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Thursday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Probables
Rochester Won, 5-4 @ Memphis, 7:45pm Luckham (0-1, 3.44) vs. Wilkerson (6-3, 3.86)
Harrisburg Lost, 3-2
(10 inn.)		 @ Chesapeake, 6:35pm Tolman (0-1, 6.64) vs. German (6-6, 4.02)
Wilmington Won, 2-1 vs. Aberdeen, 6:35pm Meckley (0-2, 5.27) vs. TBD
Fredericksburg Won, 4-3
(10 inn.)		 vs. Carolina, 4:35pm Johnson (1-2, 4.70) and Maddox (0-0, 0.00)
vs. Torres (1-10, 5.05) and Mercado (0-2, 2.86)

Rochester 5 Memphis 4
• Solesky 4IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 4K
• Davila (W, 1-1) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Loutos (SV, 5) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Arruda 2-3, 2R, BB, 2B, HR(5), 2RBI
• Tena 2-4, R, HR, 2RBI
• Pinckney 1-3, R, BB, 2B

Rochester got homers from José Tena and ace reliever J.T. Arruda to build a 5-2 lead that the bullpen held for a 5-4 win. Chase Solesky returned to the rotation and went the first four, allowing two runs on three hits and a week. Five relievers followed, each throwing an inning with Garrett Davila picking up the win, holds for Eduardo Salazar, Daison Acosta, and Julian Fernández, and a save for Ryan Loutos. Arruda also doubled and walked to lead the Red Wings offense. Roster moves: RHP Sauryn Lao optioned from Washington (waiver claim from Seattle); IF Darren Baker designated for assignment.

Chesapeake 3 Harrisburg 2
• Clemmey 6IP, 1H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 6K, HR, HBP, WP
• Saenz (L, 5-7) ⅔ IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K
• King 2-5, R
• Made 1-5, 2RBI

The Senators tied the game at 2-2 in the 3rd and then were shut out the rest of the way, enabling the BaySox to win in extras, 3-2. It was Harrisburg’s fifth straight loss. Alex Clemmey turned in his first AA quality start with two runs let in on a homer and three walks over six innings. He was rewarded with a no-decision as the Sens were held to six singles and seven walks. Harrisburg was 2-for-13 with RISP and struck out 16 times, with Branden Boisseries fitted for a golden sombrero and Keibert Ruiz wore the silver. After retiring the first two batters in the 10th, Dustin Saenz gave up back-to-back singles to take the loss, his seventh. Roster moves: RHP Jarlin Susana placed on the 7-Day I.L.



Wilmington 2 Aberdeen 1
• Sthele (W, 7-7) 8⅔ IP, 7H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 7K
• Bollenbacher (SV, 1) ⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Dugas 1-1, R, 2BB
• Nunez 1-1, SB

Travis “Sunday” Sthele came within one out and 90′ of his third shutout, but would have to settle for his seventh win and ninth quality start as Wilmington edged Aberdeen, 2-1. Sthele allowed a one-out triple in the 9th and let in the IronBirds sole run on a sacrifice fly. Matt Bollenbacher came on and worked around an error to pick up the save, his first of the season. The Blue Rocks got both runs in the 6th on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Cortland Lawson. Gavin Dugas, T.J. White. and Teo Banks each walked twice as Wilmington collected seven singles and left on 12 baserunners.

Fredericksburg 4 Carolina 3 (10 inn.)
• Sullivan 5IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K, HR
• Baldo (W, 8-2) 1⅔ IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 1K, 3-1 IR-S
• R. Diaz 4-4, R, HR, 3RBI, OF assist @ HP
• Dickerson 2-3

The FredNats rallied for two in the bottom of the 9th to tie and plated the free runner in the 10th to win, 4-3. The win reduced Fredericksburg’s magic number to five. Liam Sullivan turned in five innings of one-run ball on six hits (one HR) and a walk while striking out two. Merrick Baldo stranded two of three in the 9th, then pitched a scoreless 10th to get his organization-leading eighth win. Randal Diaz singled three times, homered, and drove in three—including a two-run single with one out in the 9th—while Luke Dickerson singled twice to lead the FredNats attack. Roster moves: LHP Merritt Beeker placed on the 7-Day I.L.

23 Commments

  1. Eddie Longosz in the booth the other night was asked for player who might be flying under the radar. the last time he was asked this he picked Yoel Tejeda, a fact that the two clowns of course did not remember so no follow-up was given. this time he picked Riley Maddox who goes tonight for the FredNats.

    1. Speaking of Yoel Tejeda. Is he alive?

      He hasn’t appeared since August 3. Tejeda was a reliever in college, so it’s likely he hit his innings limit, but has anyone confirmed this? Or is this a phantom injury, like, presumably, teammate Sam Petersen?

    2. which booth was FAST Eddie (hot dogs!) in , Fred?
      fred should have a Blazing Saddles night everytime Johnson pitches. half off. have a Johnson section. everytime skipper walks to the mound play Madeline Kahn singing I’m tired ( of coming and going….).

      maddox seems like a swing guy or bulklpenner? no or yes?

  2. Sauryn Lao is a really interesting addition. He was signed by the Dodgers, before stalling out in A ball in 2022. He then converted to being a relief pitcher in 2023, and rapidly rose up to AA by the end of the season (parallels to our own Erick Meijia). His numbers have been quite good for a guy who wasn’t a pitcher 3 years ago. His debut for the Mariners didn’t go well, but he’s interesting enough to snag off waivers.

    It’s also interesting who the Nats didn’t put a waiver claim on. My dream winter signing: Ha-Seong Kimg was released by the Rays. He was injured, so it was always known he’d miss the first couple months of the season, but open returning in July, he’s really struggled hitting only .214/.290/.321 (albeit with good defense at SS and 2B). The Rays being a poverty franchise didn’t want to risk footing the bill for his player option of $16m next season. Apparently, neither did the Nats, which is a bit worrying to me. 1. Kim can play above average defense at SS, 2B and 3B. 2. As a righty, he’s a good platoon split with both Abrams and Garcia. 3. He only has one year of control, with relatively high upside. He could basically be a much better version of Paul DeJong, and with potentially high trade deadline value, since 2026 is shaping up to be yet another rebuild season.

    The Braves claimed Kim, meaning the Nats passed on claiming him, which suggests to me either DeBartolo is asleep at the wheel (unlikely) or he’s limited to add to payroll, which worryingly implies a continuation to the Nats’ Decade of Austerity.

    1. the Braves envision Kim as their starting SS for ’26. the Nats are not ready to make that commitment. 16M is too much for anyone to pay for a part time player. plus Kim has an opt out which he could use if he saw little chance to start in DC.

      1. I don’t think he should be a part time player, but rather a utility starter.

        Luis Garcia is a 25th percentile defender at 2B, and CJ Abrams a 10th percentile defender at SS, which is a continuation of many years of well-below average defensive play from both of them (Abrams, for example, is by a huge margin the worst defender in baseball according to OAA over the past 3 seasons), but it’s not just their fault. The Nats as a team are the 3rd worst defensive team this season according to OAA. By DRS, they’re the 4th worst. By Fielding Run Value, they’re dead last. This has a huge impact on our pitching, and it’s no wonder the team has the 2nd widest gulf between their ERA and FIP. Our fielding sucks.

        We must improve this. And just trotting Garcia and Abrams (and Bell, Ruiz, Adams, Lile and Wood – all well below average defenders) isn’t going to fix the problem. We need to find ways to improve this. Aiming to give a player like Kim something like 33% starts at 3B, 33% at SS and 33% at 2B would be a huge boost to our team’s defensive weaknesses, and you could rotate House, Abrams and Garcia into the DH slot when they’re not in the field. There’s also always the option of moving Abrams and Garcia more permanently to other positions, or keep the teardown going and trade them too, as Garcia becomes a free agent after 2 more seasons, and Abrams after 3, and if we’re not going to spend money on free agents in 2026 either, then why let their trade value drop further like Gore’s has?

        1. Yeah. In 2023, HSK was the NL Gold Glove SS and 14th in the NL MVP voting with a 5+ WAR. He’s still in his 20s. Yes, he had a bad season with the Rays, but he’s has been hurt.

          These are the poverty franchises that passed on Kim before the Braves grabbed him:
          – Rockies
          – White Sox
          – Twins
          – Pirates
          – And yes, the Nats…

          Money is the only reason not to pick up HSK, and so, the Lerners have relegated the Nats the bottom-feeder teams that won’t spend ANYTHING to improve as Kim would’ve cost $2 million this year, and $16 million next year. It’s not like Kim would’ve cost some massive commitment.

          1. actually he was the Gold Glove utility player and only played 20 games at SS. also a Gold Glove winner that year was Nathaniel Lowe, how did that work out?

            I agree with a lot of these posts but I’m just saying that with all the uncertainty and current roster, this was a move that just didn’t fit.

          2. Fred: totally agree that there’s a gulf between what the Nats should do and what they will do.

            However, if there’s considerable roster uncertainty, wouldn’t it fit to sign a versatile veteran to reduce that uncertainty?

            Like Pilchard said, I can’t explain this in any reasonable way besides the Nats being cheap and unwilling to make a $18m commitment. But that bodes extremely poorly for the next 5 years… our payroll commitments for 2026 is currently $49m. We can afford adding $18m to that. But will we? Clearly not.

      1. I think you’re right. But without paying free agents, I cannot foresee any scenario where this team is competitive in the next 3 years.

        Since we traded away whatever half-decent veterans we had at the trade deadline, the team has gone 12-19 (63-99 pace over a season). Who in the minors is supposed to arrive next year to add 20 wins to the team? Sykora, Willits and Dickerson (prospects #s 1, 2 and 4) are all at least 2 years away. Let’s see how prospect #3’s (Susana) injury develops, and if it’s more serious than they’re suggesting, he too will be in the same boat. Otherwise, that’s it! This is the rebuild! And it’s a 100 loss team.

        And even if Willits (or Dickerson) does turn into a potential superstar, rockets up the farm ladder and becomes a 3-4 WAR player in his rookie season in 2028 at age 20. Well, that doesn’t actually improve the team, because MacKenzie Gore, who had been worth 3-4 WAR, will have departed the team via free agency in winter 2027. A net neutral improvement!

        Even if we start stripping assets and trading Gore, Garcia and Abrams, that still doesn’t make us closer to competitiveness in the 2020s, but it might give us a window to be competitive in 2030…

  3. Could Sao just be another Adon?
    Meanwhile Baker . Enter the ( no Metallica hints ) .. Tena ..more reps .
    Sens just have not hit a stride because of injuries and inconsistency.
    Maybe Faat Eddie thinks Maddox was the most ready NCAA arm to hit low A ?

  5. I just ran into a Fred Nats fan here in DFW
    I yelled out at him
    In his 2024 championship red tee shirt
    Fred ! Fred!

  6. I am impressed by the certainty of the internet commenter. “The only possible reasons for not picking up HSK are either the GM is incompetent or financially hamstrung!” Quiet suggestions of possible other reasons are either ignored or shouted down. I respectfully submit that it’s possible that the Nats considered HSK but didn’t believe that he was a good fit for the roster. Heck it’s even possible that they plan to increase the payroll in 2026 but their scouting and proprietary analytics led them to conclude that HSK was not an effective allocation of resources.

    Reminder: “I can’t think of a good reason for [x]” =/= “there is no good reason.”

    1. Sure. Indicative that it was money decision given the other teams that passed on HSK are in the “don’t spend” mode, and the first team that does spend (the Braves – who generally spend prudently) picked HSK up.

      Would love it if the Nats start making financial commitments to improve the franchise in 2026, but recent history says that’s very doubtful. Essentially, given the paltry commitment the Nats have made to increase the talent level of the roster, they have lost the benefit of the doubt.

    2. Lots of knowledge falls short of certainty. While we should of course be humble and allow for the possibility of error, it would be unrealistic and unhelpful to delay all judgements until a future where we have complete information. The balance of probabilities matters, and we can speak intelligently about it while acknowledging uncertainty.

      Let me ask you this – how many consecutive seasons of rock bottom spending would it take for you to believe it’s a general pattern and not just the coincidental outcomes of dozens of individual evaluations and negotiations? If your answer is “never” – if you need the GM or the Lerners to come out and say they have no intention of spending (and even then, it wouldn’t be impossible to interpret that as a negotiating tactic of some kind; there really is no realistic way you can ever be certain) – I’d say you’re being just as silly as the most kneejerk overreacting fans that you protest.

    3. This team’s extremely sophisticated scouting and proprietary analytics led them to conclude that the optimum use of resources this winter was signing Josh Bell, Trevor Williams, Colin Poche, Lucas Sims, Mike Soroka, Jorge Lopez, Amed Rosario and trading for Nathaniel Lowe. No, being cheap wasn’t at all a part of it. These were genuinely the best players money could buy!

  7. most international Pacific RIM signings are a crap shoot and usually a losing propostion. Time to move onto other subject matters like whats for lunch or dinner today..

  8. Afternoon conversation shifts
    “ peanut gallery “ scrutiny of Danny Haas ( two amateur drafts duds )
    BC shares the same foresight blame ?
    Travis Weekday Sthele deserves a Sens bump

  9. In BA’s latest issue, some shoutouts to a few little mentioned Nats farmhands: best tools in Low A (Carolina League): Best reliever Robert Kranz; High A(Sally League):Best Control = Travis Stehle, Best Defensive 1b: Brandon Boissiere; AA – Eastern League: Best fastball – Jarlin Susana; Best Defensive 1b: Joe Naranjo; AAA – International League: Best Breaking Pitch – Cade Cavalli. Voted on by the managers.

    1. Interesting. There’s definitely some deep cuts here!

      Especially interesting is Susana getting voted “best fastball”, when besides the velocity, Susana is often criticized for his fastball’s shape and lack of movement. His slider is meant to be his best pitch. Did they award pitchers for best pitches besides fastball?

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