Category: Daily Fog

In the preseason, nobody’s pitching staff looked particularly impressive. That’s a combination of a few things: not many aces are on the Cape and college pitching numbers always look a little rough for everybody else.

Brewster’s staff didn’t look like the exception; in fact it looked like the rule. The Whitecaps had just three players who were regular starters for their college teams. Six of the 11 pitchers had ERAs over four.

But funny things can happen on the Cape.

Through eight games, the Whitecaps lead the league in team ERA. Their pitchers haven’t been overpowering, but they’ve been consistently good every step of the way. And they’ve helped turned the Whitecaps into an early-season contender. With a 4-3 win over Orleans last night, the Whitecaps moved to 6-2, the best record in the league.

The Firebirds came into the game winners of four straight, and they led for most of the game, despite a strong pitching performance by Mike Palazzone (Georgia). But the Whitecaps got to the Orleans bullpen for two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth. Kirk Singer (Long Beach State) hit a two-run single in the ninth to plate the tying and winning runs. The clutch hit was part of a 3-for-4, 3 RBI day for Singer, who had just one hit in his first 18 at-bats.

While the offense delivered the comeback, Brewster pitchers — as they’ve done all summer — kept the team in the game. Palazzone was an 18th-round pick out of high school two years ago but he has struggled at Georgia. In two starts for Brewster, though, Palazzone is 1-0 with 0.68 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.

The bullpen also pitched well on Tuesday. Kyle Hendricks (Dartmouth) allowed an unearned run in two innings of work and got the win. Colton Murray (Kansas) picked up the save.

Brewster pitchers have now allowed four runs or fewer in all but one game, a season-opening loss to Chatham.

Elsewhere

One other note from that Brewster-Orleans game. Orleans’ Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 2-for-3 with a home run, and he now leads the league in hitting at .429 and is tied for the league lead in home runs.

Bourne rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the final three innings to beat Chatham 8-2. Mike Dennhardt (Boston College) cruised through five innings for Chatham, but the Bourne bats woke up against the bullpen in the seventh. Travis Shaw (Kent State), who had one hit in Bourne’s first seven games, hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, and the Braves tacked on five more runs in the ninth. Shaw finished with three hits and four RBI. Mike Nemeth (Connecticut) drove in two. Bourne improved to 3-5, while Chatham dropped to 5-2-1.

Joe Holtmeyer (Nerbaska at Omaha) struck out eight and Brian Goodwin (North Carolina) went 4-for-4 to lead Harwich past Hyannis 4-3. Holtmeyer, the top strikeout pitcher in Division II this year, was making his second start. He allowed one earned run in his first outing and did the same last night, with a few more strikeouts. Goodwin, a talented freshman who was playing in his fifth game, matched his hit total from the first four. In the seventh, he singled, stole second and came around to score on two wild pitches. It proved to be the game-winning run. Goodwin is now hitting .421 with four stolen bases.

Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) struck out seven and allowed one run, and the offense rallied from two deficits as Y-D topped Wareham 5-3 to improve to 5-3. Mooneyham now has 14 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in his two starts. He allowed three runs — two earned — in this one, but kept Y-D in the game. The Red Sox battled back from 1-0 and 3-2 holes, taking the lead for good with three runs in the seventh. Caleb Ramsey (Houston), a recent addition who played briefly for Y-D last year, led the way with two RBI. Joe Panik (St. John’s) and Matt Watson (Boston College) each had one. For Wareham, Big 10 Player of the Year Alex Dickerson (Indiana) made his debut and went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Rob Kral (College of Charleston), who had 14 homers this spring, also made his first appearance and went 0-for-3.

What to Watch

Tanner Poppe (Kansas), who’s had two strong bullpen outings, will make his first start for Y-D as the Red Sox host Harwich. Lex Rutledge (Samford), who pitched four no-hit innings in his first start, is slated to go for Harwich.

Cotuit and Falmouth were the only teams in action Monday night, and they played a 7-5 game.

Or a 7-5 inning.

In the top of the second, Falmouth touched up Cotuit starter Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) for five runs, thanks in large part to a three-run double from Nick Martini (Kansas State). In the bottom of the second, Cotuit returned the favor. Paul Hoilman had a two-run double to give Cotuit the lead, and he later scored on a passed ball to make it 7-5.

And that was it.

Murray and Falmouth starter Taylor Wall (Falmouth) were both done by the time the second inning ended, and the bullpens kept things where they were. Four Kettleers and three Commodores combined to pitch 13.2 innings. Hoilman’s run was charged to reliever Rob Chamra (North Carolina State), who came on in the second, but that was the only run either bullpen allowed.

Cotuit’s David Colvin (Pomona-Pitzer College) was credited with the win. He allowed three hits in two scoreless innings. A.J. Achter (Michigan State), Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) and Kyle McMillen (Kent State) also had scoreless outings.

Those performances made it a frustrating night for Falmouth. Amazingly, the Commodores out-hit the Kettleers 13-3 and didn’t commit an error. But there they were, trailing and unable to string anything together. Every Cotuit reliever gave up at least two hits, but none gave up more than three. Falmouth left nine on base, but in most cases, it was one runner at a time.

The loss dropped Falmouth to 4-4, while Cotuit picked up the much-needed win to move to 2-5-1. The Kettleers are ninth in batting average and ERA, but if they can shake off their bad start, they’ve got enough potential to be right in the mix.

Mike Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt) made his debut for Cotuit and struck out in his only at-bat. For Falmouth, Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech), the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, had his best day of the summer, going 4-for-4. The middle of the order — Martini, B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Mississippi) and Matt Skole (Georgia Tech) — contributed for three hits and three RBI. All three of those players are hitting under .200, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t heat up soon.

What to Watch

Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) gets the start for Y-D in a home game against Wareham and Max Perlman (Harvard). Mooneyham struck out seven in five innings in his first start. Perlman struck out three in seven shutout innings his first time out.

Dominant pitching performances have been unusually hard to find this summer. But at least some big arms are starting to show off.

Anthony Ranaudo made Brewster the place to be last night and delivered a solid performance in his debut. The Red Sox draftee struck out three in four innings, while sticking to a pitch count. Ranaudo is likely the top arm on the Cape right now, but if he’s on pitch counts and not staying long, he’s not going to have the eye-popping results.

Two guys who probably will deliver have eye-popping results squared off in Chatham last night.

Falmouth’s Mark Pope (Georgia Tech), who struck out 11 in his first start — the best pitching performance of the summer — took on Logan Verrett (Baylor), who made his first start for Chatham. They were both pretty impressive. Verrett went seven shutout innings, striking out nine, walking one and allowing just three hits. Pope was also strong for Falmouth. He only struck out five but he didn’t allow a run in six innings of work. He hasn’t allowed a run yet this year and he’s tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 16.

Verrett figured to be Chatham’s ace this summer, and he certainly was on this night. In a landscape where a lot of top sophomore pitchers are being advised to take a summer off, Verrett is on the Cape and ready to go. He struck out 97 this spring for Baylor.

He didn’t factor in the decision on Sunday, but if he keeps pitching like this, he’s going to get some wins. The way Chatham’s playing, he’s bound to. The score was 0-0 last night when Verrett left the game. After Falmouth took a 1-0 lead in the eighth, Chatham rallied to tie the game and win it in the ninth. Dan Paolini (Siena) knocked in the tying run before pinch-hitter Kevin Vance (UConn) hit a three-run walk-off homer to give Chatham the victory.

The Anglers are now 5-1-1, the best record in the league.

Elsewhere

Another talented sophomore was on the mound for Wareham, as Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) made his debut. The sixth-best prospect in the league last summer, Armstrong didn’t have a great showing. He went seven innings but allowed 10 hits and four runs. He only struck out one. He still picked up the win, though, as Wareham scored five runs and held off a Harwich charge to win 5-4. Freshman Max Muncy (Baylor) drove in three runs for the Gatemen.

Brewster won Ranaudo’s debut by a 3-2 score. Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) got the win with some solid relief work and Tommy Kahnle (Lynn) picked up his second save in as many days. Kahnle struck out two, and has now struck out five in two innings this season. Cohl Walla (Texas), who’s coming off a fantastic freshman season, made his first start and went 0-for-4.

Orleans won its fourth in a row after an 0-3 start, topping Cotuit 5-3. Marcus Stroman (Duke), a talented two-way freshman, struck out five in five shutout innings. Duke teammate Will Piwnica-Worms had two hits and two RBI for the Firebirds. Steve Selsky (Arizona) went 1-for-2, raising his league-leading average to .478.

Tanner Poppe (Kansas) was impressive in relief as Y-D beat Hyannis 4-1. Poppe is a 6’6 freshman with a ton of potential, and he flashed it on Sunday. He came on in the third and worked 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six. We’ll see if Poppe moves into the rotation after an appearance like that.

What to Watch

Just one game on the schedule tonight as Falmouth visits Cotuit. Steven Gruver (Oklahoma State), who has struck out 11 in a start and a relief appearance, makes his second start for Falmouth. Matt Murray (Georgia Southern), who went six shutout innings in his debut, goes for Cotuit.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I need something to write about.

And this, after last year, is something.

We are five days into the 2010 Cape League season. Fifteen games were on the schedule, and 15 games have been played. Mother Nature has stood idly by, perhaps feeling sorry for what she did last year in the worst summer ever.

This time last year, we’d already had a few postponements and were about to head into the worst few days of the summer, a stretch in which 12 of 20 games were postponed. The scheduled was being adjusted on the fly, and all those “only game in town” days fell by the wayside as teams filled up every possible day.

On Thursday, Brewster and Y-D were the only game in town, and this one went off without a hitch. Brewster improved to 2-1 with a 3-2 victory.

The Whitecaps led 2-0 into the seventh when the Red Sox tied it. But in the top of the ninth, Brewster scratches a run across when Drew Martinez (Memphis), who had singled, came into score from third on a double play. Jake Floethe (Cal State Fullerton) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth when Ronnie Shaban (Virginia Tech) lined into a game-ending double play.

Jon Berti (Bowling Green), John Andreoli (Connecticut) and Andy Burns (Kentucky) had two hits apiece to lead Brewster. Tyler Hanover (LSU), a 2009 CCBL all-star, made his debut for Y-D and went 2-for-4.

What to Watch

We’re back to a full slate of action tonight. If you start in Cotuit and then head to Harwich, you’ll see two 2010 draftees make their debuts. Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount), a 27th rounder, gets the start for Orleans at Cotuit. Viramontes was a 2008 Cape League all-star. In Harwich, Michael Goodnight (Houston), a 13th rounder, is set to go for Y-D.

Also, I will be away for part of the weekend, so there won’t be a daily fog on Saturday. I should be able to post one on Sunday, but it might be a little later than usual. There is good news: the weekend looks beautiful. Maybe I didn’t jinx anything.

Last summer, Chatham started the season 9-1 . . . then went 12-22 the rest of the way. Whether it was a case of everyone catching up to them, or the team just not playing well, the season was a struggle.

Four days into the 2010 season, the Anglers are off to a 3-0 start. And the way they’re doing it this time makes me think they’ve got a chance to keep it going.

Take a look at their box scores. The first five spots in Chatham’s order have been the same every time out, which is pretty unusual at the start of a Cape League season. And the players in those spots make that stability a very good thing — and the thing that could define this team.

Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) and Peter Verdin (Georgia) are getting on base in front of a middle of the order that’s shaping up to be the best in the league. Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) is hitting .461, Ricky Oropesa (USC) is hitting .286 and Dan Paolini (Siena) is checking in at .357. Together, that trio has combined for eight extra-base hits and has driven in 11 of the team’s 14 runs. They all had strong to very strong college seasons, and they’re starting exactly like Chatham hoped. The three of them have more extra-base hits than eight Cape League teams, significantly more in some cases. Pretty amazing.

On Wednesday, it was more of the same. Hosting Orleans, the Anglers rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth to tie the game on a Paolini RBI single. In the 13th inning, Oropesa smashed a three-run walk-off home run to give Chatham the victory.

Combined, the trio of Ginther, Paolini and Oropesa went 7-for-15 with four RBI against the Firebirds. That kind of production in a pitchers’ league is going to give your team a chance, no matter what else happens. The Anglers have also pitched well, and they’ve shown a knack for winning close games. They’ll need to keep doing that.

But the middle of the order is the foundation — and the best news is that it might be sticking around for a while. While several teams may have to say goodbye to their top sluggers, none of Chatham’s big three have been invited to Team USA trials. That could still change, but for now, they’ll be slugging for Chatham.

And setting the stage for big things.

Elsewhere

Falmouth also improved to 3-0 and continued a trend: all three of its victories have come by one run. Big 12 Freshman of the Year Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) made his debut last night and drove in a run, and Zach Wright (East Carolina) knocked in another as Falmouth topped Harwich 2-1. Matt Stites (Jefferson County CC), a 33rd-round pick this year, picked up the win with six scoreless innings. He struck out seven. Army star Clint Moore went 2-for-4 for Harwich. Lex Rutledge (Samford) got the start for the Mariners and didn’t allow a hit in four innings.

Eric Pfisterer’s 2010 debut wasn’t quite as great as his 2009 debut, but it was still pretty great. The Duke lefty didn’t allow a hit in his first two starts last summer. In his first start last night, he allowed three but not much else. Pfisterer struck out nine and walked two as Wareham beat Bourne 1-0. Joe Flynn (Franklin Pierce) made his first appearance and picked up the save with two scoreless innings. Chris Walker (Fordham) drove in Wareham’s lone run. Bourne dropped to 0-3.

Cotuit got into the win column with a 2-1 victory over Hyannis. Matt Andriese (UC Riverside) scattered nine hits in six innings, allowing one run and striking out three. C.J. Cron (Utah) showed off the bat that made him one of the best hitters in the nation this year, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Kevin Patterson (Auburn), back on the Cape for a third summer, went 3-for-3 with an RBI.

What to Watch

Just one game on tap tonight as Brewster visits Y-D. Austin Lubinsky (Minnesota) goes for Brewster against Scott Snodgress (Stanford). It’ll be the first start for each.

Maybe it’s something about the name.

In its second game as the Harbor Hawks, Hyannis went to extra innings on Tuesday for the second night in a row. And just like Monday, they came out on top. Casey McElroy (Auburn) went 4-for-4 and tied the game with a home run and Jason Nappi (Harding) drove in the winning run in the 10th with a sacrifice fly as Hyannis beat Wareham 4-3.

The Harbor Hawks were stymied early by Cape League veteran Max Perlman (Harvard), who was making his first appearance for Wareham since 2008. Perlman, who missed last year with an injury, went seven scoreless innings, scattering six hits and striking out three. Wareham wasn’t getting much either against Hyannis starter Brian Dupra (Notre Dame), an 11th-round pick this spring. He struck out seven and allowed just two hits in five shutout innings.

Wareham broke through with single runs in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings, but Hyannis wasn’t done. McElroy’s two-out, two-run blast tied the game and forced extras. In the top of the 10th, the Gatemen loaded the bases but reliever Tyler Mizenko (Winthrop) came on and got out of the jam. That set the stage for another Hyannis rally. With A.J. Pettersen (Minnesota) at third, Nappi hit a fly ball to center that was deep enough to score the winning run.

It was the third RBI of the season for Nappi, a recent addition to the roster. He hit .413 with eight home runs this spring for Harding University in Arkansas.

Elsewhere

The first dominant pitching performance of the summer was authored in Falmouth last night. The Commodores’ Mark Pope (Georgia Tech) struck out 11, walked just one and allowed two hits in seven shutout innings against Cotuit. Steven Gruver (Tennessee) worked two scoreless innings to combine with Pope on the shutout as Falmouth won 1-0. Pope, a sophomore, is in his second go-round with Falmouth. Last year he started four games and made eight other appearances on his way to a 2-2, 2.10 summer. He had impressive numbers this spring and appears to be picking up where he left off — and then some. Falmouth’s only offense came from Kevin Medrano (Missouri State), who went 3-for-4 and scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error. Medrano is hitting .556 through two games.

Brewster’s Mike Palazzone (Georgia) made his first appearance after a rough spring and got his summer off to a strong start. Palazzone struck out four in 7.1 scoreless innings. He combined with Matt Larkins (UC Riverside) on a shutout as Brewster beat Orleans 5-0. The Whitecaps got RBI singles from Drew Martinez (Memphis) and Kirk Singer (Long Beach State). Kenny Long (Illinois State) had an impressive line out of the bullpen for Orleans, striking out five in 2.2 innings.

Y-D moved to 2-0 and handed Bourne its second straight loss with a 4-3 victory at Red Wilson Field. Brett Mooneyham (Stanford), who’s had his ups and downs at Stanford, started his Cape League career on the upswing. He struck out seven and allowed one run in five innings of work. Dusty Robinson (Fresno State), Joe Panik (St. John’s), Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) and Beau Taylor (Central Florida) all drove in runs for the Red Sox.

Chatham and Harwich joined Hyannis in playing extras and the Anglers came out on top 3-1 in 11 innings for their second win of the year. Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) had another big night, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. He drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th. Ricky Oropesa (USC) got his first two hits of the summer and also drove in a run. Division II star Joe Holtmeyer (Nebraska at Omaha) got the start for Harwich and allowed a run on four hits in six innings. He struck out three.

What to Watch

Rivals Orleans and Chatham meet for the first time today in Chatham. It’s a 4 p.m. start. Cameron Hobson (Dayton) is scheduled to go for Orleans against Joe Zimmerman (New Orleans) and Chatham.

Last year, five of the first seven Daily Fog entries of the year focused on dominant pitching performances. The other two were about the speed and small-ball on display in Cotuit.

This year, it’s already time to break with tradition.

While starters Matt Barnes and Nick Tropeano were impressive in Sunday’s opening night match-up, what caught my eye Monday night was the offense. There were some impressive pitching performances, but nothing eye-popping like last year, when we had four dominant starts in the first two days of the season.

Instead, the eight teams who played Monday combined for 24 runs. It’s not a huge number, and it’s way too early to draw conclusions.

But one thing’s for sure: there are some hitters on the Cape this year.

Some of the best on Monday night were playing in Brewster.

While the Whitecaps’ Troy Channing (St. Mary’s) hit a home run and drove in two, the Chatham duo of Dan Paolini (Siena) and Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) powered a 12-hit attack as the Anglers topped Brewster 6-4. Both those guys had big springs. Paolini hit .386 with 26 home runs. Ginther checked in at .320 with 12 home runs. On Monday, they picked up where they left off. Paolini went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI while Ginther went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI.

Zach Jones (San Jose State) and Garrett Smith (Boston College) also had two hits for the Anglers. Ricky Oropesa (USC), who had a fantastic spring, started his summer with an 0-for-4, but if he hits as expected, Chatham will have a fearsome middle of the order.

The Anglers also got a solid pitching performance from returning player Mike Dennhardt (Boston College), who struck out six and allowed just one earned run in five innings. Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) struck out the first five batters he faced before the Chatham bats got going. He ended up allowing four runs in 4.2 innings.

For Brewster, Channing got his summer off to a strong start with the 2-for-4 night and the home run.

Elsewhere

Before I get to the other recaps, I wanted to highlight some of the names that popped up last night. In Bourne, the Braves have added two Big East stars: Louisville’s Phil Wunderlich and Connecticut’s Mike Nemeth. Wunderlich hit .355 with 21 home runs this year and was drafted in the 12th round, while Nemeth hit .386 with 15 home runs and went undrafted. Another player who surprisingly went undrafted was Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera, who’s now on the Y-D roster. Ribera hit .343 and led the nation with 27 home runs. Also making an appearance was Boston College pitcher Kevin Moran, who’s back with Hyannis. The Barnstable High grad was drafted in the ninth round this June. Also back with Hyannis is Sam Houston State’s Dallas Gallant, who was drafted in the 23rd round.

And another quick note: Ribera’s presence gives the Cape League five of the top seven home runs hitters in the nation. A pretty rare feat.

Bourne raised its championship flag before the game but lost a tough 3-2 decision to Falmouth on opening night at Doran Park. Cecil Tanner (Georgia), who struggled this spring but has loads of potential, allowed a run on three hits in five innings of work and picked up the win. Nate Koneski (Holy Cross) struck out an impressive seven batters in four innings of relief. K.C. Serna (Oregon), Kevin Medrano (Missouri State) and Zach Wright (East Carolina) each drove in a run for the Commodores, who led the whole way. For Bourne, Team USA invitee Ryan Wright (Louisville) had two hits.

In their first game as the Harbor Hawks, Hyannis gave their new name a little extra exposure, winning an extra-inning battle with Orleans 3-2 in the 11th. Cody Stubbs (Tennessee) drove in the winning run. The aforementioned Gallant got the win in relief with three scoreless innings.

John Leonard (Boston College) and Matt Ianazzo (Pittsburgh) combined on the first shutout of the season as Y-D blanked Harwich 4-0. Leonard struck out seven and didn’t walk anybody in six innings. Ianazzo allowed just two hits in three innings for the save. Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) pitched well for Harwich, allowing just an earned run in four innings, but Y-D touched him up for two runs that were unearned. Bobby Crocker (Cal Poly) and Dusty Robinson (Fresno State) each had an RBI for the Red Sox. Harwich had Team USA invitee Austin Nola (LSU) in the lineup, but none of their other USA guys were in there.

What to Watch

Division II star Joe Holtmeyer (Nebraska at Omaha) is scheduled to make his first start as Harwich hosts Chatham tonight at 7 p.m. Holtmeyer had 152 strikeouts this season, which led Division II by a wide margin.

Ms. Right Field Fog and I made the trip over to Wareham last night for the league opener, and it was well worth it. We saw a great game, I did an interview with the Gatemen radio team and to top it all off, we won the 50-50 raffle. Quite a night. I’m glad we went.

On the field, I imagine Matt Barnes and George Springer are glad they went, too.

The UConn stars played in Wareham last summer. They’ll be heading to Team USA trials in a few weeks, but both opted to start their summers on the Cape.

And they started on the right foot.

Barnes allowed one earned run on two hits in 6.2 innings of work and Springer cranked the first home run of the Cape League season as Wareham topped Cotuit 5-2 in front of a nice crowd at Spillane Field.

Barnes, a 6’4 righty who can hit the mid-90’s on the gun, squared off against Stony Brook’s Nick Tropeano, who struck out 106 this spring. It was as good a first-night pitching match-up as I can remember, and it set the stage for a fun-to-watch game.

Barnes and Tropeano cruised through the first three innings, allowing just one hit between them. Wareham finally broke through in the fourth when Tyler Bream (Liberty) lined an RBI double into left. Nico Rosthenhausler (Oklahoma State) followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.

Cotuit threatened in the seventh, but Barnes stepped up when he needed to. Although two runs eventually came home, Barnes got Utah star C.J. Cron to hit into a double play, which defused much of the threat. Paul Hoilman (East Tennessee State) drove in a run that chased Barnes, and Kevin Patterson (Auburn) scored on a bases-loaded dropped third strike. Returning reliever Keith Bilodeau (Maine) got out of the seventh without further damage, and Springer belted a two-run homer to left in the eighth for insurance. Bilodeau went the rest of the way and picked up the save.

All in all, it was a great way to start the summer, and the rain held off, to boot. Let’s hope for more of the same, on both counts.

Notes

Tropeano looked just as good as Barnes. He had one bad inning then was tiring when Springer hit the home run. Tropeano struck out eight in 7.2 innings and looks like a reliable starter for the Kettleers.

Bream had the double for the Gatemen and also looked impressive at third base. He’s quick, and he flashed a strong arm.

I don’t know how long it’ll stay together, but for right now, the middle of Cotuit’s order is big and fearsome. Cron batted third, Patterson fourth and Hoilman fifth. That trio combined for 61 home runs this spring, and both Cron and Hoilman hit over .400. Patterson is a Cape League vet. There could be a shake-up later though, as Cron has been invited to Team USA.

Five Team USA invitees were on the field last night, which is different and kind of cool. Although they’ll leave for the trials in July, it’s nice that a Team USA invite doesn’t completely rule out the Cape League this year. Another USA invitee, Alex Dickerson, is expected in Wareham this week.

Wareham broadcasters Chris Aliano and Eric Silverman had me on in the fifth inning. Other than me talking over a pop-up, I think it went well. Thanks to Chris and Eric for having me on. If you get the chance, this summer, give them a listen. They do a nice job.

What to Watch

The season gets into full swing tonight with the eight other teams taking the field. Bourne opens its title defense at home against Falmouth at 6 p.m. The Hyannis Harbor Hawks make their debut when they host Orleans at 7.