Saturday’s slate brought a little bit of everything for the Nationals’ affiliates: one cycle, one bullpen-heavy loss, a near no-hitter, and a couple of games that got away late.
Rochester was the day’s loudest offensive story, rolling past Worcester 10-4 behind Brady House, who hit for the cycle and drove in two. House finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored, a double, a triple and a homer as Rochester snapped a four-game skid.
Luis Perales picked up the win after working five innings for the eighth time in 17 appearances, allowing two runs on four hits and five walks. Luke Young came over from the Harrisburg roster and logged his fifth hold with a scoreless inning.
Every starter in the lineup got a hit in Rochester’s 15-hit outburst, with Trey Lipscomb adding two doubles and a single, Riley Adams going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and Daylen Lile also contributing.
Harrisburg’s four-game winning streak ended in Erie with a 7-1 loss. Jared Simpson opened as part of another bullpen night, and Connor Van Scoyoc took the defeat after allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings.
T.J. White supplied the Senators’ lone extra-base punch with his third Double-A homer, ninth overall, while Sam Brown reached base twice with a single and a walk.
Wilmington spent most of the night trying to spoil a no-hitter, and eventually did just enough to avoid that fate. The Blue Rocks didn’t get their first hit until Angel Feliz’s one-out single in the seventh, then broke up the shutout in the eighth on Kevin Bazzell’s RBI single in a 3-1 loss at Brooklyn.
Yoel Tejeda Jr. took his sixth loss after giving up three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine. Miguel Villaroel had Wilmington’s other hit, and he and Bazzell were the only Blue Rocks who didn’t strike out in a 15-whiff game.
Elijah Green had the roughest night of all with a Golden Sombrero.
Fredericksburg had to keep answering back, but the FredNats did enough to beat Myrtle Beach 9-7. They gave away leads of 2-0 and 4-3 before reclaiming control with a 7-5 edge they never let go.
Marlon De La Cruz lasted only 3 2/3 innings, charged with five runs on four hits, including a homer, and two walks. Blake Brown earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Austin Amaral finished it off in the ninth for his second save.
Coy James and Rafael Ramirez Jr. both went 4-for-5, while Miguel Cabrera added a single and a double.
The FCL Nationals’ game with the FCL Cardinals ended in an 8-4 loss, though the setup around it was a little unusual after the originally scheduled game was canceled and the clubs picked up where they left off on Monday. Maximin Medina took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings.
Landon Harmon followed with 5 outs and gave up one run on two hits. Brayan Martinez led the offense with a single, a homer and three RBIs, plus a stolen base and an outfield assist at second.
Brayan Cortesia went 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Nicolas De La Cruz reached twice on walks.
The DSL Nationals also had a rough one, falling 13-10 to the DSL Rangers Red after the game turned into a late shootout. The D-Nats climbed out of a 5-0 hole with two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh, but they were buried by a seven-run eighth and could only answer with four in the ninth.
Anyel Manzueta gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits and a walk while striking out five. Rafael Mejias was hit with the loss after allowing six runs, five earned, on four walks and a wild pitch while retiring one batter.
Esnaider Vargas and Jonierbis Vargas each singled twice and scored twice, helping fuel a ten-hit, ten-walk attack that still wasn’t enough to finish the comeback.
In Other News...
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 🡒]