Columbus was outslugged by Pawtucket dropping an 11-6 decision in the final day game in Cooper Stadium (box/gamer). 25-year old RHP Marco Estrada allowed five runs on six hits and three walks over 6IP while striking out six. A rehabbing Ryan Wagner was torched for five runs on six hits and one walk in just one plus inning of work. 26-year old RHP Josh Perrault made his Columbus debut, pitching out of trouble in the seventh. He walked two but didn’t allow a run and struck out a pair. 23-year old RHP Zech Zinicola allowed a solo homer in his one inning of relief. Newly acquired 23-year old 2B Emilio Bonifacio was 2/5 with a run scored; 24-year old CF Roger Bernadina was 1/4 with a stolen base & RBI; 24-year old LF Leonard Davis was 2/4 with two doubles, two runs & one RBI; 27-year old 1B Larry Broadway was 3/4 with a run scored; and 25-year old SS William Bergolla was 2/3 with two doubles & two RBI.
Record: Columbus 56-48, 3rd place IL West (5GB)
Tonight: RHP Craig Stammen (0-0, 4.50) makes his first start for Columbus in Norfolk against LHP Chris Waters (3-5, 6.08) 7:15PM
Harrisburg took an an 8-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth before 24-year old RHP Adam Carr made it too interesting for the Senators liking, holding on for an 8-7 win (box/gamer). 25-year old RHP Zack Segovia made it back to Double-A in 2008, this time for the Senators (he had four appearances for the Phillies earlier this season). Segovia scattered eight hits and three runs over 5 2/3IP with three strikeouts. In the ninth, Carr recorded the first two outs, before a walk double, and walk loaded the bases for top Orioles prospect Matt Wieters who deposited Carr’s first offering over the fence for a grand slam cutting the lead to one. Fortunately for Carr and the Senators, he got the final out avoiding any further damage. 25-year old DH Matt Rogelstad was 3/5 with two RBI; 27-year old 2B Seth Bynum was 1/5 with a three-run home run; 24-year old LF Marvin Lowrance was 2/4 with two RBI; 23-year old CF Mike Daniel was 3/6; and 22-year old SS Ian Desmond was 2/5 with a stolen base and two runs scored.
Record: Harrisburg 57-46, 3rd place EL South (5GB)
Tonight: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (4-2, 3.50) versus Altoona LHP Kyle Bloom (2-4, 4.09) 6:35PM
Potomac saw one former first rounder continue to flounder while another showed flashes of what made him an early selection in their 7-5 loss at home to Kinston (box/gamer). 2008 first rounder, 22-year old LHP Ross Detwiler, struggled through 4 2/3 innings surrendering seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks with just one strikeout. Meanwhile, 2002 first rounder, 23-year old RHP Clint Everts struck out eight over 3 1/3 one-hit shutout innings of relief, including the first seven outs he recorded. 23-year old RF Aaron Seuss was 1/4 with a triple, run & two RBI; 24-year old 1B Andrew Lefave was 2/4 with a run scored; and 25-year old 3B Trevor Lawhorn was 2/3 with a double & RBI.
Record: Potomac 18-14, 1st place Carolina North (1.5 games ahead)
Tonight: Potomac travels to Frederick for tonight’s 7:00PM … pitchers TBD, it’s likely to be someone called up from Hagerstown, RHPs Bradley Meyers or Hassan Pena
Hagerstown did not play on Thursday.
Record: Hagerstown 15-18, 4th place Sally North (9GB)
Tonight: It’s RHP Bradley Meyers (6-4, 4.61) turn in the rotation as the Suns welcome Greensboro to Hagerstown 7:05PM
Vermont struck out an alarming eighteen times in an 8-1 loss in Brooklyn (box/gamer). 19-year old RHP Patrick Arnold’s debut was inauspicious as he allowed six runs on five hits and three walks over only 2 1/3IP. 22-year old RHP Johan Figuereo had the strongest pitching performance for the Monsters allowing only two hits and striking out three in two shutout innings of relief. 21-year old CF Michael Guerrero was 2/3 with a solo homer, 22-year old DH Chris Solis was 1/3 with a double, and 20-year old SS Dani Arias was 1/2 … accounting for all four Vermont hits.
Record: Vermont 18-16, 1st place NYP Stedler (1 game ahead)
Tonight: LHP Ricardo Pecina (0-2, 4.22) takes the mound as the Monsters host Lowell 7:05PM
The GCL Nationals did not play on Thursday
Record: GCL Nats 16-12, 2nd place GCL East (1.5GB)
Today: GCL Nats at GCL Cardinals 12:00PM
The DSL Nationals1 defeated their Nationals2 counterparts 4-2 in a rain-shortened seven-inning game (box). 20-year old RHP Antonio Guzman picked up the win for the Nats1, with six shutout innings allowing three hits and one walk while striking out eleven. 23-year old LHP Jose Santana allowed both runs (one earned) on three hits over 1IP, striking out two. For the Nats2, 19-year old RHP Victor Mota allowed only one hit and one walk over 5IP with five strikeouts. 19-year old LHP Raudy Almonte took the loss allowing four runs on four hits and one walk in just one inning of work.
For the Nats1: 18-year old LF Jesus Morales was 1/2 with a walk, RBI, run & two stolen bases; 19-year old RF Angelberth Montilla was 1/3 with a double, run & RBI; and 17-year old 2B Adrian Sanchez was 1/3 with a run scored. For the Nats2: 21-year old CF Isidro Montesino was 2/3 with a triple and 21-year old SS Francisco Frias was 2/3 with a run scored.
Notes: The DSL All-Star game is scheduled for Sunday. Representing the Nationals will be 21-year old RHP Ruben De La Rosa, 18-year old OF Eury Perez, and Montilla.
Record: DSL Nats1 40-6, 1st place DSL S.D. West (20 games ahead); DSL Nats2 18-29, 3rd place DSL S.D. West (22.5GB)
Today: DSL Nats1 versus DSL Tigers; DSL Nats2 versus DSL Padres; both games 10:30AM
Chris | 25-Jul-08 at 8:28 am | Permalink
What a wasted year for Detwiller. The decision to bring him up last year is looking worse by the day
Foxsports says the Dodgers were in on the Rauch negotiations but refused to give up Ivan De Jesus (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=De%20Jesus%20%202B&pos=&sid=t564&t=p_pbp&pid=474443)
Im glad to see the organization was focusing on middle infield talent. De Jesus was also given the Dodgers “best strike zone discipline” by Baseball America
Jon | 25-Jul-08 at 8:57 am | Permalink
Detwiler is having a bad year however last night was far from his doing. The first run scored should have been unearned except the Potomac scorer always feels the need to credit a hit rather then an error. The 5,6, and 7 run were do to yet another Lawhorn error. While this has not been Detwiler’s year, he has progressed in his command, yet consistency is still a problem.
MiLBFan | 25-Jul-08 at 9:34 am | Permalink
Jon, I totally agree. If a runner is running right by you while you are holding the ball, usually, you want to tag him out…. Box scores aside (this is a developmental league), Detwiler’s ability to adjust has significantly improved. As someone commented on another entry, all his pitches were around the strike zone. I am thrilled for Clint.
expo_ram | 25-Jul-08 at 10:37 am | Permalink
So bad day for pitchers (Detwiler, Carr, Estrada, Wagner, Zinicola, Arnold). Good day for hitters (Guerrero, Lowrence, Davis, Desmond, Daniel, Broadway, Rogelstad).
Interesting that Everts is only one year older than Detwiler - what to do with him?
And the DSL pitchers, I mean what is the deal - look at these numbers (W/L/ERA/IP/BB/SO/WHIP):
O. Rodriguez 10/0/1.11/56.2/19/84/0.97
Juan Martinez 7/0/1.13/56.0/13/59/0.91
Jose Santana 4/0/2.52/39.1/10/34/1.17
Wilson Eusebio 3/1/1.48/24.1/10/29/0.99
R. De La Rosa 2/0/1.17/15.1/5/27/0.98 (7sv)
Jonathan Molino 2/0/1.23/29.1/10/39/0.95
One or more of them can’t get a look at GCL? BTW Brian, the box said Guzman started for DSL1?
Brian Oliver | 25-Jul-08 at 11:10 am | Permalink
There could be some more movement on the horizon with the Olympics coming up. Matt Rogelstad will soon leave Harrisburg, Yurendell de Caster and Shairon Martis will leave Columbus.
After that, Columbus is down two spots; Harrisburg one; Potomac is stil down one; and now Hagerstown is down two. That leaves lots of opportunities to move guys.
Pilchard | 25-Jul-08 at 11:45 am | Permalink
I was thinking the same thing that Detwiler and Everts are only one year apart. Good to here that Detwiler pitched better than his stats. That said, he is miles away from being the dominant pitcher that he was projected to be. If we looked at all the pitchers in the system just at their performance with no knowledge of their production, Detwiller would be an after-thought. Any way you cut it; he has had a disappointing year.
Mark | 25-Jul-08 at 11:54 am | Permalink
Agreed. And maybe it takes 2-3 seasons for Ross to get it right, and maybe we need to re-set our expectations for him. And maybe just sending him to Harrisburg “just ’cause” would be a good thing - see some different hitters and a new environment. He’s got the tools to be a great pitcher, maybe it’s just a head game with him.
AlexVA | 25-Jul-08 at 11:55 am | Permalink
If you look only at stats, I agree he does not stand out. Last night was my first look and I have to say I was disappointed. I can only recall a few swings and misses. But he still has a very live arm and no matter when he was selected, you don’t turn your back on those.
Chris | 25-Jul-08 at 12:08 pm | Permalink
It seems after every start someone comes on here and says he pitched better than the stats. That cant be the case everytime. Hes made 20 starts and his era in his last 10 is 2 full runs worse than his first 10. It is what it is at this point.
Ryan Zimmerman | 25-Jul-08 at 12:39 pm | Permalink
It was indeed a really bad day for pitchersAny chance Eury Perez plays for the gcl at the end of this season? He looks like an intriguing prospect, he turned 18 years old not so long ago. Burgess has also slowed down after showing lots of power early on.
Rocket Surgeon | 25-Jul-08 at 3:14 pm | Permalink
The P-Nats announcer made a comment during last night’s game that stuck in my mind. He spoke to Ryan Zimmerman while he was rehabbing with the P-Nats. RZ said Detwiler has all the tools to be a good pitcher at the ML level. All he needed to do, according to RZ, was develop “a killer instinct”. Fine tuning someone’s mechanics is one thing, but a 1st round pitcher lacking the mental toughness to be dominant is another.
I think Detwiler has a $1 million arm but a 10 cent brain. When he gets in trouble, he’s not mentally tough enough to pitch his way out of it. That’s always been a problem with college draft choices from uncompetitive, low-RPI conferences. No competition, little pressure, no requirement to sometimes win “ugly”. Check out how his old teammate at MS, Brett Sinkbeil, is doing currently.
Rocket Surgeon | 25-Jul-08 at 3:25 pm | Permalink
From BA ’s “Not Hot” segment of the weekly Prospect Hot Sheet:
Ross Detwiler, lhp, Nationals. Detwiler struck out nine in back-to-back starts for high Class A Potomac in late May, but since getting hit hard on May 30, he’s struggled mightily, with a 5.80 ERA in 45 innings over nine starts. There’s no one culprit—20 walks, five homers allowed, 55 hits allowed—it’s all been rough, and it’s not what the Nationals envisioned when they drafted the 22-year-old sixth overall in 2007.
EdDC | 25-Jul-08 at 5:55 pm | Permalink
Aaron Crow is a guy the pros and the fans can agree on–he won all kinds of awards and recognition, had a fabulous record, a lively fastball, played for a top conference, etc.
In contrast, Detwiler is a good case for “the pros vs. the fans.” The pros see things that mere fans cannot see, all the mechanics, how he projects, the command, the variety of pitches, all the ingredients of a top pitcher.
The fans usually can’t see all that–they only see a guy who did not knock the socks off batters in the Missouri Valley Conference while at Missouri State. In fact, many people did not know there was a Missouri State. So why reach up and grab Detwiler at in the upper part of round one, when there were guys with far better records, a better fastball, and who played in a top conference like the SEC or ACC.
So who knows? I’m still hopeful. I wondered about the pick, but am still thinking the pros, who get paid the big bucks to make these projections, know a lot more than many of us could. It is a bit peculiar, though.