Rochester’s offense blew the doors off Charlotte on Thursday, and the Red Wings made sure the final line told the whole story: 13-1. The turning point came in an eight-run eighth inning, when a tight game turned into a rout in a hurry.
Riley Adams was the headliner. He singled and crushed a grand slam in that eighth inning alone, then finished with four hits, two runs scored and six RBI.
Trey Lipscomb kept rolling, extending his hit streak to nine with two singles and a homer. He scored three times and drove in two.
Jack King added a 2-for-4 night with two runs and an RBI.
On the mound, Jared Simpson started the reliever parade with two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, one walk and striking out three. Kyle Nicolas followed with a scoreless inning and was the pitcher of record when Rochester grabbed the lead. Roster note: left-hander Jackson Kent was added to the 40-man roster and recalled to Washington.
Harrisburg split its doubleheader with Richmond, taking the opener 6-2 before dropping the nightcap 7-6 in 11 innings.
In Game 1, the Senators stacked crooked numbers in three of the first five innings and never let go. Holden Powell worked the first inning, allowing one hit with no walks and one strikeout.
Josh Randall handled the next five frames, giving up two runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts to earn the win. Devin Fitz-Gerald returned to the lineup and delivered two singles and two runs scored, while Nick Mitchell singled, doubled, drove in two and swiped his 22nd base.
The second game was a different story. Harrisburg grabbed a 3-0 lead, saw the bullpen surrender three to tie it, then traded runs with Richmond until the Flying Squirrels broke through in the 11th.
Josh Hartle worked 6⅓ innings and allowed one run on two hits, with three walks and two strikeouts. Luke Young took the blown save after allowing two runs of his own, and Thomas Schultz was charged with the loss after giving up the free runner twice.
Ethan Petry went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI, while Devin Ortiz singled and drew one of the ten walks issued by Richmond. Roster move: catcher Kevin Bazzell was promoted from Wilmington.
Wilmington had plenty of offense in Hudson Valley, but not enough pitching to protect it, falling 9-6. The Blue Rocks put together six runs and four extra-base hits, led by Ronny Cruz, who doubled, homered, scored three times and drove in three. Eli Willits also did damage, going 1-for-2 with two runs, a double, a walk, three stolen bases and one caught stealing.
Baron Stuart opened the game and allowed an unearned run over 1⅔ innings. The next two relievers helped dig a 5-2 hole, though Mike Tepper later steadied things with 4⅔ innings of one-run relief.
Brady Hill, however, couldn’t hold the line in the eighth, when the Renegades flipped a 6-5 deficit into the final margin. Hill retired only two of seven batters and was charged with the loss.
Fredericksburg split its Thursday results as well, winning the first game before getting shut out in the second.
Hunter Hines gave the FredNats a brief jolt in the opener, launching a three-run homer in the top of the sixth to put Fredericksburg ahead 4-1. He also added a walk and an RBI single, while Gavin Fien singled, doubled and scored.
But the lead didn’t last. Kai Peterson allowed two runs in the eighth to blow the save, and Cesar Rojas surrendered the game-winning hit on a two-out single and took the loss.
The rest of the lineup went just 2-for-24 with four walks and nine strikeouts.
In the second game, Fayetteville blanked Fredericksburg 4-0. Marlon De La Cruz allowed all four runs on six hits, including a homer, and a walk over four innings, though he did strike out seven.
Luke Johnson followed with two scoreless innings, but the offense never got going. The FredNats were limited to singles by Gavin Fien and Juan Cruz, plus a double from Hunter Hines.
In Other News...
Jackson Kent Just Gave The Nationals Rotation Something To Think About
Jackson Kents first turn in a Nationals uniform arrived with plenty of pressure attached, and the rookie lefty gave Washington enough to keep watching. Making his major league debut as a starter against the Cubs, Kent worked four-plus innings, allowed three runs on three hits and five walks, and still found a way to miss bats with six strikeouts.
For a club that had just shuffled its rotation by designating Miles Mikolas for assignment, the outing at least offered a glimpse of another internal option. Kent also became the 31st pitcher developed by the Nationals to start a game for the organization, a reminder that even on a night with some early traffic, there was still a reason for the front office and the staff to take note. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Showed Fight But This Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem
Washington got a look at Jackson Kents major league debut in a game that quickly turned into a test of damage control. The Nationals did show some fight, but Chicago kept answering, with Alex Bregman powering the Cubs offense by hitting three home runs and driving in seven runs in a 12-6 win. Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki and Pedro Ramirez also chipped in, making it a long afternoon for a pitching staff trying to find its footing.
For the Nationals, the final score was only part of the concern. Even with a debut on the mound worth remembering, the bigger issue was how often Chicago was able to break the game open and keep Washington chasing. The lineup had enough moments to stay around, but not enough to overcome the Cubs scoring, and that is the kind of gap the Nationals have to close if they want these games to look different going forward. [Read more 🡒]