NationalsProspects.com

Friday’s News & Notes

Team Yesterday Today Pitching Probables
Rochester Lost, 4-3 vs. Worcester, 6:45 p.m. Abbott (2-4, 5.71) vs. Drohan (4-4, 5.52)
Harrisburg Lost, 3-2 vs. Reading, 7 p.m. Parker (9-4, 4.70) vs. Osterberg (1-0, 5.91)
Wilmington Won, 7-1 vs. Jersey Shore, 6:35 p.m. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ vs. Neunborn (2-2, 3.03)
Fredericksburg @ Salem, 7:05 p.m. Sullivan (1-0, 5.06) vs. C. Nunez (0-1, 6.75)

Worcester 4 Rochester 3
• Peralta 5IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 3BB, 6K
• Banda (L, 0-3) 2IP, 1H, 2R, 0ER, 3BB, 3K
• J. Young 2-4, R, HR, 2RBI
• Baker 2-4, R, 3B

Two Rochester errors led to three unearned runs in a 4-3 loss to Worcester. Wily Peralta turned in five innings of two-run ball (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out six. The loss went Anthony Banda, who let in two unearned runs on one hit and three walks over two innings. In the 3rd, Jacob Young hit his first AAA home run, followed by a triple by Darren Baker and a fielder’s choice by Luis García. Young delivered the third and final Rochester run on a two-out single in the 7th. The Red Wings totaled and two walks on the afternoon, going 1-for-4 with RISP and leaving on six.

Reading 3 Harrisburg 2
• Rainey 1IP, 0H, 0R, 2BB, 2K
• Alvarez (L, 0-2) 5⅔ IP, 5H, 3R, 2ER, 0BB, 7K, 2HR, WP
• House 1-4, R, 2B
• Cluff 1-3, R, BB, E

Andrew Alvarez got taken deep twice for all three Fightin Runs as the Senators couldn’t push across the equalizer in the late innings for a 3-2 loss. Alvarez gave up five hits total and walked two over five and 2/3rds innings, coming on in the 2nd after Tanner Rainey “worked on some stuff” for two walks and two whiffs. Jackson Cluff was the sole Harrisburg batters to reach base twice (single, walk) while Brady House had the only extra-base hit, his seventh double. Roster moves: RHP Tanner Rainey assigned from Washington for MLB rehab.



Wilmington 7 Jersey Shore 1
• Ward 4IP, 3H, 0R, 1BB, 2K
• Diaz (W, 2-4) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 2K
• Lile 2-4, R, BB, RBI
• Frizzell 2-5, R, 2B(10), RBI
• Pinckney 1-3, R, 2BB, 2K

Wilmington scored in each of its first four “ups” to build a 7-0 lead and held for a 7-1 win. Thad Ward made a rehab start and tossed four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walks while striking out two. The win went to Dannel Diaz with two scoreless innings as the most effective reliever. Daylen Lile (two singles and a walk), Andrew Pinckney (two walks and a single), and Kevin Made (three walks) reached three times and scored a run while Will Frizzell stroked his 10th High-A double (12th overall) to lead the Blue Rocks offense. Roster moves: RHP Thad Ward assigned from Washington for MLB rehab.

Salem 2 Fredericksburg 1
• Cornelio 6IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 7K, BK
• Schultz (L, 0-1) ⅔ IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 2K, WP
• Emiliani 1-3, R, BB
• Nuñez 1-3, BB, 2SB

The FredNats’ four-game win streak went buh-bye on a dropped third strike for a 2-1 loss to the Red Sox. Thomas Schultz dropped a 59½’ hammer that bounced just far enough away from Wilmer Perez for Salem’s Jhostynxon Garcia to beat the throw down to 1st. It was his first pro loss. Riley Cornelio notched his second quality start with one run allowed on six hits and a walk and seven whiffs. Elijah Nuñez and Leandro Emiliani both walked and singled with Nuñez stealing two bases and Emiliani scoring the lone Fredericksburg run on a Salem error.

20 Commments

  1. It’s a pleasant surprise to see the Nats using Ward as a starter in his rehab, after refusing to do so earlier this season. It should be emphasized that before this season, the last time Ward pitched in relief was in 2018 in his junior year of college. I understand why the Nats used him in long relief as a R5 pick, and it’s good to see now that they’ve secured him on the roster for the remainder of the season, that they’re reverting back to the most sensible course for him in 2024.

    Andrew Alvarez has yet another good outing.

    Jacob Young is forcing people to take him seriously. Despite the buzz surrounding some other OFs in the org, Young is now the one best poised to contribute to the big league team, especially at a time when one of the Nats starting LF went down with a season ending injury, and the weakest spot on the roster is at CF. Alex Call seems like a great guy, but his slash of .202/.306/.305 just doesn’t cut it.

    In the meantime, I hope Alu gets an extended run out between the IF and LF.

  2. The good on Elijah Green; saw a video of a game the other day where he a routine single to right and he was so fast he landed up at 2nd.
    The bad is he now has 223 AB’s at Low A and has a 51% K rate.

  3. Lara tonight I bet
    Luke great character meme typed out to say “ I don’t know “ minus the Horse shack voice , Mr Kotter !

  4. Ward should be interesting by April 24.
    One never has enough arrows in the quiver to throw at the league .
    Lara tonight
    But no Theophile to be seen

  5. Sad to say but I really don’t see how Luis García is part of the Nats’ future anymore.

    Will probably get traded during the off-season.

    1. JFF will be in Reno tonight
      Guess I’ll put a few bucks on Adon tonight lol.
      Hum baby , Joan !!
      Now to get Rodney T out of the time share on the ocean from his
      sabbatical .

  6. It doesn’t take a stats geek to know that Alu is significantly better at the hot corner than Kieboom is. But the Nats continue their stubborn insistence that Kieboom is a 3B. Sigh. At least both guys are hitting some. To echo Will from yesterday, there’s no reason that Vargas should be getting PT over those guys.

    Of course the real battle for the future is 2B. Third base will belong to House when he’s ready. As Nick says, Garcia no longer looks certain to be a part of the future, plus I think he will be out of options. At least they’ve got a good crop of 2B candidates from among Alu, Kieboom, Lipscomb, Baker, and Garcia.

    With Thad Ward, Gore only pitched 87 innings last year and is at 127 this year. I doubt they push him more than 150 or so. Irvin is just in his second year back from TJ. So there are some shutdowns coming.

    2. Let’s not forget that Jake ‘no respect’ Alu was rated the best defensive 3rd baseman in all of the minors last year. Yet the f.o. won’t play him there at all this year. Let him have a shot this year.
      First Libscomb and then House will be coming in ’24 and ’25 but Alu deserves a shot.

  7. What do we project out of the bats @ 1 b / DH with Tostado , Frizzell , and White .
    May not matter with Yo- yo projecting upward fast .

  8. Fred MD just pondering how those three 1 b bats gain traction going forward in 2024 if they can get away from Wilmington Polo Grounds

  9. Kieboom’s power dried up in the second half of 2019 and still hasn’t returned. He’s got to prove that he can hit for some at the MLB level before he can get into a 1B conversation, or any conversation really. His career SLG at the MLB level, in 421 plate appearances, is .298. Even at Rochester this year it was only .385. It would be great if he actually, finally turns into something, but it also would be somewhat surprising.

    It seems more likely that they will sign an established big bat for 1B/DH role. Fingers crossed that Morales can be that guy at some point.

      1. I want to bang my head every time I hear that Dom Smith is a great clubhouse guy. So please keep him in the clubhouse and not on the field . . .

Comments are closed.