With Joel Hanrahan scheduled to make the start tonight for the Nationals, the Clippers turned to Levale Speigner for last night’s game against Indianapolis. Speigner was torched for eight runs on nine hits in only 3 1/3 innings in a 13-2 loss to the Indians (box). CF Brandon Watson was 3/4 with one RBI and a pair of doubles. Watson is 11/17 over his last four games. 3B Kory Casto was 2/4 and CA Juan Brito was 2/4 with a solo home run, his second of the season.
Tonight: With regularly scheduled starter Brandon Claussen on the DL, newly promote RHP Josh Hall (NR) makes his first Columbus start at home this evening against Pawtucket and RHP David Pauley (6-3, 3.88) at 7:05PM
Harrisburg left the tying run at 3B with one out in the top of the ninth inning as the Senators dropped an 8-7 decision in Erie (box/gamer). After loading the bases with one out, PR Seth Bynum scored on a wild pitch putting the tying run 90 feet away. LF Sheldon Fulse struck out and 3B Dan Dement walked to reload the bases, but DH Josh Whitesell struck out as the rally came up one run short. Fulse was 2/4 with a pair of runs scored. Dement was 2/4 with a double, three-run homer and four total RBI. Over his last 10 games, Dement is hitting 0.400 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI. Whitesell was 2/5 with a two-run home run. Starter Jim Magrane was touched up for seven runs on twelve hits over six innings of work. And, reliever Zech Zinicola pitches two innings , walking one and striking out allowing a solo home run. Notes: The Senators added RHRP Alex Morales from Columbus.
Tonight: RHP Jerome Williams (0-2, 8.26) versus Erie LHP Jon Connolly (5-4, 4.00) at 7:05PM
Potomac outlasted Salem in twelve innings winning the game 4-2 on a two-run home run by 2B Brandon Powell (box). SS Ian Desmond was 2/7 with a double, one stole base and a run scored. CF Justin Maxwell was 2/7 with a double and two RBI. RF Mike Daniel was 2/5 with two walks and a double. LF Chris Marrero was 0/6 with five strikeouts. And, CA Devin Ivany was 3/5 with a run scored. Over his last 10 games, Ivany is batting 0.364 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Clint Everts started in place of regularly scheduled pitcher Cory VanAllen and allowed only one run on two hits in 3 2/3 innings with two strikeouts. Jack Spradlin took over in relief and threw 2 2/3 shutout innings allowing only three hits. Adam Carr picked up the win in relief pitching three perfect innings, striking out four. Carr is 2-0 with five saves and a 1.26ERA and 0.91WHIP in nine July appearances. Over 14 1/3 innings, he has struck out 18 and walked five. Eddy Baeza picked up his sixth save of the season with a scoreless twelfth.
Tonight: RHP Shairon Martis (8-7, 4.74) versus Salem LHP Brian Bogusevic (9-6, 3.70) at 6:07PM
Hagerstown dropped the completion of their suspended game from Thursday 7-1 before blanking West Virginia 9-0 in the regularly scheduled match-up (box1/box2). The Suns relievers who took over for Erik Arnesen struggled through the final five innings allowing all seven runs on seven hits and five walks. Hagerstown could only muster four hits on offense, all singles by 3B Leonard Davis, RF Joe Napoli, 1B Robbie Jacobsen, and DH John Poppert. In the regularly scheduled game, Jeff Mandel and Buzz Vargas combined on the three hit shutout. Mandel went six innings allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out two. SS Marcos Cabral was 2/4 with a triple and four RBI. This month, the 23-year old Cabral is hitting 284/368/412 in 25 games. Leonard Davis was 1/3 with a solo home run.
Tonight: LHP Zach Baldwin (3-0, 2.12) wraps up the series in West Virginia against RHP Donovan Hand (0-0, 0.00) at 7:05PM
Pitching has not been an issue with the Lake Monsters in 2007 and Friday was no difference as Vermont pulled off a ten-inning 1-0 victory on a bases loaded walk to Jonathan Martinez (box/gamer). Hassan Pena, Matt Perks, and Ryan Buchter combined to allow only seven hits and five walks while striking out six (Alberto Tavarez pitched to one batter, hitting him in the head). RF Aaron Seuss was 2/4 extending his hitting streak to 13 games.
Tonight: LHP Glenn Gibson (3-0, 0.87 ERA) takes on Brooklyn at 6:00PM
The GCL Nationals did not play.
Today: The GCL Nationals play the GCL Marlins at 10:00AM
The DSL Nationals1 dropped a 7-2 decision to the DSL Tigers (box). 3B Yeurys Tejeda was 2/3 with an RBI. And, CF Eury Perez was 1/3 with a triple and a run scored. 19-year old RHP Julio Perez was the pitching highlight going four shutout innings allowing one hit and one walk while striking out five.
Today: The DSL Nationals1 host the DSL Padres at 11:00AM
The DSL Nationals2 did not play.
Today: The DSL Nationals2 visit the DSL Mets at 11:00AM
dd | 28-Jul-07 at 1:26 pm | Permalink
Brian, do you think there is any chance Carr is promoted to Harrisburg before the end of the year?
I believe he wil be turning 24 next year. For a recent convert to full time pitching. he is doing very well.
roberto | 28-Jul-07 at 1:52 pm | Permalink
Brian.
Can you answer the question I asked you 2 days ago about Marcos Cabral? What else does he has to do to be promoted after hitting over 300 the whole season at Hagerstown?
What are the Nationals plan with those very old players without future that are holding the promotion of the youngters?
Suns Fan | 28-Jul-07 at 1:59 pm | Permalink
They’re trying to teach Cabral SS. He’s a terrible fielder. He may be hitting well, but lots of that was when he was a role player when Marrero and company were still here.
Since then, he’s been slumping. His average has fallen from 330 to 300 over the past month and a half. Then again, he doesn’t have as much protection in the offense as he did before. Still he has more protection than Davis, who is either backed up by Napoli or Guzman in the line-up.
Of the two, I think Davis is the better player. He has the better arm. He’s a better athlete. He could learn to play outfield as a sub in time, and he has good power. He’s getting better about not swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone. Because of his left-handed bat, I could see him making it to the majors as a utility player.
roberto | 28-Jul-07 at 3:19 pm | Permalink
I am sorry “Suns fan” (no name). I have nothing against Leonard Davis, he is a graet prospect. I ,even, am not comparing him with Marcos. Comparing Marcos and Leonard in deffense is a sacrilege, if you know any thing about baseball just look at the foot work, hands and ball release of both of them. Anyways you said Marcos dropped 30 points in July. What about Leonard? You thjink it is easy to keep a 330 average in a season? Here the numbers of both of them in July.
Average: Marcos 290; Leonard 242.
runs 10 13
hits 29 23
H2 8 5
H3 1 1
H4 1 4
RBI 15 17
BB 11 6
SO 13 25
E 4 4
Note: Marcos is a year younger, he miss last year and the whole spring trainning and the first month of the season because injury. It is his first time at long season ball.
I really think Both deserve to be promoted.
Suns Fan | 29-Jul-07 at 4:05 pm | Permalink
They both still have problems. Davis tries to do too much sometimes, and pays for it. Cabral is not a natural short stop. He’s really a second baseman. They’ve made about the same number of errors, if you consider the fact that Cabral has played less games.
Davis went from .257 when Marrero and company were promoted to Potomac. After that, when he started to play every day, he got hot and his average went up to .295 in the middle of July. He’s dropped to .285 since then. Cabral has Davis to back him up, and he is getting better stuff to hit. Davis is somewhat of a free swinger, and other teams are taking advantage of it.
I think they both should be bound for double A next year–maybe even triple A for Cabral. But, for now, I think they need to stay where they are and address the one or two things that are keeping them back (free swinging for Davis, and bad defense for Cabral. I’ve seen several games since they moved him to shortstop, and it hasn’t been pretty. Does he have the athletic talent to pull it off? Absolutely. But that won’t happen at a higher level. They need to stay where they are for now).
roberto | 29-Jul-07 at 6:13 pm | Permalink
Suns Fan
I don’t know how, but you took me out of my question to Brian. I were not comparing Marcos Cabral and Leonard Davis. You are right in some of your statements but unfortunately your judgment needs more fundament.
Cabral was signed for his defense hoping for his hitting potential to develop. After three years of frustration because injuries, finally Cabral is showing that he can hit. You have to understand that after one year out of baseball with a injury in his knee he has to makes several ajustments to be the infielder that he was before the injury. The worst place to do this is Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, one of the worst baseball field in the minors. Marcos have been a SS all his life and contrary of what you say, he is learnning to play second. He is ajusting to play different positions this year and that, at the beginning is hard, that’s why most of Marcos errors are throwing(different angles). If they allow Marcos to play several games at SS you gonna see a different result. May be you are right when you say Marcos and Davis got to stay in lower A, and show in spring trainning what they can do next year, but remember that some of the players that are in short season have to move up, and my point is that, what are doing the Nationals keeping guys like Alexander and Albernathy in AAA, and Bynum in AA, holding guys like Dement, Powell, Rogelstad, and Thissen, that at the same time are holding Desmond, Cabral and Davis for example?
Benji | 29-Jul-07 at 9:03 pm | Permalink
Guess what, whitesell hit another homerun. hope to see him in a Nats uni soon!
Louis J. | 30-Jul-07 at 10:41 am | Permalink
TO: Sun Fan and roberto
Play nice!! But, look at the prospects that the Nats drafted in 2006/2007! Neither Cabral or Davis are in the Nationals future plans and will play where the Nats need help. The Nats are more concerned about finding a good utility infielder(above average defense, plays 2B,SS,3B with some hitting/speed ability)who can be a bench player for the big team. The job would be Ian Desmond’s if he could show more consistency. Therefore, I say the Nats are more concerned about Desmond advancement than Cabral or Davis.
Suns Fan | 30-Jul-07 at 7:45 pm | Permalink
Don’t knock Municipal Stadium–it’s one of the best old parks around. We here love it. But yes, it is prone to flooding.
Cabral played a better second base than he has a short stop. He’s made several errors on routine ground balls, or throws since they sent him over to short. They, in my view, had nothing to do with the field.
Davis could be a good utility player. He can pretty much play all the infield, and right. They should move him up next year, and see what he does. He’s a good hitter…