Picture from http://www.cuttingedgeprdx.com/Road_Trips/road_trips.html
Wow, what a difference a week makes. The Sox got hammered on the road with the following events:-- They lost every game (0-7) including a 20-11 loss to Yuma. They now stand at 2-8 in last place.
-- They've committed 20 errors which is an average of 2 per game.
-- Their team ERA is above 5.00 and that includes 2 relief pitchers (Martinez and Plouffe) who are a combined 0-3 over 9 appearances with an ERA over 16.00 between the two of them.
-- Two of their best offensive weapons (Johnson and Sherrill) went down with injuries and neither went to Yuma to help battle the red-hot Scorpions
It was a rough week and now they head back to Reno for a two game homestand. There were some positives last week including:
-- Jose Rodriguez has 4 HRs which leads the league. He came into the season as the back-up catcher so I for one am glad the GBL uses the DH so we can keep his bat in the line-up.
-- The team batting average finally climbed above the Mendoza line (barely) so hopefully that is a sign the the offense is starting to click
Now the Sox will have to dig deep to get a win against the Roadrunners tomorrow night. They have to recover from a 12-hour bus ride back to Reno the will put them in around mid-morning and then be ready to play rested St. George squad who will have a full night's sleep after finishing a set in Chico and is riding a 2-game winning streak.
I'll be at the game tommorow night hoping the Sox can get back on the right track. Getting Sherrill and Johnson back will be key as will getting the bullpen back on track. The starters have dropped to a four man rotation after the retirement of the injured Brian Keating. And that bullpen which has looked shaky has also put in a lot of innings recently. But championship teams find a way to win and Les Lancaster is a winner so if anyone can get this team to play up to its potential, it will be him.
There was one transaction of note: The Sox signed OF Gary Snyder but then released him two days later after he got two games in the outfield and batted .222 with 4 strike outs in 9 at bats.
See you at the yard.
5 comments:
When's James Johnson going to throw again? He'll probably have to go all nine innings next time he plays.
Johnson is the #4 starter so his next outing should be Thursday against the Armada. You are right that he is our best pitcher right now. He doesn't have a decision, but he has a 3.29 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and has yet to issue a walk in 2 games. Nick Moran (#2 starter) also looks good--he is 0-1, 3.95 ERA, with a 1.10 WHIP. Everitt is a concern for me. He is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP, and he left his last game after just a couple of innings.
The bullpen has been a concern, the starters are going to get tired with this 4-man rotation, and they are spending the bulk of this month on the road. It's going to be tough.
Do the Silver SOx usually play worse when they are on the road? Is this because the org's leadership doesn't accompany them or because of homefield advantage?
Not sure why they are worse on the road. I don't believe the office staff (Dortch, Jacey, etc)accompanies them but they might--I don't have any info on that. I might ask next time I'm at the stadium. But someone needs to crack the nut on winning on the road or it will be a long season.
Thanks for the info! Your blog is a cool sight for getting the inside scoop. I will definitely be reading regularly!
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