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May 06 Zimmerman Named Pitcher of the Week & Sent To AA HarrisburgOne of the coolest things about watching minor league ball is that you get to see bright-eyed, talented athletes up close and personal. Often they come from towns most people never even heard of such as Versailles, Ohio. Or they might be trying to make it big after immigrating from another part of the world such as Las Matas de Farfan in the Dominican Republic or Barran Quilla, Colombia. But no matter where they come from, all these young men share the same dream that looms larger than life: to one day be a major league baseball player.
As exciting as it is to watch these guys at the birth of their careers, in order to enjoy the minor leagues you have to adjust to a new way of watching the game. Unlike in the majors, players in the minor leagues hope to do well in order to get OFF the team, not stay on it. That being said, when one of your favorite players advance you are really happy for him and can't wait to see him one day suit-up in a major league uniform. But at the same time you can't help missing the sight of him in your minor league ballpark during a clutch moment on a given night when the chips are down.
 Pitcher of the Week Jordan Zimmerman was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg May 5th
This first month of the 2008 season has seen a great deal of success at Potomac, especially in the pitching department and yet another P-Nat starter was rewarded for that success. Jordan Zimmerman was named Carolina League pitcher of the week for April 28th through May 4th and was promoted yesterday to join his teammates Cory VanAllen and Zech Zinicola in double-A Harrisburg.
I was always excited to see Jordan play at Pfitzner and will hate not being able to watch him pitch on a regular basis, but I certainly wish him a speedy climb to the majors. Joining the P-Nats from triple-A Columbus yesterday was pitcher Giuseppe "Joey" Norrito who was immediately pressed into service and pitched in relief last night against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. In his first appearance for Potomac he unfortunately didn't fare well as he ended up blowing a save, giving up two walks, two doubles and a couple of runs. Norrito played in two games with Columbus this season and his only big mistake of note was giving up a two run homer to Louisville Bats outfielder Jay Bruce on April 27th. He was originally acquired by the Dodger organization as a 48th round pick in the 2004 MLB draft.
Plasencia was scouted and first brought into the minor leagues as an undrafted free agent back in 2000 by the Milwaukee Brewers. He was released by the Brewers in 2003 and then signed by the Montreal Expos on December 14, 2004. He has seen time in Savannah, Vermont, Hagerstown and Potomac. Managers have always been excited about his potential because of his impressive size, speed and power behind the plate. The weekend series with second place Frederick ended with the P-Nats splitting the four game set and with both teams losing their respective games last night, the result was no change in the standings. The Potomac Nationals remain in first place in the Carolina League North by two and a half games. May 03 Pitching Shuffle: VanAllen & Zinicola To Harrisburg Cory VanAllen
The Potomac Nationals FO announced that pitchers Cory VanAllen and Zech Zinicola have been promoted to Double-A Harrisburg. Craig Stammen will return to the P-Nats after appearing in one game with Triple-A Columbus. Indications are Stammen will be rejoining the team in a starting role along with promoted right-hander Terrence Engles from single-A Hagerstown. Congratulations and good luck to Cory and Zech!
Terrence Engles (3-0, 1.89 ERA in Hagerstown) will make his Potomac debut at Pfitzner Stadium tonight against Keys righty Pedro Beato (3-1, 3.38 ERA). Potomac has so far taken both games at home versus Frederick and now has a 4.5 game lead in front of them for first place in the Carolina League North.
  Zech Zinicola Craig Stammen
May 01 P-Nats to Battle Frederick for Top SpotThe Frederick Keys arrive in Woodbridge today to begin a four game series that will determine who will remain on top of the Carolina League North. The Keys took two games out of three against the P-Nats last weekend and just defeated Wilmington in another three game series with the same result. As of today, Potomac remains in first place and was even able to add an extra game of breathing room when they swept the Winston-Salem Warthogs last night.
On Tuesday, Cory VanAllen pitched yet another gem in the first of a two-game doubleheader. VanAllen went 7 innings with only one hit and 4 strikeouts. Unfortunately for him, Warthog starter Michael Dubee matched him inning for inning until the eighth at which time reliever Mike Carr took over for Potomac. It was then that Washington Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes hit a two-out single in the 8th bringing in baserunner Steve Doetsch and ending the game with a one to nothing Potomac victory.
 Elijah Dukes At Pfitzner Stadium April 30th
In game two, Ross Detwiler attempted to try and recover from his painful outing last week in Frederick. He managed to make a much better appearance this time around and remained in the game for five innings with 3 strikeouts. He began to unravel in the fourth however when he allowed three consecutive singles, loaded the bases and permitted two runs to score. His outing ended after he walked 3 batters in the fifth.
Despite an anemic offense from Potomac, Yunior Novoa managed a win and Zech Zinicola the save when Winston-Salem committed a cacophony of mistakes in the bottom of the sixth: the Hogs loaded the bases with an error and two walks after which a pass ball scored a run. Then, they intentionally walked Leonard Davis to load the bases when Warthog pitcher Kanekoa Texeira walked-in the tying run. The game ended when Dee Brown beat out a double-play ball allowing Jemel Spearman to score.
This weekend the Potomac pitching staff will have their work cut out for them in the form of Keys backstop and top Orioles prospect Michael Wieters. Wiethers has had no problems getting the job done both in front and behind the plate. The "best catching prospect in the minors" quoted by MiLBInsider and Scout.com has accumulated a team high 5 home runs, 15 RBIs and a .338 batting average. Another threat behind the plate is first baseman Chistoper Vinyard who currently holds a .301 batting average and has belted 3 home runs so far this season. Potomac's bats on the other hand have seemed utterly silent lately and it is essential for the P-Nats offense to get hot and match the Keys hit for hit if they hope to stay on top of the division. The Keys have right-hander Brandon Erbe who was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for April 21-27. Erbe won both of his starts last week, allowing just two earned runs in thirteen innings. He made his first complete game of his professional career on April 22nd when he went the distance against Wilmington winning that game 4-1. In his last start against Potomac, he held the P-Nats to one run on three hits, walking three and striking out six, in six innings. So far this season, opposing batters are hitting just .183 against him. Teammate and fellow right-hander Jake Arrieta is also having a good start so far this year, he is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA and has 32 strikeouts. The showdown begins at 7:05pm tonight with Adrian Alaniz (2-0, 2.70) going up against Kyle Schmidt (1-0, 4.50). April 27 Carolina League Rematch Coming To Woodbridge Starting MondayThe P-Nats hope to exact some revenge on Winston-Salem this week as the Warthogs arrive in town for a three game series starting April 28. The two teams just completed a series earlier last week with Winston-Salem coming up on top two games to one.
The Warthogs are well stocked with some promising prospects within the Chicago White Sox organization starting with left-handed starter Aaron Poreda. Poreda was drafted out
 of the University of San Francisco last year and before concentrating on baseball he dabbled in football during high school which might account for his impressive size at 6'6" 240lbs.He features a 91-94mph fastball with late movement, and is currently working on honing an off-speed pitch to broaden his repertoire. In the Carolina League so far this year, he is 0-2 with 14 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA through 21 and a third innings.
Another pitcher to watch while the Warthogs are here is former University of Miami Ohio right-hander John Ely. Ely has a 92mph fastball and changeup combo thrown with a herky jerky motion that can be very effective in distracting hitters. In addition to these pitches, he'll throw a curveball once in a while, a weapon that he is still attempting to perfect and add to his arsenal.
The two main offensive prospects from this team feature 22 year old John Shelby III and former VCU and Richmond, Virginia native Sergio Miranda. Both these players however are currently struggling at the plate with .222 and .133 batting averages respectively. Warthog 2nd baseman Javier Colina and 3rd baseman C.J Retherford are the hot bats so far this season both posting .300+ averages and sharing 5 home runs.
 Potomac meanwhile remains teetering precariously on top of the Carolina League North by one and a half games after losing two out of three games in Frederick over the weekend. P-Nat favorite Jhonny Nuñez had a game he wished he could forget on Sunday as he was uncharacteristically wild and labored through inning after inning with multiple baserunners. Nuñez threw three wild pitches and had two hit batsmen in 4 innings. He gave up a walk, 8 hits, 6 earned runs and two home runs, the second one being a three run jack in the fourth by Keys first baseman Chris Vinyard.Washington Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes joined Potomac during the series for a rehab assignment and went 0-3 with three walks through the past two games. The P-Nats tested his injured hamstring Saturday by having him try and steal a base but was caught by Keys catcher Matthew Wieters. On Sunday, he was nailed in a run-down play between first and second in the 5th inning. Accompanying his teammate for the upcoming homestand will be DC Nats catcher Paul LoDuca hoping to make his return to Washington after being on the DL for two weeks.
 The story on offense for Potomac remains to be third baseman Leonard Davis as he notched yet another home run on Saturday and now leads the team this season with 4 home runs in only seven games. Davis went 0-3 with a walk on Sunday.
The Winston-Salem series begins at 7:05 PM Monday at Pfitzner stadium. Fans should be prepared to host some visiting ball players in a pretty foul mood after just being swept by the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
Pitching probables for the opening game should be a rematch between Cory VanAllen (3-0, 0.89 ERA) and Matthew Zaleski (0-1, 7.71 ERA) which last time resulted in a low scoring pitcher's duel that ended with the P-Nats shutting out the Warthogs two runs to nothing. April 25 Potomac Finds Strength In Pitching StaffThe Potomac Nationals held on to first place in the Carolina League North during week three of play with some really solid pitching and timely offense. The Winston-Salem series started Monday and began with a defeat on April 21st, but the 0-2 score tells the story. Despite the loss, P-Nat starter Jhonny Nuñez made a stellar performance on the mound racking up 10 strikeouts in 6 innings with only 3 hits and one earned run. Nuñez currently holds a 3.48 ERA in 20 and two thirds innings and places second in the Carolina League in strikeouts with 27 Ks.
 Another pitcher's duel ensued the following night when Potomac's Cory VanAllen took on Warthog pitcher Matt Zaleski. This time the P-Nats reversed the score and came away with a 2-0 win at Ernie Shore Field in Winston-Salem. VanAllen, now 3-0 in four games, pitched 5 innings with 4 strikeouts and only a single hit. Cory is now holding a miniscule .084 season ERA which currently ranks 2nd in the Carolina League only behind Myrtle Beach Pelicans starter Thomas Hanson (3-0 0.31 ERA).The final game on Wednesday proved to be a different affair as P-Nat Lefty Ross Detwiler again came up shaky on the mound and was unable to find location. Detwiler made 40 pitches in only two thirds of an inning - and in that two thirds he gave up a single, a double and a two run home run. One of the brightest spots for Potomac that night however was the Los Banos, California native Leonard Davis hitting his third home run in only four games with a two run tater to left center. Davis appears to be on fire since being activated from the DL on April 19.
Chris Marrero on the other hand continues to struggle both on the field and behind the plate as he committed another error on Wednesday and has slipped to a .197 batting average. He was 0-2 with two walks on Monday, 1-4 (single) Tuesday and 0-5 on the Wednesday the 23rd. I definately hope to be in attendance to watch him turn it around in the next home stand which will be against the same team starting this Monday, April 28th. In the meantime before that, there will be a three game series against the second place Keys this weekend in Frederick, MD. The Keys are currently two and a half games behind Potomac in the CL North.
Gas prices notwithstanding, as planned I was able to get up North this past Tuesday night and catch a game at Memorial Stadium on a gorgeous evening in Hagerstown (photos in album). As is usually the case in such things - you usually have something to spoil your good fortunes. That night it was the Suns who reaped the suffering as they fell 10-3 to the Philadelphia Phillies affiliate Lakewood BlueClaws.
Even though the home team lost...I was happy enough just to be there and watch a great game on a perfect night in Western Maryland. Hagerstown is a city not far from where my father was born and raised (Cumberland) and I am very familiar with the area and people. Anytime I can get an excuse to get up around there and away from the city is a treat for me - add baseball to the mix and it's all gravy.
 Michael Burgess
This was my first chance to have the opportunity and take a gander at Nationals prospect Michael Burgess and despite a slow start this season he's been kicking it into high gear lately. He's hit three homers in the past five games - a three run deal last night. If he can get his plate discipline down, improve his batting average and lower his strikeout totals, he'll be climbing the ladder sooner rather than later.
As many of you may have noticed I haven't written much about the parent club yet this season. In fact, I haven't written about them since their glorious home opener. It's not that I haven't been following them because I have (unfortunately). I just don't want to dwell on the negativity that's been pervading most of the Natosphere recently and just add gasoline to what is already the towering inferno in Washington.
I will only say that like all of you I am tired of losing and think some changes need to be made. Whatever the plan was for this season, it most definately isn't working. The Nats are the worst team in the majors and I just can't stand seeing Met fans, Phillie fans and Cub fans making Screech cry in our brand new multi-million dollar stadium. Superman? Where are you now when we need you?
 April 21 P-Nats Remain On Top of Carolina LeaguePotomac continued it's winning ways over the weekend taking two games out of three against the Wilmington Blue Rocks at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium. The fourth game of the series that was scheduled on Sunday afternoon was rained out and will be made up in a double header June 7. The P-Nats are still the hottest team in the Carolina League and remain in the first place spot in the CL North, now 3.5 games in front of Frederick.
I was able to attend the first game against the Blue Rocks and took some images that currently reside in the photo album for your viewing pleasure. Thursday night was my first look at Ross Detwiler which was something I had been looking forward to this season. Unfortunately, it was not Ross' night as he labored through four innings with 5 walks, loaded the bases in the second and allowed two earned runs. His velocity seemed there - his location not. Potomac remained in the game throughout the contest but ended up snapping their 10 game winning streak by losing 5-4.
 Ross Detwiler
On Friday the P-Nats picked up the pieces and went right back to work with Jordan Zimmerman on the mound. Zimmerman had yet another great outing with five scoreless innings, six strikeouts, only three hits and two walks. He now has a 0.61 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 14 and two thirds innings. The Blue Rocks were immediately knocked on their heels when Potomac scored five runs in the first frame followed by a solo homer in the third by outfielder Dee Brown. Eight of the nine P-Nat batters in the starting lineup scored a hit that night culminating in a 6-1 victory.
The only player who didn't notch a hit on Friday was Chris Marrero. Chris appears to be struggling through an adjustment period as he attempts to take on his new role at first base. As should be expected, Marrero has had some defensive issues this year. In fact, he's now committed a team high five errors through 14 games.
However what may be surprising to some is that he's also having problems getting going with his bat: he's currently batting a team low .218 average among starters. Since Chris
 was not in the lineup on Saturday, I assume Manager Randy Knorr was probably trying to give him a day off to try and shake off the funk.Having to learn first base involves a big mental adjustment because it involves a larger percentage of outs in each inning (almost every ground ball is coming your way at some point). I would imagine with the errors Chris has made, he might be feeling a little uncomfortable in his new role. If so, I'm sure it would directly affect his confidence not only on the field but also offensivley. As he becomes more profficient at first base...he will become more like himself behind the plate, of that I have no doubt - his two home runs so far this season are the proof.
Saturday featured the Blue Rocks top prospect Blake Wood taking on Adrian Alaniz and it didn't have the result Wilmington quite had in mind. In fact, Potomac took Wood to task as they tagged him with four runs on eight hits and gave him his walking papers after four innings. Potomac third baseman Leonard Davis was just activated from the DL that day and he scorched a two run jack in the second inning over the centerfield wall.
Less known but no less talented Adrian Alaniz was lights out as he pitched a career high
 seven innings with three strikeouts and only four hits. Left-hander Yunior Novoa took the reigns in the eighth and closed the door through the last two innings as the P-Nats booked a 5-0 shutout.Today, Potomac will be in Winston-Salem to take on the Warthogs (7-6, 2nd in CL South) in a three game set, then they will be in Frederick, Maryland to play the Keys over the upcoming weekend. The P-Nats will return home to Woodbridge on Monday, April 28th against Winston-Salem at Pftizner. Barring any unexpected issues...I will probably be making a road trip to Maryland tommorow to take a look at the single A Nationals affiliate Hagerstown Suns. April 17 Potomac On A 10 Game TearP-Nats! Get Your Red Hot P-Nats! The Potomac Nationals are now on a 10 game winning streak and show no signs of cooling down as they return home today to start a four game series against the Kansas City Royals affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks.
Potomac has accomplished this great start not just from their expected star prospects, but from the entire team as a whole. Home runs from the club are spread among all the bats in the lineup: not only has Chris Marrero scored a dinger (actually 2) this season, but so has Matt Rogelstad, Edgar Baez, Seth Bynum, Marvin Lowrance, Dee Brown, Devin Ivany, Frank Diaz and Brian Peacock (grand slam April 13). That's basically the entire Potomac lineup save three. As long as this team continues to have this type of offensive parity out of their batting order, we can expect it to reek havoc on the young pitchers throughout the Carolina League.
 Frank Diaz Hits Homer In Weekend Game Against The Kinston Indians
Potomac pitching has been no less impressive. We have seen some fantastic starts so far among players that were expected to excel in high-A ball. Jordan Zimmerman and Ross Detwiler have been fantastic and cool under pressure. Zech Zinicola has been lights out in relief with nine strikeouts 2 hits and a 0.00 ERA spread over 4 games.
What's also satisfying in addition to the individual accomplishments, is the way this club appears to have the ability to rally from behind and/or stay within striking distance even when the chips are down. The April 12th game, being down 7-0 was an amazing display of grit. It is noteworthy that these kids didn't just settle into mediocrity and give up which can be common among minor league blowouts. Instead, they displayed the determination not to panic and slowly chipped away at their deficit through the next three frames...placing the game into extra innings and coming out a winner. This weekend, the P-Nats will host the Wilmington Blue Rocks which are a team currently in transition. They started their changes from the top with the promotion of a new manager. Minor League manager of the year Darryl Kennedy was skipper of the Rookie-level Burlington Bees in 2007 and has taken six teams to the playoffs in his 10 year career. He now takes over in Wilmington for the 2008 season.
Offensively the Blue Rocks have some promising young prospects. Derrick Robinson (OF) is a super fast switch hitter that led the entire Kansas City farm system in stolen bases in 2007. Other names to observe as Wilmington takes the field will be outfielder Joe Dickerson and shortstop Jeff Bianchi. Tonight's matchup starts at 7:05pm at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium. Ross Detwiler (1-0, 3.86) is scheduled to take on Jason Godin (0-0, 4.70). April 14 Peacock's Grand Slam Highlights Seventh Win For Junior NatsThe Potomac Nationals this weekend achieved what Nat fans across the Washington area wished they could have gotten out of the major league squad to open the new season in their new multi-million dollar stadium - a winner at home. In fact, the P-Nats have now won 14 consecutive games in Woodbridge since 2007 and are on a seven game winning streak in 2008. Today's victory places them at the top of the Carolina League North Division by one game over last year's champion Frederick Keys.
 Jordan Zimmerman
The starting pitcher for Potomac today; 21 year old Jordan Zimmerman, has been dominating opposing hitters so far this year. This afternoon he went 5 and two thirds with six strikeouts and one hit. His only earned run came when he allowed a walk in the 6th followed by an RBI double by Kinston centerfielder John Drennan. I would just like to say that it appears to me that Zimmerman's fast ball has great snap and cutting action - you can hear the pop of the catcher's mitt with each throw and the opponents are swinging behind or getting knee-tied. His stuff looks great so far, but it's still early.
Catcher Brian Peacock appears to have found his bat in this first week and a half of baseball. He currently leads Potomac with a .357 batting average, 7 RBIs and a grand slam that he belted this afternoon in the sixth inning which pretty much sealed Kinston's fate for the remainder of the cold and windy afternoon.
 Brian Peacock Celebrates After Hitting a Grand Slam in the Sixth Inning In Woodbridge
Reliever Craig Stammen ran into a little bit of trouble in the 9th when first baseman Chris Marrero committed an error on catching a throw by Ofilio Castro. Two consecutive singles followed and a couple of Kinston runners were able to score. But Stammen was still able to seal the victory when he forced a grounder and then struck out Indians outfielder John Drennan to end the game.
After sweeping both Kinston and Myrtle Beach, the P-Nats will now go on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Pirate affiliate Lynchburg Hillcats. They will return home on the 17th against Wilmington for four games.
 This is the View From Our Seats At Nationals Park Friday Night
As some of you might have noticed, I included photos from the first game I attended at Nationals Park into the photo album Saturday. I am going to go ahead and upload the photos from Sunday's game at Potomac today. My next entry will probably be sometime in the middle of this week before the Wilmington series. April 11 Weekend @ Potomac vs. Kinston Indians
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Invite as friend
Arriving from single-A Hagerstown is Venezuelan 23 year-old outfielder 
Game three was yet another low scoring affair as Jordan Zimmerman pitched a solid seven innings with only three hits and a season high nine strikeouts (Zimmerman now has the lowest ERA in the Carolina League at 0.66). Potomac secured the victory when relievers Carlos Martinez and Zech Zinicola shut the door in the 8th and 9th innings. Zinicola last night logged his third save and hasn't allowed a run now in 12 and a third innings.
But how about the other hurlers that may not be on the top of the Nationals headlines? Last night's winner left-handed starter Cory VanAllen leads the team with a 2-0 record in 15.1 innings and a 1.17 ERA. Johnny Nuñez currently leads the P-Nats in strikeouts with 17 which ranks 5th in the Carolina League. This team is showing a great hunger for winning and obviously hopes to impress whoever's willing to notice.
Last year Wilmington boasted one of the best pitching staffs in the Carolina League. Led by right handed pitcher Daniel Cortes, the Rocks included pitchers Carlos Rosa, Julio Pimentel and Blake Johnson all of which have moved on to the AA level for 2008. For this season Wilmington retained the 22 year old right-hander Blake Wood. Wood had a great start on opening day and he's struck out 18 batters so far, but struggled with control in his last outing against Kinston as he walked 5 batters and got tagged with 3 earned runs through only three innings of work. He will probably pitch in Woodbridge on Saturday against Adrian Alaniz.
vs. 
Despite the rough start however, Kinston has an impressive roster with some real offensive power. Top of the list of prospects on this club is probably first baseman Beau Mills. Mills was Cleveland's 13th pick in the draft last year, and is the son of Boston Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills. He has already racked up 6 hits, 5 runs, 3 RBIs and a home run through only 14 at bats. That's a current batting average of .429.
VS. 
As is typical for most teams within the Atlanta Braves farm system, the Pelicans are one of the most competitive and well organized clubs in the Carolina League. This year they will showcase 20 year old outfielder Gorkys Hernández.
appearance of the season.
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