Washington Nationals Minor Leagues: Trio Of Nats Make Rehab Appearance In Harrisburg’s 11-6 Win
By Ricky Keeler
While the Washington Nationals were getting blown out by the Milwaukee Brewers last night at Nats Park, three of the players that are normally in DC were trying to work their way back to the big league. Normally, you get only one or two players with one team during a rehab assignment. Last night, down in double-A Harrisburg, center fielder Denard Span, second baseman Dan Uggla, and reliever David Carpenter all got into the game during the Senators’ 11-6 win over the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox).
Span and Uggla, who both had their rehab assignments halted for one day because of a rain out in Hagerstown on Thursday, began the bottom of the first inning by drawing back-to-back walks. Then, Wilmer Difo hit a two-run triple to center to give Harrisburg an early 2-0 lead. The lead would go up to 3-0 when Brian Goodwin drove in Difo with a base hit to right.
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Portland would end up scoring two runs in the top of the third on a two-run triple by Carlos Asuaje against starter Colin Bates and Aneury Tavarez tied the game one inning later with a solo shot to right center, his fifth of the season.
Then, in the fifth, the Senators would re-take the lead. Uggla would lead off the inning by reaching base via a hit by pitch. Three batters later, Shawn Pleffner drove in Uggla with a RBI double to left field to give the Senators back the lead. Once the Sea Dogs made a pitching change from Luis Diaz to Heri Quevedo, Christopher Bostick hit a three-run homer to left center to extend the lead to 7-3. It was Bostick’s fifth home run of the season.
The Sea Dogs did get two runs back on a RBI double by Jordan Weems in the top of the sixth, but the Senators answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Adrian Sanchez (who had three hits last night) singled and Span reached on an error. Both runners would come around to score on another RBI single by Goodwin to make the lead, 9-5.
As for Colin Bates, he went six innings, gave up five runs (three earned runs) on six hits, struck out four, and walked three in the win. Carpenter would come in to pitch the seventh in his second rehab appearance (first one was with Potomac Wednesday). He threw a 1-2-3 inning and struck out one batter on 12 pitches.
Span and Uggla both left the game in the top of the seventh for Drew Vettleson and Reggie Corona respectively. In four rehab games, Span is 4-for-10 with three runs scored and two walks while Uggla is 0-for-4 in two games with two walks and two runs scored.
During the bottom of the seventh, Sanchez hit a two-run double to left field to give the Senators double digit runs for the night. While Oscar Tejeda hit a solo shot for Portland in the top of the eighth against Wander Suero (his third of the season), that would be the closest the Sea Dogs would get.