Potomac pounds Kinston

By Joe Conroy

Published: April 11, 2008

With rain threatening to cut the series-opening game between Potomac and Kinston short, a nearly last-minute change gave Washington closer Chad Cordero his first start of his five-year professional career.

Just an hour before the game’s first pitch, Potomac manager Randy Knorr elected to have Cordero open the first inning to ensure the rehabbing major leaguer got his work in a game that turned into a 12-5 win over the Indians.

“I wasn’t throwing as hard as I would’ve liked,” said Cordero, who tossed a perfect first frame with just seven pitches, all for strikes. “But it’s a different spot going out there starting when I’m used to coming in in relief. I didn’t have the adrenaline that I wish I could have had.”

The right-hander struck out one and induced two fly outs to center fielder Frank Diaz, saying he was comfortable throwing both his slider and changeup for strikes and felt no pain in the short outing.

“That’s what I really need to do,” Cordero said about those pitches. “But my arm felt good and that was the whole thing, to come out here and just to make sure my shoulder was fine. I think it is.”

Cordero, currently on Washington’s 15-day disabled list with shoulder tendinitis, expects to be activated Sunday in time for the Nationals’ match-up with Atlanta at Nationals Park.

The game’s original starter, lefty Cory VanAllen, replaced Cordero in the second inning, lasting 4.1 innings, striking out four and allowing four runs on eight hits. Just one of the scores charged to VanAllen was earned.

“It’s tough for starters to do that because they have a routine that they go on,” Knorr said of VanAllen’s relief appearance. “But he battled tonight. He’s pitched better than that but he’s got good enough stuff to get away with it and we made some plays behind him.”

Potomac punished Kinston starter Paulo Espino, making his Carolina League debut,  with three straight doubles in the second inning to take an early 4-0 lead. After walking left fielder Marvin Lowrance and hitting designated hitter Dee Brown, Espino allowed consecutive two-base hits to Edgardo Baez, Seth Bynum and Brian Peacock.

“In the past games we’ve hit some balls hard, they’ve just been right at somebody,” Knorr said. “Today we got hits that were falling in for us and we just kept rolling from there. The guys are feeling good.

“We’ve got a good-hitting team and today they all hit at the same time.”

It was obvious that the experienced Potomac roster was too much for the mostly young players with Kinston. Many of the players with the Nationals’ High-A club were in Woodbridge last year as well and the Indians had many of the organization’s first- or second-year players. The Nationals pounded out 12 hits in the win and benefited from slick fielding by Matt Rogelstad and Seth Bynum at second and short with a key, bases-loaded double play in the fifth to end the frame.

The Nationals extended the lead to 5-0 on Chris Marrero’s lead-off home run in the third, a laser to left field that split the linescore displayed on the scoreboard. The blast was Marrero’s second of the year.

“Everyone’s getting their timing now,” Marrero said. “We’re going to get a lot better as the games go by.  They say hitting is contagious and when one of us starts hitting the ball, everyone hits.”

NOTES: The victory extended Potomac’s win streak at Pfitzner Stadium to 12 dating back to August of last season …  With Marrero’s solo-homer Potomac has now recorded a long-ball in four straight games … Kinston infielder Niuman Romero made his debut as a pitcher in the game … Left fielder Nick Weglarz of the Indians left the game after twisting his right leg while batting … Rogelstad, who ended Thursday’s game with a 10th-inning homer to right, was hit on the right wrist by a pitch but remained in the game … The Nationals’ streak of scoreless innings pitched by the bullpen ended at 18 ... A two-run homer by Kinston’s Alex Castillo in the fourth inning off VanAllen was the first allowed by Potomac pitching this year.