Time to push?

The Wild Things enter tonight's series finale at Traverse City with the worst record (5-12) in the Frontier League. From the baseball end of the operation, this is the low-water mark for the Wild Things. They have never been more than seven games under .500.

So let's examine three reasons it's time for the Wild Things to push the panic button, and three reasons not to get carried away with Washington's slow start:

Three reasons, in no particular order, to make a mad rush to push the panic button:

1. Roadkill - Much like last year, the Wild Things haven't proven they can win away from Consol Energy Park. They are 1-7 in road games with seven consecutive losses. And counting tonight's game, the Wild Things will play their next seven games on the road, so there is reason to believe things could get worse before they get better. The teams that make the playoffs in the Frontier League are the ones that win on the road. of Washington's six playoff teams, only one (2006 when they were 20-25) failed to have a road record that was at least three games above .500.

2. Pitching - Washington's starting rotation is a mess. The Wild Things are tied for the fewest quality starts in the league with two in 17 games. Opening night starter Craig Snipp has looked very good at times but is currently on the disabled list. Jason Neitz (1-1), who will start tonight's game, has been the second-best healthy starter, and his ERA is 8.82. It all starts with pitching, and the Wild Things' starting pitching has been dreadful. You can't turn things around when your starting pitchers fail to give you more than four innings each night.

3. To many left-handed bats - Washington will typically have four left-handed hitters in the lineup, and manager Mark Mason has even used lefty-hitting catcher Alan Robbins against left-handed starting pitchers. Many managers in this league will tell you that teams win with left-handed hitters, but so far opponents have been able to take advantage of the Wild Things' heavy-lefty lineup. Washington is batting 52 points lower (.288 to .236) against left-handed pitching than against right-handers. The Wild Things' lefty hitters are 12-for-59 (.203) with 22 strikeouts against left-handed pitching. If this average isn't improved dramatically, you can forget about any turnaround in the wins and losses.

Three reasons, in no particular order, not to push the panic button:

1. It's only June - Enough said. There are still 79 games left in the season.

2. The Windy City factor – Last year, the Windy City ThunderBolts had a 6-13 record and their relief pitchers were blowing saves at an alarming rate. But Windy City proved that nothing is won or lost in the first 20 games. The ThunderBolts regrouped, won the West Division title and tied Kalamazoo for the best record in the league at 60-36. The Wild Things' returning players probably think their hitting is as dangerous as Windy City's was last year, so a similar turnaround is possible. And remember, the Wild Things were 7-10 in 2006 but finished with the league's best record at 59-37.

3. Help is on the way – Major League Baseball's draft, which concluded today, couldn't have come soon enough for the Wild Things. There's now a lot of successful college pitchers, who were deemed too small or too much of a project by pro scouts, looking for a place to play. Several sources have told me that major league organizations overstocked their extended spring training camps with pitchers this year. Now that the draft is over and picks are starting to sign, some of those extra pitchers will be released. There is no doubt the Wild Things are badly in need of pitching and will be looking to pick up some extended-spring releases - they prefer these over college players. Signing two or three of the right pitchers might make the difference over the final 50 games of the season.