I hate that I used the “had one of THE pitching performance of all time” line earlier in the week, because I would’ve said the same for Richard Fitts’ 5-inning jaunt in Iowa (Cubs AAA) on Friday night. Fitts left with a 5-2 lead intact thanks to a high-powered third inning that saw Password and Kristian Campbell drive in runs, but David Sandlin, who has not looked good out of the pen, gave up four runs and couldn’t finish the sixth inning before Zack Kelly was brought in to close it out – and also didn’t look good. The WooSox had a chance to tie it up down 9-5 with the bases loaded and no outs in the ninth, but Nick Sogard grounded into a double play to score just one run, and Password struck out to end the game. The WooSox, in the past two nights, have now scored 19 runs but also given up 19 runs.

Dalton Rogers looked pretty good, stretching this start into the sixth and allowing Jack Anderson to come in and close it out despite Somerset (Yankees AA) threatening in the ninth. The Sea Dogs are at the mercy of a team that’s kind of been gutted by the promotions of Tolle, Early, and Sandlin, and Uberstine even though the latter came much earlier, to Worcester, and that’s not even getting into Mikey Romero and the Password earlier in the year, and so it’s good to see them gut out these 3-2 wins and come out on the other side of it with a W even with barren assets. That Dalton Rogers had to even gut it out into the sixth behind minimal run support and that manager Chad Epperson had to stick it out with Jack Anderson for 11 outs will speak to that in spades.

What’s worse than how GOOD scoring two runs in the first is? Giving up four runs in the second – and with an added cherry of having to pull Blake Aita in the second already down 4-2. Greenville never did quite recover as the Grasshoppers (Pirates High-A) jumped out to an eventual 7-3 win, but Jonathan Brand, who’s been in three different levels this year, settled things from Greensboro down and went three innings, a rarity for him – even more impressive was getting through these frames in 37 pitches. But Greenville had just five hits on the night, and that’s tough when you have to compete with nine runs.

Yoikher Fajardo didn’t go long into this game, but he struck eight Nationals out in Fredericksburg, cobbling together probably the best start in the farm. Speaking of the rest of the farm, one thing you may have noticed from my lack of mention of it was that no one went deep… no one, that is, except for Maximus Martin (who is one day short of a decade younger than me… man, I feel older every year I do these recaps.) The shortstop out of our own Avery Hamel’s college’s rival, Kansas State (go Jayhawks! Boo Wildcats), and this year’s tenth-round draft pick lacks slugging ability but has emerged as a contact batter with a good eye in his first few professional games, and Friday was a great indicator, as he worked three walks. Sadly, Salem got walked off even when coming into the ninth with in the lead, albeit by one inning, from Eybersson Polanco failing to record an out – but, despite the bloated ERA from this botched outing, this seems to be far from the norm from the 21-year-old righty. Just unfortunate that it came in a high-leverage situation.