There are some parallels to the 2010 season and the 2011 season for the Potomac Nationals. Both teams started slowly…VERY slowly, getting into offensive funks that saw both teams get shut out seven times. The 2010 edition finished the first half at 31-39, ten games behind Frederick; the ’11 guys were 29-40 and twelve games …
This has not been a good fall for Pat Lehman. The 25-year-old was charged with his third loss and first blown save in an 8-4 loss by the Scottsdale Scorpions. Lehman was greeted with a single and an RBI double in the sixth before he got his first out, a grounder to short. A stolen …
As promised, here’s a look at how the Nationals are doing in the various winter leagues, starting with the Arizona Fall League. All statistics as of October 23rd as 2:19 a.m. EDT. AFL HITTERS AFL PITCHERS DWL HITTERS DWL PITCHERS VWL HITTERS VWL PITCHERS MWL PITCHERS For the most part, the numbers here aren’t stunning, …
Zach Walters’ two-run shot in the top of the 8th broke a 4-4 tie as the Scottsdale Scorpions scored five times over the final two innings for a 9-4 win over the Phoenix Desert Dogs.
Walters had been 0-for-4 for the afternoon and finished 1-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. Defensively, he played third base and had a putout, an assist, but made his second error.
Derek Norris went 1-for-3 and walked twice and had 11 putouts (all Ks) while playing catcher. Phoenix did not attempt to steal a base.
With the win, Scottsdale’s record stands at 5-11. This week it’s home-and-home games against Peoria, Mesa and Salt River with night games on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
Friday was not a good day for the Nats pitchers in the AFL, as they gave up 12 runs in a 13-8 loss by Scottsdale to Surprise. Matt Purke made his first AFL start but, as the pic suggests, was knocked around and retired just one of the eight batters he faced. The final damages: …
Another light afternoon for the Nats farmhands in Arizona Fall League as the Scottsdale Scorpions fell for the 10th time by a 4-1 count.
Bryce Harper returned to the lineup and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout while playing left field, where he made two putouts. After 10 games, Harper is working a .211/.302/.395 line.
Zach Walters was the designated hitter but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, lowering his triple-slash stats to .200/.250/.267.
Scottsdale finishes out the week with afternoon tilts against Surprise today and Phoenix tomorrow.
The 2011 season was the first winning season in the five years that Washington has been affiliated with Hagerstown. The 75-64 record was a 10½ game improvement over the 2010 season. But ultimately, the curse of high expectations that surrounds all things Bryce Harper made the 2011 season a disappointment in many fans’ eyes. It …
Yesterday was Derek Norris’s day to silence the haters doubters. The 22-year-old catcher went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI and even stole a base.
Meanwhile, the Scottsdale Scorpions lost 6-5 on two runs given up in the 9th to stop their one-game win streak and fall to 4-9 for the season. Zach Walters also appeared in the game and went 1-for-2 with two walks while playing third base (one assist).
Norris also threw out two runners, which prompted lightning-rod Keith Law of ESPN to remark/answer:
Q: How has Norris’ receiving looked? Can he catch in the majors?
A: Fine. Yes.
Law also remarked that the HR came on a 96mph fastball that Norris lined over the left-field fence in the 8th inning. The three hits raised Norris’s oft-criticized batting average to .286, his on-base percentage to .364 while the six total bases improved his slugging percentage to .429.
Scottsdale’s skid ends at five with an 11-10 win in 10 innings that featured a breakout performance by Bryce Harper.
Playing left field, Harper was a triple shy of the cycle while going 3-for-4 with a single, double, homer, two walks, two runs scored, and three RBI. Defensively, Harper had no putouts and made a throwing error, his second of the AFL season.
Derek Norris started off slow, striking out twice and flying out to center before drawing two walks and singling in the game-tying run in the top of the ninth. He was the Scorpions’ designated hitter.
Sammy Solis continues to struggle, allowing four runs on five hits (including a home run) and four walks while striking out four over three innings. After three starts, opponents are batting .325 against him and he’s walked eight in 10 innings.
Lastly, in a non-AFL note, the Nationals returned Rule 5 pick Elvin Ramirez to the Mets after spending the season on the D.L. after shoulder surgery.
It’s starting to feel like the GCL in the AFL, as the Scottsdale Scorpions were stung for their fifth straight loss by a 7-4 count. Just one National farmhand saw game action, as Bryce Harper doubled to lead off the 4th inning in the course of going 1-for-4. He was later thrown out at the …