Scorpions begin Arizona Fall League play

Scottsdale Scorpions Manager: Randy Knorr, Harrisburg Senators Pitchers: RHP Adam Carr RHP Cole Kimball RHP Brad Peacock LHP Sammy Solis Catcher: Derek Norris Infielder: Steve Lombardozzi Outfielder: Michael Burgess It will be very interesting to see how all four of the Nats pitching prospects do against top flight competition, especially left-hander Sammy Solis, who has been signed for only two months and did very well against instructional league competition the last couple of weeks. Solis says his changeup is his best pitch and he is anxious to see how his pitches fair against the best Double-A and Triple-A prospects. Norris was disappointed when a hand injury kept him out of the AFL last year, but says the year delay gave him time to improve in a lot of areas and now feels like he is more prepared mentally to face other team's big time prospects. Lombardozzi and Burgess did very well in their time at Potomac, and made the step up to Double-A and continued to improve. It will be big for Burgess to continue his ascent with his play this month in the AFL, especially to monitor his power numbers and defense in this select league. Peacock made a nice jump this year and both Carr and Kimball were very solid and earned their spots on this team. Having Knorr as the manager is a very good thing as most of these Nats prospects have worked for him before and feel comfortable with him running the show because they have learned so much from him. Norris says it will be nice to get to know Knorr better in this league and learn from all the major league knowledge he brings to the table. Tonight's game one pitching probables: Peoria Saguaros @ Scottsdale Scorpions. RHP Alex Cobb (TB) vs. RHP Ryan Verdugo (SF). Game time: 9:35 pm. The Diamondbacks, Orioles, Rockies, Nationals and Giants feed the Scorpions roster. The fifth annual Rising Stars All-Star Game is Saturday, November 6 at Surprise Stadium and the annual championship game is on Saturday, November 20 at Scottsdale Stadium.