Daily Fog: Pitcher's Delight

At some point, the ERA leader board will not have 10 guys with 0.00 ERA's.

But this is not that point.

Cape League starting pitchers have been dominant so far this season, and the trend continued in a big way last night. I count five legitimately dominant starts:

Mike Dennhardt, Chatham - 8 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 K, 1 BB
Rob Rasmussen, Orleans - 6 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 10 K, 1 BB
Eric Pfisterer, Wareham - 7 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 7 K, 1 BB
Sean Hoelscher, Brewster - 6.2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 8 K, 3 BB
Chris Sale, Y-D - 8.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 12 K, 1 BB

A little math tells you that those five combined to allow two runs on seven hits in 35.2 innings. They struck out 41.

Pfisterer (Duke) and Sale (Florida Gulf Coast) get special mention. This wasn't their first time at the rodeo.

Pfisterer made a splash on the second day of the season when he went didn't allow a hit in a five-inning outing. With seven more innings under his belt, he still hasn't allowed a hit. He's got 17 strikeouts and three walks. His performance Thursday helped send Wareham to a 7-0 victory over Harwich. It sounds like sloppy field conditions kept him from making a run at a full no-hitter.

Sale doesn't have the no-hit thing going, but he's been just as dominant. In 14 innings, he hasn't allowed a run. He's struck out a league-high 20 and walked only two. Thought he took a no-decision Thursday when the Y-D bullpen blew a lead, he's been perhaps the best starter in the league.

The other three pitchers on the above list were new to the party but no less impressive. Dennhardt (Boston College) needed just 81 pitches to toss his eight-inning gem. Rasmussen (UCLA), who had an up-and-down season with Orleans last year, started his new summer with a huge performance. After one start, he already leads the Firebirds in strikeouts. Hoelscher (TCU) also made his first start a very strong one.

Elsewhere

• Of course, on the day I talk about the pitching, we've also got a slugfest to discuss. Hyannis scored a league season-high in runs in a 13-5 victory over Falmouth. Tennessee's Cody Hawn made his first start and powered the offense with a grand slam. He finished 2-for-5, while Nick Crawford (UAB) and Dustin Harrington (East Carolina) also had two hits each. Seven Mets drove in runs, with Crawford and Eddie Rohan (Winthrop) knocking in two. Hyannis did most of its damage against Falmouth starter Mitch Mormann (Des Moines Area CC), who allowed seven earned in two innings after pitching four perfect innings in his first start. For the Mets, Austin Hudson (Central Florida) picked up his second win with five strong innings. In the lineup for Falmouth was a new addition -- Wichita State's Ryan Jones. He hit eight home runs for Falmouth last year and got drafted in the 38th round this year.


• Dennhardt and Russell Brewer (Vanderbilt) combined on the shutout for Chatham over Bourne, with Brewer working a scoreless ninth to seal the 2-0 win. Jeff Schaus (Clemson) went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Anglers.


• Behind Rasmussen, Orleans posted a 6-1 victory over Cotuit. Michael Olt (Connecticut) drove in two runs, as did new arrival and familiar face Alex Hassan (Duke), who was a 20th round pick of the Red Sox this year. The Kettleers got four more steals -- though Chris Bisson (Kentucky) was shut out for the first time because he didn't get on base.


• Wareham had a big night from Derek Dietrich (Georgia Tech), who went 3-for-5 with two home runs, becoming the first player this season to hit two home runs in a game. Alex Dickerson (Indiana) drove in two. Harwich has now been shut-out two nights in a row.


• Sale's big effort went to waste when Brewster rallied from a 1-0 deficit with four in the ninth to win 4-1 over Y-D. The Whitecaps orchestrated their rally without getting a hit. Three errors were the biggest culprits for Y-D.

What to Watch For Tonight
Oklahoma State's Tyler Lyons, a 10th-round pick of the Yankees earlier this month, will make his first start for Chatham as the Anglers visit Falmouth. The Commodores will counter with Nick Tepesch (Missouri), who struggled his first time out. In Cotuit, a pair of 15th-round picks will duke it out, with Mike Nesseth (Nebraska) going for Cotuit and Casey Schmidt (San Diego) getting the ball for Brewster.