The Potomac Nationals (14-18-Overall, 7-8-Road) supported Reynaldo Lopez in another outstanding starting performance, pushing across two runs to defeat the Wilmington Blue Rocks (16-15-Overall, 11-8-Home) 2-0 in Game One of their three game series at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium on Tuesday night.
Lopez (2-0, 0.00), the 21-year old number three overall prospect in the Nationals organization, toed the rubber for the second time after picking up his first win of the season in his opening start.
Topping out at 99 mph with his fastball in his six scoreless innings of work, Lopez allowed only four hits, all singles, while walking two and striking out six in the 2-0 win. The Dominican righty has now thrown 11.0 scoreless frames for the Red, White and Blue since joining the squad in early May.
RHP Yender Caramo (1-2, 2.65) made his second start against Potomac in five days and began his outing with six ground balls to retire six of his first nine outs and he faced the minimum through five innings courtesy of two double play balls following Potomac singles.
In the sixth with two outs CF Narciso Mesa was hit by a pitch. After stealing second base LF Isaac Ballou hit a single to right-centerfield bringing Mesa to the plate for a 1-0 lead. Ballou’s 31 hits lead the team and he now has 13 RBIs.
In the following inning SS Stephen Perez led the seventh off with a single and scored on 1B John Wooten’s RBI double to make it 2-0.
That was all Caramo allowed in his seven innings of work for Wilmington, giving up five hits and he didn’t walk a batter while striking out just one P-Nat. He took his second loss of the season.
Lopez for Potomac was even more efficient in his six innings of work. He scattered singles in four of the first five innings but twice induced a double play ball to end the threat and keep Wilmington off the board.
The newest member of the Nationals RHP Derek Self came in and pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Lopez relinquishing just one hit before giving way to LHP Nick Lee (SV 1), who pitched a one, two, three ninth inning to earn his first save of the season and seal the fourth shutout victory for Potomac this season, who has now won three in a row.
Tomorrow night’s Game Two will feature the Canadian born RHP Nick Pivetta (1-3, 1.41) vs. RHP Jakob Junis (1-3, 4.24).
First pitch is at 6:35 pm and “The P-Nats Lead-Off Show” will kick start the broadcast at 6:20 pm from Daniel S. Frawley Stadium in Wilmington.
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Chris Graham
