Around the minors
By Editorial Staff
Potomac Nationals- will kick off a 6 game road trip starting Thursday night vs the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in the first of a three game series. It will mark the 11th time the two teams have faced off against each other this season with the season series being tied at 5 games a piece.
The Pelicans will enter the game with a record of 40 and 29 on the season and a roster loaded with talent. The Pelicans have 5 players (only 4 played due to 1 being out with a broken collarbone) who were named to the Carolina League All Star team this season.
Unfortunately for the Pelicans and fortunately for the P-Nats the Pelicans will be without hot hitting 2010 draft pick Mike Olt who is hitting for a .286 average on the season with an on base percentage of .395. Olt has 10 home runs on the season and has driven in 34 runs for the Pelicans in 54 games this season. So the Pelicans will definitely miss having Olt who broke his collarbone in a June 6th game vs Winston-Salem and is expected to be sidelined for 10 to 12 weeks.
The P-Nats will have to watch out for another hot hitting 2010 draft pick on the Pelicans roster in Ryan Strausborger. Strausborger who was taken in the 16th round of the 2010 draft is batting .305 with 7 home runs and 21 steals in 69 games for the Pelicans. The Pelicans are also led by Carolina League All Star reserve catcher Zack Zaneski and two Carolina League All Star pitchers in Robbie Ross and Joe Wieland both of which were are 2008 draft picks.
So the P-Nats who have went 7 and 3 over their last 10 games and are 11 and 7 to this point in the month of June could have their work cut out for them this series vs Myrtle Beach.
Harrisburg Senators- lost again to the Richmond Flying Squirrels today bring their losing streak to 3 games. The Senators who have lost the first 2 out of a 3 game series with Squirrels will look to get a little bit of revenge Thursday night when they face off for the third and final game of the series.
On the mound for the Senators in game 3 of the series will be right hander Erik Davis who is currently 3 and 2 on the season with a 3.81 era. For the Squirrels on the mound will be Daryl Maday who enters the game with a 2 and 4 record and a 3.68 era.
Despite the pretty bad win-loss record Maday has been a pretty solid pitcher for the Squirrels having put up 8 games where he went at least 5 innings and gave up 3 runs or less. Out of those 7 games he had 6 where he gave up 2 runs or least while pitching in at least 5 innings.
The Senators at 39 and 31 lead the Eastern League Western division in total wins for the season and are currently the home to a number of the Nats top prospects including guys such as Tyler Moore, Derek Norris and Brad Peacock.