Solo home runs from 1B Brad Eldred and LF Mike Vento along with 6 2/3 strong innings from RHP J.D. Martin led the Chiefs to a 3-2 win over the S/W-B Yankees (box/gamer). Both Eldred and Vento were 1/4 for Syracuse. Martine allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out three and not walking a batter to move to 5-2 on the season. RHP Saul Rivera allowed one hit over 1 1/3 innings of relief, striking out two. And, RHP Logan Kensing earned his third save with a scoreless ninth. RF Jorge Padilla was 2/4 with one RBI and CA Gustavo Molina was 2/4 with a double and run scored.
Tonight: Syracuse RHP Marco Estrada (3-1, 4.01) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre LHP Kei Igawa (5-1, 3.39) at 7:05PM
| INT North | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton/WB | 32 | 20 | 0.615 | - |
| Pawtucket | 27 | 24 | 0.529 | 4.5 |
| Rochester | 26 | 24 | 0.520 | 5.0 |
| Syracuse | 25 | 25 | 0.500 | 6.0 |
| Lehigh Valley | 21 | 30 | 0.412 | 10.5 |
| Buffalo | 15 | 35 | 0.300 | 16.0 |
LHP Cory VanAllen and two relievers combined on a seven-hit 3-0 shutout of New Hampshire (box/gamer). VanAllen allowed four hits and two walks over six innings to earn his first win of the season. RHP Josh Wilkie struck out five over 2 1/3 innings of relief, holding the Cats to three hits. And LHP Jack Spradlin earned his first save of the year by getting the final two outs. The Senators managed only five hits of offense but made them count scoring all of their runs in the sixth inning. SS Michael Martinez was 2/3 with a walk and run scored, RF Leonard Davis was 1/3 with a walk and runs scored, and CF Edgardo Baez was 2/4 with a two-run triple and run scored.
Tonight: New Hampshire LHP Luis Perez (4-4, 3.63) at Harrisburg RHP Adrian Alaniz (1-3, 7.56) at 7PM
| EAS Southern | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 33 | 17 | 0.660 | - |
| Erie | 30 | 20 | 0.600 | 3.0 |
| Reading | 28 | 22 | 0.560 | 5.0 |
| Bowie | 26 | 24 | 0.520 | 7.0 |
| Altoona | 16 | 35 | 0.314 | 17.5 |
| Harrisburg | 14 | 34 | 0.292 | 18.0 |
The P-Nats blew an 8-4 lead, allowing Salem to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth but salvaged the 9-8 win on a 12th RBI single by LF Francisco Plasencia and shutout relief from RHP Chris Rivera (box/gamer). Plasencia was 1/4 with two walks, two RBI & two runs scored. 2B Dan Lyons was 1/4 with a double, three stolen bases, and three runs scored including the game winner. CA Sean Rooney was 3/5 with a stolen base & RBI. SS Danny Espinosa was 2/6 with two doubles, two RBI & two runs scored. And, CF Boomer Whiting was 3/5 with a double, two runs and his 20th stolen base of the season. LHP Tom Milone made the start for Potomac, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk over five innings while striking out three. Rivera picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief, walking one and striking out two.
Tonight: Potomac RHP Brad Meyers (3-2, 1.72) at Salem RHP Kyle Weiland (1-5, 6.91) at 7:05PM
| CAR Northern | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynchburg | 34 | 17 | 0.667 | - |
| Potomac | 28 | 21 | 0.571 | 5.0 |
| Wilmington | 26 | 25 | 0.510 | 8.0 |
| Frederick | 25 | 27 | 0.481 | 9.5 |
RHP Justin Phillabaum allowed three six inning runs in relief of starter Jack McGeary as the Suns fell 6-3 to the Crawdads (box/gamer). Phillabaum fell to 0-2 on the season allowing four total runs on five hits over 1 2/3 innings. McGeary, again, had mixed results in his start, allowing two runs on three hits over five innings. He did strikeout four but also walked four. The offense was again paced by Derek Norris who was 2/4 with a three-run home run, his 12th of the season. Norris is hitting 329/417/613 on the season with a Sally League leading 12 homers, 42 RBI, and 106TB.
Tonight: Lake County RHP Trey Haley (0-3, 9.00) at Hagerstown RHP Terrence Engles (4-2, 3.42) at 7:05PM
| SAL Northern | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | 31 | 20 | 0.608 | - |
| Delmarva | 26 | 22 | 0.542 | 3.5 |
| Hickory | 26 | 25 | 0.510 | 5.0 |
| Greensboro | 26 | 26 | 0.500 | 5.5 |
| Kannapolis | 26 | 26 | 0.500 | 5.5 |
| Lake County | 24 | 27 | 0.471 | 7.0 |
| Hagerstown | 23 | 26 | 0.469 | 7.0 |
| West Virginia | 20 | 32 | 0.385 | 11.5 |
The DSL Nationals earned their first win of 2009 with a 10-4 victory over the DSL Indians (box). The DSL Nats were paced by 20-year old CA Anderson Bocio who was 3/5 with a two-run homer and four total RBI. 19-year old RF Wander Ramos was 0/1 with four walks, three stolen bases and three runs scored. 19-year old CF Jesus Morales was 1/3 with a double, two walks, a stolen base and a run scored. And, 23-year old SS Carlos Alvarez was 1/3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. 17-year old RHP Pedro Encarnacion started for the DSL Nats, allowing three unearned runs on two hits and three walks over 2 2/3 innings while striking out three.
Today: DSL Nationals at DSL Reds at 10:30AM [rotations still TBD as games progress]
| DSL B.C. | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSL Padres | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | - |
| DSL White Sox | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | - |
| DSL Orioles | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 1.0 |
| DSL Rockies | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 1.0 |
| DSL Twins | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 1.0 |
| DSL Yankees2 | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 1.0 |
| DSL Cubs1 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 2.0 |
| DSL Diamondbacks | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 2.0 |
| DSL Nationals | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 2.0 |
| DSL Reds | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 2.0 |
| DSL Indians | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 3.0 |
| DSL Tigers | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 3.0 |
#1 by John - June 3rd, 2009 at 09:50
Baez in Harrisburg is getting interesting. He’s only 23 and is playing center. There are certainly questions at center field for the Nats. I like Dukes better in RF. Harris, Bernadina, Maxwell, and Milledge all have question marks. A good, young CF could be a nice addition. Has anyone seen him play?
Nice to see the DSL Nats doing things the right way even though they’re 1-2. Playing a in a real division and seeing the team getting younger is refreshing. Let’s hope they keep it moving in the right direction. It will be interesting to see how guys like Perez and Sanchez do over here this season. They seem to have found a good one in Frias. If they can make this quantity over quality strategy work for IFAs, it will definitely help. Lots of prospects is a good thing:)
I read that Law thinks Scheppers is going to slip out of the first round. While it’s hard to believe, imagine the Nats getting Stras, Gibson/Jenkins, and Scheppers in one draft.
#2 by Eric - June 3rd, 2009 at 10:50
I’m starting to feel bad for JD Martin… I wonder if he will ever get his chance at a promotion. I’m also starting to feel for Solano, Rooney, and Norris who are all stuck a “level” too low.
#3 by AlexVA - June 3rd, 2009 at 10:51
To Eric, with McCatty’s promotion if he is deemed to be worthy of a shot I’m sure he’d get it.
#4 by Andrew F. - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:03
What’s up with McGeary’s control, or lack thereof?
#5 by expo_ram - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:03
Is it just me or are the errors rampant throughout our system? It seems every day our starters at every level are giving up “2 runs (1 earned)”.
These same pitchers throughout the org seem to be performing. Forget for a second ALL the kids we have in the bigs – look at Martin, Meyers, Arnesen, Clippard, Everts, Zinicola, Martinez, Spradlin, Mandel, Milone, Engles, Frias, Rodriguez, etc. Add to that the potential of McGeary, Smoker, Willems, Balester, VanAllen, Demny, etc. as well as the addition of (hopefully) a Straburg and a Leake, the pitching is looking good.
The hitting – that’s a different story (re: Marrero and Burgess struck out 7 of 12 official AB last night).
#6 by Wallyball - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:11
I wouldn’t worry, Eric. With only two starters with ERAs below 5, I think that there are going to be plenty of chances for everyone.
#7 by VladiHondo - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:17
Noticed the reason they kept Eleazar Cuevas as a 22 yr old in the DSL – he’s switched to pitching from being an OF! Got the win in relief of Encarnacion.
#8 by Andrew F. - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:20
Story in SI says Bryce Harper is trying to make himself eligible for the 2010 draft. Boing.
#9 by John - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:28
Andrew: Do you have a link? How awesome would that be. The Nats deserve a break after MLB screwed them for years.
#10 by Brian Oliver - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:29
John – see the new post
#11 by cjrugger - June 3rd, 2009 at 11:56
expo_ram: Its minor league baseball, I bet if you looked around other orgs you’d see the same kind of thing
#12 by rukidding - June 3rd, 2009 at 12:39
Is their a player in Hagerstown that could replace King at Potomac? 17 errors and hitting around .200!!! Come On!
#13 by Chris - June 3rd, 2009 at 13:09
Steven Souza is the full-time third basemen in Hagerstown. But from all acconts, he’s struggled with the glove just as much as King has.
Speaking of Hagerstown, what’s up with Stephen Englund? The kid hasn’t had a hit since early May. Starting to look more and more like we wasted a 2nd round pick on him.