After winning three of four heading into a four-game homestand, Chatham has lost back-to-back games to erase ground made by its brief spurt, the latest coming in an 8-1 loss to Wareham on Monday. The Anglers return to Veterans Field and face Yarmouth-Dennis for the fifth time this season, a team they've defeated twice and lost the other two by a combined four runs.

Y-D has tied two of its last three games ' against Harwich and Orleans ' and won just one of its past five games overall to drop from first to third in the East Division as Harwich strung together seven victories in 10 games. The Red Sox tied Harwich, 2-2 on Monday night after Dominic Keegan pulled them even in the ninth inning with his second home run of the game.

Probable Pitchers

After starting Chatham's season-opener against Falmouth, Victor Mederos (Miami) spent his next three appearances coming out of the bullpen, but he returns to the mound tonight for his second start. He compiled five-straight scoreless innings before allowing two in his lone inning against Brewster on July 14, lifting his ERA to 6.48 even as he's allowed four hits the entire season. It's the second time this year that Mederos will pitch against Yarmouth-Dennis ' he threw three hitless innings against them in the Anglers' 4-1 win on July 2, picking up the save.

Zachary Jacobs will also throw for the second game against Chatham, although this time likely throwing more than the one inning he tossed in Y-D's loss on July 2. He struck out two Chatham hitters and faced the minimum, kickstarting a stretch of four games where he surrendered three total runs in four appearances after Cotuit scored seven times in two innings against him on June 25. In his second season at the University of California Riverside, Jacobs finished 1-6 with a 5.18 ERA across 80 innings, and he only walked 16 batters.

Chatham Players to Watch

Matt Hogan finished the loss to Wareham with Chatham's only hit to the outfield, lacing a double down the left-field line in the ninth inning that just touched down inside the foul line. He also beat out an infield single earlier in the game to raise his average to .268 with 11 hits in 14 games. Chatham manager Tom Holliday has made Hogan a constant in the middle of his order against right-handers, and with another righty going tonight that approach could stay the same.

Johnny Castagnnozzi went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts against Wareham before Holliday subbed in Kenny Lavari at third base, but Castagnozzi has recorded a base hit in each of the two Y-D games he's played in this season. He hit a home run in the seventh inning of the most recent game, while knocking a single in the second inning of the first meeting between the two teams.

Yarmouth-Dennis Players to Watch

Dominic Keegan has only been in the Red Sox's lineup for three games, starting his first one the day after Y-D and the Anglers last played, but he's already blasted three home runs ' including two in their tie against Harwich on Monday. He appeared in 60 games for Vanderbilt during the Commodores' run to the College World Series final, hitting .345, and is batting .333 with four hits and four RBI for Yarmouth-Dennis as a first baseman and catcher.

Since first appearing in Y-D's lineup on July 15 against Chatham, Crew Robinson has recorded hits in only two of those five games but those hits have driven in six runs. His two-run double in the sixth inning sparked an eight-run stretch over the final two innings in a comeback against Orleans on July 18, following up his ninth-inning grand slam against Bourne two days prior.

Stat to Know ' .285

Yarmouth-Dennis' on-base percentage is the lowest in the CCBL, 12 points behind Hyannis ' the next-lowest team. The Anglers aren't much higher, sitting the third-lowest in the league at .301, but the Red Sox have drawn the fewest walks in the league with 55 through 24 games for an average of 2.29 per game.

Last Time They Played

Chatham scored a season-high eight runs and defeated Yarmouth-Dennis for its first set of back-to-back wins in the 2021 season. Their 8-4 win on July 15 was sealed by back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning from Johnny Castagnozzi and Matt Hogan, and Trevor Martin picked up the win by throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless relief behind Chase Hampton and Cy Nielson.