Syracuse Chiefs, AAA International League (61-71)

Pitching Report:

Stephen Strasburg: Strasburg’s rehab start in Syracuse was fantastic, as he had a perfect five innings before giving up two singles in the sixth. He had seven strikeouts and looked like the pitcher who pitched so well last season.

Tom Milone: Another great start for Milone, who this time gave up just four hits, one walk and one run in seven innings with eight strikeouts. I’m excited to see how his performance translates to the major leagues this September.

Brad Meyers: Make it five consecutive good starts for Meyers, who this time pitched six innings of six-hit, two-run ball with one walk and five strikeouts. Season ERA is down to 3.57 and he has a 1.69 ERA since returning from the DL.

Yunesky Maya: Maya pitched well for the second straight start, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in seven innings on Friday. His ERA is still above five (5.09), but he’s been good in three of his last four starts.

Brad Peacock: His start this week was solid, giving up two runs on four hits in five innings. He walked two batters and struck out three; he now has as many walks (23) in AAA – 43 innings, eight starts – as he did in AA (98 innings, 14 starts), but hopefully his control returns to its normal state. Peacock was also named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year.

Josh Wilkie: Wilkie had three appearances this week, giving up a total of six hits in three innings with four strikeouts. He hasn’t given up a run since August 11th (six appearances) and hasn’t walked a batter since July 31 (nine appearances).

Hitting Report:

Steve Lombardozzi: He’s remained remarkably consistent this season, even when presented a new challenge in AAA. After hitting .297 in his last 10 games, Lombardozzi has a slash line of .318/.364/.424 and we’ll likely see him in Washington this September.

Matt Antonelli: Antonelli had five walks this week, raising his OBP to an impressive .385 on the season. The former first-round pick has been very good in Syracuse this season, and deserves a look in the major leagues.

Corey Brown: Brown is hitting .333 in August despite hitting just .200 in his last 10 games – a testament to how hot he was at the beginning of the month. Still, he has 130 strikeouts on the year and his season is average is just .229.

Harrisburg Senators, AA Eastern League (77-57)

Pitching Report:
Shairon Martis: He threw a seven-inning no-hitter on Friday, striking out nine and walking one. Martis has resurrected his career this season, posting a 2.81 ERA in 22 starts with 143 strikeouts – to just 38 walks – in 128 innings.

Rafael Martin: Martin gave up two runs on Thursday, but pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in two other appearances this week.

Daniel Rosenbaum: He pitched seven one-run innings this week, walking one and giving up four hits while striking out eight batters. He, like Milone, has posted very impressive numbers despite pitching primarily in the 80s.

Hitting Report:

Bryce Harper: Harper remains on the disabled list, but his agent Scott Boras said he hopes Harper can come back for the Eastern League playoffs.

Derek Norris: He remains in a slump; he’s hitting just .179 in his last 10 games - he had four hits in 21 at-bats this week with two runs, one walk, one double and an RBI. He has a staggering 17 strikeouts in his last 39 at-bats.

Tyler Moore: Moore got hot again this week with four multi-hit games, three home runs (30 on the year), and seven RBIs. When he’s hot, he’s a force.

Eric Komatsu: He picked up a hit in six of seven games this week, bringing his Harrisburg average up to .242. He also added three walks to two strikeouts, so hopefully his biggest strength – his patience – returns.

Potomac Nationals, High-A Carolina League (63-68)

Pitching Report:

Josh Smoker: He gave up one earned run in 1 2/3 innings this week, which was his first run against in six appearances.

Cameron Selik: Selik hasn’t started a game since August 14th and has four relief appearances so far; the first two were poor, but this week he pitched 2 1/3 scoreless relief innings.

Sammy Solis: Solis was phenomenal on Sunday, giving up one unearned run on four hits in five innings while striking out eight. His groundball to flyout rate is still great (1.57).

Hitting Report:

Eury Perez: Perez got back on track a little bit with three multi-hit games this week, bringing his season average to .269 with an OBP of .303. The problem: he was caught stealing twice this week, and his stolen base rate is poor (36 for 51; 70.6%).

Destin Hood: Hood remains consistent, hitting .286 in his last 10 games and .280 overall on the season. He has walked six times in his last 10 games to just four strikeouts, and he’s close to a 30-double, 15-home run and 20-stolen base season, which is a great year any way you slice it.

Jeff Kobernus: Kobernus had two home runs this weekend, capping off a great week that saw him go 4-for-6 on Tuesday (with two RBIs and two SBs). His stolen base total on the year: 46 to just 7 CS.

Zach Walters: A 3-for-4 game on Wednesday kicked off a solid weekend for him and he had five RBIs this week (with four walks, two doubles and two stolen bases). His average is now up to .241 in a Potomac uniform.

Hagerstown Suns, Low-A South Atlantic League (71-61)

Pitching Report:

Robbie Ray: Ray pitched the worst start of his career Saturday, giving up eight hits and seven runs (all earned) in 3 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. He was also ejected arguing a call at home, in a wild game that saw manager Brian Daubach, hitting coach Marlon Anderson and three Suns players ejected.

A.J. Cole: Cole also had a poor start this week, giving up four earned runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Hitting Report:

Michael Taylor: Despite picking up hits in four of six games this week, Taylor is hitting just .225 over his last 10 games. He also has 13 strikeouts in his last 40 at-bats and now has 117 in 119 games on the year.

David Freitas: Since hitting .359 in June, Freitas has come back down to earth (.269 in July, .228 in August), but luckily, his patience has kept his OBP over .400 (at .408). Even though he’s struggling in August, he’s got an OBP of .344.

Blake Kelso: Kelso is hitting just .214 in his last 10 games, but has hit in four straight games and hopefully will break out of this slump (.239 average in August) before the season wraps up.

Kevin Keyes: Keyes had a pretty good week, hitting in four of six games with one of them a multi-hit game. He also picked up one homer and two RBIs, as well as two stolen bases.

Auburn Doubledays, Short-Season A New York/Penn League

Pitching Report:

Wirkin Estevez: He struggled on Wednesday, giving up eight hits and five runs (three earned) in 3 1/3 innings, raising his ERA to 3.77 on the season.

Hitting Report:

Matthew Skole: Skole had two multi-hit games this week, hit a home run, drove in two runs and had four walks. He’s continued to hit NY-Penn League pitching, getting better as the season has gone on (.313 average in August after hitting .296 in July and .255 in June).

Hendry Jimenez: Mired in a 5-for-27 (.185) slump, Jimenez’s average is down to .284, but he did have two home runs and seven RBIs this week.

Bryce Ortega: He was 5-for-22 this week (.227), but also walked four times, bringing his slash line to .337/.434/.416.
____________________________________________________

Pitcher to Watch: Tom Milone and Brad Peacock, Syracuse. Both pitchers are likely wrapping up their seasons in AAA, as both should be headed to Washington once the rosters expand. Milone has put up video game-like numbers, but scouts wonder if his stuff win translate in the majors. Peacock dominated AA but has been wild in AAA – can he fix his control and adjust to the major leagues? I’m excited to see both of them get their shot.

Hitter to Watch: Steve Lombardozzi, Syracuse. With teammate Chris Marrero getting his shot in the majors, Lombo figures to be next in line after hitting well over .300 in Syracuse this season. His walk rate is down, but his defense is very good and he has been remarkably consistent every year of his career. We’ll be seeing him in D.C. to join Marrero very soon, I think.

0 comments