Blankenhorn Cracks 5 Homers in Series Against Lehigh Valley; Nahas Earns Second Win

Here is our weekly roundup of Schuylkill County and other coal region players currently with Major League Baseball organizations in the 2024 season.

Travis Blankenhorn (Pottsville Area) – Outfield, Rochester Red Wings

Blankenhorn went into the mid-season break on a power surge and it hasn’t cooled off since.

He has been on an absolute tear since the mid-season break. Last week, in a series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies), the Pottsville native smashed 5 home runs during the 6-game series. 

Included in that was a 2-home run game on July 26, when he went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in 5 runs.

Blankenhorn has homered in three consecutive games coming into this week’s series against the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals). 

His 24 home runs are a single-season career best. And he’s now just 3 home runs shy of the International League and Triple-A lead in that category. Blankenhorn’s 69 RBI leads the International League.

Joe Nahas (Marian Catholic) – Pitcher, Tennessee Smokies

Nahas picked up his second win of the season for the Smokies in a 7-1 victory over the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels) on July 21. 

He worked the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings in relief that day, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 4 and walking 1. 

During a 1-inning relief appearance on Saturday, Nahas didn’t allow a hit in a game against the Birmingham Barons (White Sox). He struck out 1 and walked 1.

He now 2-1 with the Smokies and he’s lowered his ERA to 4.64.

Reggie Crawford (North Schuylkill) – Pitcher, Sacramento River Cats

Crawford is still on the injured list for the River Cats. He hasn’t pitched since a June 5 outing. Baseball America is reporting that he was sidelined with left arm fatigue.

Thomas Schultz (Mount Carmel Area) – Pitcher, Wilmington Blue Rocks

Schultz has appeared in 2 games since the mid-season break. 

On July 19, he worked a scoreless inning of relief against the Aberdeen IronBirds (Orioles), allowing 1 hit while striking out 2 and walking 1. 

In a one-inning appearance on July 25 against the Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees), he allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

Schultz’ ERA since his promotion the Blue Rocks this season is now 3.95.

Tom Reisinger (Mount Carmel Area) – Pitcher, Stockton Ports

Reisinger had some recent outings he’d like to put behind him as soon as possible. 

On July 21, he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits over 2.2 innings in his first start since April. He struck out 4 and walked 1 in that game, a 13-2 loss to the Modesto Nuts (Mariners). 

In a relief appearance on Saturday, Reisinger allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits over 2 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 1 in that game, a 10-5 loss to the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies). 

Kaleb Sophy (Blue Mountain) – Pitcher, Glacier Range Riders

Sophy had an impressive start back on July 18 against the Missoula Paddleheads but got a no-decision.

In that outing, he allowed just 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 8 and walking 3. The Paddleheads scored 6 runs over the last 3 innings en route to a 7-2 win over his Range Riders. 

In a start on July 26, he took his third loss of the season in a start against the Boise Hawks. 

Sophy worked 3.1 innnings, allowing 5 earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 1 and walking 2. 

His Range Riders are currently mired in a 7-game losing streak.

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LET US KNOW: Someone missing from this roundup who plays for a Minor League team or MLB-affiliated league with ties to the coal region? Send us an email (newscanary@gmail.com) with their name, team, and their connection to the area and we’ll add them to future roundups.