1K
• Wood 3-4, 2R, 2-2B, 3RBI
• House 2-4, 2R, HR, 3RBI
• Hassell 2-4, 2R, BB
Brady House’s three-run HR got the party started in the bottom of the 1st while James Wood’s three-run double in the 5th broke a 4-4 tie en route to an 8-5 win over the BaySox. Michael Cuevas got the Jack Morris win with four runs allowed on seven hits and no walks. He struck out six. Holden Powell worked around a two-out walk in the 8th and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save, his first at AA. Wood (3H), House (2H), and Robert Hassell (2H) accounted for seven of the eight Harrisburg hits.
I’m wondering if anybody in Bowie has come up with a tee shirt saying : Leave it to Beavers
Cuevas just couldn’t get the catcher or Beavers locked down
Friday is You Feel Lucky Punk Friday for Sens
September 15 th Great song by Pat Methany / Lyle Mays from 1981 legendary jazz album with one of the great album titles ever ..
Good to see the Senators bats waking up after an atrocious month.
Unfortunately, the lower-tier prospects haven’t gotten the message. I’m not sure I can call Cluff and Arruda prospects anymore. But Israel Pineda and Murphy Stehly are. Pineda is batting a mere .158/.214/.221 in 27 games in AA. He just looks… broken. And Stehly hasn’t adapted well at all to AA pitching. After a fabulous season rocketing up the farm system ladder, going all the way from shortened season FCL ball to AA, he’s hitting only .160/.250/.160 in 7 games. Still, it’s an overall wildly successful season for him, even if it kind of fizzled out in AA.
;you never played baseball to not know the difference between A and AA, Murph has been here for 2 weeks give him a break. Pineda has been injured for 2 years in a row, he will get it together and make the big leagues before you will. Israel is off the the Arizona Fall League to get more at bats
One amazing thing about Cluff, is he makes all the plays and those he shouldn’t. And he’s got a cannon to make close plays easy.
Unfortunately the bat won’t enable him to make the majors. But it’s sweet to watch field, live or on the tube.
That HR by Brady House was an absolute bomb.
Must have been fun for a night to have nearly all of the potential major leaguers clicking in the Harrisburg lineup. I know that House isn’t ranked in most overall top 10s, but he’s got a .313 average at AA at age 20 to go with fairly easily projectable 40 HR power. I would hope that he and Wood are ready for the Show by mid-2024. It will be quite a show indeed.
No cause for worry for Stehly’s very SSS. It’s pretty remarkable as it is that he’s playing at his fourth level of the summer, and slashing .315/.400/.404 overall. He hasn’t shown the power yet that he did in his senior year in college, but he did spend nearly half his season in the Wilmington power graveyard.
Pineda’s situation is more worrisome. He’s really struggling to bounce back from injury after a remarkable rise in 2022. I doubt he’s at DFA risk, though, as some other team probably would scoop him up since he’s only 23.
with all the injury starts and stops I’ll give Pineda a pass, hopefully he can end his year on a good note at the AFL. Millas’ rise has also softened the blow here.
It was wonderful seeing the prospects pounding out hit after hit after hit.
With the way House is trending gotta feel bad for Kieboom – the writing is on the wall
Crews’ H’burg BABIP is .250; so, he’s been unlucky so far. That said, zero homers in 65 ABs is a little bit of concern. Also, he has 2 steals in and 3 CSs at AA.
Realize the sample size is small, and the season has been long, but right now, my Crews comp is Lane Thomas (their size is similar and both are RH handed hitting OF with decent power and decent speed, but not exceptional in either category), with the exception that Crews has a slightly better hit tool.
FWIW, Lane Thomas is 10th in the NL in WPA, and has 3.4 WAR this year; he’s a solid MLB outfielder that does everything pretty well (Crews lacks Thomas’ arm — Thomas leads all NL OFs in assists). Like Thomas, just don’t see the off the chart ceiling with any of his tools.
the Lane Thomas story is a good one but at 21 he was hitting .260 in A+ ball. Crews will be fine, it’s been a whirlwind few months. no doubt he’s pressing a bit as well
Think that Lane Thomas is better than fine. So, agree that Crews will be fine; also, as stated above, think Crews has a slightly better hit tool; Thomas is top 20 NL offensive player this year; so, that means Crews will hit better than that. Not predicting that Crews will bust at all.
The thing with Crews is that there is no exceptional tool. Compare Crews to #5 pick, HS OF Walker Jenkins, and Jenkins has more speed, more power and a better arm. We shall see how Jenkins’ bat develops. Also, have to admit that tools alone don’t mean a lot. Elijah Green has off the charts speed and power tools, but until he makes contact more consistently; it doesn’t matter.
Crews is just a solid all around OF, who may or may not have the defense to play in center. That is Lane Thomas. Think its fair to acknowledge Crews’ ceiling.
of course it’s fair, but I think your assessment is lower that that of all the scouting reports I’ve read. if you’re using his performance at City Isle to arrive at this conclusion then I think you could be pleasantly surprised. you acknowledge the SSS so I’m suspect we’re splitting hairs here.
Not holding Crews struggles at H’burg against him; everyone has rough stretches. Also, agree that the scouting reports rated Crews as having elite tools. Didn’t see it in college and don’t see it now. He just doesn’t have the frame or the swing to ever have elite power; nor does he have the wheels to be an elite baserunner or CF defender (also his arm is average). Little concerned about Crews’ current swing and miss issues, but think he will be a solid hitter on the MLB level, but just don’t see the athleticism to make him a superstar. I see a solid corner OF, like the Nats current RF, but not more than that.
gotta think Rainey will get some looks in DC this year, good news!
There was some BA tweet a couple of days ago that Crews was still generating exit velo of 90th percentile for minor leaguers. He’s just been unlucky. He took three walks last night. He’ll be fine. The hitting comp of Rendon with more speed still holds.
Big news. Brady House is in the lineup tonight. I believe this is the first time he has played four days on a row this season. Typically he goes Tue-Thu, off Fri, Sat, off Sun. This is the one thing I have been waiting on. If he can play everyday and produce he is the number one prospect IMO. Very excited, we shall see how this and the last two games go.
Dreaming on CJ and eventually House getting long term deals like the Braves do. Not much hope for Wood and Crews since they are Boras clints, but I will enjoy the 6-7 years.
Pilchard: Saying this with love and a smile on my face, but if you have truly watched Crews and do not see an elite swing and great athleticism, you need a new TV/monitor or glasses. Your ratings of his tools are just ridiculously bad.
Again, no offense. Just have to call you put on this.
*out
Wow. So bad. lol. Are you sure it is Dylan Crews you are watching? No exceptional tools? You can not tell that there is a significant difference between him and Lane Thomas’s hit tool? Are you being facetious and I am just not getting it?
Anyway, going to shut up now. Apologies if I have been rude or offensive. I am just stunned by the take.
That’s what this forum is all about. It’s good to share differing opinions. I was at the CWS and saw Crews play for a week in person. He didn’t scream elite athlete to me. Wouldn’t be the first time I was loud wrong.
Not saying he will bust. He will be a 10 year mlb player; he’s solid. Just don’t think his ceiling is as high as others drafted around him or even others in the organization, like Wood. Would love for Crews to be Mike Trout or Julio Rodriguez. We shall see.