Harrisburg surging as second half begins

At Double-A Harrisburg, it's been a nice splash for shortstop Zach Walters, who in 20 games is hitting .338 with a slugging percentage of .623. He has eight doubles, one triple, four homers and 10 RBIs in that span. He has 26 hits, 12 runs and has walked five times. He has committed five errors, but the offensive numbers are big attention-getters after a fair start at high Single-A Potomac. To see him take it up a notch for the Senators is a very good sign. First baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand has also been raking recently. Van Ostrand is hitting .333 with six doubles, six homers and 14 RBIs. His slugging percentage stands at .550. Chris Rahl (10 homers, 41 RBIs) and Tim Pahuta (10 homers, 37 RBIs) are the team leaders in the top offensive categories. Rahl has been invited to the Eastern League All-Star Game and is averaging .299 at the plate. Pahuta has also been extremely patient, with a team-leading 33 walks. Jesus Valdez leads the team in doubles with 19 and Jeff Kobernus has 34 stolen bases. Eury Perez is second with 26 thefts, while Rahl chimes in with 20 steals. Although his results haven't been all that he would want, Danny Rosenbaum has been the workhorse of the starters, logging 18 starts with a 7-6 record and a 3.38 ERA. He has 71 strikeouts and 25 walks. Paul Demny also has 18 starts with a 6-4 record and a 5.14 ERA. Robert Gilliam, Mike Ballard and Jeff Mandel all have at least 11 starts. Kevin Pucetas has earned an All-Star selection and is 6-3 with a 3.13 ERA in seven starts. Converted reliever Ryan Perry earned his first win as a starter, and is 1-1 with an impressive 1.62 ERA. Hector Nelo has 12 saves and Christian Garcia has earned seven saves in the first half. Erik Davis is 6-2 with a 2.36 ERA and 58 strikeouts. Patrick McCoy sports a 5-1 record with a 3.66 ERA The Senators have played very well down the stretch to end the first half, winning eight of their last nine games. They are 48-41 and in second place.