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The Senators (8-12) will be in Reading, facing the Fighting Phils (5-14), through May 4.

Pitchers start hot, cool quickly.

Kyle Luckham was promoted to the Red Wings on April 26. Luckham tossed six shutout innings against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on April 20. The right-hander was 1-1 with a 2.59 ERA in five starts for Harrisburg. Caleb Cavalli faced only 18 batters, working five innings in a rehab start at Harrisburg Thursday. He earned a 4-2 victory against the Erie SeaWolves.

Other starters were bombed this week as Mike Soroka gave up a two-run homer in 2 2/3 innings of a rehab appearance. Only 26 of his 46 pitches were in the strike zone. Erie’s Max Anderson ended Soroka’s with a two-run bomb off the major leaguer.

Jarlin Susana was tagged with a three-run dinger, but worked five frames against the SeaWolves, earning no decision.

Pitcher Hyun-il Choi spent a couple of days moving between Rochester and Harrisburg rosters, but by Saturday, he was a Senator. Choi worked six frames against Erie, allowing five earned runs, but struck out seven. The Korean started three games in New York and posted a 0-3 record with a 15.12 ERA before the move.

Harrisburg's pitching is the worst in the Eastern League (EL) after three weeks. The team’s batting average against (.254) and WHIP (1.48) are the most generous in the league. Only Somerset has allowed more walks (95-86). Hurlers are also last in strikeouts.

The Red Wings’ batting average against and WHIP are even higher at AAA. The Washington Nationals’ batting average against is .254; their WHIP is 1.39. The pitching problem is long-term organization-wide, and it is not fixing itself.

The Senators’ offense is in the middle of the EL pack. Phillip Glasser leads Harrisburg hitters with a .359 average after 11 games. He is playing second base after J.T. Arruda was transferred to Rochester. Nick Schnell is hitting .313. Glasser’s .881 OPS leads the club; Joe Naranjo follows him at .879. Yohandy Morales ranks third with .806. Morales is tied for fourth in the EL with three home runs.