Columbus did not play on Thursday.
Record: Columbus 62-62, 3rd place IL West (14GB … 18 games to play)
Tonight: RHP Craig Stammen (1-2, 10.07) versus Louisville RHP Ramon Ramirez (2-4, 3.35), 7:25PM
Harrisburg won a slugfest in New Hampshire holding off the Fisher Cats 13-11 (box/gamer). 25-year old RHP Zack Segovia lasted only 2/3 of an inning allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits and one walk. 28-year old LHP Tim Bittner picked up the win in relief allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over 5 1/3IP. 26-year old RHP Josh Perrault and 24-year old RHP Adam Carr allowed four combined runs on six hits in their three combined innings of work. Every Harrisburg starter had at least one hit and either scored or drove in a run. 25-year old DH Garrett Guzman was 1/4 with a grand slam homer; 22-year old SS Ian Desmond was 3/5 with a double, two runs & two RBI; 23-year old CF Mike Daniel was 2/5 with two runs scored; 23-year old RF Edgardo Baez was 2/5 with three runs scored; and 23-year old 1B Bill Rhinehart was 2/4 with a double, RBI & run scored.
Record: Harrisburg 68-58, 3rd place EL South (6GB … 16 games to play)
Tonight: LHP Cory VanAllen (3-2, 5.05) at Portland RHP Ryne Lawson (1-0, 4.09), 7:00PM
Potomac dropped their third straight game, losing 6-3 in the series opener in Myrtle Beach (box/gamer). 23-year old RHP Hassan Pena made the start, allowing two runs on three hits and six walks over 4IP but did not factor in the decision. Recently promoted RHP Kyle Gunderson made his Potomac debut with two innings of relief allowing a solo home run over his 2IP with one strikeout. 19-year old DH Michael Burgess was 2/3 with a two-run home run and 24-year old SS Dan Lyons was 2/4 with a solo home run.
Record: Potomac 28-25, 1st place Carolina North (2.5 games ahead … 17 games to play)
Tonight: RHP Jeff Mandel (5-4, 4.46) at Myrtle Beach LHP Scott Diamond (11-1, 2.81), 7:05PM
It was over before it began as Rome scored six first inning runs en route to a 6-1 defeat of Hagerstown (box/gamer). 21-year old LHP Tommy Milone gave up six runs (four earned) on six hits and one walk over 4IP with three strikeouts. 21-year old LHP Ryan Buchter pitched two scoreless innings of shutout relief, striking out two. 25-year old 1B Tim Pahuta was 2/4 with a double & run scored and newly promoted 22-year old 2B Blake Stouffer was 1/3 with a walk in his Hagerstown debut.
Record: Hagerstown 21-32, tied for 6th place Sally North (14GB … 17 games to play)
Tonight: RHP Brad Meyers (8-6, 4.40) at Columbus RHP Jeremy Hall (8-3, 4.16), 7:00PM
Vermont lost their home series with Aberdeen, dropping a 2-1 decision on Thursday evening (box/gamer). 20-year old RHP Brad PEacock allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk over 4 2/3IP with two strikeouts. 21-year old LHP Austin Garrett threw 3 1/3 innings of no-hit shutout relief, walking one and striking out three. 19-year old 2B Jake Smolinski was 2/4 and 19-year old CA Derek Norris was 1/4 with a double & RBI.
Record: Vermont 23-31, tied for 3rd place NY P Stedler (6GB … 21 games to play)
Tonight: LHP Will Atwood (1-1, 2.18) at Staten Island (pitcher TBD), 7:00PM
The GCL Nationals took a pair from the GCL Cardinals, winning game one 8-1 (box) and game two 9-2 (box). In the first game, 19-year old LHP Josh Smoker picked up the win giving up one run on three hits and one walk over 5IP with eight strikeouts. 20-year old CF Chris Curran was 3/4 witha double and two runs scored; 18-year old SS Smiley Gonzalez was 1/3 with two runs, a stolen base and his first professional home run in the US; 18-year old LF Destin Hood was 1/3 with a stolen base, run & two RBI; 21-year old 3B Ronnie Labrie was 1/3 with a triple, run, & RBI; and 22-year old 1B J.P. Padron was 1/1 with two walks, two RBI, an stolen base & run scored. In the second game, 23-year old RHP Chris Kelley won the game, giving up one run on three hits and two walks over 5 2/3IP with three strikeouts. Curran was 1/4 with a stolen base, run & RBI; Hood was 1/3 with a double & two runs scored; Labrie was 1/2 with a walk, triple, two runs & two RBI; 19-year old 2B Steve Lombardozzi was 2/3 with a walk and RBI; and 19-year old CA Sandy Leon was 2/3 with a run & RBI.
Record: GCL Nationals 26-18, 2nd place GCL East (0.5 games back … 12 games to play [includes completion of a suspended game])
Today: RHP Marcos Frias (2-4, 3.81) versus GCL Dodgers, 12:00PM
The DSL Nationals2 held the Nationals1 to one hit in a 2-1 rain-shortened victory (box). 21-year old RHP Manuel Rivera picked up the win allowing one hit and five walks over six shutout innings while striking out four. 20-year old RHP Rafael Castillo picked up the save despite allowing an unearned run in his one inning of work. 21-year old RHP Luis Ortega took the loss for the Nats1, allowing two runs on six hits over 6IP with seven strikeouts and no walks. 21-year old 1B/2B Manuelysis Peralta was 1/3 with a double & RBI; 20-year old 3B Earving Fernandez was 1/3 with a run & RBI; and 21-year old SS Francisco Frias was 2/3 with a double & run scored for the Nats2. 17-year old 2B Adrian Sancez had the only hit for the Nats1.
Record: DSL Nationals1 49-15, 1st place DSL S.D. West (21 games ahead … 8 games to play); DSL Nationals2 25-39, 4th place DSL S.D. West (24GB … 8 games to play)
Today: DSL Nationals1 versus DSL Tigers; DSL Nationals2 versus DSL Padres; both games at 10:30AM
SlowPitch63 | 15-Aug-08 at 7:23 am | Permalink
I was new posted so with minor editing:
I object slightly to what I’m reading. I’d like to see Crow signed, but I also want to see Ramirez and the rest of the top 20 plus #32 signed regardless of whether Crow signs. I’m not buying into some over arching budgetary constraints. This is the plan. Build from the bottom up. Build the scouting capability - done that. Draft good players - done that. Sign the good players we drafted - incomplete. If we have to offer Ramirez second round money - do it. If we have to offer Silverstein low 1st round money - do it. If we have to offer Coleman 2nd round money - do it. If we are going to improve in this meritocracy called MLB we have to do significantly better than anyone else in player acquisition because right now we are the worst team in MLB. We should take all those actions whether or not Crow signs, but, yea, we better sign Crow also. I don’t care if it is above Matusz. I don’t care if it is Posey-like. That is how the Plan must be executed. We could do this for less than Meat and LaDuca combined. In MLB terms this is the cheapest way to excell. Don’t claim the money comes from two different pots.
Now if there really is no plan we can claim budget problems and point at “selfish” draftees and turn our current incompetence into an art form.
Perhaps the Lerners watched the old Maverick tv show where Old Pappy Maverick twisted the Abraham Lincoln quote to:
“You can fool some of the people all the time,
And you can fool all the people some of the time,
And those are pretty good odds.”
The plan got off to a very good start last year. I expect (hope) to see it continue this year, unless, of course, Pappy Maverick was right. Next week we can talk about the international scene, but right now the only game in town, and the game we must win is signing draft choices.
Rant over.
To steal from natsfan1a:
Let’s POST two!
Chris | 15-Aug-08 at 7:30 am | Permalink
Why is Smoker still in GCL? He needs to be in Vermont or even back to Hagerstown
Is McCoy or Dean pitching tomorrow at Vermont? Thanks Brian
Freda | 15-Aug-08 at 7:47 am | Permalink
Atwood starts Friday and McCoy starts Saturday (both games in Staten Island)
Brian Oliver | 15-Aug-08 at 7:48 am | Permalink
Chris - McCoy on Saturday; Dean on Sunday
As for Smoker … my guess at this point is he finishes the season in the GCL and maybe gets a start in Vermont to cap of the year
Chris | 15-Aug-08 at 8:24 am | Permalink
Great, thans Brian. Gonna try to make it out on sunday.
I dont understand Smoker but ok. I think they should push him
EdDC | 15-Aug-08 at 9:08 am | Permalink
Yep, SP63 is right.
Most fans are not going to understand why the Nats would let their #1 pick walk. several NFA posters are sophisticated and understand all the nuances and benefits of letting Crow play his baseball future for another team. However, the average fan (I’ll confess to being one) says “WTF, did you see the Mets series? Have you seen this team all year? They give us no team today and now they let the most highly-rated pitcher they have get away, just to save a couple million? So where is the future?”
SP63 is also right about the team extending itself to sign some of the others he named. While the Nats have a small-market budget for the MLB club, now is the perfect time to build the system.
Some of those new revenues from the gifted stadium should go to outspending the rest of MLB on their picks. This is only right for the worst team in baseball.
For all of these reasons, the Nats will probably not let Crow walk, but it is probably expecting too much to think they will extend themselves to some of the other unsigned draftees at this point.