Nationals Fans Have A Real Reason To Watch This Rehab Start Closely

Catch up on all the thrilling baseball action from Saturday, featuring standout performances and key victories across the leagues.

Saturday’s slate brought a little of everything for the Nationals’ affiliates: a blown lead in Buffalo, a shutout in Harrisburg, a near no-hitter in Wilmington, a steady win in Fredericksburg, and a DSL loss that snapped a three-game run.

In Buffalo, Rochester watched a 6-0 lead vanish and then slipped for good in the eighth. Trevor Williams was tagged for six runs and four homers in the first three innings, and the Red Wings spent the rest of the night climbing back.

They tied it by the sixth, but Chandler Champlain gave up the game-winner on Buffalo’s fifth homer of the night in the eighth, sending Rochester to a 7-6 loss. Williams finished with seven hits allowed, one walk, and five strikeouts in 4⅓ innings.

Champlain took the loss after allowing two hits and one walk over two innings. Offensively, Riley Adams did plenty of damage with a double, homer, two runs scored, and three RBI, while Andrew Pinckney reached base three times on a walk, single, and homer and drove in two.

Roster move: RHP Trevor Williams MLB rehab transferred from Wilmington.

Harrisburg answered with a clean 3-0 win over Reading, and the pitching line was as tidy as it gets. Jake Irvin worked 3⅔ hitless innings, walking one and hitting a batter, before Sandy Gaston got the win after retiring the only man he faced.

Alex Clemmey then finished the job with five scoreless innings, allowing one hit while walking four and striking out six. The offense was driven by Branden Boissiere and Kervin Pichardo, who combined for two runs, five hits, three doubles, and three RBI.

Wilmington came within seven innings of a no-hitter and still rolled past Hudson Valley, 9-1. Miguel Sime Jr. earned his first career win and worked his first five-inning outing, holding the opposition hitless while walking two and striking out four.

Merrick Baldo allowed a run over the next eight outs, and Brady Hill handled the final four. At the plate, Kevin Bazzell led the way with eight total bases, two doubles, and a homer, while Angel Feliz reached base four times with two walks and two doubles.

The Blue Rocks finished with 11 hits and nine walks.

Fredericksburg kept its series edge with a 4-1 win over Fayetteville. Elian Soto’s two-run homer stretched a one-run game and helped the FredNats move to a 2-1 series lead.

Landon Harmon made his first appearance north of Florida since April 24 and threw two scoreless innings with one hit, one walk, and two strikeouts. Juan Reyes picked up his first Low-A win after five innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

L.J. Waco worked through the eighth for the hold, and Jackson Dannelly closed it out in order in the ninth.

Soto also singled, Juan Cruz singled, and Jordan Williams doubled.

The DSL Nationals couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead, and a four-run fourth from the DSL Mets Orange flipped the game for good in a 6-4 loss. Anyel Manzueta took the defeat, his fifth, after giving up five runs, three earned, on three hits and two walks in four innings while striking out six. Juan Duran and Euris Acosta each went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, leading a Nationals offense that finished with nine hits and four walks.

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