Author: Will Geoghegan

Chatham posted a 10-3 victory over Brewster Sunday night to clinch the second and final playoff spot in the East. Brewster and Orleans — who had slim chances — are now done.

Allan Dykstra hit a pair of home runs to pace the attack and Charles Brewer pitched 7.1 shutout innings.

A’s clinch with Brewster blowout

Bourne’s D.J. Mitchell struck out 15 in eight shutout innings Friday night, tying Brett Jacobson’s mark for most strikeouts in a game this year. It’s part of a really strong stretch for Mitchell, who wasn’t an all-star but is pitching like one now.

His last three starts:

July 20 – 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB
July 26 – 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 0 BB
August 3 – 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 15 K, 3 BB

That’s 31 strikeouts and five walks in 21 innings. Before these last three starts, Mitchell had struck out 27 and walked 18 so he’s turned his strikeout to walk ratio completely upside down and with the 15 K night, he’s vaulted into the league lead in strikeouts. Mitchell’s ERA is 1.47, good for fourth in the league.

Mitchell, who will be a junior at Clemson, also plays in the outfield, but if the last few weeks are any indication, his future may be on the mound.

Anonymous relievers

Relievers never draw as much attention as starters, at any level. In a way, that’s more pronounced on the Cape, where a fairly short season and deep pitching staffs mean relievers — even the best ones — might not get more than 20 or 25 innings.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t quality in the bullpens. And I’m not talking closers — there are really only 10 of those guys on the Cape anyway. Plenty of guys who have been starters in college and may project as starters in the pros pitch in relatively small roles out of the bullpen on the Cape, in some cases to rest their arms a bit. Aaron Crow, for instance, who has been the top starting pitcher in the league this summer, was originally planning on working out of the bullpen. Tim Lincecum, a top draft pick in ’06 who is already up with the Giants, was Harwich’s closer in 2005.

The other guys who have been relievers and will stay relievers often have great arms, too. Brandon Morrow, for instance, was a Cape leaguer in ’05 who pitched out of the pen and flashed a high-90s fastball. He’s now with the Seattle Mariners. This year, Ryan Perry, who works in a non-closing relief role for Orleans, projects as one of the top prospects in the league.

So there’s definitely talent in the relief corps — and the stage is set for them to succeed. Throwing an inning or two, as hard as they can, against hitters who are constantly adjusting to wood, creates an environments where relievers can thrive, even moreso than starters.

Plenty of them thrive. Here’s a look at some of the numbers of the top relievers this summer.

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	ERA	IP	K	BB
Rob Catapano	Orleans	North Carolina	.00	17.2	15	2
Evan Crawford	Harwich	Auburn	.76	23.2	35	11
Jeff Dietz	Wareham	Brown	.84	21.1	24	8
Trevor Holder	Y-D	Georgia	.90	30	28	8
Kevin Couture	Chatham	USC	.96	28	24	6
Brett Graffy	Falmouth	Notre Dame	.96	18.2	21	11
Kyle Kamppi	Orleans	Georgia Southern	1.06	17	12	5
Stephen Penney	Hyannis	UC Riverside	1.07	25.1	30	6
Keith Shinaberry	Brewster	Texas	1.62	16.2	10	0
Garrett Sherrill	Hyannis	Appalachian St.	1.98	27.1	28	7
Ben Hornbeck	Brewster	Kansas St.	2.08	26	31	12
Tyler Stohr	Hyannis	North Florida	2.08	13	14	7
Rob Wooten	Chatham	North Carolina	2.20	16.1	27	6
Will Atwood	Orleans	South Carolina	2.32	31	26	12
Preston Claiborne	Falmouth	Tulane	2.37	19	22	10
Matt Gorgen	Bourne	California	2.45	22	21	8
Kyle Weiland	Falmouth	Notre Dame	2.49	21.2	26	12
Collin McHugh	Wareham	Berry College	2.74	23	23	16
Hunter Harris	Hyannis	Texas	2.78	22.2	26	7
Kyle Thebeau	Falmouth	Texas A&M	3.00	15	23	9
Jeff Richard	Bourne	Central Michigan	3.08	26.1	27	13
Sam Brown	Orleans	NC State	3.15	20	24	12
Mitch Houk	Chatham	Central Florida	3.31	16.1	19	9
Ryan Perry	Orleans	Arizona	3.48	20.2	30	9

A few things of note:

• It’s no surprise that the guys at the top of this list have great strikeout-to-walk ratios. That’s definitely a key in short outings.
• Shinaberry is the leader in appearances with Atwood posting the most innings pitched.
• Catapano hasn’t even allowed an unearned run
• Orleans’ bullpen is pretty nasty . . . Y-D’s, interestingly, is not, which could be interesting come playoff time
• A few of these guys have made spot starts, and it appears Y-D’s Holder may be moving to the rotation for the postseason

Name: Yonder Alonso
Class: 2009
College: Miami
Cape Team: Brewster ’07
Position: First Base
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 215

Summer ’07:
August 5 – Alonso has been one of the top all-around hitters on the Cape, showing the ability to hit for average, hit for power and get on base. Alonso is currently hitting .331 — fourth in the league — with four home runs, 11 doubles and 22 RBI. As he has almost all season, he leads the league in on-percentage with a .466 mark.

Looking Back:
Alonso had a huge sophomore year with the Hurricanes, tying for the ACC lead in home runs and RBI. He also hit .376 and had a ridiculous .519 on-base percentage.

LAST NIGHT

• In a little bit of a statement game, Y-D pounded Chatham 7-1 in what was likely a playoff preview . . . The Red Sox took advantage of five Chatham errors and scored six unearned runs . . . Trevor Holder, who had been a reliever early in the summer, made his third start and struck out five in 6.2 shutout innings . . . Y-D’s Sean Ochinko hit his eighth home run to tie teammate Gordon Beckham for the league lead with eight
• Brewster kept its playoff hopes alive with an 8-1 victory over Harwich . . . Ryan Cook allowed a run over seven innings for the victory . . . Suddenly, things are looking interesting in the East race. The best Brewster can hope for is a tie, but that’s a better possibility than it was a week ago. In its final three games, Brewster plays Chatham twice. If the Whitecaps can win both those games and the season finale, then have Chatham lose its other two, we’ll have a tie . . . If all that happens and Orleans wins its last three, I think we’ll have a three-way tie
• Bourne clinched first place in the West and snapped a two-game skid with a 5-0 victory over Wareham . . . Rick Zagone tossed a complete-game five-hit shutout and struck out 10. That’s just the fourth shutout of the summer
• Falmouth lost to Orleans, opening the door for Hyannis to get within a game, but the Mets couldn’t get all the way through — they tied Cotuit, which leaves them three points back of Falmouth for second place . . . Both Falmouth and Hyannis have three games left, one against each other in Wednesday’s season finale . . . Of note in the Hyannis-Cotuit game, Cotuit’s Josh Harrison went 4-for-5 with two RBI, and Hyannis’ Matt Daly allowed three runs on eight hits in his first start since throwing a no-hitter

TONIGHT

• In the biggest game of the night, Brewster sends Mike Colla to the hill at Chatham, who has Charles Brewer going . . . If the A’s win, they’ll get second place and make the last few days of the season a little less crucial
• In the West, Hyannis visits Cotuit and Falmouth hosts Bourne

LAST NIGHT

• Interesting night, with four one-run games
• With its 6-1 victory over Cotuit and Brewster’s loss, Chatham clinched at least a tie for second place. The A’s have an eight-point lead, and Brewster has four games remaining (you get two points for a win) . . . Tim Federowicz continues to bust out in dramatic fashion. After a 3-for-3 day yesterday, he went 4-for-4 Friday to pace a six-run attack. Federowicz was hitting .186 at the all-star break and is now hitting .260 . . . Tom Milone allowed six hits and one run in six innings, picking up his league-leading sixth win
• Hyannis stayed alive in the West playoff race with a victory over Falmouth, the team the Mets are chasing . . . Shane Peterson scored the winning run in the eighth on a passed ball . . . Dan Brewer hit his sxith home run for Hyannis . . . Andrew Doyle didn’t allow an earned run in 6.2 innings for Hyannis, while Kyle Gibson allowed one earned and struck out eight in six innings
• A great — and long — pitchers’ duel in Wareham as the Gatemen beat Bourne 1-0 in 12 innings . . . Bourne starter D.J. Mitchell didn’t allow a run and equaled Brett Jacobson’s single-game strikeout mark with 15 in eight innings, while Wareham’s Andy Oliver struck out 11 in 6.2 shutout innings . . . The bullpens kept things scoreless until Jason Ogata scored Ben Booker on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 12th
• Y-D’s six-game winning streak didn’t get to seven as Harwich posted a 3-2 victory . . . Dan Hudson worked six shutout innings for Harwich . . . Steve Strausbaugh and Cole Figueroa both went 2-for-3 for the Mariners . . . Y-D’s Grant Green went 4-for-5
• Matt Couch struck out eight and allowed one run in six innings, but the Brewster bullpen surrendered two runs in the seventh as Orleans notched a 5-4 victory . . . Rob Catapano, who still hasn’t allowed a run this summer, went two innings in relief and got the victory

LAST NIGHT

• A likely playoff preview tonight as Chatham visits Yarmouth-Dennis for a 4:30 p.m. game . . . Alex White goes against Trevor Holder in a solid pitching match-up
• Bourne plays Wareham again, trying to snap a two-game losing streak
• Matt Daly makes his first start since no-hitting Wareham July 25 as Hyannis hosts Cotuit

LAST NIGHT

• In the only action of the night, the wait finally came to an end as Chatham won and got manager John Schiffner his 335th career Cape League victory, a new modern-era record. Chatham had been fogged out on Monday and Tuesday and hadn’t played since the Friday before the all-star break.
• Tim Federowicz broke out of a slump in a big way with a 3-for-3 night that included a home run, a double and five RBI . . . Ryan Hinson allowed a run on five hits in six innings for Chatham, and Trey Watten, Rob Wooten and Jeff Lorick closed out the win . . . T.J. Hose allowed six runs in 3.1 innings, his first real bad start of the summer

TONIGHT

• Back to a full slate for the first time since Tuesday, some big games are on tap
• Hyannis visits Falmouth for a game that could either put the Mets out of contention or right back in it. They sit six points behind the Commodores at the moment. Andrew Doyle goes for Hyannis while Kyle Gibson gets the ball for Falmouth.
• Brewster, which is six points behind Chatham, visits Orleans in a must-win game for both teams. The Cardinals are eight points out of second. Matt Couch gets the call for Brewster against Michael Schwimer.
• Chatham sends Tom Milone, who’s been on fire of late, to the hill against Cotuit and J.B. Shuck
• Y-D will try to stretch its win streak to seven with Eddie Burns on the mound against Dan Hudson in Harwich
• Bourne goes against Wareham with D.J. Mitchell and Andy Oliver taking the hill

Name: Kyle Gibson
Class: 2010
College: Missouri
Cape Team: Falmouth ’07
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 183

Summer ’07:
August 1 – Gibson hasn’t been quite as good as his college and Cape teammate Aaron Crow, but outside of Crow, Gibson has been the best starter on the Cape. His ERA is 1.13, and he has struck out 43 and walked only nine in 40 innings. At 6’5″, he has the projectible size scouts look for, and he has a lot of room to grow in terms of weight and strength. Both those factors will only raise his velocity — and his stock.

Looking Back:
In his first year with the Tigers, Gibson worked as the closer and had seven saves with a 4.12 ERA. He struck out 77 in 67.2 innings. Gibson was a 36th-round pick out of high school.

Here’s a look at the top freshman pitchers on the Cape. Those with a ‘*’ by their names have been primarily starters.

PLAYER	COLLEGE	CAPE TEAM	ERA
Rob Catapano	North Carolina	Orleans	0.00
Kevin Couture	USC	Chatham	1.04
Kyle Gibson*	Missouri	Falmouth	1.13
Brad Boxberger*	USC	Orleans	1.24
Andy Oliver*	Oklahoma State	Wareham	1.66
Hunter Harris	Texas	Hyannis	2.25
Alex White*	North Carolina	Chatham	2.29
Charles Brewer*	UCLA	Chatham	2.29
Preston Claiborne	Tulane	Falmouth	2.65

In the first installment of this series, Catapano hadn’t pitched much. He’s pitched more now, but still hasn’t given up a run.

Couture has been on fire in a setup role for the A’s. On July 15, he had given up three earned runs. Now, he’s still given up just three earned runs.

The five starters on this list just keep putting up great numbers. White has been impressive since taking over a spot in Chatham’s rotation.

The leading freshman hitters in the Cape league, with stats through July 31.

PLAYER	COLLEGE	CAPE TEAM	AVG
Sean Ochinko	LSU	Y-D	.304
Grant Green	USC	Y-D	.290
Diego Seastrunk+	Rice	Y-D	.286
Joey Wong	Oregon St.	Falmouth	.276
Addison Johnson	Clemson	Chatham	.270
Kyle Seager	North Carolina	Chatham	.270
Cole Figueroa	Florida	Harwich	.266
Blake Dean	LSU	Wareham	.250

+ – limited action

The averages dropped almost across the board from the first time I did this, which maybe isn’t a surprise. They say freshmen always hit a wall in their first college season, so I’m sure they hit a wall in the summer, too. Figueroa was at the top but has seen his average dip lately. Even Ochinko, the new leader, was at .333 last time. Wong and Seastrunk were both late arrivals after the College World Series, but Wong, in particular, has caught up quickly.

Interesting that the top three on this list are all from Y-D. If that trio makes its way back next summer, Y-D will look good once again.

I just looked through 400 or so box scores. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. My eyes hurt, though.

But anyways.