WOODBRIDGE, Va.- The Potomac Nationals announced today that pitchers
Adrian Alaniz and Adam Carr have been promoted to Double-A Harrisburg.
Additionally, left-hander Justin Jones has been promoted from Low-A
Hagerstown and right-hander Luis Atilano has been sent down from
Harrisburg.Alaniz has been one of the most consistent and reliable pitchers this season in the Nationals organization, going 9-0 with Potomac and posting the Carolina League's fourth lowest ERA (2.62). The right-hander has earned a win in seven consecutive starts and was recently selected as a 2008 Carolina League All-Star. Alaniz never allowed more than four runs in any of his twelve starts, and his nine wins were the most among pitchers in the Carolina League.
Drafted by the Washington Nationals in the eighth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Alaniz spent the 2007 season with Short-Season Vermont where he led the team with eight wins and owned a 2.39 ERA. The 24-year-old won five consecutive starts from July 6th through August 1st and was named a NYPL All-Star.
The University of Texas product helped lead the Longhorns to a College World Series title in 2005. During that season, Alaniz pitched a no-hitter versus Oklahoma on May 2, 2005.
Carr has been one of the go-to relievers for manager Randy Knorr this season appearing in 21 games for the P-Nats going 3-4 with a 6.15 ERA. The 24-year-old recorded 31 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. The right-hander was in his second stint with Potomac after setting a single-season record for saves (10) in 2007.
The former Oklahoma State Sooner returns for his second stint in Double-A after spending part of the 2007 season in Harrisburg. Carr was 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in seven appearances with the Senators a year ago. The 2006 18th-round pick began his career splitting time with the GCL Nationals and Savannah of the South Atlantic League appearing in 16 total games and going 1-0.
Jones returns to Potomac after going 7-8 with a 3.96 ERA in 17 games last season. The 23-year-old injured his knee in the offseason after being placed on the Washington Nationals 40-man roster. A former second-round pick in 2002 by the Chicago Cubs, Jones was selected by the Nationals in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in 2006. The Norfolk, Va., native's most memorable performance last season while with the P-Nats came on August 13 as he came within two outs of throwing a perfect game against the Winston-Salem Warthogs. He is expected to start on Sunday.
Atilano makes his second appearance with the P-Nats after working four scoreless innings in a spot start on June 1 against the Kinston Indians in game two of a doubleheader. The 23-year-old joins Potomac after pitching in two games, one start, with Harrisburg allowing just one earned run on six hits in six innings with the Senators. The former Atlanta Braves first-round pick is making his way back from Tommy John Surgery which he underwent in August of 2006.
With the moves, Potomac's roster currently stands at 24, 13 pitchers and 11 position players.
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