Want to know why the AquaSox are 12 games under .500 and losers of their past 14? Look no further than this stat. Everett leads the league in one-run losses (11).
It’s the bullpen, baby.
“We’ve got a real good team,” manager Jose Moreno said, “but we’ve been struggling in the pen.
“We have to get better. We’ve had too many opportunities to win, but our relievers have been struggling with their command and location. They get behind on the count and the hitters are sitting on pitches.”
The good news is the AquaSox are only seven games behind with 26 to play.
“We’ve battled back to tie games and take leads,” Moreno said, “but in the last three innings we lose the opportunity to win the game.
“We just have to put everything together. We had a good series against Salem (a three-game sweep), the first-place team in our division, and we’ve played well against Spokane (the first-place team in the East Division) so we know we can compete. We just have to adjust.”
Passing them by: After sweeping Salem-Keizer, the AquaSox ranked second in the Northwest League in hitting. Then they were swept by Boise and were passed by the Hawks in team batting. Then they lost four out of five to Spokane and were passed by the Indians. Then they lost two out of three to Eugene and were passed by the Emeralds. Someone hit the brakes.
Rookie mistakes: The AquaSox own two stats typical for players at pro ball’s entry level. They have 75 errors in 46 games and 187 walks in 408 innings pitched.
John McDonald, Herald Writer
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