CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Potomac Nationals Game Notes

Published on May 5, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


POTOMAC NATIONALS (19-9) @ MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS (18-12)

RHP JORDAN ZIMMERMANN (3-1, 1.65) VS. RHP TOMMY HANSON (3-1, 0.79)

May 5, 2008 -- 7:05 p.m.

BB&T Coastal Field

Game #29/Road #13

Internet Webcast -- www.potomacnationals.com

TONIGHT: The Potomac Nationals and Myrtle Beach Pelicans meet in game one of a three-game series...After winning the first two games of a four-game series with the Frederick Keys, the P-Nats had to settle for a split, falling 6-2 on Sunday afternoon...Potomac has a 2 1/2 game lead over Frederick in the Carolina League Northern Division coming into play today.

TONIGHT'S STARTER: Right-hander Craig Stammen makes his first start in 2008 with the Potomac Nationals...Stammen, who was recently sent back down to Potomac after one appearance at Triple-A Columbus, takes the spot in the P-Nats rotation vacated by the promotion of Jordan Zimmermann to Double-A Harrisburg...The 24-year-old started 22 games with Potomac last season before being moved to the bullpen at the end of the season...The former Dayton Flyer was 6-6 with a 4.37 ERA as a starter, giving up 141 hits in just 107 innings...Opponents hit .324 against him...In six relief outings last season, Stammen was 2-0 with a 3.00 limiting opponents to just a .224 average against...This season, he has held opponents to a .183 batting average against him.

NO STREAKING ALLOWED: The Potomac Nationals have lost back-to-back games for the third time this season...the first came on the first two games of the season against the Salem Avalanche...Potomac then lost the series finale at Winston-Salem and, after an off day, the series opener with Frederick...The Nationals largest margin of defeat is four runs and it has happened three times this season, all against Frederick.

OFFENSIVE REVIVAL: The P-Nats offense has scored a combined 14 runs (4. 67 per game) on 32 hits (10.67) in its last three games...Potomac had scored just seven runs (1.75) on only 17 hits (4.25) through the first four games of the current seven-game homestand...Ironically, the P-Nats are 1-2 in those three games after being 4-0 without the offensive production.

SLUMP BUSTIN: Catcher Brian Peacock snapped an 0-for-23 skid with his single to right-center field in the top of the fifth...The 23-year-old singled in his next at-bat as well finishing the day 2-for-4...It was the first two hits for Peacock since April 17...He started the season 6-for-17 with two doubles and a grand slam, and had hits in each of his first five games.

BASH BROTHERS: Leonard Davis and Chris Marrero each had a great series against the Frederick Keys...In the four-game series, Davis went 8-for-17 (.471) with a home run, three doubles, three RBI, and four runs scored...The 24-year-old has raised his overall batting average from .233 to .319 in the series and has matched Frederick catcher Matt Wieters for the league lead in home runs with five, doing it in 41 few at-bats...Marrero, meanwhile, was 7-for-15 (.467) raising his average from .200 to .240...The 19-year-old hit his third and fourth home runs and drove in four, including a three-run shot to tie the game on Friday night...Both Davis and Marrero were teammates in 2007 with Low-A Hagerstown and were named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team.

VIEW FROM THE TOP: Today marks the 25th consecutive day the P-Nats have been in or had a share of the division lead after moving to the top spot on April 10...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.

MOVING UP: Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, who was scheduled to start tonight, was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg today...He excelled with Potomac this season in just his second year of professional baseball, going 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA...The Auburndale, Wis., native pitched perhaps his best game as a National in his last start against Winston-Salem on April 30, by throwing seven shutout innings and allowing only one hit...Dating back to 2007, Zimmermann has allowed just one earned run in 52 2/3 innings while pitching at his home parks...The impressive mark spans 11 appearances at Pfitzner Stadium and Centennial Field in Vermont.

Zimmermann, Washington's second-round selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, began his career with Short-Season Vermont in 2007 appearing in 13 games going 5-2 with a 2.38 ERA...His five wins ranked second on the team behind Adrian Alaniz who won eight.

MOVING IN: Outfielder Francisco Plasencia was promoted from Low-A Hagerstown today as well...Plasencia was hitting .282 with a pair of home runs and six runs driven in 21 games with the Suns this season...The 23-year-old began the 2007 season with Potomac and struggled, hitting just .209 with one home run and 11 RBI....Following a demotion to Hagerstown, the Venezuelan-native responded by posting a .260 average and hitting a career-high 14 home runs while driving in 38...His lone home run last season with the P-Nats came on May 8 at Myrtle Beach off of Jairo Cuevas

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