P-Nats’ new streak now at two after shutout

It is a good time to don a Potomac Nationals’ uniform.
Third baseman Leonard Davis, who had just joined the team from the disabled list, kept the P-Nats hot streak alive by blasting a two-run home run off of Wilmington Blue Rocks’ ace Blake Wood in the second inning to help send Potomac to a 5-0 win before a festive crowd of 4,842 at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge.
A fireworks display was set for then end of the game but Davis got the show going early with his first hit of the season in his first at-bat since extended spring training. His two-run shot was a line drive over the center field fence with teammate Edgardo Baez on second base.
“I was checking the stats every day that I was on the disabled list to see how they were doing,” said Davis of his teammates’ hot start that included a ten-game win streak. “It’s great to contribute to what they’ve been doing.”
Davis, an eighth-round selection in the 2004 draft, started for the first time after being shelved because of a wrist injury
Playing with the same swagger his teammates have displayed through the first month of the season, Davis showed the same kind of hot hitting.
The win was the 12th in the last thirteen games for the first-place P-Nats, who improved to 12-3.
Starting pitcher Adrian Alaniz, who entered the game with a 6.75 ERA, pitched seven shutout innings to pick up his first win of the year.
In his first two starts in games eventually won by Potomac, Alaniz (pronounced AL-A-KNEES) lasted just four innings and gave up three earned runs in each start as he searched for command of his pitches.
In this outing, the 6-4 Alaniz gave up just four singles to the Blue Rocks and struck out three.
Alaniz ran into trouble just once, as the Blue Rocks loaded the bases with one out in the fourth inning.
With a 4-0 lead at the time, Alaniz was facing the potential tying run in Wilmington shortstop Chris McConnell.
But Alaniz got McConnell to bounce to Seth Bynum at shortstop, and Bynum began a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
“I was trying to keep the ball down so he would hit it on the ground,” said Alaniz. “He hit it hard but luckily it was right at Bynum.”
The 24-year old Alaniz was selected by the Washington Nationals in the eighth round of the 2007 draft out of the University of Texas. The win over Wilmington was the longest outing of his brief professional career, as well as the longest start by the P-Nat this season.
“This feels awesome,” said Alaniz. “After two sub-par performances, to have a game like this is a confidence boost and something to build on.”
Reliever Yunior Novoa pitched the last two innings to preserve the shutout, the second for the P-Nats pitching staff this season.
Wilmington starter Blake Wood was not as lucky. The Nationals battered Wood for eight hits and four earned runs over his four innings of work.
Besides Davis’ homer in the second inning, Potomac also got a pair of runs in the third. Four singles by Jemel Spearman, Frank Diaz, Marvin Lowrance and Baez produced the two runs.
NOTES: Potomac finishes the home series with Wilmington this afternoon at 1:05. The Nationals’ Jhonny Nunez (0-1) will face the Blue Rocks’ Matt Kniginyzky (0-1). Potomac then begins a three game road series on Monday at Winston-Salem with Cory Van Allen (2-0) on the mound….Including a blast by Potomac’s Davis on Friday, Blue Rocks pitchers have yielded just three home runs this season….Edgardo Baez of the Nationals currently leads the Carolina League with 15 runs scored…First baseman Matt Rogelstad reached base three times in the Saturday win, all on Blue Rocks’ errors.