Friday’s slate brought a little of everything across the Nationals’ system: a couple of wins, a few rough nights, and one shutout that never really felt in doubt.
Harrisburg kept rolling with an 8-3 win over Erie, while Fredericksburg snapped a four-game skid with a 6-3 victory at Myrtle Beach. The FCL Nationals also handled business, blanking the FCL Mets 8-0 in a seven-inning game. On the other side of the ledger, Rochester fell 8-7 at Worcester, Wilmington was routed 11-2 at Brooklyn, and the DSL Nationals dropped an 8-5 decision to the DSL Marlins.
At Worcester, Rochester’s bullpen and late push weren’t enough to erase an ugly start from Jackson Kent in an 8-7 loss that became the Red Wings’ fourth straight defeat. Kent was tagged for all eight runs on eight hits and three walks over five innings. The Red Wings did make things interesting late, scoring six runs in the final innings, but still came up one short.
The offense put together 13 hits and drew four walks, with five batters collecting multiple hits. Andrew Pinckney led the way with three singles and two runs scored.
Phillip Glasser and Harry Ford each walked twice. J.
Kent took the loss, finishing with 5IP, 8H, 8R, 6ER, 3BB, 2K. On the mound behind him, Pilkington worked two scoreless innings with one hit allowed.
The roster also saw RHP Cole Henry and RHP Eddy Yean optioned from Washington.
Harrisburg, meanwhile, looked sharp in its 8-3 win over Erie and stretched its winning streak to four. Riley Maddox earned his first Double-A victory, working seven innings and allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out two.
Devin Ortiz was the headline at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a home run, two RBI, and a stolen base. Johnathon Thomas also had a big night, reaching base three times with a single, walk, and triple, and he added two RBI and a steal.
Paul Pichardo chipped in with a two-run homer as the Senators piled up 11 hits and three walks.
Fredericksburg’s win at Myrtle Beach came in a hurry once the bats woke up in the fifth. Hunter Hines and Juan Cruz went back-to-back to break open a 1-0 game, and the FredNats never looked back in a 6-3 win.
Travis “Sunday” Sthele gave them three scoreless innings to start, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five. Leuris Portorreal picked up the win despite giving up all three Pelicans runs over 4⅓ innings.
Gavin Fien reached base four times, Luke Dickerson got on three times, and Robert Ramirez finished with two hits, two runs, and a double.
The cleanest result of the day belonged to the FCL Nationals, who shut out the FCL Mets 8-0 in a seven-inning game. Noah Millikan set the tone with five strong innings, allowing two hits, one walk, one hit batsman, and striking out nine.
He picked up his first win in three starts and his second win overall. Nauris De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with two runs, a triple, an RBI, and his 19th stolen base.
Eyeksson Rojas added a double, two runs, and a stolen base, including a steal of home on a double steal with De La Cruz. Three pitchers combined on the shutout, with Linarez finishing the last inning.
Wilmington’s night at Brooklyn went the other direction fast. The Blue Rocks didn’t reach base until the seventh and didn’t get a hit until the ninth in an 11-2 loss to the Cyclones.
Mike Tepper took the loss after four innings, allowing four runs on four hits, including two home runs, and three walks while striking out seven. Eli Willits ended the perfect-game bid with a leadoff walk in the seventh.
Miguel Villarroel broke up the no-hitter with a two-out triple, and Ronny Cruz followed with another triple to bring both runners home and end the shutout. The rest of the lineup went 0-for-19 with a walk.
The DSL Nationals also had a lead before things slipped away. They were up 4-2 after three innings, but the DSL Marlins came back to win 8-5.
Enmanuel Carela allowed two runs on two hits, including a homer, and a walk over the first two innings. Christopher Navas took the loss after a rough outing that included three walks, a balk, a hit batsman, two wild pitches, and a home run.
Samil Serrano doubled, walked, scored twice, and stole a base. Isaias Suarez and Rayniel Lache both homered, and all three are 17 years old.
In Other News...
Nationals Prospect Is Making This Decision Impossible To Ignore
Yohandy Morales has done enough at Triple-A to keep forcing the issue, and the numbers are starting to look like those of a hitter who is no longer just knocking on the door. The Nationals prospect is batting .303 with 21 home runs and a .930 OPS, production that stands out even with the usual caveats about contact rate and a ground-ball profile that still need watching.
What has made the conversation harder to ignore is that Morales has also shown signs of tightening up the parts of his game that had been holding him back. His recent strikeout rate has improved, his ball flight has trended in a better direction, and with his Rule 5 eligibility coming this offseason, Washington may soon have to decide how much longer it can keep waiting before making room for him. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Make Another Bullpen Move Fans Saw Coming
The Nationals are turning to another left-handed arm for the bullpen, selecting Tom Cosgroves contract and giving him a chance to join the active roster. The move comes after Brad Lord landed on the 15-day injured list, a shuffle that had been easy to anticipate once Washington needed another healthy option in the relief mix.
Cosgrove is a recent pickup from the Astros and has barely had time to settle in with the organization, making just one appearance for Triple-A Rochester since arriving. With the roster picture changing quickly, Washington is giving itself another look at a pitcher it brought in to provide depth and flexibility as the bullpen keeps evolving. [Read more 🡒]