Manchester Ink Link is simulating the entire 2020 New Hampshire Fisher Cats season this month as we wait for the real baseball to return.
Today we enter Week 9.
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)
Friday, June 5 – Richmond 7, New Hampshire 2
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Thomas Pannone’s struggles continued, as he couldn’t escape the fourth in Friday’s start against the Flying Squirrels.
New Hampshire has now lost nine of the ten contests Pannone has appeared in this season, with Pannone giving up two earned runs off five hits and a pair of walks against Richmond.
Andrew Sopko, now relegated to long relief in the bullpen after an 0-6 record in the starting rotation, came in to allow four more runs following Pannone’s short start, lasting seven outs before he left.
At the plate, Deiferson Barreto and Alfredo Silverio each had two hits and one home run apiece. Ben Revere had three hits and Josh Palacios hit a double.
Saturday, June 6 – Richmond 5, New Hampshire 2
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Fisher Cats just kind of showed up, dropping a second straight contest to the Flying Squirrels.
A two-run Chadwick Tromp homer in the fourth put Richmond ahead for good, as the Flying Squirrels got a one-run home run in the fifth from Jamie Westbrook and insurance runs in the eighth and ninth.
The Fisher Cats led off the ninth with hits in four of their five of their first seven at-bats, but a strikeout by Alfredo Silverio finally finished off New Hampshire’s late rally attempt.
Turner Larkins pitched an eight-out start on four days rest and Emmanuel Ramirez came in to give up two of Richmond’s five runs, putting him on the hook for the loss. As a staff, the Fisher Cats’ six pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts.
At the plate, the Fisher Cats had 10 hits, with every batter except for Ryan Noda and Alfredo Silverio getting at least one hit. Josh Palacios, Brock Lundquist and Mac James had two hits each, with Palacios also getting two walks.
Sunday, June 7 – New Hampshire 10, Richmond 8
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Flying Squirrels had a 6-1 lead by the end of the second inning, but the Fisher Cats slowly clawed their way back, with a four-run eighth inning finally preventing Richmond from sweeping the ‘Cats.
Given New Hampshire’s 14-man pitching staff, Fisher Cats Manager Cesar Martin was able to give an early hook to Ryan Borucki in the second after those six early runs. Andrew Sopko entered to provide long relief, but unlike Friday, this time he was effective.
Sopko lasted to the end of the fourth and another five relievers got the Fisher Cats through the next five innings, with Kyle Regnault (1-0) getting the win for two outs in the eighth and Brett Cecil getting his second save of the year after retiring Richmond in the ninth.
At the plate, Josh Palacios led the ‘Cats with a 4-for-5 day, scoring three times and driving in four runs, also grabbing a double and a home run.
Ben Revere, Ryan Noda and Mac James grabbed two hits apiece, and Brock Lundquist added three hits.
Tuesday, June 8 – New Hampshire 6, Erie 5
ERIE, Penn. – Two runs in the first and four runs in the second proved to be enough to withstand a late comeback from the SeaWolves.
Erie took back two runs in the bottom of the second, the only hiccup for New Hampshire hurler Anthony Kay over his four-inning start, but the SeaWolves were then stymied until A.J. Simcox tagged up on a sac fly to left in the eighth.
That cut New Hampshire’s lead to three and four straight hits allowed by Tristan Archer and Brett Cecil in the ninth cut the lead down to just one. Luckily for New Hampshire, a 4-6-3 double play helped seal Erie’s late rally, providing Brett Cecile his third save of the year.
Chandler Shepard (2-1) got the win for his 2 1/3 innings of relief after Kay’s departure.
Erie outhit New Hampshire, 15-7, with only Ben Revere’s two-hit day leading the way for the Fisher Cats.
During a fielder’s choice in the sixth, Josh Palacios collided with Erie shortstop Sergio Alcantara. Palacios left the game following the collision, he is listed as day-to-day with unspecified injuries.
On Monday, Chase Whitley was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo. To date, he appeared in 14 games so far this year for New Hampshire, with a 5.82 ERA.
Wednesday, June 9 – Erie 4, New Hampshire 3 (11 inn.)
ERIE, Penn. – Frustration has been a byword of this Fisher Cats season, and Wednesday provided a perfect example of that frustration.
A three-run third inning for the SeaWolves was largely negated by Ben Revere’s two-run blast in the fourth, with Forest Wall reaching home from second base after a dropped flyball to right in the seventh to tie the game.
The Fisher Cats stranded Alfredo Silverio 90 feet away from breaking that tie later in the seventh, and Brock Lundquist’s attempt to capitalize on a deep flyball to left in the ninth was also fruitless, with Erie leftfielder Derrick Loveless gunning him out at the plate.
New Hampshire’s inability to close the deal forced closer Brett Cecil to pitch for the third game in four days, a decision the Fisher Cats would regret. He was able to retire the side in order in the tenth, but a ten-pitch at-bat against Isaac Paredes proved he was out of gas, with Parades eventually reaching on a walk.
Louis Coleman entered to replace Cecil and quickly got one out, but a Loveless single allowed Paredes get to second and a subsequent A.J. Simcox single got Paredes to third and loaded the bases. James Dykstra entered to get the second out, a fielder’s choice to home, but a bases-loaded walk to Jhon Nunez on the next at-bat gave Erie the walk-off win.
Due to the fielder’s choice, Cecil was issued the loss under Rule 9.16(g), dropping him to 3-2 on the year.
New Hampshire outhit Erie, 13-to-7, with Revere and Lundquist each grabbing two hits.
Thursday, June 10 – Erie 9, New Hampshire 8
ERIE, Penn. – Another day, another walk-off loss.
Despite allowing two hits earlier in the inning, Alex Wimmers (0-1) was just one out away from retiring Erie in the ninth until an errant throw to the plate by first baseman Ryan Noda allowed the inning to continue and allowing Sergio Alcantara to score. Alcantara’s run brought the SeaWolves within one run, with Wimmers allowing two more RBI singles to provide Erie another win.
New Hampshire’s pitching continued to struggle beyond Wimmers’ unlucky ending, with Joey Murray throwing 78 pitches in his eight-out starting appearance.
The Fisher Cats allowed 15 hits, but the Fisher Cat batters got 13 hits of their own, with a home run in the fourth by Noda and another in the sixth by Ben Revere.
New Hampshire also got doubles from Alfredo Silverio, Brock Lundquist and Josh Palacios. Silverio, had three hits with Palacios, Lundquist and Deiferson Barreto finishing with two hits.
Batter of the Week: Ben Revere – After a cold streak in late May, Revere has returned to the form he showed at the beginning of the season, going 12-for-27 (.444) with six RBI, two home runs and four runs scored.
Pitcher of the Week: James Dykstra – Dykstra’s season ERA fell by nearly three runs this week, allowing just one run in four appearances and a total of six innings pitched. He also allowed just two hits and three walks against 10 strikeouts.
