Potomac beats Winston-Salem

By Robert Daski

Published: August 2, 2008

During last weekend’s series with the Frederick Keys in Frederick, Potomac Nationals manager Randy Knorr and hitting coach Jerry Browne met with their hitters.
Knorr and Browne stressed to them the importance of plate discipline: be patient and wait for your pitch to hit.
Some Potomac games may have lasted more than three and four hours during this homestand, but Knorr and Browne’s message is getting through.
Potomac beat the Winston-Salem Warthogs 8-6 on Saturday. Judging by the second inning, Nationals hitters were certainly focused on hitting the pitches they wanted.
The Nationals sent eight men to the plate and scored four runs.
“We’re trying to see more pitches,” said Potomac’s Michael Martinez, who went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
“We’re trying to let the pitcher keep the ball up more, see the pitch we want and hit it,” Martinez added.
But Nationals hitters do not always have to wait long to see the pitches they want. Andrew Lefave picked a pitch to hit in a one-one count in a third inning at-bat. Lefave swung and knocked the ball over the left field wall for his third home run as a Potomac player.
Winston-Salem pitcher Matt Long “left the ball up and I capitalized on his mistake,” Lefave said. “I put a good swing on it.”
Even Lefave admits he got something out of the meeting with Knorr and Browne.
“They want to get us to swing at more pitches in the zone,” Lefave said. “If there’s a runner at second with no outs, we want to get him over and get him in.
“… They’re stressing the little things, not swinging out of our comfort zone.”
After Potomac’s second inning outburst gave it a 5-1 lead, Nationals starting pitcher Erik Arnesen found his comfort zone. He retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced.
Arnesen totaled five strikeouts. He worked out of a one-on, one-out third inning situation as he fanned Brett Bonvechio and got C.J. Retherford to fly out to center field.
“It’s always nice when you’re offense is coming up big behind you,” Arnesen said. “We’ve got a great team and it’s great to pick up a win like this.”
Two starts into the High-A portion of his season, Arnesen is proving he can handle Carolina League hitters.
His Potomac debut on July 28 was a six and two-thirds inning outing where he allowed five hits, three runs, one earned and a walk. He recorded five strikeouts.
He is 2-0 following Saturday’s performance.
“I think I’ve been alright,” Arnesen said.
The game did get tight late. Winston-Salem narrowed Potomac’s 8-1 lead to 8-6.
The tying run came to the plate three times in the top of the ninth inning. But Nationals relief pitcher Atahualpa Severino forced Dale Mollenhauer to fly out and struck out John Shelby and Brett Bonvechio for the final outs.