Hot Streak Propels Braves to .500 Record
By Mojo Hill
A lot has changed since the Bourne Braves last had an off day.
They were 0-4-1 on June 15, coming off a demoralizing rain-shortened loss that didn’t even give them a chance to make a comeback. They hadn’t scored a run in their last 18 1/3 innings. They got to enjoy their day off, soak up some sun at the beach and try to reset, but they had to do so with the lingering thought that they hadn’t won a game yet this summer.
But on this off day, it’s anything but a reset. If anything, it’s a well-deserved day of rest for a team that’s playing fantastic baseball.
The Braves had a game rained out two days after their first off day, which meant they had to play for nine consecutive days after that. To make matters worse, and seeming to nearly sink their season into oblivion, they suffered a gut-punching defeat the following day to the Wareham Gatemen, as they blew a 5-0 lead and lost in walk-off fashion. That brought their record to 1-5-1. That was the low point.
Since then, they’ve gone 6-2 to bring their record back to an even .500. They showed resilience, not letting the long stretch of games or early-summer losses derail their season. A plethora of reinforcements to the lineup have come up huge, while the pitching has remained solid. This team is starting to click in all facets of the game.
The biggest and most obviously impactful addition has been Derek Bender. Enough can’t be said about how locked in this guy is at the plate, and how dangerous his presence is for any opposing pitcher. Bender regularly studies the day’s starting pitcher in the press box before games, and whatever he’s doing, it must be working.
Each of the numbers in Bender’s batting line gets more absurd than the next, with a .567 average, .618 OBP and 1.033 slugging percentage. He’s hit three of the Braves’ eight home runs, and is the only Bravo with multiple bombs. He also leads the team with 10 RBIs despite only being here for slightly more than a week.
For some perspective on just how good Bender’s been, he leads the entire league in runs created with 19.147. He’s one of only four players on the Cape with an RC above 10. The second-best in the league has 16.016, while the second-best on the Braves — Garrett Michel — has 6.245.
It’s remarkable how quickly Bender and the Braves have flipped the narrative on this season. In the early going, Bourne had one of the best team ERAs in the league but one of the worst run totals. You’d never know that from looking at the current stats, where the Braves are tied for second in the Cape with 83 runs, behind only Wareham’s 86. They’re also tied for the most hits of any team with 137, and they have the best team OPS at .735. They’ve struck out the second-fewest times of any Cape League team. It’s all led to an offensive outburst giving these Braves some life after a dreary start.
And even still, 15 games deep into the season, manager Scott Landers has been rotating people in and out of the lineup. He has more options than can fit in the lineup, making it anyone’s guess who’s going to be playing on a given day. He even got creative by putting Bender in left field one day to keep his bat in the mix.
The Braves’ defense has been pristine, especially in the infield. Jonathan Vastine has made wildly athletic plays and strong throws from shortstop, certainly saving a number of hits. A member of last year’s champions, Bryce Eblin, has rejoined the team, and he’s shown versatility while playing three infield spots but recently settling in as the squad’s second baseman. Joey Loynd has played a tremendous third base all summer, and his bat has gotten going recently too with his first home run as a Brave. That’s not even to mention third baseman Cameron Foster, who might not have the defensive chops of Loynd but brings a strong right-handed presence to the plate.
Bender’s Coastal Carolina teammate Caden Bodine has been another big boost to the lineup as well, with a .474 OBP in his first 19 plate appearances. Bodine is a switch-hitting catcher who’s also done his fair share of DH’ing to stay in the lineup. Adonys Guzman has looked like the Braves’ best defensive option behind the plate, and he broke out offensively as well Monday night with a double and a pair of walks. Guzman had been taking good at-bats even during his 0-for, and he finally reaped some rewards.
The Braves’ outfield has been bolstered by the additions of Sam Petersen, Gage Harrelson and Chris Stanfield, while still getting contributions from guys like Pete Ciuffreda and Jackson Castillo. Petersen is probably the name to watch in the outfield going forward from an offensive standpoint, but all of these players bring valuable skills to the table. Ciuffreda owns a .488 OBP in 43 plate appearances.
Bourne’s pitching staff has arguably been even a bigger revolving door than the position players, partly due to the nature of pitchers nearing their inning limits and going home at predetermined times. Matt Duffy was a standout with a 1.88 ERA in three starts before departing to focus on the draft, while Henry Weycker had 0.84 ERA out of the bullpen. The Bourne staff has seen some peaks and valleys since the strong beginning of the season on the mound, but overall the Braves have a solid 3.72 ERA and the second-lowest opponent slugging percentage.
It’s all coming together with a revamped lineup, strong all-around defense and an effective pitching corps. The Braves have shown in this last week that they have the talent to make another championship bid, bringing fun and excitement to the westernmost part of the Cape once again.
