Tuesday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Matchup |
| Fresno | OFF DAY | vs. Sacramento, 10:05 p.m. | Ondrusek (4-4, 8.59) vs. Suarez (5-6, 5.90) |
| Harrisburg | Postponed | @ New Hampshire, 6:05 p.m. | Mapes (4-5, 5.40) and M. Sanchez (7-3, 3.25) vs. Diaz (8-7, 3.97) and TBD |
| Potomac | Lost, 7-5 | @ Wilmington, 7:05 p.m. | M. Peña (5-6, 6.40) vs. Cox (2-2, 2.63) |
| Hagerstown | OFF DAY | @ Rome, 7:00 p.m. | TBD vs. Javier (3-6, 3.53) |
| Auburn | Postponed | @ Williamsport, 7:05 p.m. | TBD vs. Conopoima (0-3, 1.96) |
| GCL Nationals | OFF DAY | @ GCL Mets, 12:00 p.m. (Doubleheader) |
Fresno – OFF DAY
After a 6-5 road trip, second-place Fresno hosts first-place Sacramento for three games midweek, then fourth-place Reno for three games over the weekend before heading back out on the road next Tuesday. Just two games separate the River Cats from the Grizzlies as they meet for their final series of 2019.
Roster moves: RHP Michael Blazek added to 40-man, recalled to Washington; OF Andrew Stevenson recalled to Washington.
Harrisburg vs. New Hampshire – PPD
The rain washed away the game at the Manchester not by the sea. The Senators and Fisher Cats will try to make it up with a doubleheader tonight.
Fayetteville 7 Potomac 5
• Cate (L, 2-3) 3IP, 8H, 6R, 6ER, BB, 3K, HR
• Pantoja 3IP, 2H, R, ER, BB, 2K
• German 3IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Canning 2-3, 2R, 2B, 3B, 2BB, RBI
• Dunlap 2-3, BB, 3RBI
• Reetz 1-4, BB, SB
A 64-minute rain delay was sandwiched between a five-run 3rd by Fayetteville and a four-run 3rd by Potomac that turned what looked like a blowout (6-0) back into a ballgame (6-4). The P-Nats crept to within one at 6-5 with a run in the 5th but the Woodpeckers answered in the 6th for the game’s eventual, 7-5 outcome. Tim Cate, who had won two of three road games in July with a 0.47 ERA over 19IP, took the brunt of the beating as he gave up six runs on eight hits (one solo HR) and a walk while striking out three for his third High-A loss. Jorge Pantoja gave up the final Woodpecker run over three innings while Jhonatan German tossed three no-hit frames to keep things close. Gage Canning doubled and tripled and drew two walks while Alex Dunlap drove in three while going 2-for-3 to lead the P-Nats attack, which went just 2-for-12 with RISP and left on 10 baserunners.
Roster moves: RHP Francys Peguero promoted from Hagerstown; RHP Jeremy McKinney placed on the 7-Day I.L.
Hagerstown – OFF DAY
While they quietly finished dead-last in the Sally League in 2018, the 42-58 Suns can still catch the 38-59 Fireflies to defend their title. That seems more likely than catching the Shorebirds, who have beaten the Suns 13 times in 19 meetings and lead them by 8½ games in the second half. Hagerstown takes its show (and its 19-32 record in away games) on the road for the next seven games in Rome and Columbia.
Auburn vs. West Virginia – PPD
Roughly two hours before gametime, officials pulled the plug on the getaway game between Auburn and West Virginia. They’ll make it up next month when the Black Bears visit the Doubledays on August 22-24, with the twinbill set for 5 p.m. on Friday the 23rd.
GCL Nationals – OFF DAY
They’ll try to get in both games, the first of two doubleheaders this week between the G-Nats and G-Mets, but rain is in the forecast for this afternoon… and all this week.
Hot diggidy dog ! The guy who took the bump for Auburn in Aberdeen a couple years ago when Daniel Johnson played RF
Is now off to Potomac. Cane , your call earlier in the season with the conga line moving up is correct. Now my call for Kyle Johnston to help out Senators should come soon.
The way things have been going lately some may be drinking like Manchester UK than by the sea , Luke.
Some of the pitching is perculating like Maxwell House in the Home pot .
2 pm in Madrid , Spain …..
Not a boo from Bingham Hill all summer meanwhile Potnats have 8 pitchers they can go A-B with all week before slotting I’m relievers
Slotting IN relievers….
Pundits are calling for the Nats to go all in for bullpen help, but the organization lacks the depth to do that. Kieboom can’t be dealt with 2nd and 3rd possibly open next year. The rest of the organization just doesn’t have the depth to out bid the other contenders who all need bullpen help. Just don’t see Cate or Crowe or even Garcia (or Denaburg or even MAT or Stevenson) being enough to get best available relievers.
Agreed. With the Giants on a hot streak that takes 2 more quality relievers out of the pool. The amount of overpay necessary is going to be ugly.
Boy that guy Trevor Gott would look pretty good in a Nats’ uniform. He’s making the major league minimum, too–oh wait.
Always remember, this bullpen fiasco is of Rizzo’s own making. When you have to dump good young arms every year because you failed to build a decent bullpen in the offseason when it is cheaper to do so, sooner or later you run out of young arms.
I’m wondering whether guys on minor-league IL can’t be dealt. I’m pretty sure that guys on MLB IL can’t be traded (so Voth is safe). If you can trade MiLB IL guys, then names like Sharp or even S. Romero could come into play.
I pretty much agree with Pilchard that the Nats don’t really have the available assets to go after a big-time reliever like Kirby Yates (who is also cheap and controlled for another season). The only caveat would be if, in internal evaluation, they’ve soured on the ceilings of guys like Garcia or Crowe and are willing to think about including them.
Otherwise, if they’re getting guys who aren’t closers who have contracts that are expiring and salaries that don’t have to be eaten, the price in terms of premium prospects shouldn’t be too high. Sometimes, as in the case of Lara and Harrison who we got for Gio last year, it’s guys who were once highly thought of who haven’t been living up to that billing. We just discussed Raquet yesterday. Schaller comes to mind, although it’s early to think that they would want to move on from him. Stoeckinger maybe, who was thought to have a high ceiling when he was drafted but who has struggled to progress. Anyway, that’s the level guys I think the Nats would be willing to trade. (To be clear, I’m not advocating that they “get rid” of any of them; in fact, it’s an indication that other teams would think they have value if they would consider them in trade.)
Sadly, as we’ve also discussed, I don’t think Michael Taylor has any trade value left at the moment.
My prediction would be that the Nats add two non-closer bullpen arms for the price of maybe four total mid-system pitchers.
In other words, guys who aren’t much of an improvement over what they have. Meh–I’d rather they call up Guilbeau, Baez and Fuentes and take their chances.
My bet–something like Garcia plus Cate & Fuentes in a Doolittle/Madson type trade that is financially affordable this year and looks good on the surface, but will end up killing them in the long run after they get knocked out in the 1st round again because no matter what they do, there just isn’t enough depth in the pen to get them anywhere in the playoffs.
I would call Fuentes untouchable, but I’ve been wrong before. I just don’t see a lot of good options available from other teams to trade for, particularly if the Giants aren’t sellers, so I’m thinking/hoping the price isn’t too high.
Gott wasn’t going to make the Nats’ 25-man out of the spring and was out of options. He succeeded with the Angels and the Giants but not with the Nats, although he did have some nagging injuries over several periods with the Nats. But relievers are a fickle, fickle bunch, as we know ALL too well.
With all due respect, Fuentes is not close to untouchable. If the Tigers offered to trade Shane Greene or the Padres offered Kirby Yates straight up for Fuentes, the deal would be done before the Tigers GM could finish his sentence.
But they’re NOT going to offer those deals, not even close. That’s part of my point, and yours — the Nats don’t have the cumulative prospects who they can make available to be players in deals like that, unless they’re willing to talk about guys like Garcia and Crowe.
Fuentes in particular is a curious case because he probably doesn’t have nearly as much trade value as he should because he hasn’t been touted as a “prospect.”