Cleaning out the notebook

Some random thoughts, opinions and notes from the pressbox at Consol Energy Park:

* The Wild Things made one roster move Saturday, releasing pitcher Matt Maradeo. In his second season with Washington, Maradeo had a 1-0 record and 8.22 ERA in 12 games. The sidearming right-hander has been plagued by inconsistency and his numbers in Washington did match those he put up in the Chicago Cubs' system.

* Pitcher Justin Edwards, who left Friday night's game with back spasms, will not go on the disabled list. According to manager Mark Mason, the spams were related to Edwards being dehydrated. Edwards is expected to be out for two days. Opponents are batting only .222 against Edwards, who has 21 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings.

* To fill Maradeo's spot on the roster, Washington will sign relief pitcher Aaron Guinn, a 6-5 right-hander from Mesa (Ariz.) State, which finished the year ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II. Guinn had a 5-2 record, 9 saves and 1.40 ERA this year.

* It sure looks like center fielder Chris Sidick has lost his confidence when hitting against left-handed pitching. Sidick is only 2-for-25 (.080) with 10 strikeouts against lefty pitchers, but the average isn't the big concern. It's that many of his swings against lefties have looked bad.

* If you're going to attend a Wild Things home game and stay from start to finish, plan on being there a long time. Washington has played 12 home games with 11 going at least nine innings (there was a rain-shortened game against Gateway). of those 11, only one has been played in less than three hours, that being a 2-hour, 59-minute game against River City June 6. The Wild Things' nine-inning home games are averaging 3 hours and 8 minutes.

* Washington will have to drop a player from the roster Monday when Craig Snipp comes off the disabled list to pitch against Midwest.

* Phil Laurent doesn't get cheated on any of his swings. There's no check-swings or half-hearted swings with that guy.

* With the 13-run output Saturday night, the Wild Things are now in a three-way tie for the most runs scored in the Frontier League, though their record is only 10-17. Of all professional baseball teams that have played at least 27 games this season, only two (Midland of the Class AA Texas League and High Desert of the Class A California League) are averaging more runs per game than the Wild Things.

* Here's the humbling statistic: No team in pro baseball that has played at 27 least games is giving up more runs per game than the Wild Things (7.04).

* Manager Mark Mason on his team's 6.63 ERA: "I want a team ERA of 4.00 or under. If that's what our ERA was, then our record would be reversed. We've hit enough to win almost every game. The pitching has to come to the party."

* Has anyone noticed that closer Nick Peterson has 23 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings pitched?

* Here's one that's hard to do: Chris Demons had two singles last night, which were his first singles all season. Demons had two home runs and a double but no singles in his first 32 at-bats.

* I forgot to mention this when I originally posted this article: Am I the only one who thinks the umpiring has gotten significantly worse this year? Talking to people from visiting teams, it seems to be that way around the league, not just in Washington.

Troubled times

One overused saying that coaches in all sports rely on is this: You are what your record says you are.

Today, the Wild Things are the worst team in the Frontier League's East Division with a 2-7 record. Only Rockford (2-8) in the West Division has a worse record.

That doesn't mean much when you're nine games into a 96-game season. Yes, 2-7 is lousy. No one wanted or expected this kind of start, but it's not predictive of anything. The season is not over. Keep in mind that Washington started 1-5 during its inaugural season (2002) and ended up setting the league record for wins.

Is this a team that can rebound from a 2-7 start to be a playoff contender? Can it even play .500 ball? We don't know. It's too early to draw any definitive conclusions. There are, however, some alarming numbers and trends that indicate things that must change in a hurry. For example:

* The 2-7 record is the Wild Things' worst after nine games. In other words, this is the worst start in franchise history.

* Prior to today, Washington has been five games under .500 for only one day (May 28, 2008) in its eight-year history. The Wild Things have never been six games under .500.

* The recent six-game swing to the St. Louis area ended with a 1-5 record. It was the 27th six-game road trip in team history. It was the first time the Wild Things have failed to win at least two games on a such a trip (that the Wild Things went seven years with no worse than a 2-4 record on six-game trips is an amazing statistic that is probably unmatched in league history).

* The current five-game losing streak is tied for the longest in team history. Washington lost five in a row back in 2005 (Aug. 29-Sept. 3) but that was after the club had clinched the East Division title and was simply playing out a string of meaningless games.

* Washington's pitching staff has been - insert your favorite adjective here because there is no sugar-coating it - bad, awful, putrid, etc. You get the idea. Washington has given up 50 walks in nine games. Only Gateway (54) has allowed more, but the Grizzlies have played one more game. The Wild Things also are tied for the league lead in hit batsmen with nine. The 6.63 team ERA is next-to-last. Again, only Gateway is worse.

* Washington's hitters lead the league in strikeouts and are next-to-last with only three stolen bases, but offense hasn't been the problem. Washington's hitters have done enough to win seven games.

* The bullpen is 0-for-3 in save opportunities.

It all adds up to an ugly start, which will make for some interesting decisions for manager Mark Mason during the homestand that begins Tuesday against Gateway. The Wild Things' track record indicates that no major roster overhaul is in the works. The philosophy in Washington has been to stick with the core group of players and add a couple of former college guys following Major League Baseball's draft. You don't blow up your roster after nine games.

However, there will surely be some moves made this week. Pitcher Aaron Fuhrman will come off the disabled list during the homestand. He could trade places with pitcher Kedrick Martin, who left Sunday's game with an injury.

Another candidate for the DL is closer Jon Lewis, who was brought in during the offseason to solve the bullpen woes that plagued the Wild Things all last year. Lewis has pitched 1 2/3 innings and given up 10 walks and thrown three wild pitches. Saturday at River City, Lewis walked six batters in just 2/3 of an inning. Only 12 of his 40 pitches were strikes. Keep in mind that Lewis walked only 11 batters in half a season with Evansville last year, and in his previous 82 pro games walked more than two hitters only once.

When a pitcher with that kind of track record goes Steve Blass, it has to be because of an injury or a major problem with his mechanics. Either way, a trip to the DL is likely.

Not all the struggles have been on the pitchers' mound. There were concerns before the season about outfielder Chris Demons' ability to hit. He was only a .232 career hitter in two pro seasons, but the Wild Things love his speed and arm. Demons might be the fastest player in the league. But he's also 2-for-26 (.077) with 13 strikeouts. Starting the season with only four outfielders (including DH Jacob Dempsey) was a gamble that hasn't worked. Mason probably has several outfielders on speed dial.

How long will the Wild Things wait to shuffle their roster? The draft is June 9-11, which also is the beginning of a nine-day road trip for Washington. The Wild Things don't like to make roster moves while on the road, which means if things don't turn around this week the earliest the roster can undergo a makeover is June 18.

Up in smoke

The Wild Things awaken today with a 2-4 record and without a series win. They should be 5-1 and coming off their second series win.

The reason for the three-game difference can be summed up by two words: relief pitching.

After tying for the league lead in blown saves last year with 15, the Wild Things have failed to convert three save opportunities in the last four games, including both games of a doubleheader Thursday at Gateway. In Washington's last three losses, the opponent scored the winning run in its final at-bat.

The bullpen received a major overhaul in the offseason, but it seems the more things change the more they stay the same. Jon Lewis was brought in to be the closer, but he has two blown saves in as many opportunities, including Game 1 Thursday, when the winning run scored on a wild pitch. In the nightcap, Washington had a 7-4 lead in the seventh inning (doubleheaders are seven innings) but gave up three solo home runs that forced extra innings. Chris Demons homered in the 8th to put the Wild Things back in the lead, but Gateway scored in the bottom of the eighth and won the game on a bases-loaded hit batsman in the ninth.

For the season, Washington relievers have pitched 20 1/3 innings and given up 18 hits, 20 walks and hit four batters for a 6.21 ERA. They have a 1-3 record.

Manager Mark Mason left himself open to some second-guessing during the doubleheader. In the opener, he took out starting pitcher Zach Groh after six innings. Groh was throwing a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and just one walk. In the second game, Matt Maradeo, who has been Washington's best reliever to date with 4 1/3 scoreless innings and no walks, was taken out after throwing two perfect innings and the game heading to the bottom of the seventh.

I wrote about this last year, but it's worth mentioning again: To me, the most impressive season by a Wild Things player was not Josh Loggins' MVP year in 2003, but Robert Garvin's 2002 season. Garvin began the year as just another arm in the bullpen but won the closer's job early in the season. He went 2-2 with 18 saves and a 2.20 ERA in 33 games. Those numbers are good, but not great, right?

Looking deeper into Garvin's season you'll find that he converted 18 of 20 save opportunities, including 18 straight. His two blown saves were in his first appearance of the year (in middle relief) and in his last outing of the regular season which, as it turned out, was a meaningless game because the Wild Things had clinched the division title only minutes earlier because of Richmond loss.

The most impressive aspect of Garvin's season was that he pitched 47 innings and issued only four walks. Think about that for a moment. Four walks in 47 innings. During one stretch, Garvin went 15 consecutive outings and 17 1/3 innings without walking a batter. Over that span, Garvin struck out 24 batters. Twenty-four strikeouts to zero walks. You think the Wild Things would like to have someone with those numbers today?

Another note from the doubleheader is Washington catcher Alan Robbins is facing a suspension after bumping the home-plate umpire following the game-ending wild pitch and play the the plate. It's never a good idea to make contact with an umpire, but it's even worse to do it when the league commissioner is in the ballpark.

Speed Demons

The Wild Things hope they found a starting outfielder Tuesday at the Frontier League's tryout and draft. Chris Demons, a veteran of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, was chosen by Washington with the second overall pick.

Demons (5-10, 176) was the only player at the tryout with experience at the Class AAA level, abeit for only eight games last year with the Syracuse Chiefs. Demons had been playing for the Auburn Doubledays in the short-season New York-Penn League when Syracuse needed another outfielder for the final 10 days of the season.

Before being signed by the Blue Jays, Demons spent the 2007 season in the now-defunct independent South Coast League. He played for former New York Mets second baseman Wally Backman with the South Georgia Peanuts. That was the year a documentary called "Playing for Peanuts" was shot about the South Georgia team. I believe it aired on PBS.

Demons is speedster. He clocked a 6.50 in the 60-yard dash at the tryout and was disappointed in his time.

"I felt bad about it. I didn't even want to know my time," Demons said. "I felt like it was below par for me."

Demons has been clocked in as fast as 6.37 in the 60.
A breakout senior season at Augusta State, an NCAA Division II school in Georgia, turned Demons into a prospect. As a pro, he's never hit for a high average (.245 career average) but he's drawn 55 walks and stolen 49 bases in 113 games.

Demons says the brief stint in Class AAA has made him a better player and given him a better understanding of how to prepare for a game.

"For any player who has been to Triple-A, the experience has to change them," Demons said. "I was a kid playing a kids game against kids. When I went to Triple-A, it was grown men playing. They take the game much more seriously, especially from a preparation standpoint."

Demons said he didn't know what to expect at the FL tryout, but he did some homework on the league's teams before driving to Washington.

"I was checking rosters and transactions and seeing who might need an outfielder," Demons said. "When I got here, I looked around the ballpark. I thought that if I was fortunate enough to be drafted, Washington wouldn't be a bad place to play."

Notes from the first day of spring training:
- Catcher Kris Rochelle, who had reconstructive elbow surgery last August, received medical clearance Monday to participate in all workouts. Rochelle is far ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. The Richmond, Va., native is optimistic that he will be ready for opening day.

- With rain in the forecast, manager Mark Mason changed his practice schedule. The team opened camp with an intrasquad scrimmage in the morning and took batting practice in the afternoon. I didn't see the intrasquad game but was told the pitchers dominated. That was to be expected on the first day of camp. The standout seemed to be new closer Jonathan Lewis.

- Newly signed first baseman Ernie Banks (no, not that Ernie Banks) has plenty of power. He sent a half dozen balls over the outfield wall – all to the opposite field.

- The batting swing of Alex Pakula doesn't look like it belongs on an outfielder who hit only .235 for Point Park University last year.

- The only players who failed to report to camp were catcher Steve Pickerell (death in family) and pitcher Jace Smith (attending college). Both are expected to arrive by May 15. There are 37 players in camp.

- Washington signed catcher Alex Collura, a Colorado Springs resident who was last with the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent Northern League. At the age of 16, Collura was the bullpen catcher for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the Colorado Rockies' Class AAA affiliate.

Frontier League draft

Results of the Frontier League draft held Tuesday afternoon at Consol Energy Park. Washington took two players, one outfielder and the player who was the Wild Things' bullpen catcher last year:

Team, player, position, last school/organization
Round 1
1. Midwest – Chris Rollins, RHP, Chicago Cubs
2. Washington (from Lake Erie) – Chris Demons, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
3. Evansville – Nathan Fike, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
4. Evansville (from Florence) – Bobby Brown, OF, Maine
5. Rockford (from River City) – Chad Dawson, RHP, Chicago White Sox
6. Rockford – Kurt Hayer, RHP, Boston College
7. Washington – Jon Leber, C, California University
8. Traverse City – David Hurst, LHP, L.A. Angels
9. River City (from Gateway) – Matt Restivo, LHP, Washington
10. Southern Illinois – Brad Meier, C, Rockford
11. Kalamazoo – Jon Sprowls, RHP, Cleveland State
12. Windy City – Justin Costi, RHP, Kansas City (Northern)
Round 2
1. Midwest – Ralph Rosas, 1B, Lincoln Memorial
2. Lake Erie – Reid Lamport, RHP, Kent State
3. Evansville – Jon Montague, C, Eastern U.
4. Florence – Henry Sanchez, SS, Lambuth, U.
5. River City, Mike Hart, RHP, Carson-Newman
6. Lake Erie – Rob Vernon, OF, Chillicothe
7. Traverse City – Kyle Stahlberg, RHP, Dayton
8. Gateway – Shawn Ellis, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
9. Southern Illinois – Kellen Kimiecik, OF, Southern Wesleyan
10. Kalamazoo – Mike Jacobson, LHP, Wisconsin-Whitewater
11. Windy City – Zach Aakhus, C, Northwest Nazarene
Round 3
1. Lake Erie – B.J. Richmond, RHP, L.A. Dodgers
2. Florence – Luis Santiago, C, Queensboro CC
3. River City – Joe Welsh, LHP, Washington Nationals (Welsh traded to Gateway)
4. Traverse City – Eric Theisen, RHP, Illinois State
5. Gateway – Jareck West, OF, Oakland A’s
6. Kalamazoo – Ross Fetterly, RHP, Old Dominion
7. Windy City – Sean Conley, OF, Pitt
Round 4
1. Gateway – Scott Kelly, RHP, N.Y. Yankees
2. Windy City, Joseph McIntyre, P, North Carolina A&T
Round 5
1. Gateway – George Roha, LHP, Univ. of Findlay