Syracuse's season is all but over but they managed a strong performance with their depleted roster last night. Ross Detwiler made a successful rehab start to earn his first win in a Syracuse 7-3 victory over Rochester. Detwiler's line: 5IP, 5H, 3R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K. Outside of one outfield assist from Brian Bixler to get him out of trouble in the fifth inning, all of Detwiler's nonstrikeouts were ground ball outs; he induced two double plays to help keep his pitch count at a low 56. He did run into trouble in the fifth inning, loading up the bases with nobody out. Still, he would have been able to minimize the damage with just one run if not for an error by Michael Martinez.
Harrisburg's offense was a major disappointment in a devastating Senators 3-2 loss to New Hampshire. They managed two solo homers from Lombardozzi and Burgess before Kyle Drabek was pulled in the third (probably to rest him for the playoffs) by New Hampshire. After a leadoff double to start the fourth, the Senators were no-hit the rest of the game. Aaron Thompson offered a solid but unspectacular 5.2 innings before Victor Garate (acquired in the Ronnie Belliard trade last year) took the loss with a run in the 8th. Six walks by Senators pitching were big factors in the loss. Since Bowie won last night, Harrisburg is now 1/2 game behind Bowie for a playoff spot but still controls its own destiny. Staff ace Tom Milone has a crucial start in game 1 of a doubleheader starting at 5:35 tonight against New Britain. Selfishly, I might be rooting for a tie in the standings. If it ends up tied, Harrisburg travels to Bowie for a one game playoff to determine who gets the final Eastern League playoff spot for a big time Battle of the Beltways AA style.
A Potomac rout, Hagerstown summary, links, and key performances after the jump:
Jamar Walton's 4th inning 3-run homer was the decisive blow in a Potomac 10-3 rout over the Salem Red Sox. Prospects Derek Norris and Tyler Moore had three hits apiece. Left handed starter Evan Bronson earned the win, yielding two runs (one earned) in 6.1 innings. With the Potomac win and a Wilmington loss, Potomac's magic number is now two to make the playoffs.
Hagerstown's second half struggles can partly be attributed to the bullpen's inability to hold on to leads. Starter Mitchell Clegg gave up two solo homers in a no-decision, but it was Luis Garcia giving up five runs and failing to hold on to a 5-3 advantage that led to a Hagerstown 8-6 loss to Lexington. Eury Perez continues to wreak havoc on the basepaths. He went 2-2, stole his 66th base of the year, scored a run and had an RBI double. Leftfielder JP Ramirez and catcher Sandy Leon had two doubles each while Rick Hague turned in a three hit night.
- Lindsay Kramer at the Syracuse Post-Standard has a gamer focusing on Detwiler's start. She also reminds us that Syracuse remains on life support for the playoffs. They are currently three back of Louisville with four to play. Certainly can't help Louisville that a certain 100+ MPH Cuban Missile has gone missing from their bullpen.
- DSB has a Senators update focusing on Randy Knorr's experience with his players, Espinosa's call up, and his frustrations with El Duque's departure.
- Nationalsprospects.com has the complete organizational summary and pitching matchups for today. Biggest note of interest for me is that AJ Cole made his professional debut, pitching one inning of scoreless relief in a Lake Monsters loss.
AAA Syracuse:
- Ross Detwiler, LSP: (W, 1-0) 5IP, 5H, 3R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K, 56 pitches, 39 strikes, 12 groundouts, 0 flyouts
- Collin Balester, RRP: (H, 4) 2IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 1K
- Atahualpa Severino, LRP: 2IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 0K
- Fan Fav Boomer Whiting, LF: 1-4, 2R, BB, SB (36)
- Fan Fav Michael Martinez, SS: 2-5, R, K, missed catch error
- Brian Bixler, CF: 1-2, R, 2RBI, 3BB, K, outfield assist
- Leonard Davis, RF: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, 2K
AA Harrisburg:
- Aaron Thompson, LSP: 5.1IP, 6H, 2ER, 4BB, 4K
- Rafael Martin, RSP: 1.1IP, 1H, 0ER, 1BB, 0K
- Victor Garate, LSP: (L, 0-1) 1.1IP, 1H, 1ER, 1BB, 2K
- Stephen Lombardozzi, 2B: 1-3, R, RBI, HR (4th at AA), BB
- Chris Marrero, 1B: 2-4, 2B, K
- Michael Burgess, RF: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, HR
High A Potomac:
- Evan Bronson, LSP: 6.1IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 4K
- Derek Norris, DH: 3-5, 2R, 3RBI, 2 2B, BB (Norris has been hot over his last ten and his overall line is up to .242/.424/.435/.859)
- Tyler Moore, 1B: 3-4, R, RBI, BB
- Sean Rooney, C: 2-5, R, RBI, K
- Sean Nicol, SS: 2-4, 2R, 2RBI, 2B, BB
- Jamar Walton, LF: 3-5, 2R, 3RBI, 3R HR, K
Low A Hagersown:
- Mitchell Clegg, LSP: 5IP, 7H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K, 2 HR
- Luis Garcia, RRP: (BS, L, 4-4) 2.1IP, 4H, 5ER, 3BB, K
- Josh Smoker, LRP: .2IP, 1H, 0ER, IBB (allowed 2 inherited runners to score)
- Rick Hague, SS: 3-4, 2RBI, 2B, IBB
- JP Ramirez, LF: 2-4, R, 2 2B, IBB
- Destin Hood, RF: 1-5, RBI
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Eury Perez, CF: 2-2, R, RBI, 2B, SB (66th), 2 Sac bunts
- Sandy Leon, C: 3-4, 2R, 2 2B, RBI