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Game 17 Preview: Chatham at Orleans
CHATHAM, Mass. — There’s nothing better than America’s pastime on America’s birthday.
On Friday in Orleans, the Anglers and Firebirds will continue their tradition of facing off against each other on the Fourth of July. The matchup arrives a day after Chatham fell to Orleans 4-0 on Thursday at Veterans Field, a game that was ruled final through five innings due to lightning storms in the area.
The A’s and Firebirds are currently neck and neck for the fourth and final East Division playoff spot. Though Orleans has one more win than Chatham, the Anglers’ three ties give them a 15-14 edge in points — the ultimate decider for postseason seeding.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham (6-7-3, East) visits Orleans (7-9, East) for an Independence Day showdown at Eldredge Park.
Luke Jackson (Texas A&M) will make his third start for the A’s this summer on Friday — which will set a team-high among currently-rostered Anglers’ pitchers. In his previous two games, the Aggie product tallied a 2.25 earned run average with six strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP. Opponents are batting .214 against the righty, and he’s allowed just 11 baserunners across 8.0 innings.
The Firebirds, on the other hand, will send a different Luke out to the bump: right-hander Luke Pettitte (Dallas Baptist). In four relief appearances this summer, Pettitte has shown solid stamina, earning 11.2 innings — tied for the second-most on Orleans. Pettitte enters Friday with a 3.86 ERA and a reliable 0.94 WHIP. The 6-foot-2, 223-pounder boasts a perfect strikeout-to-walk ratio, K’ing 15 batters while issuing zero free passes so far.
He’s only been on the Cape for four games, but left fielder Anthony Potestio (San Diego) has already become the Firebirds’ best position player. Though he isn’t a qualified hitter with just 13 at-bats, Potestio is batting .385 with a vicious .556 on-base percentage and a 1.018 OPS. After going 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI against Chatham Thursday, Potestio will surely take the leadoff spot again Friday in the second leg of the home-and-home.
Catcher/outfielder Robbie Lavey (George Washington) also drove in a run against the Anglers Thursday, blasting a third-inning RBI single through the 5-6 gap in Chatham’s infield. Lavey’s split time behind the plate and in the outfield for the Firebirds, tallying 13 appearances thus far. His eight RBI is a team-high for Orleans, and his .435 on-base percentage ranks fifth among all qualified hitters in the CCBL.
Not many people know that a certain university in Evanston, Illinois, produces highly-talented ballplayers. Northwestern’s very own Jackson Freeman is the latest example. Freeman is crushing Cape League pitching, lacing 18 hits across 15 games while his OPS sits at a scorching .933 (the seventh-best total among qualified CCBL hitters). After snapping his eight-game hitting streak against Orleans Thursday, Freeman is primed for a bounce back.
Someone who’s due for a big game is catcher/first baseman Chase Fralick (Auburn). He entered this summer as one of the more highly-touted A’s players following a freshman season with the Tigers where he batted .335 in 212 at-bats. However, Fralick has left a bit to be desired through nine games in Chatham, totaling a .241 batting average with seven hits and two RBI. Fralick brings too much to the table not to break out eventually, so look out for him Friday at Eldredge Park.
The talent Cook brought in this summer is coming to fruition for the Anglers in a major way. Through 16 games, Chatham houses three of the CCBL’s top 10 OPS leaders — more than any team on the Cape.
Daniel Jackson (Georgia), Freeman and Henry Ford (Tennessee) carry OPS totals of 1.000, .933 and .880, respectively. Jackson’s team-best OPS ranks second among qualified hitters in the East Division. With star power like this, the A’s offense has established themselves as one of the best groups on the Cape, currently averaging 4.9 runs per game.
In the first game of a home-and-home series, Chatham’s offense got held to two hits in its 4-0 loss to Orleans. Firebirds’ starting pitcher JT Raab tossed 3.2 scoreless frames with five strikeouts, setting the tone for the A’s difficult night at the dish. While Chatham righty Nate Taylor (Georgia/transfer) delivered a respectable four-K outing, he gave up two runs across three innings, giving Orleans all the cushion it needed in a lightning-shortened contest.
After a two-game winning streak helped claw them back to an even record, the loss dropped the Anglers below the .500 mark.
On Friday in Orleans, the Anglers and Firebirds will continue their tradition of facing off against each other on the Fourth of July. The matchup arrives a day after Chatham fell to Orleans 4-0 on Thursday at Veterans Field, a game that was ruled final through five innings due to lightning storms in the area.
The A’s and Firebirds are currently neck and neck for the fourth and final East Division playoff spot. Though Orleans has one more win than Chatham, the Anglers’ three ties give them a 15-14 edge in points — the ultimate decider for postseason seeding.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham (6-7-3, East) visits Orleans (7-9, East) for an Independence Day showdown at Eldredge Park.
Probable Starters
Luke Jackson (Texas A&M) will make his third start for the A’s this summer on Friday — which will set a team-high among currently-rostered Anglers’ pitchers. In his previous two games, the Aggie product tallied a 2.25 earned run average with six strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP. Opponents are batting .214 against the righty, and he’s allowed just 11 baserunners across 8.0 innings.
The Firebirds, on the other hand, will send a different Luke out to the bump: right-hander Luke Pettitte (Dallas Baptist). In four relief appearances this summer, Pettitte has shown solid stamina, earning 11.2 innings — tied for the second-most on Orleans. Pettitte enters Friday with a 3.86 ERA and a reliable 0.94 WHIP. The 6-foot-2, 223-pounder boasts a perfect strikeout-to-walk ratio, K’ing 15 batters while issuing zero free passes so far.
Orleans Players To Watch
He’s only been on the Cape for four games, but left fielder Anthony Potestio (San Diego) has already become the Firebirds’ best position player. Though he isn’t a qualified hitter with just 13 at-bats, Potestio is batting .385 with a vicious .556 on-base percentage and a 1.018 OPS. After going 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI against Chatham Thursday, Potestio will surely take the leadoff spot again Friday in the second leg of the home-and-home.
Catcher/outfielder Robbie Lavey (George Washington) also drove in a run against the Anglers Thursday, blasting a third-inning RBI single through the 5-6 gap in Chatham’s infield. Lavey’s split time behind the plate and in the outfield for the Firebirds, tallying 13 appearances thus far. His eight RBI is a team-high for Orleans, and his .435 on-base percentage ranks fifth among all qualified hitters in the CCBL.
Chatham Players To Watch
Not many people know that a certain university in Evanston, Illinois, produces highly-talented ballplayers. Northwestern’s very own Jackson Freeman is the latest example. Freeman is crushing Cape League pitching, lacing 18 hits across 15 games while his OPS sits at a scorching .933 (the seventh-best total among qualified CCBL hitters). After snapping his eight-game hitting streak against Orleans Thursday, Freeman is primed for a bounce back.
Someone who’s due for a big game is catcher/first baseman Chase Fralick (Auburn). He entered this summer as one of the more highly-touted A’s players following a freshman season with the Tigers where he batted .335 in 212 at-bats. However, Fralick has left a bit to be desired through nine games in Chatham, totaling a .241 batting average with seven hits and two RBI. Fralick brings too much to the table not to break out eventually, so look out for him Friday at Eldredge Park.
Number To Know: 3
The talent Cook brought in this summer is coming to fruition for the Anglers in a major way. Through 16 games, Chatham houses three of the CCBL’s top 10 OPS leaders — more than any team on the Cape.
Daniel Jackson (Georgia), Freeman and Henry Ford (Tennessee) carry OPS totals of 1.000, .933 and .880, respectively. Jackson’s team-best OPS ranks second among qualified hitters in the East Division. With star power like this, the A’s offense has established themselves as one of the best groups on the Cape, currently averaging 4.9 runs per game.
Last Time They Played
In the first game of a home-and-home series, Chatham’s offense got held to two hits in its 4-0 loss to Orleans. Firebirds’ starting pitcher JT Raab tossed 3.2 scoreless frames with five strikeouts, setting the tone for the A’s difficult night at the dish. While Chatham righty Nate Taylor (Georgia/transfer) delivered a respectable four-K outing, he gave up two runs across three innings, giving Orleans all the cushion it needed in a lightning-shortened contest.
After a two-game winning streak helped claw them back to an even record, the loss dropped the Anglers below the .500 mark.
