Jul

21

More Musings

Posted by Dave | Filed Under News | 13 Comments

Welcome to the Cape, Greg! Hope you have great weather and see a lot of good baseball.

The beat goes on. After last night’s 5-4 win at Chatham, Orleans is on a 14-1-1 streak. That was the Cardinals second one-run victory over the A’s in that time.

Harwich has strengthened their hold on second place in the East by going 6-1 in the past week. It is even more impressive when you realize they have done that without Dustin Ackley’s bat in the middle of their lineup. Andrew Giobbi has returned from an injury suffered earlier in the season. In his first game back, Giobbi was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. In that game, the Mariners pounded Y-D, 17-4.

Four of Harwich’s last five victories have been by one run.

The 17-4 defeat came one week after Falmouth beat Y-D, 18-4.

After shutting out the Red Sox on Thursday, Brewster gave up 7, 10 and 10 runs in their next three games. The Whitecaps pitching is a mess. The loss of Tim Clubb necessitated the use of Rory McKean as a starter on Friday. McKean had been serving as Brewster’s closer. The Whitecaps team ERA has risen to 4.21, dropping them into next-to-last place in that category. Y-D (4.89) is last. Note to the Red Sox:  Giving up 18 runs and 17 runs in two games can do that to you.

Chatham’s Grant Green and Cory Olson have dipped below .400 and dropped to third and fourth respectively in the batting title race. They have been surpassed by two new .400 hitters  -  Bourne’s Marc Krauss (.415) and Falmouth’s A.J. Pollock (.400).

Even though Orleans has only one loss in their last 16 games, they remain in next-to-last place in team batting with a .229 avg.

Kyle Blair is expected to make his first appearance for Chatham tomorrow when the A’s play Y-D. Blair was on the early-season roster, but was held back due to a tired arm. Blair was added to Chatham’s roster when Jeff Lorick left the team for medical reasons.

Chatham better hope that the three “O’s” in the outfield  -  Corey Overholtzer, Even Ocheltree, Cory Olson -  stay healthy. They are only carrying four outfielders and the fourth, Gabe Cohen, has not played since an attempted bunt came up and hit him in the face last week. Chatham had already lost Dylan Brown and Aaron Miller to injury earlier in the season.   The lack of depth forced the A’s to play Matt Harvey in rightfield for an inning last week. They can not make any more roster moves.

Looks like Cotuit is feeling the effects of losing Robbie Shields (.349 through 12 games), Mike Bianucci (.282; 5 HR), and now Danny Meszaros (1.37 ERA in 19+ innings). The Kettleers are hanging tough in the West, but they have now lost three straight.

As of this morning, in the West, Bourne has 34 pts., Hyannis 32, Falmouth 31 and Cotuit 31. Falmouth has the benefit of having two games in hand on those other teams. Come to think of it, since those games are against Harwich and Orleans, that may not be much of a benefit.

Hyannis has lost seven straight. They have lost in various ways. Big scores (13-2, 9-8). Small scores (2-0, 1-0). Three consecutive losses in that time were by one run. Wareham has beaten the Mets in three of those seven games.

Cotuit has now stolen 29 bases and been caught stealing 25 times. The percentage was terrible last week. It’s worse now. Hey Mike, the running game ain’t working !

Orleans (2.95) is the only team with an ERA below 3.00.

Yarmouth-Dennis (11) leads only Bourne (9) in homeruns. That’s not good when you play half of your games at Red Wilson Field. Brewster leads with 20.

Last week, Larry described the scoreboard at Stony Brook School as “gaudy.” That’s a pretty good description. Something about those red lights on the teal scoreboard.

In the race for second place in the East, Harwich has 36 pts., Chatham 30 and Brewster 29. Chatham hosts Harwich tonight and has one other game left with the Mariners. Harwich has won all four games between the teams this year. The Mariners are 1-2 vs. Brewster. As my son, Brian, pointed out this morning, it is getting to that point in the season where Chatham and Brewster have to think sweep against Harwich the rest of the way. Keeping in mind that Harwich has a game in hand, splitting the two games may not be good enough for the A’s, and 2-1 may not do the trick for the Whitecaps.

After sending Kyle Kamppi home for a violation of team rules, Orleans has not missed a beat with Alex Hassan taking over the closers role. Hassan has not given up a run in his five appearances, allowing only two hits and one walk, while striking out seven.

Falmouth’s Chris Gloor does not have a decision in his nine appearances. He has a 1.95 ERA and will look for a “W” when he is scheduled to start on Wednesday against Harwich.

The Commodores are second in team batting (.272) and first in runs scored (161).

Hope the infamous fog stays away from Veterans Field for the All Star game. Speaking of Chatham, there is a funny t-shirt that can be seen around town. “Chatham: A Quaint Drinking Village With A Fishing Problem.”

What is it about the number 6 ? In their last twelve games, Bourne is 6-6 and they rank sixth in team batting and sixth in team pitching.

The playing surface looks great, but I wonder why there are no distance markers on the outfield fence at Wilson Field ?

Wareham has won three in a row. They play at Cotuit today and take on Falmouth at Martha’s Vineyard tomorrow. Their playoff chances are slim, but if they can win those two divisional games, the Gatemen could make things interesting for the four teams ahead of them.

Just my thought, but on a good day, the Cape Cod Times coverage of the CCBL is “fair.” Other days it would be something less than fair. Yeah, I know they give us the daily wrap-up of games and on Friday’s they give us the “Cape League Spotlight,” “Cape League Extra,” and “Cape League Characters.” Good stuff. I enjoyed the article on Mike Carrier. But really, how much do we learn about the league by reading the print or online edition ? Oh yeah, they did tell us that Orleans is the lone holdout in the CCBL-MLB nickname/logo/merchandising flap. How many games do they actually staff with a reporter ? CapeMan was absolutely right when he commented about the Dustin Ackley situation. Here you have one of the best players in college baseball, playing in the premier summer league in the Times’ backyard, and nary a word about him. There has been nothing added to the Cape League Insider blog since last Thursday. I’m sure someone from the CC Times would say that they provide more info on the CCBL than any other outlet. Well, since they are Cape Cod’s daily newspaper, would it hurt to provide some team news in addition to the scores and wrapups ? I’m sure most teams like to keep info close to the vest too. Do I have to know what is going on ? No. Are we entitled to know ? No. But, as one example, what harm would it bring to the Harwich organization for the public to know the whereabouts of Ackley, if he really went home to have surgery on bone spurs, etc. ? There are personal issues that we don’t have a right to know about. I’m not talking about every player either. When a high-profile player, or someone who has been having a good season, is going to miss a few games because he is hurt, leaves the Cape due to injury, or signs a professional contract, I think that qualifies as “news” and not an invasion of privacy.

Comments

13 Responses to “More Musings”

  1. ProspectTube.com on July 21st, 2008 5:51 pm

    Hey Dave,

    I just found this blog – nice job on the updates and keeping the CCBL on the front page. Not to step on your toes, but I just filed a report from my trip to Falmouth on Sat to catch Falmouth vs Bourne. I also took some video of the game. The report can found here:

    http://www.prospecttube.com/forum/topic/show?id=2136949%3ATopic%3A501

    I hope you enjoy and keep up the great work.

    Best,

    Christian

  2. CapeMan on July 21st, 2008 7:49 pm

    I couldn’t agree more about the Cape Cod Times….just not a lot of effort being put in there. The features are nice but I think by now, “we get it”. Most people following the league understand about the volunteers, etc and understand what the league is all about. More news and less promotion would be a welcomed change.

  3. Dave on July 21st, 2008 9:19 pm

    Well said, CapeMan. You summed it up nicely.

    Christian: Welcome to CodBall! Very nice report on the Falmouth – Bourne game. Do you get to the Cape often? Don’t worry about stepping on my toes. Check back often and feel free to comment.

  4. Joseph F. Cavanaugh III on July 21st, 2008 11:29 pm

    Nice report Christian. Tootle is amazing to watch. In Falmouth, they have a radar gun which gives the read-out on each pitch. When he entered a game I attended earlier in the season, I looked him up on the stat sheet and saw that he was from Jacksonville State. Not exactly a big name school. So I kind of half paid attention. Until those bright red numbers on the radar readout kept saying 96. I couldn’t believe it. This kid can really bring it. The pop his fastball makes in the catcher’s mitt is incredible. I most recently saw him pitch one inning in Wareham last night, and I paid closer attention. He is fun to watch. He’s got a high leg kick that reminds me of Andy Petit, and he simply looks like a Big League pitcher right now. I’ve overheard some scouts at various games talking about him. They have certainly noticed. I’m looking forward to watching him in the All-Star Game in Chatham on Saturday.

  5. Greg on July 22nd, 2008 8:48 am

    How do these releases impact Orleans for the season?

    ORLEANS CARDINALS BASEBALL
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    DATE: July 21, 2008

    Figueroa, Erickson Released from Team

    Orleans, Mass. – The Orleans Cardinals have announced the release of SS Cole Figueroa (Florida) and LHP Eric Erickson (Miami). Figueroa has signed a professional contract and Erickson has returned home due to injury.

    Figueroa reached terms with the San Diego Padres this week, the team that selected him in the 6th round (195th overall) in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He will be assigned shortly after playing in 30 games for Orleans this summer. A Cape League All-Star with the Harwich Mariners last year, Figueroa had been heating up as the Cardinals starting shortstop. He was riding an eight-game hitting streak and led the team with 17 RBIs at the time of his release.

    The Tallahassee, Fla. native hit .350 for the Gators last spring and led Florida to a berth in the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA Tournament. He led his collegiate team with nine home runs and 57 RBIs under first-year head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.

    Another Floridian, Erickson had posted a 1-1 record with a 3.27 ERA in four starts for the Cardinals. He struck out 21 hitters and walked just three in hits during his Cape Cod League stay. The Sarasota, Fla. native was a late arrival after a College World Series appearance with the Hurricanes.

    At Miami, Erickson was 9-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 2008. His 13 starts helped the Hurricanes win their first-ever ACC Championship and reach the College World Series for the first time since 2006.

    The Cardinals have a 21-10-1 record, the best mark in the Cape Cod Baseball League. They lead the Eastern Division by five points over the Harwich Mariners with 12 games to play. The top two teams in each division make the playoffs for a best-of-three series followed by a best-of-three championship series

  6. Dave on July 22nd, 2008 9:28 am

    The loss of Cole Figueroa will hurt. As noted in the press release, he had been heating up offensively lately. The biggest impact might be felt defensively where he had anchored the middle infield as the Cardinals shortstop in all 30 games that he played.
    Eric Erickson had appeared in only four games this summer. He started all four games but only pitched a total of 22 innings. He had one complete game which means that in his other three starts, he averaged less than five innings per start. Erickson last pitched on July 16 when Hyannis tagged him for 10 hits and 5 earned runs in 4 innings. Still, losing a starting pitcher at this time of year will have an impact. It is likely that someone from the bullpen will have to get stretched out to take over that starter’s role. It may not be easy to find a quality starter to bring in this late in the season.

  7. The Wicker Man on July 22nd, 2008 10:19 am

    Erickson shouldn’t be a loss for Orleans and they should be able to survive without Figueroa as long as guys like Brown and Pothryress continue to play well overall. They are the team to beat.

    In the west, who the heck knows. I thought Hyannis was the best of the bunch until they fell apart. Bourne had a great chance to take control of the division but they lost what looks like a bad game to Falmouth. Cotuit appears to be heading south and Wareham, a team that is probably out of it, is playing the best right now.

    I see that the Gateman are playing Falmouth on the Vneyard today? Who thought up this idea? Horrible.

  8. ProspectTube.com on July 22nd, 2008 1:27 pm

    Thanks Dave and Joseph. Actually, this was my first Cape game of the summer. I just moved back to Boston from London, UK, and haven’t been to the Cape since 2004. I have family in Falmouth, so attending Commodores games is easy. Now that I’m back in town, I plan on making more games this summer, hopefully starting with the All-Star game this weekend. Plus, I’d like to add as many videos to my site from Cape games as possible.

    As for Tootle, I’ve heard through a few people now that he has the quickest arm in the Cape and some have seen him up to 97 this summer. I look forward to catching him soon.

    Dave I added your RSS feed to my site, so keep them posts coming :)

  9. CapeMan on July 22nd, 2008 3:16 pm

    I think playing on the Vineyard for one game is a great idea. I’m listening now actually and while the video for Falmouth isn’t working, the broadcasters have said a number of times that a great crowd has shown up.

    I like the New Bedford games, the Brockton games and any other experiements..Sandwich in the past. It is good for the league and a great experience for the players.

  10. Backstop` on July 22nd, 2008 3:23 pm

    Break up the Gatemen!

  11. Lauren on July 24th, 2008 6:01 pm

    This is the first place I visit for information on Cape Cod Ball. Keep up the good work! I’m glad someone else noticed that Dustin Ackley has been absent from Harwich’s lineup lately. He’s one of the hottest hitters on the Cape, batting over 400, and not a word about where he is. At the Harwich vs. Falmouth game last night I heard mention of an injury, but not really clear on if he is out for the summer. Just wondering if you could add to that?

  12. Dave on July 24th, 2008 9:52 pm

    Hi Lauren. Welcome to CodBall! It is great to hear that this is the first place you visit for CCBL info.

    I’m not sure that any of us CodBall contributors know the real story about Dustin Ackley. I don’t mean that in a way that questions what has been reported here, but I just don’t think we are 100% sure. For whatever it’s worth, he is still listed on the roster on Harwich’s website, and there is no “X” next to his name on the Team Stats page to denote that he is no longer with the team.

    Having said that, there have been a couple postings that seem to pretty clearly indicate that he is no longer on the Cape. Joseph F. Cavanaugh III noted in another posting titled “Day 36: Cut Short” that “A woman who hosts a Harwich pitcher told me that she thinks Ackley went home to have surgery on bone spurs and is done for the season.” In that same thread, David (not me) reported “I hate to hear that his throwing arm is still not right and needs surgery despite rehab all last summer.”
    I don’t want to say that either of these comments are fact or that they are conjecture. I just don’t know. Having said that, I think it is safe to say that Ackley is no longer with Harwich. It would seem that Mr. Cavanaugh’s source is a pretty safe source. Also, if he was still on the Cape, I think we would be seeing him in the All Star game even though he only appeared in 12 games. A .415 batting average, and the cache that he has, would get him on the East team.

  13. Robbie Shields, the Cape and the Draft : CodBall: Unofficial Blog of the Cape Cod Baseball League on March 1st, 2009 12:50 pm

    [...] Shields, who was passed over by Miami and ended up playing for the Florida Southern Mocasins.  As Dave reported last year, Shields had a great, albeit short, Cape season last year with the Cotuit [...]

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