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Game 34 Preview: Chatham at Orleans
CHATHAM, Mass. — It had been eight days. A long, at times painful, eight days. But the Anglers found a win in a major way on Friday, crushing league-leaders Yarmouth-Dennis 9-1 at Veterans Field for their first victory since July 16.
Now, one of the most important games the A’s have played all season lies ahead. Chatham hits the road to face Orleans — which currently sits seven points behind the Anglers for fourth place in the CCBL’s East Division.
A win would bring the A’s two points closer to their second playoff berth in the last five years.
Here’s what to know about the Firebirds (10-22, East) before they host the Anglers (12-17-3, East) Saturday night at Eldredge Park.
Angel Cervantes (UCLA) has consistently been Chatham’s best starter this season, and he’s slated to get the ball on Saturday. Cervantes hasn’t started a game since July 11, but has pitched to a minuscule 0.48 earned run average in four starts this season, striking out 20 while allowing just one run. He’ll surely give Chatham a good shot to get back in the win column.
On the other end, Joe Nottingham (Georgia) will get the ball for Orleans. It’ll be his first start of the campaign, although he’s made seven relief appearances for the Firebirds, tossing eight combined innings. In that span, he’s given up four runs, five hits and six walks, good for a 4.50 ERA. His 11 strikeouts indicate he has some solid strikeout stuff, but he’s allowed the same number of baserunners — including six walks — through just eight innings this season.
Tyler Myatt (Tennessee) has been one of the Firebirds’ best bats throughout the season, and he kept it up Friday. He knocked a solo homer down the left field line against Brewster. That blast, his sixth homer of the year, tied him for the league lead, while his .849 OPS is still a top-10 mark in the league.
The last time he took on Chatham at Eldredge Park, Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) had one of the best single games of any player in the league this season. Cadiz went 6-for-6 with four RBIs and a home run, leading the Firebirds to a 10-9 victory. Overall, the All-Star is hitting .315 with a .784 OPS and 19 RBIs on the season.
Cole Johnson (Georgia) stole the show for Chatham Friday, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including his first home run of the season. It hasn’t been a particularly strong summer from Johnson, as he’s hitting just .179 with a .569 OPS. But he showed major flashes of consistency at the plate in Friday’s game, and looks to carry that with him into the final stretch of the year.
Although he exited Friday’s game after being hit in the helmet by a pitch, if he’s ready to go, Eddie Marshall (Florida) is another one to watch Saturday. The catcher — who similarly hasn’t had the strongest summer — had a major coming out party Friday, going 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and the RBI hit-by-pitch. He totaled three RBIs on the evening before exiting the game in the sixth inning.
With 307, Orleans leads the league in groundouts by 20. The Firebirds also lead the league with 25 groundouts into double plays, although by just three.
Orleans has been a solid team offensively, ranking fourth in the league with 254 hits, but the Firebirds keep the ball on the ground a lot. That’s what Cervantes aims to do when he’s not striking batters out, so he’ll likely keep the ball in the infield throughout Saturday’s contest.
These divisional rivals most recently squared off on July 12, when the Firebirds came to Veterans Field and snuck away with a 5-4 win.
Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist) got the start, tossing 4.1 innings of one-run ball. He got some early run support after Ty Peeples’ (Florida State) RBI single, allowing him to exit the game in line for the win. In the fifth, Junior Lauaki (Georgia) knocked the first of his four home runs for Chatham, which was promptly answered by Bub Terrell’s (Auburn) solo blast of his own. It was the first of three hits for Terrell, who finished a single shy of the cycle that evening.
The A’s didn’t trail until the eighth, when Orleans put two runs across, but Chatham tied the game up with two runs of its own in the bottom of the eighth. The Firebirds managed to score the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, though, handing Chatham the loss.
Now, one of the most important games the A’s have played all season lies ahead. Chatham hits the road to face Orleans — which currently sits seven points behind the Anglers for fourth place in the CCBL’s East Division.
A win would bring the A’s two points closer to their second playoff berth in the last five years.
Here’s what to know about the Firebirds (10-22, East) before they host the Anglers (12-17-3, East) Saturday night at Eldredge Park.
Probable Starters
Angel Cervantes (UCLA) has consistently been Chatham’s best starter this season, and he’s slated to get the ball on Saturday. Cervantes hasn’t started a game since July 11, but has pitched to a minuscule 0.48 earned run average in four starts this season, striking out 20 while allowing just one run. He’ll surely give Chatham a good shot to get back in the win column.
On the other end, Joe Nottingham (Georgia) will get the ball for Orleans. It’ll be his first start of the campaign, although he’s made seven relief appearances for the Firebirds, tossing eight combined innings. In that span, he’s given up four runs, five hits and six walks, good for a 4.50 ERA. His 11 strikeouts indicate he has some solid strikeout stuff, but he’s allowed the same number of baserunners — including six walks — through just eight innings this season.
Orleans Players To Watch
Tyler Myatt (Tennessee) has been one of the Firebirds’ best bats throughout the season, and he kept it up Friday. He knocked a solo homer down the left field line against Brewster. That blast, his sixth homer of the year, tied him for the league lead, while his .849 OPS is still a top-10 mark in the league.
The last time he took on Chatham at Eldredge Park, Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) had one of the best single games of any player in the league this season. Cadiz went 6-for-6 with four RBIs and a home run, leading the Firebirds to a 10-9 victory. Overall, the All-Star is hitting .315 with a .784 OPS and 19 RBIs on the season.
Chatham Players To Watch
Cole Johnson (Georgia) stole the show for Chatham Friday, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including his first home run of the season. It hasn’t been a particularly strong summer from Johnson, as he’s hitting just .179 with a .569 OPS. But he showed major flashes of consistency at the plate in Friday’s game, and looks to carry that with him into the final stretch of the year.
Although he exited Friday’s game after being hit in the helmet by a pitch, if he’s ready to go, Eddie Marshall (Florida) is another one to watch Saturday. The catcher — who similarly hasn’t had the strongest summer — had a major coming out party Friday, going 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and the RBI hit-by-pitch. He totaled three RBIs on the evening before exiting the game in the sixth inning.
Number To Know: 307
With 307, Orleans leads the league in groundouts by 20. The Firebirds also lead the league with 25 groundouts into double plays, although by just three.
Orleans has been a solid team offensively, ranking fourth in the league with 254 hits, but the Firebirds keep the ball on the ground a lot. That’s what Cervantes aims to do when he’s not striking batters out, so he’ll likely keep the ball in the infield throughout Saturday’s contest.
Last Time They Played
These divisional rivals most recently squared off on July 12, when the Firebirds came to Veterans Field and snuck away with a 5-4 win.
Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist) got the start, tossing 4.1 innings of one-run ball. He got some early run support after Ty Peeples’ (Florida State) RBI single, allowing him to exit the game in line for the win. In the fifth, Junior Lauaki (Georgia) knocked the first of his four home runs for Chatham, which was promptly answered by Bub Terrell’s (Auburn) solo blast of his own. It was the first of three hits for Terrell, who finished a single shy of the cycle that evening.
The A’s didn’t trail until the eighth, when Orleans put two runs across, but Chatham tied the game up with two runs of its own in the bottom of the eighth. The Firebirds managed to score the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, though, handing Chatham the loss.
