Bandit Post, 1997, 3.3: Nearing the End of the Season

[aaronweiner]

It's not all doom and gloom around the Birmingham Bandits' front office lately, but it's certainly not the happy, joyful noises they were making last month when they led the Frick Midwest by two games over Austin. While the Bandits will have several shots at Austin and are only four games back in the wild card race, their star is fading fast.

"We've looked so old and tired that we might be Mazzy Star," said shortstop Jack Dark. "We need another one of those magical late charges."

Ah, yes, let us harken back to the playoff season of 1996 - last year - and remember that while the Birmingham Bandits were left for dead in August, they were red-hot down the stretch and snuck into the playoffs. And while it is true that the Marauders and Bandits will have similar schedules down the stretch, there's a different feeling around the clubhouse lately - and a lot of problems that might need fixing this offseason.

"We're not playing as well as we were earlier this season," said Alex Khodorkovsky, who himself has had a terrible second half. "I don't know why we're not but it looks like we're going to have six months to try to figure out why."

It's been a strange season for Birmingham. They're first in team OPS and fifth in team ERA, and with numbers like that, you'd expect the team to be in first place in SOMETHING...but they're not. In fact, the Bandits have spent the better part of the year near or at the top of the league in BA, OBP and OPS, but are just seventh in runs scored.

"We can't seem to find a rhythm, can't seem to put it together night to night," said manager Lou Brown. "It's ridiculous. We're probably the most talented team in the Frick."

A lot of the problems are directly related to #2 starter Damian Bedgood, who, after a nine-month layoff, has failed to post a single-month ERA as low as any of his prior four seasons' mark. Despite increased effectiveness lately, Bedgood still carries a season ERA of 5.34, which would be a career-worst.

"I don't know what's wrong," said Bedgood. "Everything feels right but it just doesn't go right. I'm striking guys out, I think I'm locating well, and suddenly I've given up five runs."

A healthy Bedgood this season would have definitely meant playoffs for the Bandits. The righty hadn't posted an ERA above 3.30 since the 1992 season, and all indications were that the righty would come back as strongly as he'd been in prior seasons.

"I have to admit that I'm feeling the pressure of the pennant race, too," said Bedgood. "It was also a long, tough rehab. I hope that kind of thing never happens to me again."

Is it too late to save the Bandits' season? Well, Birmingham has just nineteen games left and a four-game deficit in the wild card, and the likely beneficiary of a Calgary stumble will be Seattle, who plays the Marauders seven times over the last month. While it looks as if the Bandits will finish above .500 for the third straight season, the postseason seems an unlikely result.

"If it doesn't happen, we'll regroup this offseason and come back stronger," said LF Medric Wood. "We'll be better. We'll do better."

[recte44]

IT's hard to win when your starting pitching pitches so far below expectations. You have to be just bitter with Khodork and to a lesser extent, Bedgood.

[aaronweiner]

Khodork actually has been pretty good for the whole season's work...his ERA+ is above league average, and most people would take that from their #3 starter.

What I can't figure out is how I'm below average in runs while being first in OPS. THAT is a new one on me.

[lchronister]

What I can't figure out is how I'm below average in runs while being first in OPS. THAT is a new one on me.

You have quite a few caught stealings (almost as many as actual stolen bases, which also are pretty low), which is a bit weird. Not a ton of team speed (at least not top-end speed), so maybe you're hitting/running into a lot of double plays? I don't have the game open so I can't find that easily, but that would be my highly uneducated guess

[aaronweiner]

Yeah, but it's not as if I'm trying particularly hard to steal bases either. I have an .800 TEAM OPS...that's pretty darn good for the Frick.