daily fog: one more time

Monday, August 4, 2008

daily fog: one more time

The first daily fog of the season was all about Nick Hernandez. The lefty from Tennessee was a temporary player, but he got the ball on opening night for Cotuit and went longer than any other starter would for the next week. He was also thoroughly impressive, striking out eight, walking none and allowing only one run in seven innings.

Since then, I feel like I haven't talked much about Hernandez. It's about time to change that.

Hernandez picked up his league-leading sixth win of the season last night as Cotuit topped Falmouth 3-1 in another crucial Western Division game. The victory moved the Kettleers to within one point of second place and two points of first.

For a game like that, I don't think there's anybody Cotuit would rather have on the mound than Hernandez. He gets lost in the shuffle sometimes because he hasn't had the flashy starts -- the complete games, the double-digit strikeout performances. But when it comes to top Cape League pitchers, Hernandez has to be mentioned in the same breath as Brandon Workman, Andrew Carraway and Bryce Stowell.

His ERA, at 2.54, is a little higher than some others, but his strikeout numbers are right there. And he's got everybody beat in the wins category. Last year, Tom Milone won the Pitcher of the Year award largely because his six sins separated him from the rest of the pack. I don't know if the same will go for Hernandez, but he's certainly got a shot.

Not bad for a player whose name I had to look up for that first daily fog. Not bad at all.

Elsewhere

Cotuit's win over Falmouth opened the door for Hyannis, and the Mets stepped right through it. They beat Wareham 6-5 to leapfrog Falmouth for first place in the West. They have a one-point lead over Falmouth and a two-point lead over Cotuit. Reliever Will Harvil (Georgia) deserves a lot of the credit for the win over Wareham. After ace Andrew Carraway (Virginia) allowed four runs in three innings -- his worst outing of the year -- Harvil came out of the bullpen and allowed just one hit in four shutout innings. The Mets made a winner out of him thanks to a three-run seventh inning. Ben Paulsen (Clemson) scored the go-ahead run on a single by Marcus Jones (NC State).

Bourne beat Orleans 9-4, the fifth-straight loss for the Cardinals, who still managed to clinch a playoff spot because of other results. Jordan Henry (Ole Miss) went 4-for-5 to lead the Braves, while Brandon Bantz (Dallas Baptist), Ross Wilson (Alabama) and Jamie Johnson (Oklahoma) each had two RBI.

Brewster moved into a tie with Harwich for second place thanks to a 7-5 victory over the Mariners. Connor Powers (Mississippi State) and Mike Freeman (Clemson) both had three hits and two RBI.

Y-D's Craig Fritsch (Baylor) and Chatham's Kevin Couture (USC) both allowed three hits in eight shutout innings, but they were long gone when the game got decided. Y-D scored two in the top of the 13th to notch a 2-0 victory over the A's. A bases-loaded walk and an error allowed the two runs to score. Rhett Ballard (Virginia Tech) struck out five in three scoreless innings to pick up the win.

What to Watch For Tonight

Because of rain the last few days, Chatham has two doubleheaders scheduled this week, and they'll play the first one today. The A's will visit Harwich at 2 p.m. before heading home to host Cotuit at 7 p.m. Sammy Solis (San Diego) is scheduled to start game one with Matt Zoltak (Clemson) going in game two.

Bourne, five points out of first, will try to stay in the race with Bryce Stowell (UC Irvine) on the mound against Hyannis, who counters with Colin Bates (North Carolina).

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as the fog settles in

The left-field sunset has faded. It is chilly now. You slip a sweatshirt on. The stat sheet you hold in your hands almost feels wet, the air is so damp. But the ink doesn't run. You can read it. That kid from LSU is still leading the league in home runs. That pitcher who they say throws 95 -- he's way up on the list in strikeouts.
The game is close, 3-2 through seven innings. You're staying till the end.
You look out at the field. Some fog has slipped in. It settles like smoke, just off the grass in front of the right fielder, like a cloud. When he runs through it to catch a fly ball, it looks almost magical, maybe even spiritual, like he's playing baseball in heaven.
Maybe he is.
The baseball is pure here. The players eager. The fans, maybe some of them don't know what they're seeing, maybe they just heard it was a fun night out, good for the family and everything -- but they know. They know somehow that this thing, this Cape League, is special.
Really, there's nothing like it.
I'm going to try and keep up.

Stop waxing poetic

The Cape Cod Baseball League is the top college summer league in the nation. Plenty of other leagues have cropped up of late, and some are having success, but the Cape League is still the model -- and the pinnacle. In 2006, 198 Major Leaguers had spent time in the Cape League.
The rosters are like a who's who of the best college baseball players. All the top prospects want to spend their summers on the Cape. The only better opportunity is Team USA. There are 10 teams in the league, divided into two divisions. Over the course of two months, they play 44 games. Scouts will watch many of them. They come because of the combination of talent and wood. Unlike college baseball, the Cape uses only wooden bats, providing an accurate picture of what players might do at the next level.
What else? Players live with host families. Some have part-time jobs (Jeff Bagwell worked at Friendly's). There's no admission charge at games. The level of baseball has been compared to Single A.
That should sum it up. If you have never experienced Cape League Baseball, you have missed out.

Monday, August 4, 2008