CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Potomac Nationals Game Notes

Published on April 26, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


POTOMAC NATIONALS (13-6) @ FREDERICK KEYS (12-8)

RHP ADRIAN ALANIZ (1-0, 3.60) VS. RHP KYLE SCHMIDT (1-0, 5.40)

April 26, 2008 -- 2:00 p.m.

Harry Grove Stadium

Game #20/Road #11

Internet Webcast -- www.potomacnationals.com

TODAY: The Potomac Nationals and Frederick Keys meet in game two of a three-game series...Last night the P-Nats lost an early 2-0 lead and fell as the Keys scored five unanswered runs to take the opener...Potomac has a 1 1/2 game lead over Frederick for the lead in the Carolina League Northern Division.

TODAY'S STARTERS: Potomac Nationals right-hander Adrian Alaniz tries to prevent the club from losing three straight for the first time this season...The 24-year-old had the best outing of his brief professional last time out working seven scoreless frames and combining with Yunior Novoa on a five-hit shutout of the Wilmington Blue Rocks...The former University of Texas standout has not allowed a run in 9 1/3 innings and is currently tied with Zech Zinicola for the longest scoreless innings streak on the team...Prior to his last outing, Alaniz had struggled with his control, walking five batters in 12 innings after only walking eight in 60-plus innings with Short-Season Vermont last season...Frederick counters with right-hander Kyle Schmidt who is making his first start of the season after replacing Brad Bergesen (promoted to Double-A Bowie) in the Keys rotation...Schmidt has allowed 11 runs in 8 1/3 innings, however, only five of those runs were earned...The 24-year-old has struggled with his command, hitting four batters and walking two while allowing 13 hits in his time on the mound...The former 14th-round selection in 2004 went 6-8 with a 3.37 ERA in 23 starts with Low-A Delmarva a season ago, striking out 145 batters in 131 innings.

ONE VERSUS TWO: The top two teams in the Carolina League Northern Division match up in today's contest in Advanced-A's version of the "Battle of the Beltway" pitting the Nationals against the Orioles...Last season Frederick took 12 of the 19 games played between the two squads including clinching the first half Northern Division title with a 9-8, 10-inning victory on June 16th at Harry Grove Stadium...That was also the last time the P-Nats lost an extra inning game as the club has won seven straight in extra frames since.

WE'RE NUMBER ONE: The three-game series between the P-Nats and Keys features five former first-round draft picks including Potomac's Ross Detwiler (2007 #6 overall) and Chris Marrero (2006 #15 overall) and Frederick's Matt Wieters (2007 #5 overall), Bill Rowell (2006 #9 overall) and Brandon Snyder (2005 #13 overall)...Nine top-ten prospects according to Baseball America will be represented including the Nationals' Marrero (#1), Detwiler (#2) and Zimmermann (#7) and the Orioles' Wieters (#1), Rowell (#5), Snyder (#6), Arrieta (#7), Pedro Beato (#9) and Brandon Erbe (#10).

TOUGH AND TIGHT: Of the Potomac Nationals first 19 games, 13 have been decided by three runs or less including seven one-run games...The P-Nats are 7-6 in those games and 4-3 in the one-run contests...The club is a perfect 6-0 in games decided by more than three runs, outscoring its' opponent 48-15...The Nationals six losses have come by a combined ten runs.

BIG LEAGUE: Outfielder Elijah Dukes will begin a rehab stint with the Potomac Nationals today against Frederick. The 23-year-old was placed on the 15-day disabled list March 31 after pulling a hamstring in the Washington Nationals inaugural game at Nationals Park the night before against the Atlanta Braves. Dukes was 0-for-2 in his only two at-bats. No timetable has been set for his return to Washington.

The Homestead, Fla., native was acquired on December 3 in exchange for left-hander Glenn Gibson. He hit .190 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI in 2007 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He had his season cut short after being placed on the temporary inactive list June 22.

Dukes was drafted in the third round in 2002 out Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla. From 2004 to 2006 he was ranked as one of the top ten prospects in the Rays organization by Baseball America. Coming into 2005 as the fifth-rated prospect in the Tampa Bay farm system, Dukes batted .287 with a career-best 128 hits and cranked 18 home runs while driving in 73 runs in 120 games with the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A Southern League. He hit .332 with eight home runs and 34 RBI the season before in a 58-game stint at the Advanced-A level with the California League's Bakersfield Blaze after beginning the season with the Low-A Charleston River Dogs.

Dukes becomes the third member of the Washington Nationals to rehab with Potomac already this season. He joins right-handers Shawn Hill and Chad Cordero.

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