The Major League Trade Deadline has passed, and that means we’re into the last full month of the 2017 New Hampshire Fisher Cats season. It’s August 3, here’s the state of things on the path 400 miles to Toronto and beyond.
Quick Recap
The Fisher Cats’ most recent series against Binghamton and Bowie symbolized the general theme of their season: overall frustration mixed with moments of brilliance.
New Hampshire dropped three of four in Binghamton, but that easily could have been three wins instead of three losses.
The ‘Cats left the bases loaded in the ninth in the first game of the series and squandered a masterful pitching performance from newcomer Ryan Borucki in the second game of the series.
Only in Saturday’s contest, a 7-2 defeat, did New Hampshire truly seem beyond potentially pulling out a victory.
Anthony Alford, now a “full” Fisher Cat again instead of just on major league rehabilitation, helped the Fisher Cats avoid a sweep with three hits in Sunday’s game.
Things finally went New Hampshire’s way once they returned to Manchester for a series against the Bowie Baysox, if not immediately.
The team rallied for a rare late come-from-behind win in Wednesday’s game against Bowie, followed by another Borucki gem on Thursday.
Fisher Cats of the Week
Batting – (tie) Anthony Alford and Emilio Guerrero: Through the strength of Sunday’s performance alone, Alford once again proved that he’s probably ready to go back up to the majors once his injuries can fully heal.
Alford took the second Bowie game off, but he recorded hits in four of the other six games of New Hampshire’s past two series, bringing his 2017 Double-A batting average to .310 as of August 4.
While he couldn’t contribute any runs or RBIs in the past two series beyond the Sunday contest, he also put the ball in play, striking out only once during that time frame.
Guerrero was a close second to Alford’s production, contributing a home run in the first Binghamton game. Like Alford, he also grabbed hits in four of the six games he appeared in during the last two series.
Starting Pitchers – Ryan Borucki: In a season marred by inconsistent starting pitching, Borucki’s entrance to the Fisher Cat scene certainly stands out.
Borucki went seven innings in both appearances over the past two series, following another seven-inning scoreless performance during his debut against Trenton.
Relief Pitchers – Dusty Issacs: Perhaps it wasn’t as impressive as Borucki’s week, but Issacs has continued to improve since mid-July.
In the past two series, Issacs allowed just one hit and no walks over four innings of work, striking out six and earning the win in the final game of the Binghamton series.
Transactions
Arriving: The biggest addition to the Fisher Cats’ roster is 2017 Eastern League All-Star Thomas Pannone.
Pannone came on board in a trade from the Cleveland Indians along with second baseman Sam Taylor in exchange for righthander Joe Smith.
This season for the Akron Rubber Ducks, Pannone has gone 6-1 with a 2.62 ERA, including a win against the Fisher Cats on June 11.
Francisco Rios returned from the 7-Day Disabled List once again, this time on July 30. For now, it appears he will continue in a long relief/middle relief role, with Shane Dawson also moving from the starting rotation to the bullpen.
New Hampshire also added righthanded pitcher Griffin Glaude from Single-A Lansing, he made his debut during the first Binghamton game, striking out three of the seven batters he faced.
Andrew Case, one of New Hampshire’s best relievers this year, returns from Triple-A Buffalo after a brief departure from New Hampshire.
Departing: Reese McGuire was demoted to Advanced-A Dunedin on July 31. Kender Villegas and Matt Dean went onto the 7-day Disabled List on August 3.
What’s Next
The Fisher Cats now open up a set against the Richmond Flying Squirrels before heading to Akron for the beginning of a road trip that will also take them to Erie.
