Robles shining in GCL; Turner and Cole updates from Syracuse

Nationals outfielder Victor Robles is only 18 years old, but he is playing with the confidence and ability of a veteran in his first few weeks of Gulf Coast League competition.

The outfielder from the Dominican Republic is batting .524 (11-for-21) with one double, one triple, two homers, three stolen bases and six RBIs in his first seven games.

His on-base percentage is .600 and his OPS is an insane 1.552. Monday was his first hitless game of the season, and he went 0-for-1. He was walked three times in the game.

Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba has been impressed since their director of international scouting Johnny DiPuglia found him in the Dominican.

"He's an extremely talented young player that flashes five tools and impacts the game in all phases, at the plate, defensively and on the bases," Scialabba told me via text. "He plays with tremendous energy and passion for the game and is an exciting player to watch develop and make strides at such a young age. ... Another great find by Johnny DiPuglia and his scouting staff."

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No details yet from Triple-A Syracuse's 5-0 win over Louisville in which right-hander A.J. Cole left the game after two innings with some type of injury. Cole pitched two innings, allowing two hits, no runs and no walks while striking out one. He threw 32 pitches, 23 for strikes. Cole reportedly fired only two pitches in the third inning before leaving the game.

He has gone 0-4 with a 4.71 ERA in his first 10 starts of the season, with 19 walks in 42 innings.

Shortstop Trea Turner went 0-for-5 in the game as he still searches for his first Triple-A base hit. He is 0-for-14 to start with the Chiefs.

Josh Johnson hit a two-run shot in the ninth off of former Nationals pitcher Colin Balester. Balester gave up three runs in the inning.

Bruce Billings, Matt Grace and Jose Valverde combined to pitch seven scoreless innings to lift the Chiefs to the win.

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Double-A Harrisburg dropped Altoona 4-2. Matt Skole had a two-run single and now has 44 RBIs on the season. Wilmer Difo's RBI single gave Harrisburg a 3-2 lead. Isaac Ballou went 2-for-4 in his second game with the Senators.

Update: Cole was removed from last night's start due to "tightness in his groin". He is being evaluated at this time, and the Nationals expect to know more later today.