Manchester Ink Link is simulating the entire 2020 New Hampshire Fisher Cats season as we wait for the real baseball to return.
Today we enter Week 17.
In case you missed it, here’s are our previous stories on the Fisher Cats’ simulated season so far.
- Pre-season
- Week 1 (end-of-week record: 2-4)
- Week 2 (end-of-week record: 5-8)
- Week 3 (end-of-week record: 9-11)
- Week 4 (end-of-week record: 11-17)
- Week 5 (end-of-week record: 13-22)
- Week 6 (end-of-week record: 16-24)
- Week 7 (end-of-week record: 19-27)
- Week 8 (end-of-week record: 21-33)
- Week 9 (end-of-week record: 23-36)
- Week 10 (end-of-week record: 24-40)
- Week 11 (end-of-week record: 28-45)
- Week 12 (end-of-week record: 31-49)
- Week 13 (end-of-week record: 33-53)
- Week 14 (end-of-week record: 37-55)
- Week 15 (end-of-week record: 39-60)
- Week 16 (end-of-week record: 43-63)
Tuesday, Aug. 4 – New Hampshire 2, Bowie 1
MANCHESTER, N.H. – With Ryan Noda nursing a strained Achilles’ Tendon, Christian Williams has been getting more at-bats recently and that paid dividends for the Fisher Cats on Tuesday.
Williams’ lead-off triple in the sixth sparked a two-run inning, ultimately enough for New Hampshire’s victory. Williams got home off a Alfredo Silverio single and Silverio eventually came home thanks to an Alejandro Kirk double.
Thomas Hatch was the winning pitcher for New Hampshire, throwing three innings of relief after Ryan Borucki’s 4 2/3 inning start. Hatch is now 3-4 on the year in Eastern League play, with Patrick Murphy following Hatch in his first relief appearance of the year and Brett Cecil collecting his 11th save of the year.
Bowie’s only run came thanks a fielding error by Borucki, one of three Fisher Cat errors on the day. New Hampshire now has 79 errors in the year, tied with Reading for the worst tally in the league.
Wednesday, Aug. 5 – New Hampshire vs. Bowie (ppd. – rain)
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Heavy rain and thunder made baseball untenable at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium on Wednesday. After the postponement decision, the Eastern League announced that Wednesday’s game would be made up on Thursday at 1:05 p.m., with Thursday’s originally scheduled game set for 7:05 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6 (Game 1) – Bowie 3, New Hampshire 2
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Johnny Rizer’s two-run homer in the second gave Bowie a lead it would not relinquish as the Bay Sox took the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
The ‘Cats clawed back a run in the third, with Brock Lundquist’s single bringing Christian Williams home. Both teams remained scoreless until the eighth, with Zach Watson hitting a solo home run for Bowie and Lundquist crossing the plate during a 6-4-3 double play.
Anthony Kay deserved a better fate from his quality start for New Hampshire, giving up just two runs off two hits and a walk, striking out eight batters over six innings. Kay is now 5-8 on the year.
Kyle Regnault pitched the other three innings of the contest for New Hampshire.
Williams went 3-for-4 with a double in the fifth, Deiferson Barreto also collected a double earlier in the game.
Thursday, Aug. 6 (Game 2) – New Hampshire vs. Bowie (ppd. – rain)
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Lingering clouds from Wednesday night and Thursday morning brought more showers, eliminating what would have been Graham Spraker’s first start of the season for New Hampshire.
This game will now be moved to Bowie for a doubleheader on Friday, Aug. 14
Friday, Aug. 7 – New Hampshire 5, Akron 2
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Fisher Cats are now 4-1 for the month of August with a strong six-inning start from Graham Spraker.
Unlike 2019, Spraker has spent this season in the bullpen as New Hampshire has struggled to spread starts among a plethora of starting pitchers, but Spraker might be in the rotation for the rest of the year if Friday was any indication.
Spreaker gave up two runs off four hits and three walks during his outing, with both runs coming off Giljegiljaw Kungkuan’s two-run homer in the second.
Alejandro Kirk answered in the bottom of the second with a solo home run of his own, followed by a solo home run from Ryan Noda in the fourth, with Noda reporting that his lingering high ankle injuries are now completely healed in a statement following the contest.
A Ben Revere single brought home Forrest Wall in the seventh to provide New Hampshire with the lead and Alfredo Silverio’s double in the eighth sparked a two-run inning for the ‘Cats.
Josh Palacios also a double for New Hampshire, his 23rd of the season.
Louis Coleman (4-3) earned the win for New Hampshire thanks to his relief efforts in the seventh and eighth, with Brett Cecil scoring his 12th save of the year after retiring the side in the ninth.
Earlier in the day, the Fisher Cats saw five players leave their roster, with pitcher Jesse Chavez getting the call-up to Triple-A Buffalo while Advanced-A Dunedin seeing the arrival of pitchers Andrew Sopko and Kaleb Fleck as well as outfielders Gabriel Guerrero and Brock Lundquist.
Saturday, Aug. 8 – New Hampshire 4, Akron 1
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Fisher Cats hot streak continued on Saturday as Thomas Pannone stymied the Rubber Ducks’ bats.
Delino DeShields’ first-inning homer was the only blemish on Pannone’s strong six-inning start. Pannone gave up just four hits and three walks, striking out six en route to a now 4-8 record on the year.
Chandler Shepherd and Brett Cecil retired the Rubber Ducks in order over the seventh, eighth and ninth, with Shepherd getting his fourth hold of the season and Cecil getting his 13th save of the season.
At the plate, Logan Warmoth’s three-run shot in the fifth provided Pannone the run support he needed for the win. The blast found its way onto the roof of the Sam Adams Bar and Grill in left, giving Warmoth his second homer of the season. Also of note, Josh Palacios went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot, collecting a double in the fourth.
Sunday, Aug. 9 – Akron 6, New Hampshire 3
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Fisher Cats couldn’t pull out a sweep of their series with the Rubber Ducks, thanks in large part to four runs the visitors tallied in the second inning.
Patrick Murphy was on the hook for those four runs, plus another Akron run in the fifth, giving up nine hits and striking out seven batters during his five-inning appearance. Murphy is now 2-7 on the year.
Every New Hampshire batter had at least one hit except for Forrest Wall had at least one hit, with Ben Revere collecting two. Christian Williams finished with a double, his 13th of the year.
Earlier in the day, reliever Addison Russ arrived from Toronto and outfielder Gabriel Guerrero returned from a stint at Advanced-A Dunedin.
Reliever Lance Coleman was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo.
Batter of the Week: Josh Palacios – The Brooklyn native had hits in each of the five games where he played during the Akron and Bowie series. During those two series, he hit 7-for-18 (.388), with a pair of doubles.
Pitcher of the Week: Brett Cecil – The Fisher Cats’ closer remains as the hottest hand in an otherwise shaky pitching staff.
