• Triple-A: After catching connecting flights to catch up with the Syracuse Chiefs on the road in Toledo, Ohio where they were finishing up a four-game set with the Triple-A Mud Hens, (the top affiliate of the Detroit Tigers), Drew Storen, the Nats' second '09 1st Round pick, made his debut above Double-A ball with a 1.2 inning outing in which he threw 21 pitches, 16 for strikes, allowed 3 hits, recorded 1 K and held the Chiefs' 2-0 lead in what ends up a 2-1 win. Called upon in the bottom of the seventh, Storen gave up back-to-back one-out singles before striking out Mud Hens' outfielder Clete Thomas and drawing a grounder the Chiefs' catcher handled out of Toledo's Mike Rabelo to end the seventh with the score still 2-0 Syracuse. After surrendering a leadoff single in the eighth, Storen recorded two outs before he was replaced on the mound by lefty Doug Slaten who got the final out of the frame. In 8 appearances and 11.0 innings pitched this season, Storen's now given up 8 hits, 1 ER and 1 walk while recording 11 K's and holding opponents to a .161 AVG.
• Bryce Harper and the rest after the JUMP...
• The College of Southern Nevada Coyotes won their fifth and sixth-straight games last night in the first of two doubleheaders with the College of Eastern Utah in Morse Stadium, the CSN Coyotes' Henderson, Nevada home, where presumptive 2010 no.1 overall pick Bryce Harper went 2 for 6 with a two-run double and an RBI walk in 5-3 and 8-1 wins over the visiting Golden Eagles. The Coyotes play the final two regular season home games this afternoon, then it's four on the road against Salt Lake Community College before the NJCAA post season starts. 49 games into his freshman year, the 17-year-old Harper's now hitting: .407 (66 for 162) with a .500 OBP, .901 SLG, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 21 HR's and 62 RBI's.
• Elsewhere: LSU right-hander Anthony Ranaudo gave up a double, HR, 4 hits total and 6 runs in 2.0 IP last night against the Florida Gators, and the reports weren't good with ESPN's MLB Draft twitter feed (@ESPN_MLBDRAFT) reporting that, "Ranaudo struggle(d) again... word from Gainesville is velo down a little, poor FB cmnd, nothing sharp." Georgia Tech's Deck McGuire gave up 10 hits and 5 runs, 4 earned, over 6.0 IP Friday night in a 6-5 loss to NC State. McGuire threw 104 pitches, 67 for strikes and took the loss, his third of the year, leaving the right-hander (5-3) in 11 starts and 79.2 IP over which he's allowed 67 hits, 26 ER, 20 walks (2.26 BB/9) and collected 84 K's (9.49 K/9). Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz, however, had a good night, as the top-ranked pitching prospect on ESPN.com's Keith Law's recently published, "Keith Law's first 2010 Top 100", prospect list threw 6.1 innings against Mississippi State in a 4-2 Rebels' win which saw Pomeranz allow 5 hits, 1 ER and 1 walk while recording 11 K's. No decision for Pomeranz though, so he remains (6-0) on the season with a 1.85 ERA in 11 G and 68.0 IP, over which he's given up 40 hit, 16 runs, 14 earned and 34 walks (4.5 BB/9) while striking out 104 (13.76 K/9).