chatham vs. brewster, july 26

It was going to take something special to stop the Chatham A’s hot streak. Ryan Cook, Keith Shinaberry and Lee Land delivered.

The trio combined on a shutout as Brewster stopped Chatham’s five-game winning streak with a 1-0 victory Thursday night at Veterans Field. The win not only ended Chatham’s run, it also kept Brewster on pace. The Whitecaps are now just four points back of the A’s for second place in the East.

The game was scoreless until the seventh inning, with Cook (USC) and Chatham’s Charles Brewer (UCLA) both cruising. But the Whitecaps finally got to Brewer, and it was a college teammate who did most of the damage. Catcher Ryan Babineau, a sophomore at UCLA, hit a sharp single into left-center, then took second when Addison Johnson (Clemson) didn’t pick the ball up cleanly. That little miscue turned into a big one when Ryan Hanlon plated Babineau with a single.

Chatham had its chance in the bottom of the inning. Jeremy Synan (NC St.) singled to start the frame and stole second, even as Brewster pitched out. Sean O’Brien (Virginia Tech) drew a walk, but was forced out at second on a ground ball by Scott Lyons (Mt. San Antonio). Synan moved to third on the play, and Lyons then stole second.

With the go-ahead run in scoring position, Johnson worked deep into the count against Cook, fouling off pitch after pitch. But Cook busted him inside and got a check-swing third strike to end the inning.

The A’s never threatened again, due in large part to Brewster’s bullpen. Shinaberry (Texas) and his submarine motion came up with a 1-2-3 eighth and closer Lee Land (UNC-Greensboro) pitched around a single in the ninth for his eighth save. Charlie Cutler (Cal) made a running catch on a shallow popup in right field for the final out.

Observations:

• Both Cook and Brewer were very impressive. I guess they’d qualify as cross-town rivals in college, with one at USC and one at UCLA. On this night, they pitched like there was something big on the line. Cook ended up on top by working out of the key jam in the seventh, something Brewer couldn’t do. With the seven shutout innings, Cook dropped his ERA from 3.71 to 3.07. Brewer, who’s been one of the best freshman pitchers on the Cape, fell to 1-2, but his ERA will drop to 2.30.
• The top of Brewster’s rotation is looking very good. All-stars Mike Colla and Matt Couch have been great, and Cook really showed off Thursday. One of the more impressive stats for those three are their strikeout-to-walk ratios, which are all above two.
• Yonder Alonso just keeps hitting. Brewster finished with seven hits, I believe, and Alonso had three of them. This was my first time seeing him and he didn’t disappoint.
• I really liked what I saw from Shinaberry out of the pen. He’s 6’4″ but his delivery dips way down, and it certainly worked on this night. I wasn’t keeping track, but I’m thinking he only threw about 10 or 12 pitches in his one inning of work. That fits with his stats. Shinaberry hasn’t walked anybody in 13 innings. His ERA is now 1.93.
• Average-wise, Brewster’s lineup isn’t spectacular, but I like the way it shakes out. Blake Tekotte is the leadoff man, and when he gets on, he’s the best base stealer on the Cape. Tavo Hall bats second, with Alonso in the third spot. Jacob Priday is batting cleanup and though he’s only hitting .225, he’s a power threat. Cutler, who’s an all-star, is also a steady presence.
• I’m not completely sure why, but apparently Chatham reliver Kevin Couture has been added to the all-star roster. Whatever the reason, it’s a well-deserved spot. Couture relieved Brewer Wednesday and kept the Whitecaps from adding any more in the seventh. For the season, Couture, a freshman from USC, has a 1.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts and six walks.
• With his family on hand for the first time this summer, Chatham’s Bryan Shaw (Long Beach) pitched a perfect frame in the top of the ninth.

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