FredNats

Stephen Strasburg faced live hitters for the first time since June 1, 2021, and struck out three batters in 2.2 innings, and the FredNats dropped the series opener 6-1 in front of a franchise-record 5,802 fans at Virginia Credit Union Stadium.

The 2019 World Series MVP walked the bases loaded in the 1st inning but got out of it unscathed because of a great play by Leandro Emiliani at first base. He made a diving stop and flipped it to Strasburg, covering first for the out. Strasburg threw 62 pitches in his first rehab appearance and will return to Fredericksburg on Sunday for a second rehab start.

Three-time MLB All-Star and 2019 World Series MVP starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg will start Fredericksburg Nationals game against the Salem Red Sox at Virginia Credit Union Stadium on Tuesday, May 24 as part of a minor league rehab assignment.

The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

After losing five straight games, all by two runs or less, history looked like it may repeat itself on Saturday night in [Salisbury, Md.] when the FredNats were up two runs in the 9th, and the Shorebirds were threatening again.

With the FredNats up 5-3 and the bases loaded after three singles in the inning, with one out, Trendon Craig grounded a single right back up the middle to center field. One run scored, and Luis Valdez was barreling towards home plate to try and tie the game.

Brady House picked up a pair of RBIs, but the FredNats fell for a third straight time at Delmarva (Salisbury, Md.) Thursday by a final of 4-3. The team will look to get on track with RHP Jackson Rutledge on the mound tomorrow at 7:05.

The Shorebirds got to starter Rodney Theophile (3-1) for four runs (four earned) with two outs in the first. Theophile settled down though after, facing just one over the minimum in the next four innings. Pedro Gonzalez and Jack Sinclair finished the game with a combined three scoreless frames on the mound.

Jacob Young reached four times and Andrew Alvarez turned in another dominant relief appearance, but the FredNats fell in the second game in Delmarva 5-3 Wednesday.

The FredNats fell behind 3-0 in the second on a pair of two-out Shorebird hits vs. Fredericksburg starter Bryan Caceres (3-2). He allowed five runs (five earned) in five innings but also struck out seven without allowing a walk.

Brady House hit his third homer of the season in the 8th inning, but the FredNats lost the series opener 5-3 to Delmarva on Tuesday afternoon at Perdue Stadium.

Fredericksburg went up 2-0 after four innings behind two RBIs from Branden Boissiere. The first baseman hit a sacrifice fly in the 1st and then doubled in a run in the 3rd.

Kannapolis (N.C.) scored two in the 8th and two in the 9th to come back from a three-run deficit to knock off the FredNats 6-5 in the series finale in front of 4,744 fans at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. Fredericksburg led 5-2 after seven innings, but couldn’t close out the victory. The FredNats drop their first series of the season after Kannapolis took four out of the six games.

Both starters did well in the game, with Brendan Collins turning in a career-high 5.1 innings for Fredericksburg. He surrendered four hits and only two earned runs with six strikeouts, and exited the game with the lead.

Kannapolis bounced right back in the 2nd against FredNat starter Andry Lara. After Lara got Ivan Gonzalez to strike out swinging in what should have ended the frame, the ball bounced away and Wilfred Veras came home to score the tying run. Lara did have the rare distinction of recording four strikeouts in one inning on the next batter, but the game was tied at one.

Top White Sox prospect Wes Kath gave the Cannon Ballers the lead for the first time in the 3rd when he poked a two-run homer the opposite way. It was 3-1 Kannapolis at that point.

The minor league affiliate of the Washington Nationals in the Low-A East League moved to the city in 2019. The team played its first regular-season last year, one year later than planned, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The team built its $35 million stadium in the Celebrate Virginia South complex, next to the city’s expo center, with financing help from the city. A public-private partnership to build a new stadium in Woodbridge, where the team had played since the early 1980s, failed to gain the support of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2017.