Thursday night’s game between the Potomac Nationals and Myrtle Beach Pelicans was a reprisal of last week’s matchup between Erik Davis and Miguel Santos. Like last Saturday, Miguel De Los Santos struck out double-digit Nationals – and that is where the similarities ended in a 12-5 Pelicans win.
Unlike his previous start, Davis (0-2) was shaky early and was chased in the fifth inning. De Los Santos (4-3), who allowed no hits in seven innings in Myrtle, yielded four runs on five hits at the Pfitz on Thursday.
Myrtle (63-52) surged to a four-run lead after the first two innings. Leury Garcia set the tone when he led off the game with a double; he scored after a pair of groundouts, the second by Travis Adair that made it 1-0 Myrtle.
In the second, consecutive singles by Ryan Strausborger and Jared Hoying opened the frame with singles. Davis then got the next two hitters and nearly escaped the jam, but Garcia struck again. His two-out single scored Strausborger before Jared Bolden broke the game open with a triple to left-center that put the Pelicans ahead 4-0.
Potomac (53-62) drew within a run in their half of the third, thanks to some help from the Pelicans defense. Eury Perez’s bunt single was the Nats’ first hit of the game, and was followed by a rope to right by Francisco Soriano. After Perez and Soriano stole second and third, Jeff Kobernus struck out. Destin Hood’s one-out groundout got the Nats on the board and made it 4-1. Brian Peacock then singled to center field to pull the Nats within two. Archie Gilbert then hit a ground ball that was misplayed by Pelicans shortstop Leury Garcia and moved Peacock to third. De Los Santos’s wild pitch game Potomac their third run.
In the top of the fifth, Potomac returned the defensive favor. Travis Adair reached on an infield single before Jared Prince flied out to right. But Davis then hit both Zach Zaneski and Strausborger to load the bases. His walk of Jared Hoying made it 5-3 Myrtle and sent Davis to the showers.
Neil Holland relieved Davis and got a made-to-order double-play ball to short. It scooted under Zach Walter’s glove for an error and scored Zaneski and Strausborger to make it 7-3 Pelicans.
The Nats got a run back in the bottom of the fifth. Hood led off the frame with a single and stole second (the Nationals stole X bases on the night) and moved to third on a throwing error by Zaneski. Brian Peacock then singled again to pull Potomac to 7-4.
Myrtle ended Potomac’s hopes in the seventh inning. Rob Wort came on to pitch, and started the frame with a strikeout of Strausborger. Jared Hoying then tripled but was thrown out after in a rundown when Chirino hit a ball right to Jose Lozada. But with two outs, Wort’s command eluded him. He walked two in a row before Jared Bolden delivered the knockout punch. His bases-clearing double pushed the Pelicans ahead 9-4. After Joe Testa relieved Wort, and Adair greeted him with a two-run double that made it 11-4. Adair scored on a Prince double to finish the score to 12-4.
Potomac got one back in the last of the ninth. Cutter Dykstra’s two-out single scored Eury Perez, who singled to open the inning.
Friday night, Stephen Strasburg will start for the P-Nats at 7:05 P.M. The gates to Pfitzner Stadium will open at 5 P.M.; it is also Ian Desmond bobblehead night, and the 1,000 fans through the gates will receive the Desmond bobble.
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Chris Graham
