All-Star snub a puzzler

Hunter Mercado-Hood - All-Star snubbed

Let's talk about the WCL All-Star selections that were named today. There is no doubt that our representatives are very deserving candidates. Gabe Clark and Alex DeGoti are both hitting well above .300 and at the top of most significant offensive categories. Alex Rogers is an unbelievable story himself, working his way up from a 10-day contract into being a key starter who sits near the top of the league in ERA and second in the league in WHIP with an incredible 0.94 (for hurlers who with a minimum amount of innings). Congratulations to all three!

But to leave out Hunter Mercado-Hood and Mikey Wright? Are you kidding me? Wright is a stud. Pure and simple. In fact, he is the only pitcher in the league with a WHIP lower than Rogers, coming in at an eye-popping 0.85 in his 46 innings of work this year. He also holds opponents to a .176 batting average which is good enough for fourth in league regardless how many innings pitchers have pitched. He has a 2.74 ERA and is third in the league in strikeouts with 37 against only nine walks. And he's not an All-Star? Is it because he goes by Mikey instead of Michael...that's the only explanation that I can fathom.

That aside, what an AWESOME 1-2 punch we are blessed with this year on the mound. And these are guys who are first (Wright) and tenth (Rogers) in the entire league in innings pitched - Logan Lombana (another pitcher worthy of at least some consideration) is eighth. See previous blog posts on that topic.

Now on to HMH. Hunter Mercado-Hood is currently second in the entire league in RBI's and as far as his value to the HarbourCats, he is first on the team in batting average (.339 - good enough for 11th in the league), RBI's, at bats, runs, hits and doubles. He also has the second most walks on the team so has a good eye up there too. HMH is near the top of all other major offensive categories so is basically the best hitter on the team and certainly in the discussion as one of the elite hitters of the league. What does he need to do, sell Bin 4 burgers in between innings? Maybe don the Harvey costume?

And if you are going to pick Clark and DeGoti, what about Nathan Lukes? He is right there as far as numbers go and also worthy of some serious consideration. In terms of hitters, I would have taken HMH (no brainer) and Lukes or Clark - Lukes takes more walks, strikes out less and is a better fielder, but "the Babe" has more pop so it depends if you value power over on-base percentage. That is a reasonable debate to have, but to leave off HMH is a travesty of justice. The voters' baseball IQ's must be questioned on this one.

As for pitchers, both Rogers and Wright should be there - no doubt in my mind. Anyone who thinks differently has obviously been to Seattle recently and is still wallowing in the haze of one of the newly erected head shops.

Hopefully this will be rectified if players need to be added for injury reasons but if not, I'd deem the "All-Star" game either a random player festival or a popularity pageant. On this blog, both Mr. Wright and HMH are first ballot All-Stars with no room for debate.

HarbourCats waste stellar outing from Mikey Wright

Mikey Wright

The powerful Bellingham Bells defeated the HarbourCats 2-1 on Monday night in spite of a masterful outing from Mikey Wright, giving the Bells their fourth win in four games against Victoria this season. The loss leaves the struggling ‘Cats a whopping 11.5 games behind the first-place Bells in the West Division and five games behind the Bend Elks in the wild card race. Unless something dramatic and unexpected happens, the 13-18 HarbourCats are done for the season. You can go ahead and stick a fork in ‘em. On the plus side, the sun will still be shining and the beer will still be cold when the team returns to RAP on Thursday.

Early Monday morning the team announced that both Alex Garcia and Devin Carter have been released. Garcia has returned home due to family reasons and apparently Devin Carter is returning home for “academic reasons”. Given the recent turmoil in the HarbourCats’ clubhouse, one has to wonder if he requested his release at least in part due to lack of playing time. Carter hit .121 in 33 at-bats this season, but only six of those at-bats came in his last nine games with the team. The loss of Carter still leaves the team with six outfielders and at least four others (Fagalde, Torres-Costa, Barnett and Clark) who can play some outfield in a pinch. It's safe to say that we're covered.

In the same Monday morning press release, it was revealed that Noah Cummings was left behind for the Bellingham trip due to a “hand injury.” Cummings has hit .175 in 40 at-bats this summer, but he has only had three at-bats in the seven games prior to the Bellingham trip.

Monday night’s loss wasted an incredible effort from Wright, who limited the Bells to only three hits and two walks over eight innings. Wright struck out eight, but he threw a total of 106 pitches on the night. That high pitch count is yet another example of a HarbourCats pitcher being overused this summer. In fact, it's the seventh time in 2014 that a ‘Cats pitcher has thrown more than 100 pitches in a game -- a number that a pitcher under the age of 25 should never exceed in order to protect the long-term health of his arm. The seven instances are:

• July 14 - Mikey Wright, 106 pitches
• July 9 - Tim Peabody, 112 pitches
• July 7 - Mikey Wright, 104 pitches
• July 7 - Preston Ryan, 109 pitches (relief)
• June 24 - Logan Lombana, 104 pitches
• June 17 - Andrew Nelson, 104 pitches
• June 13 - Alex Garcia, 102 pitches

By contrast, Corvallis, the model franchise in the West Coast League, has only allowed a hurler to throw 100 or more pitches in a game on one occasion (June 24th). Let’s hope that the HarbourCats can avoid any more of these extended outings this summer, because not only can the team ill-afford any injuries, but the long-term health of our pitchers must always be paramount.

HarbourCatNip

• The roster for next Monday’s WCL All-Star Game will be announced tomorrow morning. I would expect Hunter Mercado-Hood, Nathan Lukes, Alex Rogers and Mikey Wright to make the team from the HarbourCats. However, considering what I saw with last year’s team, don’t be surprised if there are some major snubs and a few guys on the team whose performance doesn't merit their selection.
• Preston Ryan gets the start on Tuesday night in the middle game of the Bellingham series. It will be his first start of the summer and his first appearance since his marathon 109-pitch relief outing on July 7th. Alex Rogers gets the ball on Wednesday night for the HarbourCats.
• Wyler Smith batted ninth in Monday's game. Was this a coincidence given Bubba's blog post on Sunday? Just sayin'.

Sunny Saturday loss leaves questions unanswered

A great day for ball at RAP on Saturday. Sunshine was plentiful, temperature was near perfect, and fans were out in good numbers. Victoria is a funny town - it's always either too cold, or too hot. This afternoon, it was well towards the latter, but that didn't seem to bother the almost 1,300 fans who flocked to see if the HarbourCats could win the rubber match against the Medford Rogues.

Gabe Clark demonstrates the "unexpected curve-ball" swing

They could not, losing 4-1 to what became a fabulous pitching outing by Cypress College freshman Nathan Kuchta. Kutcha pitched 8.1 innings Saturday, giving up only 5 hits and the single earned run thanks in part to a nasty curve ball that had Victoria hitters guessing wrong all afternoon. He struck out 8, including at least 1 on all but two 'Cats batters - only Aaron Barnett and Alan Baldwin escaped the Kutcha whiff. Ex-HarbourCat Joe Record recorded the last 2 outs for the save - and ironically got Baldwin to strike out to end the game.

Victoria starter Logan Lombana pitched eight strong innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits with 4 strikeouts. Fans got a look at Alex Garcia in relief for the first time (not counting the Langley exhibition), and finished the game with the mysterious return of Quintin Torres-Costa.

Torres-Costa is coming back from Tommy John surgery in May of last year, he hadn't pitched in a week after playing in back-to-back games in Kitsap, including a 46 pitch three-inning outing. We were speculating that outing may have been too much for a guy we are supposed to be gently bringing back.  Lets hope he can return to the relief rotation and provide some stability in the second half.

Similarly, reliever Preston Ryan wasn't seen all weekend after throwing 109 pitches in relief in the 14-inning loss to Yakima last Monday. Ryan's previous high-pitch count for the year was 33.

And speaking of returns to action, there were a few friends and family of Kelly Norris-Jones in attendance today after it was announced he would be returning to the lineup after suffering a hand injury the last week of June. KNJ has been cleared to play for a week or so now, but seems to be in coach Miller's dog house as he was removed in favour of Jake Lesinski.

And let me get fully on my soapbox for a minute here. Just what is going on down there in the HarbourCat dugout these days?

It seems pretty clear that Miller and pitching coach Ben Jackson have their go-to guys, and if you aren't one, you're riding the pine. There are players who don't belong in the daily rotation, while others sit and watch. Can someone explain to me why Div 1 All-American Freshman of the year Danny Collier isn't playing regularly in this offence? Does anyone notice #36 each game... he's the first guy off the bench to greet a pitcher after an important 3rd out, or to congratulate a teammate after a great play. He's got more potential to make an impact than just about anyone on the team, yet he sits, and sits. He's had 14 plate appearances since June 25, a span of 14 games.

Collier didn't leave the bench in the series against the Rogues, yet Wyler Smith (who seems to have inherited the lead-off spot now despite having the tenth best on-base-percentage on the team) gets regular duty in left field. Seriously? Nothing against Wyler at all, and he seems to have turned the corner from a slow start - but that's largely thanks to starting all six games against Kitsap where he went 14 for 23. Is he a .300 hitter? Take away the shooting gallery games against Kitsap and he's hitting .202 with one of the lowest OBP's on the team. I'll take my chances with the All-American Collier any day...

Or Griffin Andreychuk. Hard not to have him in the lineup every day, with his second best .423 OBP... While I realize you can't play 12 guys each game, you can certainly rotate the lineup to even up playing time between contenders.

Lets not forget these kids give up their summer to live in a town thousands of miles away from their own, with no friends and family nearby, all for the hope of playing summer baseball. Many of these young players get homesick, become worn out from the grind of the day-to-day schedule, and then are let down by team politics. Standing around watching the game doesn't help - they could stay home and watch someone else play. Where is the value of being here if you aren't going to be given the opportunity to play on a regular basis? Seems like a wasted summer to me if you aren't in the coaches good books and you don't get the chance.

I hope something is done to level the playing field. There has already been one HarbourCat leave the team due to lack of playing time in Cole Kreuter, let's hope that's not a sign of things to come. Not just for this group of players, but for next year's as well. I certainly hope that colleges don't start ignoring HarbourCats phone calls during recruiting season because players don't want to come to Victoria and run the risk of a lost summer.

This could an interesting week for this team - don't be surprised if the HarbourCats looks quite a bit different in the near future.

An angelic relief outing saves the day

Sean Watkins

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Chuck said it best, so I’ll try not to mangle his fine words. But in all seriousness, the HarbourCats’ season has been a roller coaster ride. The latest low was erased by Friday night’s exciting 9-8 win over the Medford Rogues.

The evening opened with a barrage of hits. Nathan Lukes, Gabe Clark and Sean Watkins all homered in the first two innings to stake the ‘Cats to an early 8-4 lead. While that kind of lead would seem insurmountable to most fans, those in the know were worried.

Thankfully, Angel Delgado was at his best. The newest member of the HarbourCats bullpen threw four solid shutout innings to turn the tide in the game. Ryan Keller did his best to make the game close, but DH/Superman Sean Watkins came out of the pen to nail down the save and preserve the HarbourCats’ victory.

Let’s hope that Watkins will continue to see time on hill and that Preston Ryan will recover from his 109-pitch relief outing and be given more late-inning save opportunities. Now if Quintin Torres-Costa could only get some chances in the late innings then the Victoria bullpen might actually turn the corner. If we are to have any chance of making the playoffs then we'll need everyone in the pen to pull up their socks, so let's hope that happens...

Hunter Mercado-Hood named HarbourCats first-half MVP

Hunter Mercado-Hood
photo by Brian Hayes

The scribes at the Victoria HarbourCats Baseball Blog have named Hunter Mercado-Hood  (“HMH”) as the team’s MVP for the first half of the 2014 season. HMH was the only HarbourCat named on all four ballots cast by the bloggers and he earned two of the four first-place votes.

Mercado-Hood is currently second in the West Coast League with 29 runs batted in -- an amazing total considering that the HarbourCats have played 28 games and he has only appeared in 25 of those games. He is also 10th in the league in hitting with a .347 batting average. Aside from runs batted in, Mercado-Hood also leads the team in at-bats, runs, hits, and doubles. His defense has also been steady, as he has only committed one error while registering a pair of outfield assists.

Sean Watkins finished second in the voting after his surprising first half. We were expecting Watkins to be used as a pitcher this summer, but the recent graduate of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California has put on a show with his potent bat. All the youngster has done so far is notch the sixth-best batting average in the league (.358) while compiling a stellar 1.80 ERA in five innings of relief. Watkin’s high point had to come on June 30th when he almost single-handedly defeated the Kitsap BlueJackets with an eye-popping performance. With the HarbourCats bullpen in disarray, let’s hope that Watkins sees more action out of the pen in the second half.

The full voting results are as follows (number of first-place votes in parentheses):

1. Hunter Mercado-Hood (2) - 9 points
2. Sean Watkins - 4 points
3. Mikey Wright (1) - 3 points
3. Alex DeGoti (1) - 3 points
5. Gabe Clark - 2 points
5. Griffin Andreychuk - 2 points
7. Alex Rogers - 1 point

Honourable mentions: Sean Watkins and Alex Rogers.

'Cats lose a close one but set a world record!

A-Rog mowin' em down

In a very entertaining game in front of a raucous crowd of 1,606, the Victoria HarbourCats came up just short in the ninth inning to fall 5-4 to the visiting Medford Rogues. The story of the game is an easy one tonight - the 'Cats left the bases loaded FOUR times and three of those times (first, seventh and eighth) they did it with only one out and could not get a single run across. The final time was in an exciting ninth where they did put two runs across but as it turns out, that was one too few.

It really comes down to the clutch hit which seems rarer than a Rosie O'Donnell doggie bag these days. Hitting for average is great and going two for four is awesome, but getting that one clutch hit when you need it is what is going to win games. Again Victoria outhit their opposition (this time 12-8) only to come out on the losing end which must be extremely frustrating to these guys as they are doing a lot of things right out there. Just not at the right time.

That aside, it really was a good game to watch. It was a clean game fielding-wise as there was only a single error by Medford. There was some weirdness too, when a routine single went into the Medford outfield and popped inside the centrefielder's uniform, ever so briefly. But an alert Bob Miller ran out to the umpiring crew and they ruled that this put the ball "out of play" giving the HarbourCat batter an extra base. Strange days indeed. Most peculiar, mama!

Both starting pitchers kept the game moving by working quickly with "Triple M" (the Medford Man Mountain) David Peterson out-dueling Alex Rogers by giving up no runs, four hits/strikeouts/walks in his six and a third innings. Rogers had a good night himself going one out short of the distance (after which the 'Cats gave up two more runs...DOH!) and surrendering four runs, seven hits with four K's and two free passes.

After that it was a battle of which relief staff wanted to win the least. The Rogues tried to give it back by serving up eight more hits, four runs and two bases on balls the rest of the way but again, the 'Cats just couldn't find that final single when they needed it.

It was also a game of "what if's" for the 'Cats. What if Rogers pitched the final out of the ninth? What if Gabe Clark didn't get gunned down trying to get to second base in the eighth (the next batter hit a double)? What if Medford's Yuto Kata (who also went two for two) didn't steal home in the first and then AGAIN with two out in the ninth?

All that said, today was really about the awesome fans in Victoria. Community spirt was soaring as the creative HarbourCats promotional team set out to break the record for most ceremonial first pitches before a game, aiming for a target of 5,000 which was well above the record of 4,218 that they were aiming for, set by the Brevard County Manatees. Danny the Intern from Kool-FM (your kids will know him) kicked off the festivities around 8:30 AM this morning and a steady stream of people of all ages and abilities started hurling (baseballs, that is) all the way up until game time. In fact, a couple of intrepid bloggers were spotted at the festivities throwing their cheese as well. When all was said and done, our city-folk threw a mind-boggling total of 5,253 pitches. A new world record!! Outstanding job Victown!! Pat yourselves on the back and go to the showers now...ya' done good. Now serious question...can any of you throw middle to late inning relief??

And as an added bonus, click here for a view of the 10 WORST ceremonial first pitches. Luckily, this was filmed before I served up my own kitten-like knuckle curve!

One of the 5,253 pitches - probably the best one!

Beware the Rogues of Medford!

Gather 'round the campfire lads, I'm 'gonna spin you a tale...

The Rogues are coming to RAP for a three game set, and ye best beware. Are you familiar with the Rogues? Well according to the wisest scholar in the land (Mr. G. Oogle), a rogue is "a dishonest or unprincipled man". A scoundrel, miscreant, reprobate, rascal, good for nothing ne'er-do-well. Better lock up your women and children, and leave your valuables at home.

Are we inviting these kind of men to our park? Yes we are. They arrive not by bus, but by a grey and green-hulled schooner that pays no heed to hipster kayakers in the inner harbour, dropping anchors through the bows of nearby harbour ferries and pretentious American-visitor pleasure craft. From there they come ashore and pillage their way to the park, gathering wenches and specialty wines along the way.

They arrive at the park singing songs of the sea, brandishing swords bloodied and worn from hard skirmishes with street fowl. They take up camp on the third base side where they sit in the sun, regaling each other of past conquests in nearby taverns and night clubs.

Actually that's not all true. The team name comes not from the quality of men who have joined the team on their journey to Victoria this week, but from the part of Oregon Medford is the center of - Rogue Valley. In the early 1800's when the white-folk were expanding west, the Valley was the site of many bloody battles between the settlers and the three Native American tribes that inhabited the land. The valley was named such by early fur traders for the difficulties that ensued trying to navigate the valley.

The Medford Rogues of the WCL, replaced the Southern Oregon Riverdawgs who were founded in 2001 and played in the West Coast League's Tri-state division. The Dawgs left for the now defunct Far West collegiate league to make way for the Rogues to start the 2013 season. Interestingly, the Rogues are owned by Bill Yuill, a businessman from Medicine Hat Alberta for a nice Canadian connection.

The Rogues had a fabulous "first season" in the WCL, finishing second in the South division, losing in two games to the eventual champion Corvallis Knights. The Rogues finished 30-24, including going 5-1 against the HarbourCats. The one win Victoria had last year was probably the most exciting game of the season though - a 12-11 comeback victory at RAP when Victoria scored 5 runs in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Bo Cornish, including a 2-out double by Dylan Lavelle to score Alex Real and Chris Lewis to win the game.

Unfortunately, Cornish is no longer part of the Rogue's crew for this voyage...

The Rogues are pretty much right where they were last year, in second place in their division, a game and a half back of both Corvalis and Bend. After a good start, they have had a tough July, going 3-7 over their last 10 thanks to a 1-5 set against the Knights. Overall, Medford routinely beats the teams it should, and has trouble with the top teams in the league.

Medford is led by stud 1B Victor Garcia. Garcia's hitting .329 with 23 RBI, and a league-leading 6 home runs. Designated Hitter Nathan Etheridge is also tearing up WCL pitching, sitting fourth in league average at .363. The Rogues have a solid core group, with six starters and eight players in total hitting over .300. Their team batting average of .282 leads the entire WCL.

On the mound, the Rogues have three 3-game winners, and we should see two of them in David Peterson and Jeff Hardy. Past that, the Rogues are fairly evenly balanced with some solid relief pitchers, and some "throw gas on the fire" guys.

The Rogues carry a few of "friendlies" as well - relievers Ivan Dilda and Mat Snider from Pepperdine will enjoy taking a shot at All-American freshman Aaron Barnett, and Trent Shelton from Gabe Clark's Oregon State Beavers will like the same. There's another Wave, and a couple of UNM Lobo's on the Rogues as well (including 1B Chris "The Red Hercules" Devito, who's favourite food is hot dogs). That's hard hitting journalism right there folks...

The Tale of the Tape
Victoria 12-15, 7-3 in their last 10. Medford 15-12, 3-7 in their last 10.
Victoria .265 team average, Medford .282
Victoria 4.09 team ERA, Medford 3.86

All things point to a Rogue domination of this series. Coming off a sweeping at the hands of the Pippens, the HarbourCats will need to regroup in the friendly confines of RAP and come out swinging. They need to get into the heart of a fairly suspect relief core to do some middle-inning damage before the lights-out guys come out of the pen. Given that the Rogues can out-hit any team in the league, and the HarbourCats have not yet proven to be able to stay with a heavy hitting team like Medford, it's going to be a long weekend for Cats fans at RAP. I'm calling a sweep in the wrong direction, but hoping for another 9th inning comeback to get us all out of our seats. Better stay 'till the end folks...

Pippins walk over 'Cats 12-3

The Victoria HarbourCats were glad to get on the bus and head back home Wednesday night after dropping their third game in a row to the Yakima Valley Pippins by a score of 12-3. It was a feast or famine, up and down road trip for the 'Cats who swept Kitsap in a three game series before this last game in Yakima.

It was a sloppy game that saw a combined seven errors - four by Victoria and three by Yakima. 'Cats starter Tim Peabody had some control problems that saw him issue eight free passes to give him an average of one an inning on the year. After walking the bases loaded in the fifth, Peabody turned a 3-1 deficit over to Dylan Stowell who gave up a couple of hits to clear the bases and leave Mr. Peabody tagged with six runs in his four and a third innings of work. Stowell later walked in two of his own runs in the seventh before Mark Marinch returned the favour by allowing a bases clearing triple - all Stowell's runs that do not show up the Marinch crime sheet - to put the game out of reach for good at 11-2. Overall, Victoria ended up walking twelve batters as compared to the Pippins two.

Bryce Greager knocked in a couple of runs in the losing cause going two for four. Gabe Clark was the only other 'Cat who had more than one hit, also ending up two for four.

The 'Cats are back on home soil tomorrow for a mini three game home stand against the Medford Rogues who won tonight but have been struggling of late (mostly because they have been playing the Corvallis Knights). The Rogue Waves break into town with a 15-12 record so it will be another tough test for the boys of Victown. Hopefully the 'Cats will dream of their Kitsap games and come out with the same smoking bats. Starting pitchers have not been announced yet but I'd like to see Lombana, Rogers and Nelson.

Whatever the case, man, is it ever baseball weather. No better three days to come down to the yard and watch your home team jump off the three game losing train. And tomorrow - Thursday - is World Record Pitch Day where the 'Cats need YOUR help. Starting at 8:30 AM the HarbourCats are attempting to set the record for most ceremonial first pitches so you - yes you - can come down and throw one (or more?!) of these pitches and become part of history. So get down to Royal Athletic Park any time after 8:30 AM and before game time and show them your deuce! Come on, it will be fun - before work, at lunch time, in between "The View" and "Young and the Restless", whatever!

Gus working on his ceremonial first pitch

Victoria bats go silent in the Valley

HarbourCats bats in the Yakima Valley

That sound you hear coming from just south of us, is the HarbourCat offence falling back to earth after a week of playing a team with mediocre pitching in the Kitsap BlueJackets. The Yakima Valley Pippens it seems, do not have that same issue, and the Cats have returned to their whiffing ways at the plate.

The Pippens were the ones pushing runs over at will tonight as they took down the HarbourCats in handy fashion with an 8-1 drubbing. Call it an ode to Brazil perhaps?

Like yesterday, Victoria got off to a good start, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Jake Lesinski cashed in Sean Watkins lead-off triple. Unlike yesterday though, that would be it for the HarbourCat offence as  Yakima Valley pitchers would scatter only 6 more hits over the next 7 innings.

The Pippens put up the consistent scoring numbers on this night, scoring runs in the next 4 innings to take the 8-1 lead. Starter Alex Garcia lasted only 3 innings giving up 3 runs, to be replaced by Angel Delgado who gave up another 3 in a single inning of work, and Ryan Keller who gave up 2 in 3. The only bright spot on the mound was a scoreless inning of work from Carson Schneider.

Lesinski was 2-2 before being pulled, and Bryce Greager went 2-3 in a rare start at first. The first 5 hitters in the lineup went 2-19.

One more game in Yakima before a travel day home to prepare for a three game set against Medford back at RAP.

'Cats drop heartbreaker in fourteenth

After some on-line sleuthing, I deduced from the logo (and Wikipedia) that a "Pippin" most likely refers to the pippin apple which is one of the oldest varieties of this fruit to come out of the Excited States of America. That piece of gastronomical trivia aside, the HarbourCats got right to it in another road series tonight against the Yakima Valley Pippins.

In the longest game of the year for both teams, the visiting 'Cats let one slip away in a fourteen inning nailbiting 6-5 loss, spoiling yet another good pitching performance from Mikey Wright. Victoria led the game by a 5-1 score at one point but could not score another run after the fifth inning, allowing the Pippins to chip away until Josh McCoy singled in Taylor Snyder in the bottom half of the fourteenth inning. "Mr. Wright" was cruising until the sixth when he hit back to back batters and allowed a couple of earned runs which made the score 5-3, but bounced back nicely for a 1-2-3 seventh, finishing with no walks, seven strikeouts and three earned runs.

Reliever Alex Fagalde entered the game in the eighth but could not hold the lead, giving up a two-out double bringing the score to five apiece. Preston Ryan entered the game and pitched extremely well in his five and two thirds innings and 109 (!) pitches of "relief", working out of a jam in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game, and again in the eleventh before giving up the heart-breaking single to McCoy in the fourteenth. Ryan himself batted in the Victoria half of the eleventh (where was the DH??), laying down a nice sacrifice bunt to get things going before Bryce Greager was gunned out in a close play at home. Ryan also struck out in the thirteenth with one out and men on first and third. Strange.

In the field, catcher Jake Lesinski left the game in the sixth due to injury, forcing the 'Cats to move DH Aaron Barnett behind the plate to cover which may have had something to do with why there was no DH in place after that. No word on how serious the injury was, but Jake was starting to find his rhythm at the end of the Kitsap series so this is an unfortunate loss.



In the losing cause, Hunter Mercado-Hood maintained his hot bat going four for seven, Aaron Barnett went three for seven and Bryce Greager knocked in a pair of runs while going one for four. Wyler Smith struggled in the lead-off spot against the Pippin arms going hitless in his seven at bats, but had a key outfield relay to Alex DeGoti in the bottom of the thirteenth as they threw out Justin Jacobs who was trying to score on a two-out Vince Fernandez double off the wall. Exciting baseball!

Aside from McCoy's heroics on the Pippin side, Alex Guenette was hit in three consecutive at bats before waving the white flag and exiting the game, bringing back memories of Coach Ernie Pantusso of Cheers. Jake Roberts was a solid three for seven with two RBI's, Vince Fernandez went three for five and Shawn Wardian also had a a couple of hits, going two for six with the two key RBI's to tie the game in the eighth.

Now that we are closing in on the midway point of the season, it's interesting to take a look at the HarbourCats pitching rotation. Right now the 'Cats seem to have a very solid threesome of starters in Mikey Wright, Logan Lombana and Alex Rogers and they are using them in a semi-regular rotation. These three amigos have ERA's of 2.84 (Wright), 2.48 (Lombana) and 1.77 (Rogers) and respective WHIP's of 0.89, 1.38 and 0.92. Pretty darn impressive numbers over their 14 combined starts. In fact, numbers like that should send fear and dread into the hearts of the heavy hitters of the WCL.

One question is who should be the fourth and even fifth man in this starting group? Andrew Nelson has been a regular in the rotation with five starts, and has followed Lombana in each of his last three starts, but not this one. Nelson checks in with a 5.10 ERA and 1.63 WHIP but after a slow start, he has lowered his ERA in each consecutive outing, with his WHIP also headed in that same direction. All that said, he looks to be a good candidate.

So should he remain as the fourth starter? If not, who should? How about Alex Garcia? In his two starts he has a miniscule 0.81 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP so at least deserves a shot to be a semi-regular starter. The only other 'Cat with more than one start is Tim Peabody but he has a 4.57 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. After tonight's performance which was somewhat starter-like, does Preston Ryan deserve a shot? Maybe Victoria should stick with the three main starters and fill the last slot by committee, based on who has been going well of late. Or maybe Sean Watkins or Alex Fagalde need a shot (although tonight aside, Fagalde is a nice asset in the pen)? What do you think?

One thing I think, is that it was strange when Don Sullivan got a precious start just before heading back to school to deal with his entry exams. There may have been a good reason to give him the start, but it was also an opportunity to try and answer the above questions too.

And in completely unrelated news, Target Field in Minnesota just announced that they were introducing self serve beer kiosks at the all star game this year! Apparently you buy a prepaid card and use it to dispense whatever amount you desire. Cost would be about 38-40 cents an ounce and you are "limited" to 48 ounces every 15 minutes on a single card. That sounds like a challenge to me!

'Cats complete the double sweep

All I can say is...wow. Just...wow. Coming in to play Kitsap seven days ago, the Victoria HarbourCats were reeling from a nine game losing streak that had just been ended after squeaking one out against the Cowlitz Black Bears in 13 innings. What a difference a week makes.

After completing the rare double-sweep and beating up the Kitsap BlueJackets yet again by a score of 12-1 this afternoon, Victoria now brings its record up to a respectable .500 (12-12) and stays in second place in the West, teasing the fans again with thoughts of a second half chase for a wildcard birth. The 'Cat bats chased ace starter Joss Moss after just two innings, punishing him for seven runs off eight hits, and they didn't look back from there. Victoria got yet another solid pitching start with Logan Lombana giving up only a single run in his seven innings of work off seven hits while striking out fours and walking one.

That said, let's not get ahead of ourselves here, as plenty of teams will have their way with Kitsap before this year is done. But still, heading into a key series against the surprising expansion Yakima Valley Pippins, it's nice to sit back and admire the fact that they absolutely got the job done each and every game. Good teams beat the teams that they should.

Over the last six games, the 'Cats turned it around completely in every aspect of the game. What was the reason - was it Coach Miller getting tossed while arguing the close call? Did he maybe give them the "lollygaggers" speech? Was it playing the lowly BlueJackets six game in a row? Was it the fact they were sick and tired of losing? Was it a combo of all of the above? Really, who cares...it is just nice to see the lads back on track and soaring with confidence. I believe the 'Jackets were the perfect tonic for a Victoria team that has lots talent on paper, but was maybe lacking in confidence. Now that they have this key trait, we'll see where they go.

In the two series against Kitsap, the 'Cats put us some gaudy numbers. They outscored their opponent 63-13 and outhit them 82-45, despite the fact that they were outhit in two of the six games. Individually, Hunter Mercado-Hood went 11 for 18 (.611) with 11 runs scored and 12 RBI's, the latter which has him now fighting for the league lead. But the man who feasted even more than HMH was the speedy Ute, Wyler Smith, who also put up beer league numbers going 14/23 (.609) while scoring seven and knocking in ten. Smith was batting lead off today and with his speed, as long as he keeps getting on base like this you will see opposing pitchers approaching him with much caution. To put it in perspective, Smith raised his average form .184 to .338 in just these six games. Like I said...wow.

So all that is awesome and the boys are flying but now they have to face Yakima, which have three of the top seven batters (by average) and a very impressive 14-10 record to lead the east division. They will certainly be a good yardstick to see if this recent seven game winning streak was more because Kitsap was not so good or because Victoria has turned a corner.

Will Wyler put the bite on the Pippins? Will the pitching staff continue to throw BB's? Tune in tomorrow fans...same Cat-Time, same Cat-Channel!

HarbourCats win sixth straight over Kitsap

The Fairgrounds in Kitsap - Home of the BlueJackets

The good news, is that there's one more game against the BlueJackets Sunday afternoon in Kitsap, where the 'Cats will try for their seventh win in a row. The bad news, is that the two teams won't meet again until the last weekend of the season.

So much has happened over this stretch of games against Kitsap. Victoria has climbed out of the WCL basement, and is now in second place in the North division. Team batting average has climbed to a lofty .263, and have seven regulars batting over .300. Team ERA is hovering just over the 4.00 mark as well. Things are looking up for the Victoria team.

Saturday's effort was more of what we have seen this past week. Solid starting pitching, this time from Andrew Nelson, who gave up 2 earned runs through 4 innings before giving way to the newest HarbourCat, reliever Angel Delgado (Angel also pitched an inning on July 2nd). Delgado gave up one run, but was in the right place at the right time, and picked up the win. Quintin Torres-Costa threw a masterful 3 final innings for the save.

The right place, right time situation, was the top of the seventh inning, where 3 singles, a walk, an intentional walk, and a hit batter led to four Victoria runs to erase a 3-2 deficit and put the 'Cats up for good. Another hit batter came around to score in the eighth, sealing the game. Victoria walked away with a 7-3 victory.

Alex DeGoti went 3-5 to lead the offence, while once again, Wyler Smith chipped in with 2 hits and 2 RBI. Catcher Jake Lesinski - who just a week ago was hitting .000 also went 2-4, raising his average to .238.

Victoria sends Logan Lombana (3.27 ERA) to the mound Sunday against Kitsap ace Josh Moss, whom the 'Cats haven't seen yet. Moss is 3-0 with a sparkling 2.35 ERA, and gives the BlueJackets their best shot at derailing the Victoria hitting train. Victoria will need its bats once again if they hope to keep the streak alive and hand Moss his first loss.

Cats swat BlueJackets a fourth straight time

If only Victoria could go back and forth to Bremerton each week to play the Kitsap BlueJackets... The HarbouCats continued their recent winning ways - their fifth in a row - while handing Kitsap it's ninth loss in a row Friday night, a 4-1 loss at the Fairgrounds.

Wyler Smith is lovin' him some BlueJackets

Kitsap got off to a good start, touching 'Cats starting pitcher Alex Rogers for an early run in the bottom of the first inning, but that's all the young pitcher would give up on the night, as he raised his league record to 2-1 on the year. He ended up scattering 7 hits, all singles except for a double by ex-Cat Dylan LaVelle. Quintin Torres-Costa pitched a perfect eighth, and Tim Peabody worked around a couple of walks in the ninth to earn the save.

Victoria managed only six hits themselves on the night, and were led by a rejuvenated Wyler Smith who went 2-3 with a run scored. He's loving the BlueJacket games - going 9-15 in te four games, raising his average to an even .300. The rest of the Cats bats slowed down tonight, going a combined 4-21 while picking up 5 walks.

Victoria sends Andrew Nelson to the mound tomorrow looking to make it 6 in a row, and continue dominance over the BlueJackets.

HarbourCats flush away the BlueJackets

Hunter Mercado-Hood

The HarbourCats pasted the Kitsap BlueJackets by a score of 17-3 on Wednesday night, just a day after our American guests were humiliated in a 19-2 Canada Day Massacre at Royal Athletic Park. Neither game could be classified as entertaining baseball, but the surging HarbourCats will gladly take any victory as they attempt to climb back into the pennant race.

Hunter Mercado-Hood (affectionately known as “HMH” is these parts), Alex DeGoti and Wyler Smith all knocked in four runs for the HarbourCats. The smooth-swinging HMH now leads the entire West Coast League in runs batted in with 24. Sean Watkins continued his white-hot hitting with four more base hits, raising his batting average to a slow-pitch-like .463 mark (although he doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting race).

With the win, Victoria moved past Kitsap in the standings and they are now in sole possession of third place in the West Division. The ‘Cats now trail the Medford Rogues by only three games for the wild card playoff spot, although there are three teams between Victoria and Medford.

We could go on and on about the team’s offensive exploits against the feeble BlueJackets, but we have much more important news to report: Bubba’s favourite urinal in the RAP restroom has finally been repaired after being covered in a green garbage bag for the last 12 months. If you could only have seen the look in his eyes -- it was as if Christmas had come early for the big man. Apparently all it takes to get the City of Victoria to spring into action is a few snide remarks from a couple of sarcastic bloggers. Who knew we had such power...

There is joy in Mudville!!

The HarbourCats now embark on a six-game road trip with three more against the sad-sack Kitsap BlueJackets this weekend and a trio of games against the surprisingly strong Yakima Valley Pippens next week. The ‘Cats return to the STD at RAP on Thursday July 10th when they will kick off a three-game set against the Medford Rogues.

Mikey and the Sticks, eh!

Parachuters kicking off the Canada Day celebration

The HarbourCats hosted a brilliant Canada Day picnic today as they flexed their patriotic muscles and bashed out 19 hits en route to a 19-2 victory. There were a few pesky BlueJackets that tried to ruin the day but they were exterminated early so the hometown crowd could enjoy the beautiful sunshine, good food and good company on this day of the red and white.

It was just "one of those days" at the plate for Victoria and it started in the first when they batted around equaling the run total (7) from last nights game in a single at bat. HMH - aka Hunter Mercado-Hood - looked like he was on HGH, bashing a three run shot to get things moving in his first at bat. The 'Cats followed up with four, three and another three over the next three innings to pretty much seal the deal. Starting pitcher Mikey Wright (now 3-2) showed his appreciation for the early run support by spinning an absolute gem in his six innings on the mound, holding Kitsap to a single hit and lowering his ERA to 2.61 and his WHIP to 0.84.

It was a pleasure to watch the 'Cats excel in all areas of the game. Wyler Smith started off the game with a diving catch in left and the fielding remained tight for most of the afternoon. On the mound, Wright was dominant and the batting just exploded today. Some of the more impressive feats were:

• Seeing Griffin Andreychuk bat twice in two different innings and walking to the plate five times in the first five innings. He ended up two for four with three runs scored, two RBIs and two walks
• HMH went a perfect four for four with six, count 'em SIX, RBI's to move him into second place in the league with 20 on the year
• Alex DeGoti was a perfect three for three and nudged his average above .300 (.302) for the season
• Wyler Smith's bat also jumped to life as the Utah Ute went three for four and smacked in four runs himself
• Last night's hero Sean Watkins' bat remained en fuego as he also went three for four, raising his team leading average to a Ted-Williams-like .405
• It seemed like only a few days ago that we lamented the fact that the 'Cats had no .300 hitters and now they have six, and Nathan Lukes is knocking at the door with .296

Coach Bob Miller was able to do pretty much a wholesale line change after the fifth inning to give his starters some rest and get some innings for the rest of his troops. Mikey Wright was pulled after six to also give some work to Carson Schneider and Dylan Stowell. When all was said and done, 21 different HarbourCats saw the field. I call that a good day at the office.

And the red caps - classy. Especially when paired with the red sleeves a la Griffin Andreychuk.

Not much went well for Kitsap right from the beginning. Starter Zev Egli (is that a Dan Brown word scramble??) gave up eight hits and nine earned runs in his inning and a third of work with the fielding behind him was also looking shaky - and that just seemed to be contagious. The 'Jackets were also victims of the dreaded "sun-assisted single" so just nothing was working.

The game did get a bit interesting the seventh when Kitsap pitcher Max Winklehake decided to start a plunkfest, hitting four of five batters, the first of which (Ted Boeke) was hit in the head and had to leave the game. It was obvious though that this was not intentional - just one of those "Rick Ankiel" moments.

I expect the BlueJackets will just write this one off and come out gunning tomorrow but the HarbourCats are showing some new-found confidence on this three game wining streak so it should be a good finale. There were 2,389 fans there today so let's see if we can top 2K three days in a row. I know it's a Wednesday night but come on...it's free hot dog for the kids/Elvis night!

Just be careful where you park (see below!)

HarbourCats treat fans to some late-game fireworks

"Lets see. First I'll strike everybody out, then I'll go yard. That should do it".

My Dad used to always tell me, "Son, if you want something done right, do it yourself". It seems like maybe Sean Watkins' Dad had the same message to him?

In an interesting Charlie Strandlund-type performance, Sean Watkins started the game at DH tonight, moved to the pitcher's mound in the 7th, hit the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth, and closed out the game in the ninth. Like the star of his neighbourhood little league team, Watkins didn't give up a hit, walked only one, and struck out an incredible 6 of the 10 batters he faced - and yes, he did hit the towering home run that propelled the Cats to Victory.

Watkins' home run in the bottom of the eighth couldn't have come at a better time either. After Logan Lombada gave up a 2-run lead in the top of the seventh, it looked like the balls were starting to bounce Kitsap's way. The Bluejackets had committed five errors on the night and should have been out of the game by that point - but a couple of fortunate bounces and some timely hitting brought them back to even. Then Watkins took over, and just like that, a winning streak is born!

Victoria got a more balanced attack this night, with 6 'Cats registering hits. Catcher Aaron Barnett led the way going 2-4 to raise his team-leading average to .370.

The game was speeding right along until the bottom of the seventh when home plate umpire Chet Masse took a foul-tip off the bat of Devin Carter to the chest. Masse was down for several minutes before leaving the game for good. A two-man crew completed the game. The 15 minute delay actually served a purpose, extending the game long enough to make the park dark enough for fireworks.

2812 fans jammed the park tonight, enjoying the win, the warm night, and the light show that followed. While fans spent most of the game very quiet, Watkins performance in the eighth and ninth got the crowd off it's hands and into the game late. RAP saw it's first wave of the season as well. The HarbourCats needed a win in the worst way, and got just what the doctor ordered.

One thing that I find impressive is the knowledge of the fans sitting around RAP. Lombana was charged with a balk in the third, and I heard at least a half-dozen fans explain the rule and result to the fans around them. In the fourth inning, Nathan Lukes was charged with an error on a throw home that went well wide, and Barnett collided with the home plate umpire (Masse again - not his night) - and fans were quick to acknowledge that there was no interference on the play, that he was in the right position, and that the error put him into the play through no fault of his own. Good fans in Victoria, who know the game they are watching.

The Canada Day hats are also top-shelf, and look fantastic with the uniform - the white one anyway. What baffles the mind though, is why are these guys still wearing last-year's pants? All are dirty, wrinkled, and ill-fitting. Some guys are making due by tucking them into their socks and rolling them up, but it's hard to hide the fact that somebody else's ass had them well-worn before they got here. Every game there's some comment (yes, mostly from females in the crowd) about the state of the white pants. While the new hats are awesome and really remind us all we are Canadian, could we not fork out $40 each in new pants for these boys?

Oh and the fireworks were so well worth it. Another great promotion by the HarbourCats front office, enjoyed by all.

Ooooooh. Ahhhhhh.

Kitsap series preview

The Victoria HarbourCats are trying to stop the bleeding this afternoon and prevent being swept for a third consecutive series as they wrap up a three game set with Cowlitz before returning to the RAP for another three game series against West division foe Kitsap BlueJackets. In fact, they will play the BlueJackets in six consecutive games, heading to Kitsap after their Canada week finale on Wednesday.

The BlueJackets are having some struggles of their own as they try and snap a four game skid this evening against the surprising Yakima Valley Pippins. It is possible that tomorrow night may see two teams meet with a combined fifteen losses without a win. The good news for one of them is that somebody has to rack up a few wins and both are probably looking at the other hungrily as a ladder out of the baseball doldrums.

Tale of the Tape (prior to Sunday's games)

Victoria: 5-12 (.294), 4th in West Division
Kitsap: 8-8 (.500), 3rd in West Division

Hitting

Victoria: .231 ave. (12th in WCL), .317 SLG (11th), .322 OBP (12th)
Kitsap: .275 ave. (5th in WCL), .379 SLG (4th), .374 OBP (4th)

Pitching

Victoria: 4.61 ERA (8th), WHIP 1.48 (8th)
Kitsap: 5.55 (9th), 1.68 WHIP (9th)

Who to Watch - Victoria
Oregon State’s Gabe Clark has lived up to promise and sports a .368 average in his first five games with the 'Cats. Clark also has two homers which is second on the team to Alex DeGoti. I'm sensing at least one Pembroke Poke from "the Gabe" this series.

Nathan Lukes and Hunter Mercado-Hood continue to climb the average ladder with both lads now hitting above .300 (.317 and .310 respectively). Prior to last night's nailbiting loss to Cowlitz, HMH had three multi-hit games in a row which Lukes has matched in his last three games while riding a four game hitting streak. Hopefully their bats stay hot for the Canada Day weekend (and beyond!) and it becomes contagious to the lower order hitters.

Pitching-wise, the 'Cats starters have actually been doing OK with two Alex's - Rogers and Garcia - both having good outings their last two starts and been unlucky not to have a couple of wins under their belts. Both have identical 1-1 records with very good ERA's of 1.96 and 0.81 and Rogers leading the team with a stellar 0.89 WHIP. Right behind him is another unlucky starter in Mikey Wright with a .96 WHIP in his three starts. The key to this series on the bump will be the relief pitching. Victoria needs a couple of relievers to step up with some solid performances to preserve leads, stop the bleeding, close games or all of the above. Sixteen different 'Cats have seen action so far this year so hopefully this experience will begin to show.

All that said, the fielding needs to stabilize and help out the pitching staff too. Same old story, but if Victoria can keep the errors down I really believe they can turn it around and start winning some games.

Who to Watch - Kitsap

While Victoria languishes near the bottom of most team offensive categories, the Kitsap bats have some pop. Centre fielder Daniel Woodrow sits second in the league with a .389 batting average and looks to be a solid singles hitter who gets on (.459 OBP) and can also swipe a base or two. Joining him in the top 10 (8th) with a .354 average is first baseman Austin Bush who also sports a lofty .458 OBP. Four other regulars have batting averages of .295 of above so 'Cats pitchers will need to be sharp or they'll be looking at a few double digit games here.

On the mound, big Josh Moss leads the Kitsap starters with a very respectable 2.45 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in three starts and 18 1/3 innings of work this year but the 'Cats may avoid him - at least in Victoria. The BlueJackets are trying out some new starters as they try and reduce opponents runs against. Reliever Tanner Howell has a pretty decent 0.93 ERA and seven K's in his nine and two thirds innings of work, but also has nine walks. After that, there are a lot of high ERA's so it may be just the tonic that Victoria needs to get their sticks going again.

Prediction

The numbers show a matchup of good Kitsap hitting against (statistically) weaker Victoria pitching and some inconsistent 'Cat bats similar B-Jacket arms. This is a tough one to call, but I'm going against the numbers and with the hometown team riding the Canada Day patriotism and taking two of three, regardless of what happens later today. I think the HarbourCat bats will heat up deeper in the order with a clutch hit here or there, and as long as the starting pitching holds true, they just need the bullpen to start mopping up. I'm thinking we'll see lots of base runners, high scores and a bit of chaos on the base paths and in the field.

Look for a highly entertaining series with games that may be a bit longer than usual but with the weather looking summer-Victoria-Awesome, whatever happens fans will not be disappointed. So put on the maple leaf face tattoos and come on out. This series is particularly loaded with promotions like fireworks, skydivers, free hot dogs and even a dash of Elvis - how can it NOT be a blast??

Editor's Note:

Former Victoria HarbourCat third baseman Dylan LaVelle will make his return to Royal Athletic Park in the Kitsap series. LaVelle, who hit .201 in 42 games with the 'Cats last summer, is playing both shortstop and third base for the BlueJackets this season. Fans may remember LaVelle's difficulty catching foul pop-ups last year, so it will be interesting to see what happens if LaVelle has to range into foul territory to make a play at RAP this week.

No love in the apple state

The Black Bears flexed their muscles on Friday

The HarbourCats sent Alex Garcia to the hill tonight to try and snap a seven game losing streak against their West Division rival, the Cowlitz Black Bears. Garcia went into the game with a 1-0 record, a flawless 0.00 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP in seven innings of work so the HarbourCat fans had reason for optimism entering this clash at Story Field in Longview, Washington.

Then someone yelled "Play Ball". OK, it wasn't actually that bad, but the homeside Black Bears spanked (no, I will never use "mauled" again!) Victoria 9-5 to hang another loss on our boys, making it eight bad ones in a row. Garcia and the 'Cats went through the first two innings all knotted up at 0-0 before Garcia gave up a solo blast in the third to the Bears' number three hitter, Brennan Salgado. Still, down 1-0 after three...not bad.

The 'Cats were their own worst enemy after that. A two-out error in the fourth let two unearned runs score and then in the fifth, Victoria had the bases loaded with one out and starting pitcher Zebastian "Fernando" Valenzuela struggling to find the strike zone. Enter reliever Reze Aleaziz (where do they get these awesome names?!) who gets Alex DeGoti to ground into a fielders choice and strikes out Aaron Barnett, diffusing the potential 'Cats rally.

Tim Peabody replaced Garcia to start off the fifth and gave up four more runs on five hits and two walks in his two innings of relief. The final line on Garcia was three runs (only one earned) on six hits while walking three and striking out five. Certainly not as flattering as his first outing, but keep in mind this is essentially a high school senior who will be going to UCSB next year. He obviously has some stuff as he did get five of his outs on K's. I'm looking forward to seeing him pitch here in Victoria as he hones his game to NCAA level to ready himself for next year.

The 'Cats put up a bit of whimper by scoring in the sixth and seventh to cut the lead to 7-3 and woke up the Bears again in the ninth with two more runs, but basically Cowlitz put it on cruise control after the sixth and coasted home from there. On the bright side, DH Sean Watkins had a nice night at the plate, going two for three and driving in two runs while "Babe" Clark continues to wield a hot bat going two for three himself. Centre fielder Nathan Lukes also went two for five and gunned down another runner at the plate with what sounded like a rocket from the outfield - this kid got game!

This is the second series of the season against Cowlitz with the 'Cats winning the first one here in Victown by a tally of two games to one. Tomorrow the HarbourCats with send Alex "A-Rog" Rogers at the Bears to try and even up the series and get rid of this awful losing streak.

In the words of Crash Davis, "What we need is a rain-out". Hey...it worked for the Bulls!

How do you like us so far?

So fellow 'Cats fans, what do you think? Are we where you thought we would be at this point in the year? What does the first quarter report card look like to you?

With another disappointing 4-1 loss in the books, there aren't many happy fans leaving the park these days. And while the team certainly needs to pick up their game, maybe we as fans need a little perspective...

We here at the blog - and most sports fans in general - tend to be optimists for "their team". Every year your team looks better than it did last year, has the right pieces to go all the way, seems better thought out and stronger than the other guys. Ask anyone with a Canuck's sweater buried at the bottom of their drawer how many times that sounds right vs. how often it actually comes true. Unless your team is the Harlem Globetrotters, you very quickly learn to deal with reality.

And that's what makes baseball such a unique game. Baseball fans are always among the most optimistic fans in sport. While hockey teams and basketball teams will see attendance figures drop, and teams up and move cities, baseball fans hold on to their teams, win or lose. For example, the Red Sox are 8.5 games back, and 8 games under .500 this year, but you still can't buy a seat for a game at Fenway. The Cubs haven't won anything for over 100 years - and are already out of the playoffs this year yet they continue to pack em into Wrigley - and the whole town still eats, sleeps, and breathes The Cubbies. Yes baseball fans are sports true eternal optimist group.

And so we are for our HarbourCats, and so we should be.

There's no denying that our record is not where we would like it to be. At 5-10 and on a seven-game losing streak, the numbers are pretty grim to this point:

• 57 runs scored (12th in league)
• 119 hits (12th in league)
• 166 Total bases (12th in league)
• .231 team batting average (12th in league)

The only offensive category on the rise thanks to this week's surge, is home runs - we now have 8, good for middle of the pack 7th.

On the defensive side:

• 87 runs given up, 69 earned (7th in league)
• 138 hits given (4th in league)
• 56 walks (3rd in league)
• 93 Strikeouts (10th in the league)
• 4.63 ERA (8th in league)
• 21 errors committed
• -30 run differential

In the stands, we are seeing an average of 1295 fans at each game, good for 3rd in the league. Down a bit from last year mainly due to the way the schedule worked out - not a single Friday night / weekend game until July 11, where we had 4 to this point last year.

And speaking of last year, by comparison, on this exact day last year, the cats sat at 10-4, in first place in the North division. Without digging too far into box scores, some key differences in numbers:

• 80 runs scored
• 62 runs given up
• 19 errors committed 
• +18 run differential

So what does that all mean? Well, not much at this point really. If you're a stats person and do some projections, Victoria is on pace for a 19-35 season, a .351 winning percentage. Last year we ended up 22-32, a .407 percentage. Based on league history it should take about 30 wins to make the post-season out of the Northern Division. That means from this point, the Cats need to go 25-14 the rest of the way, a .641 clip.

Anything is possible, but in the same way the Canucks will win the cup next year, it's not very probable.

So I suggest then, that you become a true baseball fan from this point on. It's not about wins, those are a bonus. It's about being at the ball park enjoying the night. It's about watching Nathan Lukes gun down a man at home with a rocket from the outfield. It's about watching Gabe Clark launch another towering shot onto Pembroke Street. It's about having a burger and a beer, and catching up with friends at the park. It's about jeering on the K batter ("He can't hit, he can't hit, he can't hit, saaaawing batta"). It's about understanding that the events that happen in the game are bigger than the game itself. Watching a Danny Collier 11 pitch at-bat in the ninth, or watching local-ish boy Griffin Andreychuk (who's from Nanaimo BTW, even though he's always announced as a Seattle U guy) score four runs in a game. The list is endless.

It's amazing what you'll see at the park on any given night. Baseball is a learning sport, and you do so with every game you go to. RAP is always full of oddities from balks, to batter interference calls, to sun-assisted doubles. Come learn something new. Pick a favourite player out of the group and cheer louder than anyone else around you. In the process, you'll add some excitement to the game, and become part of something very special - the game of baseball!

If we all bring that attitude to the park, we might just get those 25 wins we need this year...

Cats trampled by Elks en route to 6th consecutive loss

Gabe Clark launches his 2nd homer of the year

13 runs, 18 hits, 2 errors for Bend. 7 runs, 11 hits, 2 errors for Victoria. Need we say more? Well, perhaps a little more... I wish I could suggest that Tuesday's 13-7 loss to the Elks was an aberration, but to be quite honest it's exactly the kind of game I was expecting to see every now and then at RAP this summer. Lots of offense from the Cats, but not much pitching.

On the offensive side, the new guys, Gabe Clark and Aaron Barnett, continue to impress. Along with Griffin Andreychuk, they are turning into the engine of the HarbourCats offense. The night started off well, especially when Andreychuk and Alex DeGoti hit back-to-back solo shots in the bottom of the second. Andreychuk reached base five times on the night and scored on four occasions. Clark homered for the second consecutive night -- a towering drive high into the screen in left to lead off the bottom of the third -- and he finished the night with three hits and a pair of RBI. Meanwhile, Barnett also had three hits and knocked in a pair of runs. Hunter Mercado-Hood chipped in with a pair of singles and an RBI.

Unfortunately, the bottom of the order continues to be a major problem for the HarbourCats. The last four spots in the order went a combined 0-for-18 on Tuesday night. On Monday night, the bottom three spots in the order went 0-for-11. Needless to say, it's time for some of the underachieving hitters to step it up.

Clark is congratulated by Bob Miller

Logan Lombana got the start for Victoria and he was fortunate to only give up three earned runs in his five innings of work. It took him 104 pitches to stagger through those five innings, so the 'Cats coaching staff was wise to get him out of there with a 6-4 lead. Unfortunately, the HarbourCats bullpen imploded in spectacular fashion after Lombana was removed. Relievers Alex Fagalde, Carson Schneider, Ryan Keller and Mark Marinch combined to give up 9 earned runs, 10 hits and 3 walks over 2 1/3 innings (!!). Those 2 1/3 innings seemed to stretch out for an eternity. Mercifully, Don Sullivan was able to stop the bleeding by pitching an effective 1 2/3 innings to close out the debacle.

On a night when we should be celebrating the performances of guys like Clark and Barnett, we're instead left shaking our heads. Let's hope that the HarbourCats can put this behind them as quickly as possible. The losses are starting to mount and the season will start slipping away if the team doesn't turn things around soon. Mikey Wright (2-1, 3.50) takes on Jake Thompson (0-1 , 12.27 ERA) on Wednesday night at RAP. Let's hope that Wright can pitch a gem tomorrow night, but my gut tells me that we might be in for more of the same.

New power added to lineup, same result for HarbourCats

I half-expected this game to be a real turning point for the Victoria HarbourCats. Coming off a relaxed week, a couple days off, and a couple exhibition games - combined with the arrival of two top-level quality hitters in Pepperdine's Aaron Brown and Oregon's Gabe Clark, it had all the makings of a turn-around game for the Cats.

With the additions to the lineup available, the order had a complete shakeup. 2B Griffin Andrechuck led off, followed by Nathan Lukes, before Barnett and Clark. Hunter Mercado-Hood dropped to fifth in the order, followed by Alex Degoti and Devin Carter to round out the top 7. The eight spot was the DH, tonight filled by Jake Lesinski. Ted Boeke batted in the 9 spot.

Rain started to come down just as the anthems began, and continued at a light pace through to the eighth inning. Most of the 882 fans in attendance crammed into the covered area behind home plate, but some with umbrellas and Gortex braved the seated areas. I must say, as one of the wimps who opted for the dry seats, that the new plastic bucket seats are much more comfortable than the stiff-backed wood ones!

The big question on the night though, was how many times can you put two men on with one out before that comes back to haunt you. Tonight, the answer seemed to be three.

Victoria Starter Andrew Nelson actually pitched quite well, but seemed to be in trouble most of the night. He went six innings giving up three earned runs on six hits and three walks. Quintin Torres-Costa gave up a run in two innings of relief, and Tim Peabody pitched a scoreless ninth. 

Gabe Clark launches his first HR as a HarbourCat in the 6th

It could have been much worse for the home team, if not for a couple of unconventional double plays to save runs. In the second, with runners on first and second, 1B Gabe Clark snagged a tough one-hopper and threw to second for the first out. Alex Degoti threw back to Nelson who missed the bag and the out at first, but was then alert enough to fire a strike to Barnett at home who made a diving tag to get Bend's Grant Newton who tried to slide around the catcher. Great play by all three players on the play. Another trouble spot in the third, but with 2 on and nobody out, Nelson struck out Bend lead-off man Nick Osuna, and 1 pitch later, Degoti snagged a hot liner going up the middle and stepped on second for the double play. 

Another fabulous defensive play ended the top of the 9th inning, when Nathan Lukes in CF picked up a one-bounce line drive and threw an absolute bomb to Barnett at the plate to cut down Bend's potential 5th run. It was Barnett's third acrobatic out at home of the game. Lukes continues to display one of the best outfield arms ever seen at this level of ball. There were also no errors tonight, making it one of the best fielding performances of the year. 

But as has been the case, the offence just wasn't there - apart from the new Barnett-Clark combo. In the first inning, Barnett put a single into left field before Clark just barely missed a home run to the wall in left to end the inning. In the sixth inning the duo paired up again. With Barnett on first after his second hit of the game, Clark launched another ball to left, this one well onto Pembroke for his first home run of the year.

The Cats could get no closer though, giving up a fourth run before getting one back to make it 4-3. The hopes of a last-inning rally were quickly removed when Bend closer Kevin Sheets sat the Cats down in order to end the game. 

Baseball took a back seat during a scary moment in the stands in the eighth inning, after one spectator passed out and was attended to by several on-site medical staff before ambulance personnel arrived. The stands stayed quiet for the inning and a half before the fan was led out, with assistance, but under her own weight. We hope she is doing well.

Bend Elks series preview

After a pair of off days and a split in a couple of exhibition games against the Langley Blaze, the Victoria HarbourCats are set to take on the Bend Elks at Royal Athletic Park on Monday night in the first of a three-game set. The ‘Cats are currently on a four-game (regular season) losing streak, but they looked a bit better against a much more experienced Langley Sr. Blaze squad on Saturday and Sunday.

The Elks took two out of three games from the Bells this past weekend following an impressive Bellingham sweep over the HarbourCats last week, so we can’t take a Victoria series win for granted. The HarbourCats took two of three from the Elks in Bend on June 13th to 15th, so the upcoming series looks like a pretty competitive match-up that should produce some quality baseball.

Homer, the scariest mascot in the WCL

Tale of the Tape

Victoria: 5-7 (.417), 4th in West Division
Bend: 6-10 (.375), 3rd in South Division

Hitting 

Victoria: .222 ave. (12th in WCL), .303 SLG (11th), .322 OBP (11th)
Bend: .225 ave. (11th in WCL), .286 SLG (12th), .331 OBP (10th)

Pitching

Victoria: 4.12 ERA (6th), WHIP 1.37 (5th)
Bend: 4.40 (8th), 1.38 WHIP (7th)

Fielding

Victoria: .950 fielding percentage (7th)
Bend: .956 fielding percentage (6th)

Who to Watch - Victoria

Oregon State’s Gabe Clark and Pepperdine’s Aaron Barnett will likely see their first (regular season) action in a HarbourCats uniform and both will likely make an immediate impact on the team’s offense. Clark, a first baseman, should be a major run producer and fit in nicely in the heart of the order. Barnett is a line-drive hitter who should hit for a high average and finally give the team some offense from the catcher’s position (H-Cats catchers are a combined 1-for-37 at the plate this season).

Nanaimo’s Griffin Andreychuk (two-for-four with two walks) has looked solid both at the plate and in the field since joining the HarbourCats last week. The double-play combination of Alex DeGoti and Andreychuk has completely transformed the team's inner diamond defense.

Logan Lombana

Pitcher Alex Garcia dominated the Elks in his first start with Victoria, but can the recent high school graduate turn the trick twice in a row? Garcia only gave up two hits and four walks in seven innings on the hill in that Friday the 13th start, so it will be a tough act to follow.

Logan Lombana has an 0-1 record in his two starts so far, but there’s a reason why we at the blog feel that won-loss record for pitchers is one of the most useless stats in baseball. Lombana has a stellar 1.63 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in his 11 innings on the mound, so we expect his luck to take a turn for the better very soon.

Preston Ryan has been solid out of the pen for the ‘Cats this summer. He has a sparkling 0.67 WHIP and a pair of saves in four appearances / six innings pitched.

Who to Watch - Bend

Victoria will likely get a break and avoid staff ace Patrick McGuff, who held the powerful Bellingham Bells to only one hit in six innings pitched in his start on Saturday. The HarbourCats probably won’t be so lucky with Austin Guzzon (2-1, 1.97 ERA), who may pitch in the series finale on Wednesday. Guzzon has struck out an astonishing 14.3 batters per nine innings so far this year.

Reliever Kevin Sheets has been nearly unhittable in his four appearances. Opponents are hitting .103 against him and he has an out-of-this-world 0.33 WHIP to go along with a 0.00 ERA in 9 innings pitched. Sheets has struck out a whopping 10 batters without walking anyone. Closer Louis Cohen has three saves and has struck out 11 batters in eight innings pitched; reliever Jesse Pratt has a 1.42 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in 6 ⅓ innings pitched.

On the the offensive side, outfielder Jake Peeveyhouse, a junior from Arizona State, is hitting .348 in his first week with the Elks. First baseman Johnathan Brooks is hitting .327 with a homer and five RBI, while catcher Curtis Wildung is hitting .292 with a homer and four RBI.

Prediction

Making short-term predictions is risky at the best of times. After Darth nailed the Cowlitz series, we completely missed the mark in the Bellingham series (Bubba, two minutes in the box for excessive optimism). As much as I'd like to make some generic prediction that avoids any future embarrassment, here goes nothing…

Given that we are likely to miss Bend’s staff ace (Patrick McGuff), I’m predicting that the Cats will take two out of three from Bend. Just don’t ask me to put any money on it...