Friday, September 27, 2013

Hanging In

Eureka has been hanging in despite the loss of leading hitter Mike Bergeron, out for a month with a broken foot.  Eureka's pitching has been strong, leading the league with the fewest runs allowed.  The offense is inconsistent, but some of the hitters have been stellar, including Jack Watson (.381/.403/.679), Jesus Gonzalez (.366/.444/.683), and Bob Hennessey (.338/.384/.470). 

A recent blow was the loss of #2 starter Royce Butterfield, out 2 to 3 months with a herniated disk.

If Eureka can find some offensive consistency, look out!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Runs, Anyone?

Eureka is playing some pretty low scoring ball in the early going.  The hoped-for maturation of the younger hitters has not happened yet.  Outfielder Hatcher is hitting .203 in the early going, and Ito is doing even more poorly, at .171.  In addition, starting centerfielder Gonzalez and starting rightfielder Otero are on the disabled list with early-season injuries. 

The starting pitching, however, has not disappointed, with with a league-leading ERA of 2.66 to this point in the season.

The Hornets management hopes the team will produce enough runs to win consistently.  Some bad contracts were cut last season, and the full brunt of the full load of those contracts are being felt this season, so there is no wiggle room to add an additional veteran bat or two.