First place? Still possible. Second or third place for wild-card
playoff spots? Still possible. Out of the playoffs entirely? Still
possible. These last nine games will tell all the answers.
The Miners have played Quebec six times this season and
Sussex County has won both of the three-game series by 2-1
margins – both times here in Augusta. This time, they’ll be
playing in Canada’s Stade Canac, a 4,300-seat ballpark that
opened in 1939 less than two miles from the St. Lawrence River.
The Miners’ two aces and league leaders were on the mound
in all four victories over Quebec, all in June. John Baker tossed
a nine-inning complete game in one of them, with 14 strikeouts
and one walk. He’s currently 10-2, second in the league with a
2.63 ERA and fourth in the league with 111 Ks (and just 16
walks). Dwayne Marshall started the other two Miners victories,
including seven innings and one earned run in a 10-inning, 2-1
decision. Marshall is now 11-3 – the league leader in wins and
No. 3 in the league with an ERA of 2.71.
Pitching, including reliever Robert Klinchock (3.34 ERA, 32
appearances, nine saves) has been this team’s strong point all
year. That and stealing bases. Sussex now has 196 steals,
approaching the league record of 204.
Hitting had been iffy, but has improved greatly late in the
season. Where the team had been near the bottom of the league
earlier, they’ve moved up to now rank 10th with a team batting
average of .264. Newcomers Yanio Perez and Juan Silverio have
stepped in to revive the lineup, Perez currently batting .397 in
22 games while Silverio is .374 in 30 games. Another
newcomer, Alex Toral, has slowly but surely raised his average
to .288 in 26 games (17 starts) with good power for nine home
runs and 26 RBI.
HAIL the GREYS
It’s true that the Empire State Greys have a grotesque record
of 6-81, but they are actually a much-improved team and are
now capable of beating a team like the New Jersey Jackals,
which they did last week, or at least putting up a stiff challenge
against a playoff-contending team, which they did against the
Miners earlier this week.
In Wednesday’s game, the Miners and Greys were tied at 3-3
until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Toral blasted a three-
run homer for a 6-3 victory. Then, on Thursday, the Greys
battled Marshall and three relievers, and the Miners managed
just three singles all night long for a tense 1-0 victory – the
Miners’ only 1-0 game of the year.
Now, the Miners will be rooting for the Greys to come up
with a win (or two) when they Greys face Ottawa, then New
York, then Tri City in the final nine games of the season.
By Carl Barbati, former sports editor of the New Jersey Herald,
Daily Record and The Daily Trentonian.
The post ROAD TRIP COULD BE DECISIVE appeared first on Sussex County Miners.
First place? Still possible. Second or third place for wild-card playoff spots? Still possible. Out of the playoffs entirely? Still possible. These last nine games will tell all the answers. The Miners have played Quebec six times this season and Sussex County has won both…
The post ROAD TRIP COULD BE DECISIVE appeared first on Sussex County Miners. Read More Sussex County Miners
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