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Game 13 Preview: Chatham at Wareham
CHATHAM, Mass. — The Anglers needed all the help they could get to push themselves over the .500 mark.
Literally. Chatham squandered a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh against Hyannis Saturday, but thanks to the fog rolling in over top of Veterans Field, the A’s were able to escape with a win. Now, they sit with six wins, five losses and one tie, putting them squarely in position to make the playoffs with 28 games to go.
Unfortunately for the A’s, the fog assistance isn’t something they can rely on Sunday. The Anglers (6-5-1, East) will trek as far away from Chatham as they possibly can to take on Wareham (3-8, West) at Spillane Field for the second time this year.
Here’s everything to know ahead of the A’s road matchup against the Gatemen.
This was originally going to be Chatham lefty Colin Fisher's (Arkansas) third start of the summer, but he's since been replaced by Jack Gleason (Mississippi State). Gleason hasn't started a game for the A's yet, but he had a 5.13 earned run average in 26.1 innings for the Bulldogs last year. He tossed 1.1 innings in his Chatham debut out of the bullpen, and didn't allow a run in that appearance. He had two walks in the outing, but Cook isn't worried about Gleason's command. It's early, after all.
"They just hadn't been on the mound in a competitive environment," Cook said Friday, referring to Duke Stone (Mississippi State) and Gleason. "I ain't worried about Duke or Gleason."
On the other end, Jordan Stephens (South Carolina) hasn’t made a start yet for Wareham. In fact, he’s only tossed one inning for the Gatemen, but he struggled to find a balance with his command as well in that appearance. He gave up one run — albeit unearned — walked two and struck out two as well. The righty struggled to a 7.85 ERA in his 17 appearances at Georgia this past spring, but perhaps the Gatemen can get him on track before his junior year.
The list of strong hitters featured in Wareham’s lineup is far from plentiful, but Jason Wachs (LSU) is certainly one to pay attention to in the outfield. His .270 average and .723 OPS aren’t anything too remarkable, but both marks are second among the Gatemen’s qualified hitters. Wachs has been heating up even more recently, racking up nine hits for a .474 batting average across his last five games for Wareham.
Coen Niclai (Arizona State) is the only one of those qualified hitters who is good enough to supplant Wachs. He’s totaled 29 at bats this summer, and his .841 OPS in those opportunities sits well over 100 points higher than Wachs. He leads Wareham with three home runs this summer, and his 13 runs batted in total is just one shy of Chatham’s Cooper Neville (Alabama) for the league lead.
He hasn’t been here the whole summer, but Bino Watters (LSU) has quickly made an impact in Chatham’s lineup. Watters has scored eight runs in his time with the A’s thus far, which is tied with Neville for the team lead. The bat hasn’t caught up yet — evidenced by his subpar .207 batting average — but his plate discipline has allowed him to reach base at a .368 clip, which currently ranks third among qualified Anglers.
It took him until Chatham’s tenth game of the summer to find his first hit, but since then, it seems that Korbin Reynolds (Vanderbilt) is heating up. The Anglers backstop has smacked three extra-base hits in his past four games, good for a 1.227 OPS in that span. His season OPS, which once sat below .300 a few games ago, has now jumped up to .742. And Saturday, he hit his first homer — also Chatham’s first Veterans Field homer — of the summer.
Chatham has 62 runs scored thus far, a mark that’s good for third in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Pretty good, right? It’s certainly better than the Wareham squad that the Anglers are set to square off against for the second time this Sunday.
The Gatemen have plated 40 runs in their 12 games this season, a figure that ranks dead last among CCBL teams. They’re just not putting up competitive at bats. Their 44 walks — ranks ninth — and .297 slugging percentage — also ninth — are just symptoms of the issue.
Someone had to walk out with a win. It was a matchup of the league’s two winless teams on June 15. Wareham had played just two games then, and it suffered two shutout losses in both of them. Chatham had fared better, but barely, putting up a combined three runs in defeats to Bourne and Cotuit. No matter what happened, someone’s dubious streak would end.
As it turns out, it was the Gatemen. Chatham became the Cape’s last winless team in the defeat, scoring in the first before going silent in the game’s next five innings. Oliver Pudvar (UConn) got the start for Chatham, but gave up four runs in his four innings of work. The A’s rallied late to cut the deficit to one, but they didn’t do enough to secure the win.
“They got the base hit with runners in scoring position, and we didn't,” Cook said. “That's the difference.”
Literally. Chatham squandered a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh against Hyannis Saturday, but thanks to the fog rolling in over top of Veterans Field, the A’s were able to escape with a win. Now, they sit with six wins, five losses and one tie, putting them squarely in position to make the playoffs with 28 games to go.
Unfortunately for the A’s, the fog assistance isn’t something they can rely on Sunday. The Anglers (6-5-1, East) will trek as far away from Chatham as they possibly can to take on Wareham (3-8, West) at Spillane Field for the second time this year.
Here’s everything to know ahead of the A’s road matchup against the Gatemen.
Probable Starters
This was originally going to be Chatham lefty Colin Fisher's (Arkansas) third start of the summer, but he's since been replaced by Jack Gleason (Mississippi State). Gleason hasn't started a game for the A's yet, but he had a 5.13 earned run average in 26.1 innings for the Bulldogs last year. He tossed 1.1 innings in his Chatham debut out of the bullpen, and didn't allow a run in that appearance. He had two walks in the outing, but Cook isn't worried about Gleason's command. It's early, after all.
"They just hadn't been on the mound in a competitive environment," Cook said Friday, referring to Duke Stone (Mississippi State) and Gleason. "I ain't worried about Duke or Gleason."
On the other end, Jordan Stephens (South Carolina) hasn’t made a start yet for Wareham. In fact, he’s only tossed one inning for the Gatemen, but he struggled to find a balance with his command as well in that appearance. He gave up one run — albeit unearned — walked two and struck out two as well. The righty struggled to a 7.85 ERA in his 17 appearances at Georgia this past spring, but perhaps the Gatemen can get him on track before his junior year.
Wareham Players To Watch
The list of strong hitters featured in Wareham’s lineup is far from plentiful, but Jason Wachs (LSU) is certainly one to pay attention to in the outfield. His .270 average and .723 OPS aren’t anything too remarkable, but both marks are second among the Gatemen’s qualified hitters. Wachs has been heating up even more recently, racking up nine hits for a .474 batting average across his last five games for Wareham.
Coen Niclai (Arizona State) is the only one of those qualified hitters who is good enough to supplant Wachs. He’s totaled 29 at bats this summer, and his .841 OPS in those opportunities sits well over 100 points higher than Wachs. He leads Wareham with three home runs this summer, and his 13 runs batted in total is just one shy of Chatham’s Cooper Neville (Alabama) for the league lead.
Chatham Players To Watch
He hasn’t been here the whole summer, but Bino Watters (LSU) has quickly made an impact in Chatham’s lineup. Watters has scored eight runs in his time with the A’s thus far, which is tied with Neville for the team lead. The bat hasn’t caught up yet — evidenced by his subpar .207 batting average — but his plate discipline has allowed him to reach base at a .368 clip, which currently ranks third among qualified Anglers.
It took him until Chatham’s tenth game of the summer to find his first hit, but since then, it seems that Korbin Reynolds (Vanderbilt) is heating up. The Anglers backstop has smacked three extra-base hits in his past four games, good for a 1.227 OPS in that span. His season OPS, which once sat below .300 a few games ago, has now jumped up to .742. And Saturday, he hit his first homer — also Chatham’s first Veterans Field homer — of the summer.
Number To Know: 40
Chatham has 62 runs scored thus far, a mark that’s good for third in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Pretty good, right? It’s certainly better than the Wareham squad that the Anglers are set to square off against for the second time this Sunday.
The Gatemen have plated 40 runs in their 12 games this season, a figure that ranks dead last among CCBL teams. They’re just not putting up competitive at bats. Their 44 walks — ranks ninth — and .297 slugging percentage — also ninth — are just symptoms of the issue.
Last Time They Played
Someone had to walk out with a win. It was a matchup of the league’s two winless teams on June 15. Wareham had played just two games then, and it suffered two shutout losses in both of them. Chatham had fared better, but barely, putting up a combined three runs in defeats to Bourne and Cotuit. No matter what happened, someone’s dubious streak would end.
As it turns out, it was the Gatemen. Chatham became the Cape’s last winless team in the defeat, scoring in the first before going silent in the game’s next five innings. Oliver Pudvar (UConn) got the start for Chatham, but gave up four runs in his four innings of work. The A’s rallied late to cut the deficit to one, but they didn’t do enough to secure the win.
“They got the base hit with runners in scoring position, and we didn't,” Cook said. “That's the difference.”
