CarL1 Potomac Nationals

Potomac Nationals Game Notes

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


POTOMAC NATIONALS (2-0, 79-61) VS. WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS (0-2, 69-71)

LHP ROSS DETWILER (8-8, 4.86) VS. LHP EVERETT TEAFORD (8-6, 3.80)

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

Daniel S. Frawley Stadium

Northern Division Championship Series Game #3

Internet Webcast -- www.potomacnationals.com

TONIGHT: The Potomac Nationals and Wilmington Blue Rocks meet in game three of the best-of-five Northern Division Championship Series...The P-Nats won in extra innings for the second straight night as Dan Lyons drove in Boomer Whiting with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning giving Potomac a 2-0 series lead.

TONIGHT'S STARTER: The Potomac Nationals send left-hander Ross Detwiler to the mound trying to clinch the Northern Division Championship Series in a three-game sweep...Detwiler helped the P-Nats clinch the second half Northern Division title just a week ago in Wilmington by tossing six innings and allowing just one run on four hits...The 22-year-old also helped the P-Nats clinch the first-half Northern Division title on June 9 by tossing five innings and allowing three runs on four hits in a victory over the Winston-SalemWarthogs...Following that outing, Detwiler went 0-4 with three no-decisions over his next seven starts, allowing 24 runs, 20 earned, on 42 hits while striking out 26 and walking 14 in 36 innings (5.00 ERA)...The former first-round pick snapped his winless streak on July 29 against Wilmington by firing six innings and giving up just one run on six hits while striking out six and walking only one...This season against the Blue Rocks, the St. Louis-native is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in five starts...He has allowed just four runs on 18 hits in 26 innings of work while striking out 30 and walking 14...Detwiler has faired better on the road than at home, going 4-3 with a 3.51 ERA in 11 starts on the road as opposed to a 4-5 mark with a 5.82 ERA in 15 outings at home...Detwiler missed two starts this season: June 14 at Frederick (stomach sickness) and August 8 at Winston-Salem (back spasms).

PLAYOFF PREVIEW: The Potomac Nationals and Wilmington Blue Rocks meet in the first round of the 2008 Carolina League playoffs...The P-Nats were 13-7 against the Rocks this season, the only Northern Division opponent which they have a winning record against...Potomac outscored Wilmington 114-74 in the series...The Nationals own a .285 batting average against Blue Rocks pitching while posting a 3.18 ERA and limiting the Rocks to a .242 batting average against...The P-Nats have also been able to slow down the Rocks running as Wilmington is 26-for-44 in stolen base tries against Potomac, the lowest success rate (59%) against any team in the league.

POTOMAC IN THE POSTSEASON: The postseason appearance by the P-Nats will be just the sixth in the 31-year history of the Alexandria/Prince William/Potomac franchise (1982, 1989, 1991, 1995, 2004)...the Carolina League playoffs return to Pfitzner Stadium for the first time since 2004 when the Potomac Cannons dropped two of three games to the Wilmington Blue Rocks...The franchise has not played in the Mills Cup finals since winning its last league title in 1989...The 1982 Alexandria Dukes and 1989 Prince William Cannons are the only two teams in franchise history to ever win a Carolina League Championship.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: With Friday night's clinching win, the Potomac Nationals, became the first team in the 31-year history of the franchise to win both halves...The club is also the first full-season Washington Nationals affiliate ever to advance to the postseason.

THE FEW AND THE PROUD: Only 13 active members remain on the P-Nats roster for the club that clinched the first half title on June 9 against Winston-Salem...Just six players for Opening Day remain on the active roster and four of those (Detwiler, Wilkie, Martinez, and Brown) have been on the roster the entire season...Potomac has had a record 67 different players, counting eight rehabs, in uniform this season...The club has used 16 different starting pitchers not counting rehabs.

WIRE TO WIRE: 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.

JUST MISSED: With Sunday's loss, the Potomac Nationals fell one win shy of the franchise record for most victories in a single season...The most wins in a season came in 1982 when the Alexandria Dukes won 80 games...On August 12 the P-Nats became 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...The win marked the first time the franchise won 70 games in a season since changing its name to Potomac in 1999.

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