CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Potomac Nationals Game Notes

Published on August 11, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


TONIGHT: The Potomac Nationals and Frederick Keys meet in game one of a three-game series...The P-Nats won the final game against the Winston-Salem Warthogs ever played at Ernie Shore Field 7-5 on Sunday night wrapping up a 3-4 road trip...Potomac enters today 4.0 games ahead of Wilmington atop the Carolina League Northern Division.

TONIGHT'S STARTER: The Potomac Nationals send right-hander Luis Atilano to the mound to trying to make it three striaght wins...In his last outing, Atilano pitched well enought for the victory, allowing only one run on four hits in five innings; however, he received a no decision in a 10-4 loss to Lynchburg...The 23-year-old had a personal four-game winning streak snapped with a 5-1 loss to Winston-Salem on August 1...He allowed four runs in the contest, all unearned, in a disasterous fifth inning...Prior to his last outing, the Puerto Rican gave up just four runs in 20 innings over his four-game winning streak (1.80 ERA) allowing just 11 hits while striking out 13 and walking only three...He earned Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing five scoreless innings against both Kinston (7/22) and Frederick (7/27) allowing just one hit to each in those outings...The former supplimental first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2003 (Tom Glavine) was traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Daryle Ward on August 31, 2006, 21 days after he underwent "Tommy John" surgery...Atilano is limited to five innings or 70-75 pitches and will not throw more than 100 innings for the season.

STILL STANDING TALL: The Potomac Nationals have only spent two days were they were not in or had a share of the division lead since moving to the top spot on April 10...Potomac had a string of 91 straight days in first place snapped with a 4-1 loss to Wilmington on July 9...Last season the Nationals spent 31 consecutive days in first from April 5 through May 5...The P-Nats ended the first half in last place, 10 games under .500 and only saw first place for one day, June 21, after May 5.

BROOM BAN CONTINUES: With the victory in Saturday night's game, the Potomac Nationals remain the only team in the Carolina League to have not been swept this season...The P-Nats have swept every team in the league except Salem...The club has six series remaining.

ON A R-"O"-LL: The Potomac Nationals offense has come to life in the last two games scoring 18 runs and pounding out 27 hits including six for extra bases (all doubles)...It had struggled over the course of the team's four-game losing streak...The club was hitting just .198 (26-for-131) with two doubles, a triple, and a home run over the streak...The P-Nats had also struck out 25 times and walked just 10 and scored just 11 runs.

LAST IN THE LONG BALL: The Potomac Nationals power production has fallen off dramatically since June...Friday night Aaron Seuss hit the club's second home run in its eighth game this month, the fewest of any team in the Carolina League...Lynchburg, Salem, and Wilmington are tied with the second fewest homers in August with five...The P-Nats hit the second fewest home runs in the league in July with just 16 (Wilmington -- 13)...Potomac led the league in homers in June with 35 and finished second to Myrtle Beach in both April (18) and May (31).

BULLPEN BLITZED: The Potomac Nationals bullpen has allowed at least one run in 12 of 13 games including nine straight...Over the that span, the pen has allowed 41 runs, 38 earned, in 42 2/3 innings of work, a 8.02 ERA...Of the 20 runs scored by the Lynchburg Hillcats in the final two games of the previous series, 13 came against the pen including nine runs Wednesday night...Prior to the recent skid, the pen had a 3.08 ERA which has since risen to 3.58.

SEARCHING FOR 70: The Potomac Nationals are one win shy of becoming just the eighth team in the 31-year history of the Alexandria/Prince William/Potomac franchise to win at least 70 games...The last time the franchise netted at least 70 wins was 1998 when it was still known as the Prince William Cannons...It has never won 70 games in a season since changing its name to Potomac in 1999...The most wins in a season came in 1982 when the Alexandria Dukes won 80 games.

ROSTER MOVES: The Potomac Nationals announced today that outfielder Michael Burgess and infielder Stephen King have been promoted to Potomac from Low-A Hagerstown....In addition, Brian Finegan has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Alex Morales has been placed on the temporarily inactive list...Burgess hit .249 with the Suns this year and led the club in hits (100), doubles (26), home runs (18), RBI (60), and walks (46)...The 19-year-old was selected as a South Atlantic League All-Star and won the Home Run Derby contest outlasting Mike Stanton of the Greensboro Grasshoppers...King, drafted out of Winter Park (FL) High in the third round of the 2006, draft was hitting .284 with six home runs and 33 RBI with Hagerstown at the time of his promotion...Considered the 16th-best prospect in the Washington Nationals organization by Baseball America, King played shortstop in 2007 but transitioned to third base in 2008...The 20-year-old began his professional career with the Suns in 2007 batting .180 in 35 games before being sent down to the GCL Nationals where he posted a .248 average with nine homers and 30 RBI...With the moves, a record 63 different players, including eight Washington Nationals on rehab, have worn a Potomac Nationals uniform in 2008.

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Carolina League Stories from August 11, 2008


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