Scraps from Eastwood: Scrappers Settle-In As Arms and Bats Heat Up
It took 28 games and just a little over a month of being together, but Mahoning Valley Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak has finally noticed his young team catching on to the professional baseball lifestyle.
"We're starting to get what it takes to play this game every day, which has taken a while," he said. "The guys are responding better with the stuff that we instilled here with all the schedules. They just seem more comfortable out there."
After suffering an eight-game losing streak from July 4-11 to drop to 8-20, the Scrappers responded by winning seven of their last nine contests. They recently went 5-1 on a home stand that began on Wednesday and wrapped up Monday with a three-game sweep of Aberdeen.
Now with his guys in a groove, Kubiak simply want to "stay out of the way."
"We're trying to get them in a frame of mind and just keep them going where they are," he said. "From the last couple of nights, I'm happy where we are right now. We're in the right frame of mind and I don't want that to change.
"Hopefully we can continue that. We'll see on the road. We're going against two good clubs."
At 15-22 and suddenly just five games out of a wild card spot, Mahoning Valley travels to State College (26-11) for two games (the first being tonight at 7:05 p.m.) before heading to Williamsport (18-19) for three.
"I feel like as a team, we've all come together and we now know how we all work together," said Scrappers starting pitcher Kieran Lovegrove, who went five scoreless innings in Sunday's 14-3 win. "All in all it's a more comfortable feeling in the clubhouse."
The Scrappers will send right-hander Cameron Hill to the mound tonight against the Spikes. Hill has been solid so far, as he holds a 1.29 ERA through six appearances (five starts).
Still searching for his first-career win, he'll look to duplicate fellow starter Julian Merryweather, who notched five scoreless frames and a victory in Monday night's 7-0 win.
"Everyone's on a good streak right now," Merryweather said. "We're on a good run and we just want to keep that going."
Hot Starts
As the club settles in, the Scrappers starting pitching staff has struck up some friendly competition.
"We're all going out there and trying to be just as good as the last guy," Merryweather said. "We're definitely vibing off each other and keeping it rolling."
In winning seven of the past nine, the Mahoning Valley starters have allowed three-or-fewer runs in all of the victories. That résumé includes two shutouts and one one-run game.
"The starters have just really been phenomenal," Lovegrove said. "Being able to throw strikes has been a big thing for a lot of our guys. Also just getting ahead in the counts and then putting them away and getting groundballs and just trusting the defense, too."
During the stretch, Sean Brady (2-1, 2.52 ERA) earned a victory and Juan Santana (0-4, 3.78) pitched two games where he went five innings and allowed three-or-less runs. Cleveland Indians starter TJ House also pitched five scoreless frames in a rehab start, while Lovegrove (2-2, 4.39) recorded two strong outings.
Lovegrove, who picked up his second victory on Sunday, has managed to settle in after three shaky starts to begin the season.
"Getting those first few out of the way, there were a little nerves and a little bit of anxiousness," he said. "I'm starting to feel comfortable again. Obviously there are parts of the game I want to improve -- and that's what you always need to do -- but I'm happy where it's headed."
Bats Hot Too
Highlighted by a 14-run outburst on Sunday, the Scrappers offense has scored five-or-more runs in eight of the past nine games, including nine-or-more runs in four of the past nine.
Five players are hitting .300-or-better over their past 10 games: Steven Patterson (.318), Francisco Mejia (.311), Leo Castillo (.300), Taylor Murphy (.359) and Yonathan Mendoza (.395).
"It's nice to see them get the hits and hopefully we can continue that and keep it up," Kubiak said. "It definitely makes the nights better."