Rain halts Potomac's season opener

By: Robert Daski | InsideNova
Published: April 09, 2010

The Potomac Nationals and Salem Red Sox played an inning and two-thirds in their first game of the year.

The completion of that game will wait and be completed on Friday.

Rain came over Pfitzner Stadium and caused Thursday’s season opener to be halted. It will resume Friday at 5:30 p.m. with a seven-inning game to follow.
Salem led 1-0 at the time the game was stopped.

Gray skies hovered over Pfitzner Stadium prior to the beginning of the game, but it did not bother Nationals starting pitcher Robinson Fabian. Fabian worked around a one-out first inning double to strike out the side. All went down swinging.

“It couldn’t have started off better,” Nationals manager Gary Cathcart said.

The second inning was when Salem crossed the plate. Will Middlebrooks led off with a single. He went to second on a passed ball, then to third when Fabian threw a pickoff attempt into center field.

Middlebrooks scored on Mitch Dening’s groundout to shortstop Jose Lozada.

Before that run crossed the plate, Potomac failed to score with runners on second and third in the first.

The Nationals almost did as Boomer Whiting broke for the plate on a ground ball to third. But he was tagged out by catcher Tim Federowicz.

Cathcart argued with home plate umpire Tyler Wilson to no avail.

“He said [the catcher] blocked the plate,” Cathcart said. “The tag came really late. I thought he was [safe]. It was a difference of opinion.”

The run will be all Fabian gives up this game. Evan Bronson, scheduled to be Potomac’s fifth starter, is to be the Nationals pitcher when play resumes.

Cathcart said Robinson may make his next start early next week. Cathcart also indicated the team’s off day on Monday should not hurt the rotation schedule.

Catcher Derek Norris, ranked second among Washington prospects by industry magazine Baseball America, did not appear in Thursday’s game and may miss two-four games after nerve irritation appeared in the hamate bone he broke last fall.

That injury forced Norris to miss the Arizona Fall League, a circuit prospects attend to further develop their skills after the season.
Cathcart said Norris suffered the injury sliding into second base during spring training.

Norris saw a hand specialist and no structural damage was revealed.

Brian Peacock handled catching duties for Potomac on Thursday.