The good and the bad
As the Wild Things take Monday off and embark on a six-game trip to Rockford and Windy City, let's analyze this team by playing the good and the bad:
The Good: Washington has won 16 of it last 21 games, which is tied with Gateway for the best record in the league over the that period.
The Bad: The Wild Things are two hits (take your pick from any in the 8th and 9th innings Thursday and Friday against Chillicothe) away from having a six-game losing streak.
The Good: Perhaps the only good news to come out of the two-game series sweep by Florence was that relief pitcher Ian Heisel, who has been on the Injured Reserve list since July 15 with a triceps injury, was able to play toss Saturday and Sunday. He reported no pain while throwing, though the results of an MRI performed last week won't be known until Tuesday. Heisel, who has been the Wild Things' most reliable reliever, said he could be playing by mid-August if the MRI results are favorable.
The Bad: The last 2 starts by Aaron Ledbetter and Sunday's outing by Tom Cochran. If these two guys don't win, then this team is in trouble.
The Good: Washington leads the East Division by 6.5 games.
The Bad: A sweep of Florence over the weekend would have pushed the lead to 10.5 games.
The Good: The late-game hitting last week. In three different games, Washington rallied in the 8th or 9th inning to tie or take a lead. Center fielder Chris Sidick said the hitters have been more patient and working deeper in the count late in games.
The Bad: The hitting Sunday. Against Florence's Luke Brown, whose fastball couldn't hit 90 mph on the radar gun with a running start, Washington had one hit in eight innings in what was its second-worst shutout loss at home (The worst was a 12-0 loss to Chillicothe late in 2005).
The Good: Pat O'Brien and Kyle Padgett are starting to hit. O'Brien has three home runs in his last five games. Padgett is 9-for-23 with 6 walks in his last 9 games.
The Bad: A lack of patience, especially early in the game. Drawing walks and working counts are central principles of the "Moneyball" world and should translate well to the Frontier League. Elevating the pitch counts of opposing starting pitchers should be a priority, especially when you consider that middle and setup relievers are a weak spot for most FL teams. While Sidick leads the league in walks, patience is not a strength of this team, especially early in games. For example, Rob Vernon has drawn only 2 walks in 58 at-bats and Rene Quintana has 2 walks in 98 at-bats. Those are two of the worst at-bats-to-walk ratios in the league (Slippery Rock's D.J. Dixon has 1 walk in 96 at-bats).
The Good: Washington has won 16 of it last 21 games, which is tied with Gateway for the best record in the league over the that period.
The Bad: The Wild Things are two hits (take your pick from any in the 8th and 9th innings Thursday and Friday against Chillicothe) away from having a six-game losing streak.
The Good: Perhaps the only good news to come out of the two-game series sweep by Florence was that relief pitcher Ian Heisel, who has been on the Injured Reserve list since July 15 with a triceps injury, was able to play toss Saturday and Sunday. He reported no pain while throwing, though the results of an MRI performed last week won't be known until Tuesday. Heisel, who has been the Wild Things' most reliable reliever, said he could be playing by mid-August if the MRI results are favorable.
The Bad: The last 2 starts by Aaron Ledbetter and Sunday's outing by Tom Cochran. If these two guys don't win, then this team is in trouble.
The Good: Washington leads the East Division by 6.5 games.
The Bad: A sweep of Florence over the weekend would have pushed the lead to 10.5 games.
The Good: The late-game hitting last week. In three different games, Washington rallied in the 8th or 9th inning to tie or take a lead. Center fielder Chris Sidick said the hitters have been more patient and working deeper in the count late in games.
The Bad: The hitting Sunday. Against Florence's Luke Brown, whose fastball couldn't hit 90 mph on the radar gun with a running start, Washington had one hit in eight innings in what was its second-worst shutout loss at home (The worst was a 12-0 loss to Chillicothe late in 2005).
The Good: Pat O'Brien and Kyle Padgett are starting to hit. O'Brien has three home runs in his last five games. Padgett is 9-for-23 with 6 walks in his last 9 games.
The Bad: A lack of patience, especially early in the game. Drawing walks and working counts are central principles of the "Moneyball" world and should translate well to the Frontier League. Elevating the pitch counts of opposing starting pitchers should be a priority, especially when you consider that middle and setup relievers are a weak spot for most FL teams. While Sidick leads the league in walks, patience is not a strength of this team, especially early in games. For example, Rob Vernon has drawn only 2 walks in 58 at-bats and Rene Quintana has 2 walks in 98 at-bats. Those are two of the worst at-bats-to-walk ratios in the league (Slippery Rock's D.J. Dixon has 1 walk in 96 at-bats).
posted by Chris Dugan at
12:23 PM
3 Comments:
The good:
This wonderful Wild about things blog created by Mr. Dugan!
The bad:
The lack of blog participation by the readers!
The good, we make play-off
The bad, we can't win last game
The good,we have a team here in Washington to root for! A LOT better than watching those bums @ PNC Park!!
Ron Wilson
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