Washington Nationals Minor League Affiliate Report 5/10

From staff and wire reports:

SYRACUSE (AAA International League): The Chiefs defeated the Indianapolis Indians 3-2 on Monday night in the first game of a four-game series with the International League West foe. The win stopped a two-game losing skid for the Chiefs.

Syracuse (18-12) started the scoring in the second inning thanks to Brian Goodwin. After two quick outs, Goodwin turned on a Jameson Taillon curveball and drove it over the right-field fence for a solo home run, giving the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. The home run was the first allowed by Taillon all year.

The Chiefs’ lead stood until the fourth inning, when Indianapolis (15-14) got to Syracuse starter Taylor Hill. Indians third baseman Cole Figueroa hit a solo shot, tying the game at 1-1. It was the last baserunner Hill allowed in his outing.

Syracuse answered back in the bottom half of the inning. Scott Sizemore led off with a single to right and later moved to second on a Matt Skole walk. Jason Martinson then ripped a double which plated Sizemore to give Syracuse a 2-1 lead. Skole was thrown out at home trying to score on the play.

Syracuse continued the offense in the fifth when Severino led off the frame with a double down the left-field line. Severino then moved to third on Isaac Ballou’s ensuing groundout. With a game featuring two National League affiliates allowing for no designated hitter, Hill then came up to bat. He drove a Taillon pitch to deep right field, which was caught but allowed Severino to tag up and score, moving the Chiefs’ lead to 3-1.

Hill kept the Indians scoreless aside from Figueroa’s solo shot, finishing the day with seven innings pitched. He allowed four hits and just the one earned run while striking out three and not allowing a walk en route to his first win of the year.

On Tuesday evening, Syracuse and Indianapolis will play the second game of this four-game series. The Chiefs have penciled in Austin Voth for the start. The right hander is set to face off against Wilfredo Boscan. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m.

HARRISBURG (AA Eastern League): The Senators rallied for six runs over their final three at bats on their way to a 6-4 win over Richmond on Monday night. The Flying Squirrels had a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning before the Senators rallied for the win.  With the win, the Senators improve to 12-17 while Richmond falls to 10-20. The Sens are now 2-2 on the six-game trip through Trenton and Richmond.

Lucas Giolito started and threw his best game of the season. Giolito picked up the win going six innings and scattering four hits and two runs. John Simms then came out of the pen and retired all six batters he faced before giving way to Koda Glover in the ninth inning.

Trailing 2-0 into the seventh, the Senators loaded the bases with two outs on a single, hit batter and walk. Cutter Dykstra was called on to pinch-hit and drilled a triple off the wall in center field, scoring all three runs and giving the Senators a 3-2 lead.

Harrisburg tacked on two in the eighth on a single by Neftali Soto and sacrifice fly off the bat of Spencer Kieboom. In the ninth, Rafael Bautista drove in Stephen Perez with an RBI ground out.

Zach Collier continued his recent torrid hitting with three more hits and Soto chipped in two for the Senators. Over their past two games, Harrisburg has scored eleven runs on 23 hits.

Game two of the series is on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Richmond.

POTOMAC (HIGH-A Carolina League): The Nationals were buried by the Lynchburg Hillcats 7-2 on Monday evening in their one-game series contest inside Lynchburg City Stadium as a 13-hit barrage from Lynchburg cemented Hillcats starter Julian Merryweather (5-1) his fifth win of the 2016 season.

The one-game set represented the makeup of a May 3rd postponement due to inclement weather.

The P-Nats (16-12) are now 3-11 when their opposition is the first team to score.

Nationals starter Wirkin Estevez (0-2) suffered his second loss in his sixth start of the ’16 campaign after allowing a season-high four earned runs on a season-high eight hits. Estevez walked a pair and struck out one.

The Nationals jumped on the board in the third courtesy of Drew Ward’s line-drive, laser-beam home run over the stacked signage in right field. The bomb was Ward’s seventh four-bagger of the season.

Matthew Spann gave up three earned runs in 2 1/3 relief innings before Justin Thomas finished the game 1 2/3 scoreless innings in which he allowed one hit and no walks while fanning a trio.

Potomac picked up one run in the eighth inning on a leadoff triple from Andrew Stevenson and a ground out.

Potomac starts a three-game series versus the Carolina Mudcats on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Former first round draft pick Erick Fedde (1-3, 7.15) faces Max Povse (2-2, 2.97) in the series opener.

HAGERSTOWN (LOW-A South Atlantic League): The Suns were shut out by Mitch Keller and two relievers from the West Virginia Power on Tuesday, 4-0, at Appalachian Power Park.

The Power picked up a pair of runs int he first against Suns starter Matt DeRosier (L, 1-1) and one more in both the fourth and fifth innings. DeRosier allowed all four runs on five hits and three walks, striking out three.

Keller earned the win (3-1), giving up two hits and a walk over six innings, whiffing eight.

Victor Robles, Ian Sagdal and Jakson Reetz accounted for the three hits, all singles.

The Suns (20-10) face the Power again Tuesday at 7:05 in the finale of a four-game set.