It’s July 29, here’s what’s been happening recently on the path 400 miles to Toronto.
Game Recap
Monday, July 22: Harrisburg/New Hampshire (home – ppd)
Tuesday, July 23
- Game 1: Harrisburg 8, New Hampshire 2 (home)
- Game 2: Harrisburg 8, New Hampshire 3 (home)
Wednesday, July 24: Harrisburg 5, New Hampshire 3 (home)
Thursday, July 25: New Hampshire 9, Reading 1 (home)
Friday, July 26: New Hampshire 5, Reading 1 (home)
Saturday, July 27
- Game 1: Reading 2, New Hampshire 0 (home)
- Game 2: New Hampshire 4, Reading 2 (home)
Sunday, July 28: Reading 9, New Hampshire 8 (home)
Back in the Pack?
The Fisher Cats remain at the bottom of the Eastern Division, but a series with against the division-leading Reading Fightin’ Phils kept at least some glimmer of hope alive for this season’s playoff hopes. Still, it may not be enough.
“We could have and should have won five games; that’s the only way we’re going to get back into this thing, we spun our wheels,” said Fisher Cats Manager Mike Mordecai. “We gained a little bit of ground, but not enough.”
Unfortunately, New Hampshire now has no games left against Reading, so they’ll have to rely on other teams defeating the Phils moving forward if they wish to gain ground in the divisional race.
But, What About Harrisburg?
Despite the positive results against Reading, the Fisher Cats were annihilated against the Harrisburg Senators earlier in the home stand, just as they were on the road against Harrisburg in late May.
Mordecai’s theory on why the Senators dominated New Hampshire during both series was the fact that Harrisburg is much more convenient for major league callups than their Triple-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies.
Pearson, Plus New Arms?
Nate Pearson looks to be back at 100 percent, or at least close to it, if Saturday’s nearly six innings of no-hit baseball were any indication.
Mordecai stated on Sunday that Pearson’s recent trend of alternating between long starts and short starts is now at an end, with an end to inning caps and a pitch count limit of approximately 85 to 100 pitches per start.
“We’re at a point where we can extend his pitch count, we keep building it and building it,” said Mordecai.
The Fisher Cats may also soon see a start or two from Anthony Kay, one of the two pitchers Toronto obtained in the Marcus Stroman trade with the Mets.
Kay was placed in Triple-A Buffalo following the trade but struggled with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse this year.
He was dominant for Double-A Binghamton however, going 7-3 in Eastern League with one of those losses coming against New Hampshire on April 16.
On Deck
The Fisher Cats now begin a western road trip with their first games this season against Akron and Erie.
Following Sunday’s action, Erie holds a half-game lead over Bowie for the Western Division’s second-half top spot while Akron is 14 games back.
Fisher Cats of the Week
Batting: Kevin Smith – 11-for-29 (.379), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB
Pitching: Nate Pearson – 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks
