Harrisburg Senators Also Struggling Out Of The Gate...

[Senators2005]

Senators starting the season out 0-2, their Home Opener will be next Thursday against Erie...
Weekly Synopsis Follows:

Free-agent pitcher to work opening game
Thursday, April 05, 2007
BY GEOFF MORROW
Of The Patriot-News

If things go right, T.J. Nall could be the face of the Harrisburg Senators.

So it's fitting the right-hander takes the mound at FirstEnergy Stadium tonight in Reading as the Senators open the Eastern League season against the rival Phillies.

Nall, an industrious 26-year-old who signed a minor league free-agent contract with the Washington Nationals this offseason, won't overwhelm the Phillies with his size (6-1) or his fastball (88 mph).

But he'll battle. He'll grind. He'll do everything in his power to outwork his opponent.

And that's exactly what the Senators need to do for the next five months if they hope to snap a string of four straight losing seasons.

Playing in a Nationals organization still smarting from four years of inadequate Major League Baseball ownership, which decimated the farm system, the Senators haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2002.

That's a tough pill to swallow for fans of a club that owns six EL championships and 12 playoff berths since returning to City Island in 1987.

The talent pool continues to improve, but it's still significantly shallower than the majority of baseball's 30 organizations.

Under new manager Scott Little, who became the first former Senators player to guide the team in this capacity -- he was Harrisburg's MVP in 1988 -- the local club will need to scrap, fight and claw.

The team's strength lies in the pitching staff, which features five quality starters and a bevy of talented relievers.

After Nall, the rotation fills out with right-hander Collin Balester (the Nationals' No. 1 prospect), lefty Mike Hinckley and right-handers Beltran Perez and Anastacio Martinez.

Zech Zinicola, a sixth-round draft pick last year, highlights the bullpen and has been touted as the Nationals' closer of the future.

There's plenty of experience on this year's squad, with only three players making their Double-A debuts (catchers Devin Ivany and John Suomi, and outfielder Roger Bernadina).

Seven of the team's 24 players on the opening day roster bring major league experience, including outfielder/first baseman Robin Jennings. The left-handed batter, whom teammates have begun calling "The Natural," last played baseball in 2003 and spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues.

In addition, 14 players have previously played for the Senators, including a fourth straight season for reliever Danny Rueckel and three straight seasons for second baseman Dan DeMent and outfielder Cristian Guerrero.

A famous face joined the coaching staff, too, as 23-year major league veteran outfielder Tim "Rock" Raines was hired as the hitting coach, joining Little, pitching coach Rick Tomlin and trainer Beth Jarrett.

[Senators2005]

Senators off to cold start, Lose 4-1 to Reading
Reading's Costanzo homers, makes key defensive play
Friday, April 06, 2007
BY GEOFF MORROW
Of The Patriot-News
 
READING - Going yard in his first Double-A at-bat certainly added a nice touch for Reading Phillies third-base prospect Mike Costanzo in last night's Eastern League season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.

But it really wasn't even his best play.

Costanzo's diving stop on an infield single by Tony Blanco in the sixth inning saved a run and served as the momentum swinger in the Phillies' 4-1 victory in front of 6,067 shivering fans.

"I had to dive," Costanzo said of Blanco's grounder to his left with runners on first and second and two outs in the top of the sixth. "I knew if I couldn't catch it I had to keep it in front of me.

"That was probably the biggest play of the night for me."

With his team trailing 2-1, Blanco's single loaded the bases. Had it scooted through, Dan DeMent almost certainly would have scored the tying run from second.

Instead, Juan Melo followed by flying out to center to end the Senators' last scoring threat.

Some sloppy defense also doomed Harrisburg (0-1), which started last season with three straight wins. Reading (1-0) tallied three unearned runs, taking advantage of two errors and three wild pitches.

"It was cold, but there are no excuses," first-year Senators manager Scott Little said. Game-time temperature registered at 37 degrees, but strong winds made it feel like it was 22.

Four other Eastern League openers were postponed by snow or wet grounds.

"The way we played tonight isn't reflective of the kind of team we have," Little continued. "The beautiful thing is we can come back tomorrow."

A double by Robin Jennings, a single by Melo and an RBI groundout by Devin Ivany handed the Senators a 1-0 lead in the second inning off former Altoona Curve all-star right-hander Landon Jacobsen.

Costanzo quickly evened the score with his solo home run to deep left-center in the bottom of the inning, cranking a high fastball by right-hander T.J. Nall.

Nall and Jacobsen continued to keep hitters off balance, though, in an extremely well-pitched game.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Phillies pushed home the go-ahead run thanks to two hits and an error with two outs.

Javon Moran doubled, and Joe Thurston followed by dribbling a grounder in front of the plate. Ivany, the catcher, fielded and threw to first. Thurston was credited with an infield single, but the ball skipped past Jennings for an error, allowing Moran to score.

Reading tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh off Anastacio Martinez.

An error by third baseman Melo started the inning, with Branden Florence smoking a pinch-hit double, Moran clubbing an RBI single and Greg Jacobs driving home another run on a fielder's choice.

"Obviously they played better than we did," Little said of Reading's mistake-free effort.

Jacobsen scattered six hits in six innings for the win, walking one and striking out two.

Nall stymied the Phillies with his cutter and curve, striking out nine in five innings.

Reading manager P.J. Forbes indicated one of his pitchers, Heath Totten, played with Nall at Double-A Jacksonville last year and provided a scouting report.

"It was right on, too," Forbes said. "He has a real good cutter and a real good breaking ball. We were fortunate to get a couple runs off him."

The Senators couldn't score against Reading's bullpen, going down in order against Julio De La Cruz in the seventh, Bubba Nelson in the eighth and Anderson Garcia in the ninth. Garcia earned the save. NOTES: Martinez, the Senators' No. 5 starter, worked two innings to keep himself active before his first start of the season, slated for Tuesday in Trenton. ... Edward Valdez pitched a scoreless eighth in his Senators debut. ... Senators SS Seth Bynum doubled with two outs in the fifth but was stranded when Nall lined out to left. Nall did produce an infield single up the middle in his first at-bat. ... Harrisburg led the Eastern League in wild pitches last year, but it's hard to fault the overworked Ivany for last night's collection. "[Ivany was tremendous back there. With my off-speed stuff, I'm usually going to lead my team in wild pitches," said Nall, who went wild twice yesterday. ... Country music star Taylor Swift, who grew up in Wyomissing, threw out the first pitch and sang the national anthem.

[Senators2005]

Reading runs Senators' mark to 0-2, Lose 7-6
Saturday, April 07, 2007
BY GEOFF MORROW
Of The Patriot-News

READING - Cristian Guerrero sprinted from his outfield post toward the right-field line in front of him, dove forward, extended his glove, and...

Well, it was one of those days for the Harrisburg Senators, as the ball clipped the end of Guerrero's glove and fell for a game-changing double as the Reading Phillies escaped FirstEnergy Stadium with a 7-6 victory.

The Senators (0-2) have lost two straight games to Reading (2-0) to begin the Eastern League season.

The visitors, behind a four-run rally in the seventh inning, took a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the eighth.

With two outs and a runner on first, Senators closer Zech Zinicola forced a shallow fly ball off the end of Javon Moran's bat.

Guerrero, who entered the game that inning to replace the ejected Roger Bernadina, just missed it, allowing Jesus Merchan to score the tying run from first base.

Joe Thurston followed with an infield single to shortstop Seth Bynum's right, and the speedy Moran hustled around third as Bynum threw to first.

The throw from first baseman Robin Jennings to catcher Devin Ivany wasn't in time to apprehend Moran.

"Our baserunning was the difference," Phillies manager P.J. Forbes said. "Merchan hustled the whole way to score the tying run, and if Javon doesn't come hard from the get-go [on Thurston's hit], there's no way he scores. That was playing the game the right way."

Zinicola (0-1) was the victim of bad luck and Reading's hustle, but the highly touted right-hander hurt himself by walking the leadoff batter that inning.

"One of the worst things you can do is give the leadoff batter a free base," Zinicola said. "I was battling from there, and a few balls didn't bounce our way. I just didn't do my job."

Down 4-2 after six innings, the Senators finally unloaded their offense against relievers Ryan Cameron and Chris Key in the seventh.

Ivany doubled and Bynum walked to begin the frame. Two batters later Bernadina hit an RBI single, and Dan DeMent tied the score with a sacrifice fly.

After he issued another walk, Cameron was replaced by Key, who promptly allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Jennings and Tony Blanco.

That left the Senators in front 6-4, and a big moment, Forbes said, occurred in the bottom of the seventh when Reading's Matt Padgett drilled a one-out solo home run against left-handed reliever Jeremy Plexico.

"There's a big difference being down one run as opposed to two," Forbes said. "I thought Padgett's home run was huge."

Key (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth to pick up the victory. Anderson Garcia worked a perfect ninth for his second save in as many games.

Harrisburg fell behind 2-0 on an RBI double by Padgett in the first and an RBI double by Jason Hill in the fourth. Both runs were credited to right-hander Collin Balester, who scattered seven hits and four strikeouts in five innings.

The Senators tied the score in the fifth when Ivany singled and Bynum homered against Phillies prospect Matt Maloney, a left-hander who survived four walks in five innings.

A solo homer by Mike Constanzo and an RBI single by pinch-hitter Branden Florence pushed Reading back in front in the sixth. NOTES: Bynum had just one home run last season, and it came while playing with Class A Potomac. ... Balester is the Washington Nationals' No. 1 prospect, according to Baseball America. ... Bernadina, starting in center field, gunned Maloney down at the plate to end the third inning after a Greg Jacobs single. ... Bernadina also struck out looking three times and was ejected while arguing the third such call to end the top of the eighth inning. RF Frank Diaz moved to center, and Guerrero took over in right. ... RHP Jim Magrane allowed two hits, two walks and two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning in his Senators debut. ... Strangest early trend of the season: Jennings has fouled out four times already, twice in each game.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

  Well, at least the P-Nats are doing well.

[Senators2005]

Well, at least the P-Nats are doing well.

I'll be going to their home opener tommorow, got a seat right next to the dugout.  Should have pictures up on my website afterwards.