Washington Nationals Minor League Report: April 23
From staff and wire reports:
Fresno (AAA Pacific Coast League): OFF.
Harrisburg (AA Eastern League): On Tuesday night, the Senators rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Altoona 5-4 for their season-high seventh consecutive win. The Senators are 16-2 on the season while Altoona is 8-10. Ian Sagdal capped a four-run fifth inning with a three-run home run to give the Sens a 4-2 lead. After Altoona rallied for runs in the sixth and eighth innings, Drew Ward singled to drive in Adrian Sanchez with the go ahead run in the eighth. Dan Jennings earned the win for the Sens and James Bourque his third save with a perfect ninth inning.
Turning Point
Trailing 2-0 against Cam Vieaux into the bottom of the fifth inning, Tyler Goeddel tripled with one out which brought to the plate Erick Fedde. Fedde had one RBI in his minor league batting career prior to the at bat, but with the infield in, he singled to right to drive in Goeddel. The single ignited the Sens offense and later in the inning, Sagdal hit his three-run home run.
On Capitol Hill
The pitching staff combined to strike out 16 batters led by Erick Fedde‘s 11 strikeouts. Fedde went 5.2 innings and allowed eight hits but just two earned runs, one on a home run. Taylor Guilbeau followed by retiring all three batters he faced spanning two innings. Mario Sanchezfaced one hitter and struck him out. Dan Jennings made his Nationals’ organization debut and pitched one inning allowing the tying run to score but also stranding the go ahead run at second with a strikeout. He also picked up the win when the Sens scored in the last of the eighth. James Bourque pitched a perfect ninth inning including striking out the final two batters to earn his third save. Not only did the five pitchers combine to strike out 16, they didn’t walk a batter.
With the Gavel
Ian Sagdal delivered the big blow, a three-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Senators a 4-2 lead. Adrian Sanchez had two hits including a triple leading off the eighth inning. Tyler Goeddel tripled and scored a run. Drew Ward and Erick Fedde both had RBI singles with Ward’s giving the Sens the lead in the eighth. Luis Garcia started the game with a single to right.
Filibusters
The seven-game win streak is a season high. They’ve already had a six-game and now seven-game winning streak.
The Senators are a perfect 16-0 on any day but Sunday.
After 18 games, this is the best start in modern Sens history (since 1987).
The 14 games over .500 is the most over .500 since the final day of the 2011 season when the Senators finished 80-62.
The Senators came into the game having committed just six errors on the season but committed four in the game.
Harrisburg is a perfect 5-0 against Altoona.
On Deck
The final game of the three-game series and five-game Senators homestand is Wednesday at noon against Altoona. Harrisburg sends RH Sterling Sharp to the mound against RH Scooter Hightower for Altoona.
Potomac (High-A Carolina League): For the fifth time in April, the Potomac Nationals (8-11) failed to plate a run, as the Salem Red Sox took the series opener 2-0 on Tuesday night. RHP Jackson Tetreault (L, 2-1) allowed just one run over six innings in his second straight quality start for Potomac, but LHPJhonathan Diaz (W, 1-1) tallied his best start of the season for the Red Sox. Diaz allowed just three men to reach scoring position over six-shutout innings, while the Salem bullpen faced just one over the minimum over the final three frames.
The first four innings were fairly uneventful for both teams, as neither side put a runner past second base. Tetreault ran into trouble in the fifth frame, as DH Joseph Monge drew a leadoff walk. Monge, in his first game with the Red Sox after he started the season at AA Portland, scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly from RF Jagger Rusconi, and then drove in a run in the ninth inning. Monge plated SS Ryan Fitzgerald with a two-out single off of RHP Jeremy McKinney in the final frame.
Potomac’s offense scuffled against the league’s third ranked pitching staff. DH Cole Freeman double with one out in the fourth inning, but was stranded at second base. The P-Nats then loaded the bases with two outs on a single and two walks in the fifth inning, but 2B Osvaldo Abreu flied out to right field on the first pitch he saw from Diaz.
Freeman led off the sixth inning with a single for Potomac, but was caught stealing for the first time in eight attempts on the season. In the home half of the seventh inning, RHP Joan Martinez hit SS David Masterswith a pitch with two outs, but Masters was stranded at first base. CF Armond Upshaw drew a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, but was caught stealing by C Nick Sciortino. After Monge’s single made it 2-0 Salem in the ninth inning, RHP Jake Cosart (SV, 2) struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning, which closed out Salem’s victory.
Off of the shutout, Potomac will turn the page to Wednesday night, when they’ll face Salem RHP Bryan Mata (1-0, 0.54). The Red Sox’s right-handed starter hasn’t allowed an earned run since his season debut (4/6) and has 17 strikeouts over 16.2 innings in his second trip around the Carolina League. The P-Nats will counter with LHP Nick Raquet (1-2, 6.43) in an effort to level the series. Raquet allowed five runs on 10 hits in a loss to Winston-Salem on Thursday night.
First pitch at Northwest Federal Field on Wednesday night is set for 7:05pm.
Hagerstown (Low-A South Atlantic League): The Hagerstown Suns and Greenville Drive were suspended in the bottom of the third inning with two outs with Greenville in front 4-3 at Municipal Stadium Tuesday night.
The game will resume Wednesday, April 24 at 5:05 p.m. The two squads will finish the nine inning game with KJ Harrison starting at third and Jamori Blash at the plate. Approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the suspended game, the two teams will begin a seven inning contest.
