At the break
As the Wild Things prepare for the start of the Frontier League's second half tonight, it's a good time to analyze what has happened over the course of 51 games.
Are the Wild Things better at this point in the season than in recent years? I think we can all agree they are, though being in sixth place does continue an alarming trend. Not since 2008, when they were 26-24, has Washington been higher than fifth place in the East Division standings at the all-star break. They are seven games behind first-place Traverse City, which is the closest they've been to the division leader at the break since 2008.
Where do they need to improve? Washington is fifth in the league in fielding percentage, fifth in pitching (was in the top three until the road trip to Gateway and Evansville earlier this month) and seventh in batting average. The latter is what must improve significantly. The Wild Things need to hit better if they are going to get in the thick of the playoff race.
The one thing the Wild Things haven't done is shown an ability to hit their way back into a game -- get a come-from-behind win because of their hitting. The statistics show the Wild Things are 2-21 when they trail after five innings. And they are next-to-last in a statistic called last at-bat wins (when you score the game-winning run in your final inning of batting).
Last At-Bat Wins:
11 - Schaumburg
9 - Normal
8 - Gateway
8 - Southern Illinois
7 - River City
6 - Rockford
5 - Lake Erie
4 - Evansville
4 - Florence
4 - Windy City
3 - Joliet
3 - Traverse City
2- Washington
0 - Greys
When Washington gets a lead, it has done a good job of protecting it. When Steve Blass spoke at the all-star luncheon Tuesday, he mentioned how the Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen has turned games into 6- or 7-inning contests. When the Pirates have the lead after six or seven innings, the game is over. They don't give up the lead.
That's also been the story for the Wild Things. They are 21-2 when they lead after six innings, 22-2 after seven and 17-0 after eight. They have only two blown saves (and one of those was all the way back in the second game of the season), which is tied with Joliet for the least in the league.
Blown Saves
11 - Rockford
9 - Southern Illinois
8 - Normal
8 - Schaumburg
7 - Greys
6 - Gateway
6 - River City
5 - Evansville
5 - Florence
5 - Lake Erie
5 - Traverse City
4 - Windy City
2 - Joliet
2 - Washington
The starting pitching is not what it was last year, when it set the league record for quality starts. Then again, you can't expect to duplicate that feat. For the most part, the starting pitching has been very good. It has produced 25 quality starts, which is six behind league-leader Normal.
So if the starting pitching, bullpen and fielding can hold steady, then Washington can get in the playoff race with some improved hitting. However, hitting, or a lack of it, has been the one thing holding the Wild Things back for years. Washington just can't seem to find many guys who can "swing it." The last Wild Things team that could hit was the 2009 team, which had absolutely no pitching. This team needs one or two impact hitters, but those kind of players aren't found on the waiver wire at this time of year. If you can hit, then you're already on a roster.
One of the big questions heading into this season was would fielding a better and more-competitive team improve attendance? The team is only 4 games better than last year at the break and attendance has continued its trend of a downward spiral. Though the drop this year is small and attendance has been much more steady than last year's first half, when you had both a sellout and a game that drew a record-low 702.
Wild Things Attendance at the All-Star Break
2002 - 2,942
2003 - 3,390
2004 - 3,242
2005 - 3,048
2006 - 3,133
2007 - 3,180
2008 - 2,899
2009 - 2,734
2010 - 2,373
2011 - 2,176
2012 - 1,686
2013 - 1,638
Are the Wild Things better at this point in the season than in recent years? I think we can all agree they are, though being in sixth place does continue an alarming trend. Not since 2008, when they were 26-24, has Washington been higher than fifth place in the East Division standings at the all-star break. They are seven games behind first-place Traverse City, which is the closest they've been to the division leader at the break since 2008.
Where do they need to improve? Washington is fifth in the league in fielding percentage, fifth in pitching (was in the top three until the road trip to Gateway and Evansville earlier this month) and seventh in batting average. The latter is what must improve significantly. The Wild Things need to hit better if they are going to get in the thick of the playoff race.
The one thing the Wild Things haven't done is shown an ability to hit their way back into a game -- get a come-from-behind win because of their hitting. The statistics show the Wild Things are 2-21 when they trail after five innings. And they are next-to-last in a statistic called last at-bat wins (when you score the game-winning run in your final inning of batting).
Last At-Bat Wins:
11 - Schaumburg
9 - Normal
8 - Gateway
8 - Southern Illinois
7 - River City
6 - Rockford
5 - Lake Erie
4 - Evansville
4 - Florence
4 - Windy City
3 - Joliet
3 - Traverse City
2- Washington
0 - Greys
When Washington gets a lead, it has done a good job of protecting it. When Steve Blass spoke at the all-star luncheon Tuesday, he mentioned how the Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen has turned games into 6- or 7-inning contests. When the Pirates have the lead after six or seven innings, the game is over. They don't give up the lead.
That's also been the story for the Wild Things. They are 21-2 when they lead after six innings, 22-2 after seven and 17-0 after eight. They have only two blown saves (and one of those was all the way back in the second game of the season), which is tied with Joliet for the least in the league.
Blown Saves
11 - Rockford
9 - Southern Illinois
8 - Normal
8 - Schaumburg
7 - Greys
6 - Gateway
6 - River City
5 - Evansville
5 - Florence
5 - Lake Erie
5 - Traverse City
4 - Windy City
2 - Joliet
2 - Washington
The starting pitching is not what it was last year, when it set the league record for quality starts. Then again, you can't expect to duplicate that feat. For the most part, the starting pitching has been very good. It has produced 25 quality starts, which is six behind league-leader Normal.
So if the starting pitching, bullpen and fielding can hold steady, then Washington can get in the playoff race with some improved hitting. However, hitting, or a lack of it, has been the one thing holding the Wild Things back for years. Washington just can't seem to find many guys who can "swing it." The last Wild Things team that could hit was the 2009 team, which had absolutely no pitching. This team needs one or two impact hitters, but those kind of players aren't found on the waiver wire at this time of year. If you can hit, then you're already on a roster.
One of the big questions heading into this season was would fielding a better and more-competitive team improve attendance? The team is only 4 games better than last year at the break and attendance has continued its trend of a downward spiral. Though the drop this year is small and attendance has been much more steady than last year's first half, when you had both a sellout and a game that drew a record-low 702.
Wild Things Attendance at the All-Star Break
2002 - 2,942
2003 - 3,390
2004 - 3,242
2005 - 3,048
2006 - 3,133
2007 - 3,180
2008 - 2,899
2009 - 2,734
2010 - 2,373
2011 - 2,176
2012 - 1,686
2013 - 1,638
posted by Chris Dugan at
9:10 AM
2 Comments:
No comments on this blog about the turf, no making fun of the interns, no demeaning nicknames for players or the manager, no complaints about the between innings entertainment, no daily mention of the attendance, no ripping the PA announcer, no snide comments about the owner, no belittling other people who make comments .......... Boy, this blog has become boring.
The majority of the comments you referenced can be attributed to one person, and since he has "retired" from the blog we are no longer subjected to his rantings and negativity!
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