Wednesday’s News and Notes

The Quick Rundown…

Syracuse Chiefs L, 7-5
Starting Pitcher: Marquis (ND) 5IP 4H 4R 4ER 1BB 7K 1HR (grand slam)
Pitching Star: None
Hitting Star #1: Orr 2-4, R, 3B
Hitting Star #2: Lambin 2-4, R, HR, 2RBI
Notes: The Syracuse losing streak was extended to eight games with a 7-5 loss to Indianapolis. Starter Jason Marquis gave up a grand slam to Brandon Moss but settled down in the next four innings. Meanwhile, the Chiefs began chipping away with a single run in the 3^rd, two more in the 5^th, and got the two they needed to tie the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the 8^th. But the Indians got to every Chiefs pitcher in the first inning they faced them, as Atahualpa Severino coughed up two runs in the top of the 9^th for the game’s final tally.

Harrisburg Senators L, 1-0 (11 inn.)
Starter/Pitching Star #1: Peacock (ND) 7IP 2H 0R 3BB 5K
Pitching Star #2: Kimball 2IP 1H 0R 1BB 4K
Hitting Star #1: Fox 2-3, 2B, SB, BB
Hitting Star #2: Lowrance 2-3, 2BB
Notes: Brad Peacock was brilliant in his AA debut, pitching seven innings and allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out five. Unfortunately, Fisher Cats’ Zach Stewart was just as brilliant, and the New Hampshire bullpen just a little better than the Senators as New Hampshire defeated Harrisburg 1-0 in 11 innings. Nine times the Senators got a runner into scoring position and only once was a runner able to get to third, thanks to a wild pitch just after a failed sacrifice in the 8^th. Rafael Martin took the loss by surrendering a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the 11^th.

Potomac Nationals L, 5-4 @ Wilmington
Starting Pitcher: Lehman (ND) 5IP 4H 2R 2ER 0BB 5K
Pitching Star: None
Hitting Star #1: Rhinehart 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Curran 2-4, R, 2B, SB (OF assist)
Notes: Potomac scored all four runs in the final three innings, rallying from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to take a 4-3 lead, but couldn’t hold off the Blue Rocks in the 9^th as they fell 5-4 to Wilmington. Pat Lehman returned from his rehab stint in the GCL to pitch five innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five. Bill Rhinehart and Chris Curran were the hitters of the game, collecting four of the PNats’ eight hits, including a double apiece. Justin Phillabaum took the loss, allowing four hits in the bottom of the ninth after pitching a 1-2-3 eighth.

Hagerstown Suns — OFF DAY
Notes: Yesterday was an off day for the Hagerstown Suns. Today, they begin four-game swing into North Carolina to visit the Greensboro Grasshoppers before returning to Municipal Stadium on Monday for four against the Lexington Legends.

Vermont Lake Monsters L, 14-2 vs. Hudson Valley
Starting Pitcher: McKenzie (L, 1-1) 1⅓ IP 8H 8R 8ER 1BB 2K
Pitching Star: Zellers 4IP 2H 0R 1BB 3K
Hitting Star: Freitas 3-3, R, BB, RBI
Notes: An eight-run 2^nd put this game out of reach early, as Hudson Valley pounded the Vermont 14-2. David Freitas was the only Lake Monster to not strike out — the rest combined for 17Ks — and went 3-for-3 to raise his batting average to .390, third-best in the New York Penn League. Starting pitcher Christopher McKenzie was knocked from the box with one out in the second, and was charged with eight runs on eight hits and one walk. Somehow he also struck out two.

GCL Nationals L, 4-3 (12 inn.) @ GCL Astros
Starting Pitcher: Mitchell Clegg 2IP 2R 0ER 1BB 2K
Pitching Star #1: Pedro Encarnacion 3IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K
Pitching Star #2: John Santiago 3IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K
Hitting Star: Rondolph Oduber 2-4, SB, 2RBI
Notes: The GCL Nationals fell behind early 2-0 to the GCL Astros, as starter Mitchell Clegg was touched for two unearned runs in the bottom of the 1^st. Stellar relief work from Pedro Encarnacion and John Santiago, who combined for six scoreless innings, kept the G-Nats in it, setting up a would-be comeback with a run in the 4^th and two runs in the top of the 9^th to take a 3-2 lead. Alas, even at this level, the Nationals couldn’t stand the prosperity and gave up the tying run in the bottom of the 9^th and the winning run in the bottom of the 12^th. Randolph Oduber paced the offense with a 2-for-4 afternoon with two RBI.

DSL Nationals L, 4-3 @ DSL Giants
Starting Pitcher: Wander Suero 5IP 2H 0R 0BB 4K
Pitching Star: Karin Burgos 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 0K
Hitting Star: Paul Chacin 2-3, BB
Notes: The game was scoreless until the 7^th, when the DSL Nationals struck for three runs with two hits and aided by two errors. The DSL Giants responded with one run in the bottom half of the inning, then took the lead with a three-run rally of their own in the bottom of the 8^th for what’s known as a sportswriter’s win (because you can start totaling the scorecard and thinking of your lede in the ninth).