daily fog: cooking kettleers

Back in June, when the season was only a week or two old, the Cotuit Kettleers looked like the best team in the league. They were getting good pitching and their offense was significantly stronger than anyone else’s.

But some injuries and key departures left the Kettleers reeling, and for most of of July, they were floundering in the middle of the pack, winning one here, losing one there.

They never went away, though, and now they’re seeing the fruits of that gutsy persistence. Cotuit beat Wareham 10-2 last night for its third consecutive win. And this is a good time for a hot streak. Cotuit sits alone in first place with a one-point lead on Falmouth and two games to play.

It’s a testament to the Kettleers that they’re even in the conversation at this point. Their personnel losses this season included power-hitter Mike Bianucci, hot-hitting infielder Robbie Shields, lights-out reliever Danny Meszaros and pitchers Matt Fairel and Dan Jennings. If you look at Cotuit’s online roster, there are almost as many players in the contract released section as there are on the active roster.

Of course, everyone’s had to deal with losses, but it all seemed more pronounced for the Kettleers, because of the way they started. They were putting up numbers like Y-D’s powerful offense was last year, and then all of a sudden, they weren’t.

But the fact that nobody pulled away in the Western Division set the stage for the Kettleers to stick it out, and they’ve done that. Last night, they rolled past Wareham thanks to three-hit days by Kevin Patterson (Auburn) and Robert Stock (USC) and two-hit performances from Jason Kipnis (Arizona State), Evan Crawford (Indiana) and Dallas Poulk (NC State). Starting pitcher Brandon Cumpton (Georgia Tech), who has an ERA above four, turned in one of his best starts of the season, allowing two runs in 5.2 innings.

All of that was enough for the Kettleers to keep their little winning streak alive.

And it doesn’t matter that it’s little. Because it’s coming at the right time.

Elsewhere

• If Cotuit is getting hot at the right time, Hyannis is heading in the other direction at the wrong time. The Mets lost to Chatham 7-4 last night, their second consecutive loss. They’re by no means out of the picture, but they are in third place now, two points behind Cotuit. Chatham got a big night from Grant Green (USC), who went 2-for-4 with a home run. The victory kept the A’s alive in the Eastern Division playoff race.

• Falmouth got a crucial 5-3 victory over Orleans, which lets the Commodores keep pace with Cotuit. Chris Gloor (Quinnipiac) stepped up with his best start of the summer, striking out nine and allowing only one run in six innings. Ben Tootle (Jacksonville State) went 2.1 innings for the save.

• Bourne is also still in the playoff picture thanks to a 6-1 victory over Brewster. Marc Krauss (Ohio)went 2-for-5 with three RBI and reliever Kevin Landry (William & Mary) came on with the bases loaded in the second inning, got out of the jam, and went on to pitch four more no-hit innings.

• With Brewster’s loss, and Harwich’s 3-2 victory over Y-D, the Mariners have guaranteed themselves at least a spot in a play-in game. Both Chatham and Brewster can only hope to force a tie for second, and that would require the Mariners to lose their final two games.

• Harwich’s victory over Y-D also means the official end of the Red Sox’ dynasty. Now seven points back of second place, they won’t have a chance to catch Harwich. But the night wasn’t a total loss for Y-D. Starter Jeff Inman (Stanford) turned in one of the most impressive performances of the summer, striking out 13 in 7.2 dominant innings.

What to Watch For Tonight

• A big game in Cotuit, as the Kettleers host Hyannis. Will Weidig (Brown) is slated to go for the Mets, with Cotuit’s starter listed as TBA.

• Falmouth’s road to the playoffs gets tougher tonight as the Commodores are set to face Wareham ace Brandon Workman (Texas). The Commodores will counter with their ace, Chad Bettis (Texas Tech).

• Harwich needs one win to clinch a playoff spot, and they’ve got the right guy on the mound. Chris Manno (Duke) and his 2.06 ERA will get the start against Orleans.

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