daily fog: starting to shine

In the last five games — one turn through the rotation — Brewster’s starting pitchers have struck out 31 and allowed only four earned runs in 29 innings pitched.

Those are very good numbers, better considering how far Brewster’s starting staff has come. Before the season started, it looked like just one player, Vanderbilt’s Caleb Cotham, would be a solid Cape League starter. A lot of the other starter candidates had struggled in the spring, while a handful of other pitchers hadn’t started at all.

But the Whitecaps have figured it out of late, and whoever gets the ball seems to turn in a strong outing. The latest contributor is newcomer Evan Bronson (Trinity University), a former temporary player who joined the team last week after Y-D didn’t have room for him. Bronson made his first start last night and struck out nine in six shutout innings as Brewster beat Wareham 4-2.

While Cotham, Buddy Bauman (Missouri State) and Rob Gilliam (UNC Greensboro) have been solid all summer, the addition of Bronson well represents what the Whitecaps have done — they’ve pieced things together. Neither he nor Tim Clubb (Missouri State) were on the roster before the season started. Another of the starters, Vanderbilt’s Nick Christiani, started the summer as Brewster’s closer.

The thing to remember is that piecing together a rotation doesn’t necessarily mean piecing it together from the scrap heap. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

• Bronson, a junior lefthander, pitches for Trinity University in Texas, where he went 9-3 this year with a 2.28 ERA and 102 strikeouts against 19 walks in 82 innings. He was a 36th-round pick of the Brewers in June.

• Clubb, a third-year sophomore at Missouri State, was the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year this season after going 11-0 with a 2.52 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 103.2 innings. He was labeled as a potential first-day pick in the draft but slipped all the way to the 42nd round.

• Christiani, who closed games for Orleans last summer, went into the weekend rotation at Vanderbilt this spring and pitched well, going 6-3 with a 4.97 ERA. He was a 32nd-round pick in June.

So there’s clearly talent there, and that talent is starting to deliver. It’s no coincidence that this solid run of starting pitching has coincided with a solid stretch for the team. Brewster has won four of its last five and is sitting in first place with the best record in the league.

Elsewhere

• Orleans continued its hot streak with its fourth straight win, and it was another offensive one. The Cardinals got home runs from Angelo Songco (Loyola Marymount), Kyle Spraker (Loyola Marymount) and Tim Wheeler (Sacramento State) to out-slug Y-D 10-7. The three home runs matched Orleans’ season total heading into last night. With the victory, Orleans improved to 11-8.

• Chatham improved to .500 and sent Cotuit back to .500 with a 7-4 victory. Jake Thompson (Long Beach State) turned in his best start of the summer, allowing two runs in five innings to pick up the win. Brad Boxberger (USC) notched his eighth save. The A’s offense, which is trying to find its way after injuries to two starters (Aaron Miller and Devin Lohman), put up its highest run total since June 26. Kyle Bellows (San Jose State) went 3-for-5 with three RBI. For the Kettleers, the loss was their third in a row and their eighth in 10 games.

• Bourne squeaked past Harwich 5-4 in 10 innings to move into a tie with Hyannis for first place in the West. Kyle Roller (East Carolina) hit a solo home run, his first of the year, to give Bourne a lead in the top of the 10th. Eric Pettis (UC Irvine) worked a perfect bottom of the 10th to secure the victory.

• Falmouth and Hyannis both scored two runs against the other team’s starter, but the Commodores put up four runs against the Mets’ bullpen to post a 6-2 victory. A.J. Pollock (Notre Dame) hit a three-run home run to key the late rally.

What to Watch For Tonight

• Orleans will try to stay hot with another game against Y-D. Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount), who has a 1.80 ERA, will get the ball for the Cardinals against Y-D’s Eddie Burns.

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