Canning sets career marks for P-Nats

The 65th game of Gage Canning's professional career -- a 12-10 win for Class A Advanced Potomac over Carolina on Friday at Five County Stadium -- was unlike any of the 64 that came before it.
The Nationals' ninth-ranked prospect went 4-for-5, knocked in four runs and scored four times, reaching those statistical thresholds for the first time since Washington made him a fifth-round pick in last year's Draft. With a triple and two doubles, he totaled eight bases.

The P-Nats totaled 18 hits, including eight with runners in scoring position.
"It was one of those nights where the team was seeing the ball well," Canning said. " ... For myself, I'm just trying to be aggressive with good pitches in the zone to hit and try not to chase the bad ones."
Gameday box score
Canning didn't have to wait to find those pitches on Friday. In keeping with the theme of firsts, each of his extra-base knocks came on the first pitch of the at-bat. In the second inning, he lined an RBI double to right field off Mudcats starter Christian Taugner (1-3). The same matchup in the third produced the same result, this time plating two runs. And against reliever Cody Beckman in the fifth, Canning belted an RBI triple to center.
The Arizona State product struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch in the seventh but singled leading off the ninth. He came around to score all four times he reached base.
It was a breakout effort for the 22-year-old center fielder, who hit .244 with a homer and a double in 41 at-bats with Class A Hagerstown before being promoted to the Carolina League on April 15. Since then, Canning was 5-for-34 (.147) in eight games. His average jumped to .231 on Friday.
"You're going to go through patches where you're not hitting how you want, maybe you're not seeing it well," Canning said. "Whatever the reason, you just gotta work through it and expect that good time to come."
Seeing and hitting pitches right down the middle -- as Canning did Friday -- made it easier to find those good times, especially since he's struggled to wait for those types of pitches as a pro. He struck out 54 times in 166 at-bats last year and 18 times in his first 39 at-bats with Potomac.
But he's tried to make adjustments that help him take advantage of hittable pitches when he gets them. He wants to keep his head still and while staying "in his legs" during his "load." In other words, Canning is most successful when he avoids standing up straight as a pitch approaches.
He's watched film of at-bats where he stays low and when he doesn't. There are drills to instill the proper technique, and they help. But for Canning, there's no replacement for doing it in the batter's box when it counts.

"I just think the main thing is just being able to feel what you're doing wrong and be able to correct it," Canning said, "and then keep trying to do what you want as many times in a row as you can and get it to be muscle memory."
KJ Harrison joined Canning with a dominant night at the dish. The 22-year-old first baseman also logged four hits, including two doubles, while knocking in two runs. It was Harrison's Carolina League debut after he shredded the South Atlantic League with a .404/.485/.649 slash line in 16 games.
Potomac left-hander Carson Teel (1-0) picked up the win, striking out five and allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk in two innings of relief.
Taugner took the loss after giving up seven runs -- five earned -- on eight hits in three innings.