I started working on today's minor post last night when I was amped up from attending last night's game. I wasn't sure whether I should put it up today after all that's gone on and I knew I was going to be late getting it up. I consider this a personal discipline and an FB service, so I'm going to do my best. I continue to want to do my best to root for the name on the front of the jersey and not get too derailed or down about things Strasburg beyond rooting for a great kid to find a way to be positive and personally handle this situation. For me, one of the best parts of combing yesterday's boxscores was seeing the persistence of Chad Cordero and his successful outing against the Chiefs. Cordero never was a phenom. He's just a player who loves the game, gave every pitch he could to the Nats, and is doing everything to maximize his talent with less than phenom tools. Everybody has their own way of coping with dashed expectations. For me, it's trying to take some positives out of the little things even as you genuinely grieve for a player, a franchise, and a fanbase. For those trying to turn the page, Yunesky Maya is scheduled to make his debut start for the Syracuse Chiefs tonight.

All gamers, a couple links, and key performances after the jump:

The wildness at Nats Park today decided to travel way up I-95 and visit Syracuse, NY too. The Nats played 13 innings and won by one run. The Chiefs did one better; Syracuse defeated Mets affiliate Buffalo 5-4 in 14 innings. Our old friend Chad Cordero can't be held responsible for the Bison loss. The One True Chief struck out two Syracuse Chiefs, Brian Bixler and Michael Martinez, while pitching a one hit scoreless 8th to bring his Buffalo ERA down to 2.38 in 12 appearances. Kudos to the Chief for continuing his comeback and he may be the one visiting player who would earn a standing ovation from me if he ever makes his way back to the District.  Like their brethren in DC,  the Chiefs fought their way through a war of attrition and falling batting averages in the extra frames. Pete "Always Scores 'Em" Orr started the 14th with a leadoff single followed by a Boomer Whiting sac bunt. Brian Bixler managed the clutch two out single to plate Orr for the walkoff victory.

In Rizzo We Trust: He appears to have traded Cristian Guzman for a Harrisburg pennant race. Ryan Tatusko came up large again in a Harrisburg 3-1 victory over Trenton. Tatusko (W, 2-1) pitched six innings of one run ball and Jack Spradlin pitched three dominating innings of shutout ball to earn his first save of the season. Nats Top 10 (Top 5?) prospect Chris Marrero went 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored to help lead the attack.

Rotation stalwart Mitchell Clegg (L, 9-2) was roughed up for 6 runs in a Hagerstown 11-6 loss to Delmarva. Josh Smoker had another strong relief performance with two strikeouts pitching a scoreless 8th inning. Eury Perez continues to finish the season strong. He went 4-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and two stolen bases. He now has 55 stolen bases on the year and shares the league lead for stolen bases in the South Atlantic League.

• Nationalsprospects.com offers Good, Bad, and Interesting focusing on player performances of note over the last two weeks. Organizational summary offers projected pitching matchups and lower minors summaries. Maya and Guzman trade piece Tanner Roark head the starters of interest.
• Chari Bayanker's gamer for Syracuse chronicles a marathon where a whopping 60 runners were left on base.
• Morrow's Harrisburg gamer focuses on how two eighth inning catches by Valdez and Baez helped propel the Senators and follow-up focuses on how this was a strong start to a tough stretch.
  
• The Hagerstown gamer focuses on how a strong start for Clegg went wrong in the fifth inning.

AAA Syracuse:

• Danny Espinosa, SS: 1-6, IBB, K, SB
  
• Fan Fav Boomer Whiting, LF: 0-5, RBI, 3K
• Fan Fav Michael Martinez, CF: 1-6, R, 3K
  
• Joe Bisenius, RRP: (W, 1-0) 2IP, 0ER, 1BB, 3K
• Atahulpa Severino, LRP: 1IP, 0R, 2H, 1K
• Colin Balester, RRP: 1IP, 0R, 2H, BB

AA Harrisburg:

• Ryan Tatusko, RSP: (W, 2-1) 6IP, 1ER, 5H, 2BB, 7K
• Jack Spradlin, LRP: (S, 1) 3IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 4K
• Stephen Lomardozzi, 2B: 0-4, K
• Jesus Valdez, LF: 2-4, 2R, 2B, K
• Chris Marrero, 1B: 3-4, R, RBI, K
• Michael Burgess, RF: 1-2, RBI, IBB

High A Potomac: Off

Low A Hagerstown:

• Mitchell Clegg, LSP: 4.2IP, 5H, 6ER, 2BB, 3K (ERA up to 3.38)
• Rick Hague, SS: 2-5, RBI, 2K, SB
• Adrian Sanchez, 2B: 0-5, RBI, 2K
• JP Ramirez, LF: 1-5, K
• Destin Hood, RF: 0-5,
  
• Eury Perez, CF: 4-4, 2R, two out RBI, 2 2B, 2 SB, outfield assist That's about as good a day as that man can have. Well done, Eury!