Friday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Probables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | Lost, 10-6 | vs. Toledo, 6:45pm | A. Lara (2-4, 5.67) vs. File (4-3, 5.21) |
| Harrisburg | Won, 3-1 | vs. Erie, 7pm | Clemmey (2-4, 4.58) vs. Alba (0-2, 5.19) |
| Wilmington | Won, 5-4 | vs. Brooklyn, 6:35pm | Meckley (0-2, 4.32) vs. Hall (1-4, 5.65) |
| Fredericksburg | Lost, 10-5 | vs. Salem, 6:35pm | Fischer (4-0, 2.33) vs. Tygart (0-0, 5.79) |
| FCL Nationals | Won, 9-4 | @ FCL Cardinals, 12pm | |
| DSL Nationals | Lost, 6-0 | vs. DSL Giants Black, 11am |
Toledo 10 Rochester 6
• Champlain 6IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 2K, HR, BK
• Cranz 4BF, 1H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 0K, HBP
• Penrod ⅔ IP, 0H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 0K, 3-3 IR-S
• Lipscomb 2-4, R, 2B, 2RBI
• Glasser 2-4, R, RBI
• Franklin 1-3, 2R, BB
Toledo sent 11 men to the plate and had five of them come around to score as the Mud Hens clipped the Red Wings, 10-6. Chandler Champlain turned in his fifth quality start of two runs allowed on four hits (one HR) and a walk over six innings. He struck out two. Robert Cranz put all four batters he faced on base and left with nobody out and the bases loaded. Zach Penrod heard them knocking at the door and let ’em in along with one of his own. Harry Ford was the beer man on a 10-hit night for Rochester, led by Trey Lipscomb and Phillip Glasser who both went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Memphis won to take a one-game lead over Rochester, three over Nashville for the I.L. first-half title.
Harrisburg 3 Erie 1
• Lyon (W, 1-3) 6⅔ IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 5K, HR
• Powell (SV, 4) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Wallace 3-4, R, HR, RBI
• Lawson 2-3, RBI
Isaac Lyon pitched into the 7th for the first time in his career, givng up but one run on a home run and two hits total. Even better, it was good enough for his first AA win as he walked none and struck out five. Jared Simpson got the next four outs for his ninth hold while Holden Powell mowed ’em down 1-2-3 in the 9th to notch his fourth save. Cayden Wallace notched his eighth three-hit game, which included his org-leading 17th HR (2nd in the E.L.) while Cortland Lawson had two safeties to power the Harrisburg offense.
Senators
Wilmington 5 Brooklyn 4
• Sime 3IP, 2H, 0R, 5BB, 5K
• Biven (W, 1-1) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 0K
• Y. Cabrera 2-4, 2RBI, 2K, SB
• Willits 1-3, 2R, BB, SB(5)
• Banks 1-3, HR, 2RBI
Wilmington closed out the first half with a 5-4 win over Brooklyn. Miguel Sime Jr. LaLooshed through three scoreless innings, walking five and striking out five. Tucker Biven cordero’d around three baserunners in the 4th but that was good enough to get the win on a night where the offense covered for the bullpen, which gave up all four runs on six hits over the last four innings. Yeremy Cabrera went 2-for-4 and drove in two, as did Teo Banks who launched his third HR to lead the Blue Rocks offense.
Salem 10 Fredericksburg 5
• L. Sullivan 5IP, 3H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K, WP
• Huesman (BS, 1; L, 2-2) 1⅔ IP, 1H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 0K
• Hines 1-4, 2B, RBI
• M. Cabrera 1-3, R, 2B
• 12BB, 12LOB
The FredNats ended the first half with a 10-5 loss to the RidgeYaks, who won despite issuing 12 walks. Liam Sullivan turned in five innings of three-run ball on three hits and three walks. The loss went to Levi Huesman who gave up three runs on a hit and and two walks. Hunter Hines and Manuel Cabrera both doubled and did not walks as the Salem pitchers limited Fredericksburg to four hits.
FCL Nationals 9 FCL Astros 4
• J. Robles 3IP, 2H, 3R, 2ER, 5BB, 2K, BK
• Buxton (W, 1-0) 2IP, 0H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, 1K
• Hurtado 2-3, R, SB
• N. De La Cruz 1-3, 2R, BB, RBI, SB
• F. Tavarez 1-3, 2R, 2B, 3RBI, SB
The FCL Nationals erased a 3-0 deficit with a three-run 3rd, added two more in the 4th, and capped it off with a four-run 5th as they took down the FCL Astros, 9-4. Jean Robles was dinged for three runs on two hits and five (5) walks over three innings. Ike Buxton let in an unearned run in two inning but was credited with the win. Victor Hurtado singled twice, scored a run, and stole a base while Feldi Tavarez hit bases-clearing double for three RBI in the 5th to lead the F-Nats attack.
DSL Tigers2 6 DSL Nationals 0
• Carela 3IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 2K
• Jo. Martinez 2BF, 1H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, HBP
• M. Ruiz 1⅔ IP, 1H, 4R, 2ER, 4BB, 2K, 2-2 IR-S
• Vargas 1-3
• P. Guerra 1-3
The D-Nats were limited to two singles in a 6-0 shutout by the D-Tigers 2. Enmanuel Carela spun three scoreless innings with one hit, two walks, and two whiffs. Jousuet Martinez gave up a single and hit a batter, then watched Manuel Ruiz let them both in and four more of his own. The loss went to Martinez as the DSL Nationals were unable to convert their six baserunners into a run.
I continue to not understand what Cayden Wallace is still doing in Harrisburg. He’s up to 258 games in AA. As Luke has already pointed out, he’s got comfortably the most HR in the org and 2nd most in the EL. He’s got a good AVG (.306), solid on base skills (8.2 BB%), very good contact numbers (16.7 K%), defensive versatility, capable of playing 3B, SS and 2B.
“But there’s no room for him in Rochester” many claim. And yet Phillip Glasser has played in 10 of Rochester’s 14 games in June. There’s plenty of space for Wallace. Give the Red Wings a boost for that final push for a 1st place finish for the first half of the season!
I’m really perplexed by Devin Fitz-Gerald. Guys get promoted all the time and instantly struggle (welcome to AAA, Robert Cranz! But also Cabrera and Cruz). But with Cabrera and Cruz, at least, they still look like fundamentally the same player, they’re just not making as good contact and their luck is perhaps reverting back to the mean. But Fitz-Gerald looks like an entirely different guy than the player we saw in Wilmington and the season before in the Texas org. He was lauded for his intelligent plate approach and contact skills. He walked more than he struck out last season, and while he wasn’t quite that good in Wilmington, he still sported a very healthy 13 BB% vs 18 K%. Since getting promoted to Harrisburg, he’s been… awful. Instead of near walk:strikeout parity, he’s sitting at a mere one walk in 38 plate appearances (a staggering 2.6 BB%) compared to 14 Ks (a highly worrying 36.8 K%).
It hasn’t helped Fitz-Gerald that since getting to promoted to Harrisburg, the Senators have faced southpaw SPs in 6 of the 8 games. And Fitz-Gerald has been struggling mightily against LHPs, with a .502 OPS vs them while batting from the right side, compared to a .932 OPS vs RHPs, while batting lefty. That’s a new development this season, as last season, his handed-ness splits were reversed (but both good), posting a .895 OPS vs RHPs and a .993 OPS vs LHPs.
The Senators’ hitting coach (or some of the roving instructors) need to sit Fitz-Gerald down and get him to stop trying to force his way out of this slump. He’s doing the literal opposite right now of what made him such a buzz worthy prospect just a few weeks ago. But it also seems lefties have found a weakness in Fitz-Gerald’s approach and that needs to be ironed out.
he will be fine, the jump to AA is the largest jump, patience
In a chat Tuesday I asked Brendan Gawlowski, one of the FG prospects guys, “Is there a reason to be concerned about Devin Fitz-Gerald’s slow start at AA after lighting up A+ at age 20?”
His one word response: “no.”
Will, almost every night knowledgeable fans around us keep asking the same question as you about Wallace. His hits are hard hit balls to all fields. He has made some spectacular plays at 3rd. Not sure what else he can do.
get traded for pitching
After going 0 for 3 with three Ks and a .602 OPS, is it time to be concerned about Harry Ford?
It’s absolutely time to be concerned about Harry Ford. Way too early to panic/write him off.