Daily Fog: A Sleeping Giant

The first 25 games of the season have not gone well for the Falmouth Commodores. They have nine wins, the lowest number in the league, and in a Western Division race that has really tightened up, they're the only team that's still not in the mix.

But a little streak can make a big difference in a Cape League summer, and Falmouth has the kind of team that can do it.

I was originally going to write this post about Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State), who's still one of the league leaders in hitting, despite Falmouth's struggles. Then I decided I should probably mention Brian Fletcher (Auburn), before I looked down the stat sheet and realized Hunter Morris (Auburn) was also tearing it up. B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Miss) and Chris O'Brien (Wichita State) deserve a mention too.

As these realizations hit me, it became clear: the Commodores have a lineup that's turning into one of the most dangerous in the league.

They posted an 8-3 victory over Cotuit last night, and I wouldn't be shocked if they continued to deliver nights like that, now that things are starting to click.

Cunningham has been a key cog in all of Falmouth's big victories this season. In a 10-2 win on July 11, he went 4-for-5. In a 14-9 win on July 6, he went 2-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBI. Last night, the trend continued, as Cunningham went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. He's not hitting .380 with two home runs and 11 RBI. A little more power the rest of the way, and he could put himself into the MVP conversation, if he's not already there. Falmouth players have won the last two MVP awards.

While Cunningham has been big in Falmouth's big wins, he's obviously been steady all the way along, even in the losses. Now, he's getting a little more help. Fletcher, who's hitting .323, went 2-for-5 last night with two runs and an RBI. O'Brien, who leads the league in on-base percentage and is one of just four players in the league with more walks than strikeouts, went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Vollmuth didn't do much last night, but he's hitting .260 and six of his 13 hits have gone for extra bases.

And then there's Morris. Perhaps the league's best pure slugger, he's really starting to heat up. Since taking an 0-for-4 on Sunday, Morris is eight for his last 11, with a home run, four runs scored and three RBI. For a while, it looked like he might turn in the more typical Cape League power-hitter line, with a .260 average and a big home run total. Now, he's hitting .313 with four home runs.

All in all, there's a lot to like in the Falmouth lineup. The Commodores are currently second in the league in hitting, but I could see that improving. The pitching certainly needs to improve -- the Commodores are last in ERA -- but if it does, Falmouth is a team to watch.

Elsewhere

Bourne snapped its five-game losing streak in emphatic fashion. After a day off Thursday, the Braves hosted Chatham Friday and stormed to a 10-1 victory on the strength of a nine-run sixth inning. To that point, the Braves were getting shut down by Anglers starter Patrick Johnson (North Carolina), who allowed two hits in five inning. But once Johnson left the game, the floodgates opened. The Braves sent 13 men to the plate and scored more runs in the one inning than they had in their last four games, combined. Rob Segedin (Tulane), Nick Schwaner (New Orleans) and Chris Wallace (Houston) each drove in two runs to power the Braves' attack. Bourne starter Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) struck out eight but walked six in five innings and took a no-decision. Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) picked up the win with three strong innings.

Y-D moved into a tie for first in the East thanks to a 3-1 victory over Brewster. Michael Goodnight (Houston), who lasted just 2.2 innings in his last start, allowed only three hits in five shutout innings this time around. Goodnight didn't factor in the decision but kept the game tied. Y-D broke through with two in the top of the ninth. Josh Rutledge (Alabama) had an RBI single to bring home the go-ahead run and Micah Gibbs (LSU) brought in an insurance run with a double. Tyler Burgoon (Michigan) struck out two in the bottom of the ninth for his league-best eighth save. For Brewster, Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) hit his fourth home run.

In a game that went nearly five hours because of a lightning delay, Wareham out-lasted Hyannis 7-3. Ryan LaMarre (Michigan) had one of the best offensive nights the league has seen this summer, going 3-for-4, with two doubles, two runs scored and four RBI. His second double, brought home two runs and broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh. Dean Kiekhefer (Louisville) got the win for Wareham with three lights-out innings in relief. He allowed just one hit. The win kept Wareham in a first-place tie with Bourne.

Orleans had 16 hits and blew past Harwich 10-2. Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) continued to be a major spark for the Firebirds, delivering four hits and three RBI. This boxscore was not reported so the numbers aren't factored into the leaderboards, but a little math tells me that Brown is now hitting .383, tops in the league. All the offense was more than enough for Rob Rasmussen (UCLA), who struck out six in 5.2 innings.