The Harrisburg Senators are carrying real momentum into Game 3 at UPMC Park, and they’ve already put themselves in position to do more than just survive this six-game set.
After winning the first two games, the Senators have a chance Thursday night to lock in at least a split against the Erie SeaWolves. They enter the matchup tied with Erie at 10 games apiece through the first 20 games of the season, and a win would also give Harrisburg a shot at its third straight series win to open the second half. The Sens begin the night in sole possession of second place in the Southwest Division, two games behind Erie, while also holding a half-game edge over both first-half winner Richmond and Bowie after losses by both clubs last night.
Harrisburg will turn to Riley Maddox for his first Double-A start and second appearance of the season. Maddox’s first outing with the Senators came last Friday night against Richmond in relief after Trevor Williams made a rehab start.
He worked through five innings but took the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits, including two home runs, while walking one and striking out four. The Senators are hoping for something closer to the version of Maddox they saw in June, when he logged 27 2/3 innings and gave up 10 runs on 21 hits with 10 walks and 24 strikeouts.
He’ll also be facing Erie for the first time.
Andrew Sears gets the ball for the SeaWolves. Since being promoted from A+ West Michigan in mid-June, Sears has made four starts for Erie, and two of them came against Harrisburg in the series last month in Harrisburg.
He was sharp in both of those outings, combining to throw 7 2/3 innings while allowing one run on three hits, walking two and striking out 11. He’s coming off a win over Akron six days ago, when he allowed one run on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
Harrisburg will be hoping the third meeting brings a different result.
The Senators are also trying to build on something they had trouble sustaining earlier in the year: a third straight win. They finally got there yesterday afternoon, and they did it without fading after a slow start. Even with just one hit through the first two innings, Harrisburg kept grinding.
Erie opened the scoring in the second inning when Patrick Lee singled and Joe Campagna doubled, with each driving in a pair for the home side. Harrisburg answered with Devin Fitz-Gerald’s RBI double off the left-center field wall, scoring Kervin Pichardo.
TJ White, who was Tuesday night’s hero, tied it in the fourth with an RBI single, though he later got thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double and left the go-ahead run stranded at third. That mistake didn’t end up costing the Senators.
Sam Petersen put Harrisburg in front in the fifth with a crushing RBI double off the high left-field wall, a ball that would have left most parks, and Pichardo finished the job two innings later. The Senators third baseman capped his 4-for-4 night with a high fly ball that carried just over the right-field wall. Harrisburg added one more in the ninth when Branden Boissiere singled off Erie pitcher Tyler Owens to bring in Pichardo.
Isaac Lyon picked up the win after another strong outing in his early Double-A stretch. He went six innings and allowed two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out four.
His ERA now sits at 4.54 in Double-A, and he’s 3-3 on the year. Jhancarlos Lara and Seth Shuman then combined for three hitless innings to close out the 5-2 victory.
Game 4 is set for Friday night at UPMC Park, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM. Harrisburg will use a TBD opener, and that arm is expected to be announced after Thursday night’s game.
Erie is scheduled to counter with Jake Miller, who was promoted from A+ West Michigan on July 7 and will be making his first appearance with the SeaWolves. Miller has a 1.42 ERA in 12 2/3 innings over three appearances in A+.
In Other News...
Nationals Top Prospect Just Delivered A Rochester Night Worth Watching
Rochester finally got a night that looked a lot more like the version the Nationals have been waiting for, and Brady House was right in the middle of it. The top prospect turned in one of those games that can change the temperature around a lineup, helping Rochester beat Worcester 10-4 while the club snapped a four-game losing streak and got a needed lift from a roster that has been searching for one.
Luke Young also fit into the picture after coming over from Harrisburg and picking up his fifth hold for Rochester, a small but useful sign of how the organization is shuffling arms to steady the Triple-A club. With House giving Rochester a jolt and the pitching staff piecing together enough clean innings to finish the job, the bigger question is whether this was a one-off burst or the start of something more sustainable for a team that could use a few more nights like it. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Have Every Reason To Question This Bullpen Approach
The Nationals bullpen plan was under the microscope again after a late-inning matchup decision backfired in New York. Washington leaned on a left-handed reliever in the ninth against a Yankees lineup that tilted heavily to the left side, sticking with its platoon-advantage approach even as the relief corps has been shaky in the biggest spots this season.
Blake Butera didnt hide the fact that the choice invited questions after the loss, but he also signaled that the organization still believes in the broader strategy. For a team trying to sort out how to survive the final three outs, the issue is no longer just whether the matchup theory makes sense, but whether the current bullpen can keep paying the price when it doesnt work. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face A Huge First-Place Test With Momentum Building
The Harrisburg Senators kept building momentum in Erie after backing up Riley Maddoxs first Double-A win with another productive night at the plate, including home runs from Ethan Petry and Devin Ortiz. That pushed the club into position to chase a third straight series victory, a useful marker in a tight stretch where every game against the division leader carries extra weight.
Jared Simpson got the ball for Harrisburg in a short-opening role, expected to cover roughly an inning before handing things over to the next arm, while the SeaWolves countered with Jake Miller in his first appearance of the season for Erie after being called up from High-A West Michigan. With the Senators already assured of at least a split, the matchup had the feel of a first-place test that could say plenty about how real this recent run is. [Read more 🡒]