The FredNats (8-17) returned home to Virginia Credit Union Stadium last week for a series against Down East, and while they picked up a victory in the opener, the Wood Ducks responded with four straight wins. Sunday’s series finale was canceled due to rain and will not be made up.
Fredericksburg, which gave up a total of 54 hits and 44 runs in the five games against Down East, has lost nine of its last 13 games overall and 16 of its last 22, and has only won twice in 10 tries this season against teams with a winning record. The Freddies will try to turn things around this week against the first-place Mudcats at Five County Stadium in Zebulon.
Center fielder Elijah Green, the Nationals’ No. 3 prospect, has been struggling at the plate, as referenced by a 3-for-17 showing (.176) with seven strikeouts last week. The 19-year-old, No. 5 overall pick in last year’s draft is batting .235 with a pair of homers, 15 RBI and 8 steals on the season, but has whiffed a team-high 44 times in 2023.
Third baseman Brady House (No. 5), the 11th pick in the 2021 draft, is batting .286 with a team-high 3 home runs and 13 runs driven in, while shortstop Armando Cruz (No. 14) leads the Freddies with 15 runs scored.
House is also in the midst of a slump after coming up with just one hit in 15 at-bats last week (.067). Left fielder Daylen Lile (No. 16), the 47th pick in ‘21, had been on a tear offensively, but also cooled down considerably against the Wood Ducks, producing just 3 hits in 18 at-bats (.167).
First baseman Roismar Quintana (No. 17) was 0-for-7 with 3 strikeouts in his two games last week. Right fielder Brenner Cox (No. 23) was one of the few bright spots against Down East, going 4-for-14 with 8 total bases and 5 RBI in four contests.
Robert Hassell III, the organization’s No. 2 prospect who appeared in 14 games for the Freddies on a rehab assignment, rejoined Double-A Harrisburg last week.
On the mound, Jarlin Susana (No. 6) fell to 0-2 on the season after taking the loss in Game 2 against the Woodies. Susana has a 6.94 ERA with 16 strikeouts in his four starts thus far. He has surrendered nine runs on nine hits across 11.2 innings.
Jake Bennett (No. 9) had a solid outing in last Tuesday’s opener against Down East, striking out eight Wood Duck batters and allowing just one run on six hits in his six innings of work. The former Oklahoma Sooner is also 0-2 on the season with a 2.53 ERA and a team-best 29 punchouts.
Fredericksburg enters the week seven games back of Carolina (15-10), which is currently tied with Down East for first place in the North Division standings. The Mudcats are the Milwaukee Brewers’ affiliate.
Jacob Misiorowski (Milwaukee’s No. 6 prospect) is a 6-foot-7, second-round draft choice and former LSU commit who possesses a live fastball and some nasty breaking pitches. In five starts (0-0), Misiorowski has produced a 2.53 ERA and 19 strikeouts across 10.2 innings. Another Brewers pitching prospect, No. 24 Logan Henderson, has yet to throw a pitch for Carolina this season.
For the Mudcats offensively, Luis Lara (No. 14) is a talented, speedy, switch-hitting, 18-year-old outfielder, while shortstop Daniel Guilarte (No. 16), outfielder Hedbert Perez (No. 18), infielder Jadher Areinamo (No. 20), outfielder Jace Avina (No. 26) and catcher Matthew Wood (No. 27) are a few other prospects to keep an eye on.
Guilarte (.308 average) leads the Mudcats in hits (28), runs scored (14), stolen bases (14) and RBI (17), while Wood owns the team’s best average at the plate (.313) and shares the team lead in home runs with 3.
The Nats will return home next week (May 16-21) for a six-game set against Columbia — the team that owns the Carolina League’s best record at 17-10 — before heading down to Salem (12-14) the following week (May 23-28).
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