NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Potomac Nationals

Potomac Nationals Game Notes

July 17, 2008 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


TONIGHT: The Potomac Nationals and Lynchburg Hillcats meet in the first game of a three-game series...The P-Nats notched their 10th shutout of the year with a 7-0 win over Salem in the series finale of a four-game set....Potomac enters today a half game ahead of Lynchburg atop the Carolina League Northern Division.

TONIGHT'S STARTER: The Potomac Nationals send right-hander Luis Atilano to the mound in the series opener against the Lynchburg Hillcats...The 23-year-old earned the victory in his last start against the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Friday allowing three runs on three hits in five innings of work...It was Atilano's first win since July 24, 2006, when he was a member of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and ironically knocked off the P-Nats...The former first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2003 who was traded for Daryle Ward in August of 2006 is still working his way back from "Tommy John" surgery and is limited to five innings or 70-75 pitches...He has made three starts with Potomac this season going 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA, allowing five runs on 10 hits in 12 1/3 innings...Five of the 18 hits the Puerto Rican has allowed in 22 2/3 innings have been home runs, but all have been solo shots.

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 Wednesday...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.

FIVE ALIVE: Both Boomer Whiting and Francisco Plasencia come into tonight's contest with five-game hit streaks...Whiting has hits in each of his first five starts with the P-Nats going 8-for-22 (.364) with a home run, three RBI, and four runs scored...Six of the 25-year-old's eight hits have been infield singles including three bunt singles...Plasencia is 7-for-23 (.304) with a double, four RBI, and three runs scored over his run...It is the second streak of five-games or more for the 24-year-old whose longest hit streak of the season is seven games.

MIGHTY MIKE: Michael Martinez recorded his fifth three-hit game going 3-for-5 against the Salem Avalanche on Tuesday night...The 25-year-old matches former P-Nats Edgardo Baez and Leonard Davis for second-most three-hit games this season...Matt Rogelstad had six three-hit games at the time of his promotion last week...Martinez actually record a pair of three-hit performances against the Avalanche going 3-for-5 in the opener of the four-game set on Saturday...Overall for the series, the infielder was 7-for-19 (.368) with a pair of doubles, five RBI, two runs scored, a walk, a strikeout, and a stolen base in two tries...He is also one of only four P-Nats to notch a four-hit game this season (Baez, Seth Bynum, and Dan Lyons the other three).

WALK LIKE A MINNESOTAN: Dan Lyons, riding a four-game hit streak, never got an opportunity to extend it in Tuesday night's contest in Salem walking in all four of his plate appearances...The 23-year-old scored a pair of runs during his time on the basepaths...The four walks were the most drawn by a Potomac batter this season...Chris Marrero and Marvin Lowrance each walked three times earlier this season.

ROSTER MOVES: Right-hander Jhonny Nunez has been added to Double-A Harrisburg...In addition, Carlos Martinez has been sent down from the Senators to replace Nunez on Potomac's 25-man roster...Nunez had been used primarily as a starter for the majority of the 2008 season...The right-hander was Potomac's Opening Day hurler and went winless in his first 14 games before recording a victory against the Winston-Salem Warthogs on June 18...Acquired by the Washington Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Marlon Anderson in 2006, Nunez went 2-8 in 21 games with a 5.22 ERA while striking out 82 batters in 81 innings pitched...The 22-year-old surrendered one run in four relief appearances with the P-Nats, but has notched three perfect innings with two strikeouts since his jump to the bullpen on July 11...Martinez rejoins the Nationals after appearing in one game with Triple-A Columbus Clippers and two with Harrisburg...The right-hander combined to allow just three hits in two scoreless innings against the Bowie Baysox during two outings at Commerce Bank Park in Harrisburg...The 24-year-old made 26 relief appearances with the P-Nats prior to his promotion on July 9 going 0-2 with two saves and posting a 3.35 ERA while striking out 39 in 51 innings on the mound...Four members of Potomac's five-man Opening Day rotation are now in Harrisburg including Nunez, Cory VanAllen, Jordan Zimmermann, and Adrian Alaniz...Ross Detwiler is the lone starter remaining.

Check out the Potomac Nationals Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...

Carolina League Stories from July 17, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central