Take three of four in Boise, sweep three in Long Beach, take three more when Boise comes into town, then grab three of four in California. Add in two of three when you host Twin Cities, Omaha, and Seattle, and you’ve got the feeling that things have shaken lose in Yellow Springs, eh? Yes, the team lost the first six games of the month, but overall June was berry, berry good to us.
Not surprisingly, some of the team’s numbers are pretty impressive, too. The starting rotation with Lawrence Columbus LaLoosh (3-1, 2.57), Jose Chavez (3-1, 39K in 31 IP), and Carlos Valle (3-2, 2.56, 40K/11BB in his 45 IP) has become rock-solid, and Valle has begun to round into such form as some are calling him mini-Crash.
“They are two very different pitchers, though,” said pitching coach Robert LaLoosh. “Lawrence can blow the doors off from pitch to pitch, but Carlos is more a command kind of guy. He plays with hitters and hits corners like no one else we’ve had.” Valle also manages the running game better than LaLoosh, but that’s a minor difference. Rumor, however, is that the nickname is going around the clubhouse because Valle has the same numbers as LaLoosh, but is five inches shorter and thirty pounds lighter.
Valle’s emergence as a serious pitcher has altered the Calculus for the Nine, who now don’t have to rely quite so heavily on the Crash and Dogface show.
That the bullpen has become a little more stable doesn’t hurt. Rookie Curt Phillips has had moments of the jitters, but he’s been dependable enough to register 15 saves despite being injured for a bit, and Jose Souza’s return (2.51 EAR in May/June) from a rugged 2015 has been a serious help. Add in second year hurler Emilio Gutierrez (1.12 ERA in May/June) from the right hand side, and shutdown LOOGY Vincente Ventura (0.87 ERA) and you can see that it’s been a little tough for Nin opponents. An inside secret includes the fact that fifth starter Tristan Alfama may be finding himself a home in the bullpen the past couple months, as he’s throwing a 2.81 ERA in his 6 games out of the pen.
Offensively the news is good, too. Enigmatic centerfielder Mauro Saucedo is as hot as can be, ripping opposing pitchers at a .373/.413/.493 slash in June. George Robertson, who suffered a horrendous slump to open the season, blasted 5 homers in June, and dropped a .324/.405/.581 slash. To say he likes the DH role may be an understatement. Catcher Aaron Stone recovered from his injury and in June has hit like a guy auditioning for a long-term contract, hitting five homers of his own, getting on base at a .393 clip.
Then there’s Carlos Garcia, doing what he does best—confounding critics with a .190 batting average for the month, but getting on base at a .393 clip and slugging .452. I mean, seriously, how many guys hit .190 but drop a .845 OPS? Guy’s paid $6.8M, and worth … well … something, right?
And that’s before we get to the team’s two perennial All-Star candidates in Lucas McNeill (9 doubles, 4 homers, .280/.397/.490 on the month) and Angel De Castillo (6 doubles, five homers, .298/.364/.500).
“Things are always nicer when everyone’s getting the job done,” manager Bret Richards said. “Of course, someone’s got to get a wire to Nebraska to tell the other guys to slow down.”
JULY LOOKS OKAY?
Of course, one can never be certain of the future, but sitting here at July first, it’s reasonable for a fan to be excited. The club will play 18 games at home, and only 8 on the road—and those road games are at Hawaii (3), Charm City (2) and Edmonton (3), all teams currently at the bottom of their divisions.
“It’s a favorable look for them,” said ESPN analyst Gayle Combs. “It may not be going too to say that how they come out of July will go a very long way to defining their season. Who knows what will happen, of course, but fans are coming out to the stadium now, and you can feel the momentum building.”
9-News: 34.050 – Momentum Building
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