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Game 35 Preview: Chatham vs. Harwich
CHATHAM, Mass. — Over the past two games, Chatham’s offense has looked better than it has all summer. After getting two-hit by Falmouth Thursday, the Anglers responded by hanging nine runs on Yarmouth-Dennis, the East Division leaders, on Friday.
The A’s had fun against the Red Sox. They brought out a personal speaker to batting practice, played Pepper pregame, and ignited for 13 hits — three of them for Cole Johnson (Georgia) — as a result.
And the fun continued Saturday. Chatham, which ranks fourth in the East Division, got one step closer to sealing a playoff spot with a 12-4 win over Orleans, in which the A’s erupted for 15 hits.
Now, the Anglers have a chance to keep the fun rolling at Veterans Field, when they host a Harwich squad that just snapped a six-game losing streak. Here’s everything to know before Chatham (13-17-3, East) hosts Harwich (18-16, West) Sunday.
Kaysen Ranieri (Texas Tech) will get the start for Chatham, his second of the summer. The right-hander has made just two appearances for the A’s since his arrival on the Cape, and they were two polar opposite outings. In his Chatham debut against Yarmouth-Dennis on July 14, he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. But in his first start, July 20 against Hyannis, he tossed two innings and gave up three runs and five baserunners. Chatham hopes it’ll get the best of Raineri Sunday.
Harwich starter Colin Lebel (George Washington) has made just one appearance for the Mariners this summer, and it didn’t go too well. He pitched two innings against Wareham on July 20, giving up two runs and four baserunners for a 9.00 earned run average. He showed promise in his freshman year at George Washington, though, allowing just 12 runs in 33.1 innings and striking out 28.
The last time the A’s faced off against Harwich, Mariners outfielder Colin Larson (Boston College) was the focal point, entering the game with the CCBL’s best OPS. Now, he doesn’t even have the best OPS on his team. Harwich infielder Tyler Smolinski (Kansas State) has surpassed him, sporting a .854 OPS. Smolinski is the Mariners’ strongest slugger, leading them with a .529 slugging percentage and six homers — tied for second on the Cape.
But after him, Cade Kurland (LSU) might be the Mariners’ next-hottest hitter. The Harwich second baseman ranks third among qualified Mariners with a .732 OPS, and his 18.2% strikeout rate is the second-lowest mark among qualified Mariners. Six days ago, he earned Cape League Player of the Week honors, recording a 1.237 across 19 at bats from July 12-18.
If LSU fans keep an eye on Kurland, they’ll get a sneak peek of what the Tigers’ infield might look like next season. If they keep an eye on the home dugout, they’ll get a sneak peek of what the Tigers’ outfield might look like next season. Bino Watters (LSU), the highly-touted Notre Dame transfer, has been Chatham’s most consistent hitter all summer. He leads the A’s with 36 hits — the only Angler with over 30 — and his .333 average also leads the team by a mile.
Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State), much like the rest of Chatham’s offense, has never looked as good at the plate as he did Thursday against Orleans. The Anglers catcher knocked four hits, all singles, in five at bats against the Firebirds. He also scored three runs on the day. And his OPS, which sat at a paltry .437 entering the game, jumped up over 50 points after the performance.
There are two teams in the Cape Cod Baseball League who have had at least 70 stolen bases in the past two summers. One of them is the Brewster Whitecaps, who currently rank second in the CCBL with a total of 80 stolen bases this summer.
The other is the Harwich Mariners, who blow every other team on the Cape out of the water in this specific department with 97 stolen bases. They have the Cape’s most prolific basestealer, Larson, who leads the league with 17 steals. Not far behind him is J.P. Peltier (Kentucky), who has swiped 16 bags this summer thus far. Chatham, conversely, has no batters with more than 12 steals, which exemplifies the discrepancy on the basepaths between these teams.
For Chatham, Angel Cervantes (UCLA) took the mound on July 11, the last time these two squads faced off. He was stellar, tossing five shutout innings, and the Anglers nearly snuck out of Whitehouse Field with a 1-0 victory — despite getting no-hit through nine frames.
Unfortunately, their lead unraveled in the ninth. Cook pulled Tate Carey (Michigan) out of the game, and replaced him with Collins Black (NC State). Then, Black gave up a game-tying single to Kevin Milewski (Mississippi State), and the game went into extras. Chatham broke the no-hitter and took a 2-1 lead in the frame, but Harwich scored two runs in the bottom of the frame to walk off the A’s.
“I just don't think they executed worth a damn, honestly,” Cook said postgame.
The A’s had fun against the Red Sox. They brought out a personal speaker to batting practice, played Pepper pregame, and ignited for 13 hits — three of them for Cole Johnson (Georgia) — as a result.
And the fun continued Saturday. Chatham, which ranks fourth in the East Division, got one step closer to sealing a playoff spot with a 12-4 win over Orleans, in which the A’s erupted for 15 hits.
Now, the Anglers have a chance to keep the fun rolling at Veterans Field, when they host a Harwich squad that just snapped a six-game losing streak. Here’s everything to know before Chatham (13-17-3, East) hosts Harwich (18-16, West) Sunday.
Probable Starters
Kaysen Ranieri (Texas Tech) will get the start for Chatham, his second of the summer. The right-hander has made just two appearances for the A’s since his arrival on the Cape, and they were two polar opposite outings. In his Chatham debut against Yarmouth-Dennis on July 14, he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. But in his first start, July 20 against Hyannis, he tossed two innings and gave up three runs and five baserunners. Chatham hopes it’ll get the best of Raineri Sunday.
Harwich starter Colin Lebel (George Washington) has made just one appearance for the Mariners this summer, and it didn’t go too well. He pitched two innings against Wareham on July 20, giving up two runs and four baserunners for a 9.00 earned run average. He showed promise in his freshman year at George Washington, though, allowing just 12 runs in 33.1 innings and striking out 28.
Harwich Players To Watch
The last time the A’s faced off against Harwich, Mariners outfielder Colin Larson (Boston College) was the focal point, entering the game with the CCBL’s best OPS. Now, he doesn’t even have the best OPS on his team. Harwich infielder Tyler Smolinski (Kansas State) has surpassed him, sporting a .854 OPS. Smolinski is the Mariners’ strongest slugger, leading them with a .529 slugging percentage and six homers — tied for second on the Cape.
But after him, Cade Kurland (LSU) might be the Mariners’ next-hottest hitter. The Harwich second baseman ranks third among qualified Mariners with a .732 OPS, and his 18.2% strikeout rate is the second-lowest mark among qualified Mariners. Six days ago, he earned Cape League Player of the Week honors, recording a 1.237 across 19 at bats from July 12-18.
Chatham Players To Watch
If LSU fans keep an eye on Kurland, they’ll get a sneak peek of what the Tigers’ infield might look like next season. If they keep an eye on the home dugout, they’ll get a sneak peek of what the Tigers’ outfield might look like next season. Bino Watters (LSU), the highly-touted Notre Dame transfer, has been Chatham’s most consistent hitter all summer. He leads the A’s with 36 hits — the only Angler with over 30 — and his .333 average also leads the team by a mile.
Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State), much like the rest of Chatham’s offense, has never looked as good at the plate as he did Thursday against Orleans. The Anglers catcher knocked four hits, all singles, in five at bats against the Firebirds. He also scored three runs on the day. And his OPS, which sat at a paltry .437 entering the game, jumped up over 50 points after the performance.
Number To Know: 97
There are two teams in the Cape Cod Baseball League who have had at least 70 stolen bases in the past two summers. One of them is the Brewster Whitecaps, who currently rank second in the CCBL with a total of 80 stolen bases this summer.
The other is the Harwich Mariners, who blow every other team on the Cape out of the water in this specific department with 97 stolen bases. They have the Cape’s most prolific basestealer, Larson, who leads the league with 17 steals. Not far behind him is J.P. Peltier (Kentucky), who has swiped 16 bags this summer thus far. Chatham, conversely, has no batters with more than 12 steals, which exemplifies the discrepancy on the basepaths between these teams.
Last Time They Played
For Chatham, Angel Cervantes (UCLA) took the mound on July 11, the last time these two squads faced off. He was stellar, tossing five shutout innings, and the Anglers nearly snuck out of Whitehouse Field with a 1-0 victory — despite getting no-hit through nine frames.
Unfortunately, their lead unraveled in the ninth. Cook pulled Tate Carey (Michigan) out of the game, and replaced him with Collins Black (NC State). Then, Black gave up a game-tying single to Kevin Milewski (Mississippi State), and the game went into extras. Chatham broke the no-hitter and took a 2-1 lead in the frame, but Harwich scored two runs in the bottom of the frame to walk off the A’s.
“I just don't think they executed worth a damn, honestly,” Cook said postgame.
