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Chatham allows early flurry to Orleans, loses 5-2 in fog-shortened game
CHATHAM, Mass. — Inexperience floods the Anglers’ roster. It’s by design. First-year manager Dennis Cook wanted to construct a team filled with guys who have something to prove and are hungry to work on their craft day in and day out.
But, as Cook’s learned, that’s not an easy task in the modern Cape Cod Baseball League.
Players are influenced by a variety of factors that shorten their stays on the Cape, including transfer-portal visits and arbitrary innings limits — an idea Cook vehemently disagrees with.
“We got guys with 20 innings (from the spring) that are having two appearances and leaving,” Cook said on Wednesday. “That makes no sense to me.”
Like every other CCBL squad, Chatham’s seen tons of roster turnover on its pitching staff. Its preseason roster only featured two hurlers who made 10 or more collegiate starts this past spring; the A’s were already working with guys who needed innings. So, it frustrates Cook that he’s watched such an abundance of players leave Chatham after only a few frames of work.
“You got a guy that pitched in the big leagues for 10 years and another guy that pitched a little bit in the big leagues that can help these kids,” Cook said, referring to him and A’s pitching coach Jay Powell, both of whom are World Series-winning relievers. “And they want to come in, get two outings and leave.”
Twenty-three pitchers have taken the mound for Chatham in 2025. The only one who Cook said had a sound excuse for their early exit is righty JT Quinn (Georgia), a soon-to-be high MLB Draft selection. Because of all the A’s turnover, rough starts on the mound are more common.
Saturday was the Anglers’ latest work-in-progress showing on the bump, as Chatham (9-11-3, East) stumbled early and fell to Orleans (10-11-2, East) 5-2 at Veterans Field. A’s starting pitcher JJ Glasscock (West Virginia) gave up four earned runs in the first inning and five overall in 3.0 frames, and Chatham couldn’t answer the Firebirds’ early flurry before the game was ruled final after the fifth inning due to immense fog.
The Anglers now rank second-to-last in the CCBL with a 4.71 team earned run average. At the start of the season, their pitching carried them. Now, it’s the polar opposite. Chatham’s recent wins have come from its unabating offense, and it has often lost contests due to blow-up innings on the bump.
For Cook, he just wishes he could get more time with his pitchers, so he could guide their summer development through the ups and downs rather than watch them leave. He’ll surely hope Saturday’s loss doesn’t inspire either of the A’s arms who threw against Orleans — Glasscock and right-hander Mason Bixby (Oklahoma) — to also make an early exit.
“It’s just frustrating when guys leave when they got a chance to be better,” Cook said.
The evening began with a picture-perfect setting. As the Anglers hosted a First Responders Appreciation Night with a ceremonial Coast Guard flyover, a United States flag draped above the firehouse beyond the right-field fence — overlooking a raucous Veterans Field faithful whose faces glistened in the sun beaming downward.
It was a scene that couldn’t have been more ideal to pitch in. Then the game’s first pitch bounced off the right leg of Orleans leadoff hitter Anthony Potestio, and for Chatham, everything went downhill from there.
Glasscock issued a walk to Firebirds’ second baseman Luke Nixon before shortstop Elijah Ickes cleared the bags with a two-RBI double. Two pitches later, Orleans cleanup batter Robbie Lavey pummeled a fastball over the heart of the plate deep over the right-center field wall. The Anglers trailed 4-0 before they could snare an out.
In hindsight, that essentially was all she wrote. Chatham got put in a wringer against Orleans right-handed starter Luke Pettitte. Pettitte allowed four earned runs against the A’s in his last start on July 4, three of which courtesy of a three-run homer by Jackson Freeman (Northwestern). On Saturday, though, the Anglers didn’t plate their first run until the fifth inning.
Only Noah Miller (Michigan) drove in a run against Pettitte, which he did on a two-out single in the fifth. And after the Firebirds swapped Pettitte for southpaw Cole Tryba, Freeman drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the Anglers’ deficit from 5-0 to 5-2.
However, the impact of Chatham’s fifth-inning offense was short-lived. A dreaded avalanche of fog rolled into Veterans Field, forcing the umpires to rule the contest final due to the unplayable fog conditions.
Even though the Anglers were materializing a valiant comeback try, they began in an extremely difficult position, down 4-0 almost instantly. What Cook appreciates about Glasscock, though, is that he’s here putting in the necessary work.
After Chatham dropped a road contest to Brewster 2-0 on Wednesday, Cook lamented college baseball’s modern landscape. He understands if a player is about to get drafted by a MLB franchise or if their college coach is calling for them to return to campus, but Cook misses the days when guys came to the Cape with a plan they’d be in for a lengthy stay.
Right-handed pitcher Austin Breedlove (Tennessee/transfer) made his second start of the summer against the Whitecaps Wednesday, and while the A’s lost, he was the hero — posting a vicious final line of 5.0 innings pitched, three Ks and zero runs allowed.
Postgame, Cook didn’t have much to say about how Breedlove’s execution changed from start one to start two. All he could think about was that it was Breedlove’s final day, a reality Cook wasn’t very pleased with.
“He needs to stay and pitch. That’s what I think of it,” Cook said. “They all need to stay here. None of the pitchers had enough innings throughout the year, other than Tate Carey (Michigan), and he wants to stay. That’s the ironic thing about it: he wants to stay because he feels like he’s getting better. But we’re not going to beg anybody to stay.”
But, as Cook’s learned, that’s not an easy task in the modern Cape Cod Baseball League.
Players are influenced by a variety of factors that shorten their stays on the Cape, including transfer-portal visits and arbitrary innings limits — an idea Cook vehemently disagrees with.
“We got guys with 20 innings (from the spring) that are having two appearances and leaving,” Cook said on Wednesday. “That makes no sense to me.”
Like every other CCBL squad, Chatham’s seen tons of roster turnover on its pitching staff. Its preseason roster only featured two hurlers who made 10 or more collegiate starts this past spring; the A’s were already working with guys who needed innings. So, it frustrates Cook that he’s watched such an abundance of players leave Chatham after only a few frames of work.
“You got a guy that pitched in the big leagues for 10 years and another guy that pitched a little bit in the big leagues that can help these kids,” Cook said, referring to him and A’s pitching coach Jay Powell, both of whom are World Series-winning relievers. “And they want to come in, get two outings and leave.”
Twenty-three pitchers have taken the mound for Chatham in 2025. The only one who Cook said had a sound excuse for their early exit is righty JT Quinn (Georgia), a soon-to-be high MLB Draft selection. Because of all the A’s turnover, rough starts on the mound are more common.
Saturday was the Anglers’ latest work-in-progress showing on the bump, as Chatham (9-11-3, East) stumbled early and fell to Orleans (10-11-2, East) 5-2 at Veterans Field. A’s starting pitcher JJ Glasscock (West Virginia) gave up four earned runs in the first inning and five overall in 3.0 frames, and Chatham couldn’t answer the Firebirds’ early flurry before the game was ruled final after the fifth inning due to immense fog.
The Anglers now rank second-to-last in the CCBL with a 4.71 team earned run average. At the start of the season, their pitching carried them. Now, it’s the polar opposite. Chatham’s recent wins have come from its unabating offense, and it has often lost contests due to blow-up innings on the bump.
For Cook, he just wishes he could get more time with his pitchers, so he could guide their summer development through the ups and downs rather than watch them leave. He’ll surely hope Saturday’s loss doesn’t inspire either of the A’s arms who threw against Orleans — Glasscock and right-hander Mason Bixby (Oklahoma) — to also make an early exit.
“It’s just frustrating when guys leave when they got a chance to be better,” Cook said.
The evening began with a picture-perfect setting. As the Anglers hosted a First Responders Appreciation Night with a ceremonial Coast Guard flyover, a United States flag draped above the firehouse beyond the right-field fence — overlooking a raucous Veterans Field faithful whose faces glistened in the sun beaming downward.
It was a scene that couldn’t have been more ideal to pitch in. Then the game’s first pitch bounced off the right leg of Orleans leadoff hitter Anthony Potestio, and for Chatham, everything went downhill from there.
Glasscock issued a walk to Firebirds’ second baseman Luke Nixon before shortstop Elijah Ickes cleared the bags with a two-RBI double. Two pitches later, Orleans cleanup batter Robbie Lavey pummeled a fastball over the heart of the plate deep over the right-center field wall. The Anglers trailed 4-0 before they could snare an out.
In hindsight, that essentially was all she wrote. Chatham got put in a wringer against Orleans right-handed starter Luke Pettitte. Pettitte allowed four earned runs against the A’s in his last start on July 4, three of which courtesy of a three-run homer by Jackson Freeman (Northwestern). On Saturday, though, the Anglers didn’t plate their first run until the fifth inning.
Only Noah Miller (Michigan) drove in a run against Pettitte, which he did on a two-out single in the fifth. And after the Firebirds swapped Pettitte for southpaw Cole Tryba, Freeman drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the Anglers’ deficit from 5-0 to 5-2.
However, the impact of Chatham’s fifth-inning offense was short-lived. A dreaded avalanche of fog rolled into Veterans Field, forcing the umpires to rule the contest final due to the unplayable fog conditions.
Even though the Anglers were materializing a valiant comeback try, they began in an extremely difficult position, down 4-0 almost instantly. What Cook appreciates about Glasscock, though, is that he’s here putting in the necessary work.
After Chatham dropped a road contest to Brewster 2-0 on Wednesday, Cook lamented college baseball’s modern landscape. He understands if a player is about to get drafted by a MLB franchise or if their college coach is calling for them to return to campus, but Cook misses the days when guys came to the Cape with a plan they’d be in for a lengthy stay.
Right-handed pitcher Austin Breedlove (Tennessee/transfer) made his second start of the summer against the Whitecaps Wednesday, and while the A’s lost, he was the hero — posting a vicious final line of 5.0 innings pitched, three Ks and zero runs allowed.
Postgame, Cook didn’t have much to say about how Breedlove’s execution changed from start one to start two. All he could think about was that it was Breedlove’s final day, a reality Cook wasn’t very pleased with.
“He needs to stay and pitch. That’s what I think of it,” Cook said. “They all need to stay here. None of the pitchers had enough innings throughout the year, other than Tate Carey (Michigan), and he wants to stay. That’s the ironic thing about it: he wants to stay because he feels like he’s getting better. But we’re not going to beg anybody to stay.”
