Today’s Game
Opponent: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Probable starters: Everett right-hander Stephen Landazuri (3-2, 5.35 ERA) vs. Salem-Keizer right-hander Cameron Lamb (2-3, 3.93)
Rai
n, rain go away
An unusual sight greeted those who ambled into Everett Memorial Stadium three hours before Friday night’s game.
There were the Everett AquaSox, on the field taking batting practice.
Unusual? Not most years. But this year has been an unfortunate exception.
Everett was able to get back to its normal pregame routine Friday as the sun finally replaced the rain clouds that have plagued the Sox’s home schedule this season.
The Puget Sound region doesn’t exactly have the ideal dry baseball climate. But this year has been particularly brutal. Including the Everett Cup exhibition game, the Sox have had 17 home dates so far this season. Everett groundskeeper Brian Burroughs estimated that on 11 of those dates the tarp has been on the infield at some point during the day because of rain.
So far the rain hasn’t resulted in any games missed, and the players seem to be coping.
“You get used to it,” Everett utilityman Patrick Brady said. “I’m from Kentucky and we get all four seasons. I’m plenty used to putting the tarp on, waking up early to pull the tarp and just try to get some sunshine on the field. It’s better than Arizona where you’re sweating your butt off every day. Just throw on some long sleeves.”
However, the rain has played havoc with game preparations. Normally during the hours leading up to the game the Sox work on some pitcher fielding plays, take batting practice on the field, then take infield. But whenever the tarp is on the infield the Sox are limited to swinging in the batting cage.
The Sox have gotten plenty familiar with that cage this year.
“I don’t mind the cold, but the rain affecting our work is what I do mind,” Everett manager Scott Steinmann said. “We need to get on the field to take BP, take ground balls, do fundamentals. It would be nice to get on the field, but it is what it is, and we’ll get it done eventually.”
Short hops
Thursday’s game was the first time Everett’s Marcus Littlewood appeared at second base. Each of Littlewood’s previous 28 appearances came at shortstop. Littlewood, the Seattle Mariners’ second-round pick in the 2010 draft, was drafted as a shortstop. However, before the season began Steinmann said Littlewood would get some time at both shortstop and second base this season. … Sox outfielder Mario Yepez has picked up his performance at the plate. Yepez went into Friday’s game with an eight-game hitting streak, going 14-for-30 (.467) with four doubles. The hot streak has resulted in an increase in playing time as Yepez has started nine straight, and Friday night he was elevated to the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
Nick Patterson, Herald writer
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
