Game Preview: The Washington Nationals' future is on full display in Bowie, MD
Tonight, the Harrisburg Senators will square off against the Bowie Baysox's in a game that will feature some of the newest Washington Nationals prospects
BOWIE (MD) -
Tonight, the Harrisburg Senators and Bowie Baysox play game three of their six-game series at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie. This is the second game of four series between the teams. The Senators took five of six from the Baysox May 9th through the 14th at FNB Field. They meet twice in the second half of the season with the Senators visiting Bowie in mid-July after the mid-season break and hosting Bowie the final week of the season. Last night, the Harrisburg Senators snapped their four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Bowie Baysox in Bowie.
The Harrisburg Senators received terrific pitching, solid defense, and one timely hit to beat Bowie. Harrisburg managed only five hits in the game but made three of them count in the win.
Tonight, Washington Nationals' first-round pick in 2019, Jackson Rutledge will take the mound for the Harrisburg Senators. Rutledge has been cited as having the “Best Fastball” (2021, 2020) and “Best Slider” (2021) in Washington’s system, per Baseball America. In 2019, his 0.87 ERA led all of NJCAA Division I, while his 134 strikeouts were good for second, and was named a semi-finalist for the Golden Spikes Award (top amateur baseball play.
Rutledge started the season opener at Somerset back in April. He earned his first double-A win on April 13th in his first home start vs Richmond. The right-hander is the first Senator Pitcher starter to go six innings on April 19 at Akron. He currently has an ERA of 3.18 with a 4-1 record.
Tonight, Robert Hassell III who was part of the blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to the Padres in 2022, will be leading off for the Senators. He is joined by another up-and-coming prospect who was also part of the Soto trade James Wood. Wood will be playing in center field and currently has a batting average of .083 with an OPS of .237. Hassell III who will be playing in right field was recently called up to the Senators from the Fredericksburg Nationals and currently is hitting .255 with an OPS of .706 with zero home runs and four RBIs.
