CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Potomac Nationals Game Notes

June 10, 2008 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


TONIGHT: The Potomac Nationals and Winston-Salem Warthogs meet in game two of a three-game series...The P-Nats clinched the Northern Division title with a 5-3 win over the Hogs last night...Potomac‘s lead over second-place Wilmington in the Carolina League Northern Division is 7.0 games.

TONIGHT: The Potomac Nationals send right-hander Jeff Mandel to the mound for his second Carolina League start...The 23-year-old worked five innings in his debut at Lynchburg, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third inning without a run scoring, and limiting the Hillcats to just two runs on six hits while earning his first win...The former Baylor Bear has worked at least five innings and has not allowed more than two runs in each of his last five outings posting an ERA of 3.00 over that span...Last year's 19th-round pick has faced tonight's starter for the Winston-Salem Warthogs, Anthony Carter, twice while in Low-A Hagerstown...On May 19 in Hagerstown, Mandel out-dueled Carter over six innings, allowing just two runs to his opposition's four, and picking up the win while handing the former Kannapolis hurler his first loss, 5-2 in seven innings...Round two went to Carter at his home field as surrendered just one run on four hits through 6 1/3 innings knocking off Mandel, who only allowed two runs on five hits in five innings

VIEW FROM THE TOP: Today marks the 62nd consecutive day the P-Nats have been in or had a share of the division lead since 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.

P-NATS CLINCH: The Potomac Nationals clinched the Northern Division title is with six games left in the first half...The P-Nats became the first domestic Washington Nationals affiliate ever to reach the postseason...Last year Potomac became just the second Nationals full-season affiliate to end the year with a winning record (69-68)...It is the first division title for the Prince William/Potomac franchise since 2004 when the Potomac Cannons won the first half title with a 37-32 record.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The P-Nats have combined for 54 runs and 76 hits in the last six games...A night after the Potomac Nationals erupted offensively against the Lynchburg Hillcats setting a season in runs (16) and hits (23), the P-Nats again reached double-digits with 12 runs on 18 hits...The 14-run and 11-run margins of victory are the largest this season eclipsing the previous high of eight...The Nationals are now atop the Carolina League with the best team batting average (.265) and have hit the second most home runs as a club (59).

EDGARDO-N'T MESS WITH BAEZ: Edgardo Baez has been named the Carolina League's Offensive Player of the Week for June 2-9...Baez had hits in all eight games the P-Nats played over the seven-day stretch going 14-for-29 (.483) with eight of his hits going for extra bases including five doubles and three home runs...The 22-year-old rose to the top of the league leader board in RBI with 42 by driving in 12 runs during the week...He also scored nine times and posted a .996 slugging average while raising his batting average from .256 to .288.

DAVIS HEATS UP IN JUNE: Leonard Davis has been red hot at the plate since the calendar flipped from May to June...The 24-year-old has appeared in all 11 games for the month batting .444 (16-for-36)...Half of his hits have gone for extra bases including four doubles, a triple and three home runs while driving in 10 runs...LD has a .512 on-base percentage for the month and a .861 slugging average...The California-native has also scored 16 times.

POTOMAC QUARTET HEADED TO MYRTLE BEACH: Four Potomac Nationals, including outfielder Edgardo Baez, infielder Matt Rogelstad and right-handed pitchers Adrian Alaniz and Craig Stammen, were named to the Carolina League All-Star team and will play in the California-Carolina League All-Star Game on June 24 in Myrtle Beach, S.C...Baez, who leads the league with 42 RBI, earns his second All-Star selection after being named a South Atlantic League All-Star with the Low-A Savannah Sand Gnats in 2005....Rogelstad makes his first All-Star team after being selected as the starting second baseman for the Carolina League...Alainz, who leads all Carolina League hurlers in wins (9) and ranks fifth in ERA (2.62), was named a New York-Penn League mid-season All-Star last year in Short-Season Vermont...Another first-time All-Star, Stammen makes the squad after posting a league-best 2.02 ERA.

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Carolina League Stories from June 10, 2008


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