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After a long skid where the Punxtawney Groundhogs saw their winning percentage plummet to the .630's after spending the first 35 games well above .700, the new Punxtawney Groundhogs have turned things back around and are once again the best team in baseball. They now have a 2 1/2 game lead over Spokane in the best team race.
Yesterday, Punxtawney got a 8-6 victory, but not a pretty one. Today was a bit better, with 8-5 and 14-2 wins.
The pitching has been only average thus far, and newly acquired ace Pedro Martinez hasn't lived up to the high expectations of Dan Shapiro, team OGGM. Martinez started the 1st game and allowed 5 earned runs in the first inning alone. However, he showed the brilliant form that Shapiro knows he is capable of. Over the next 7 innings, he didn't allow a run. His line for the game isn't very pretty--5 earned runs over 8 innings, but he did rack up 12 strikeouts and get the win to go to 3-3. Ricky Bottalico threw a fine 9th inning, giving up one hit and striking out one en route to his 4th save.
It was the Punxtawney hitting which saved the day. Led by Roberto Kelly, Rondell White, who each had 3 hits, as well as Greg Myers and Jose Valentin who each hit 2 run homers, the Punxtawney offense racked up 8 runs on 13 hits. Ryan Klesko also had 2 hits. The loss went to Springfield reliever Bob Hamlin, but starter Joey Eischen struggled as well.
The second game was a much more decisive win. The Groundhogs scored 5 runs in the first 2 innings while watching Bobby Thomas cruise through the Panthers lineup. Roberto Kelly was definitely the offensive star of the game. The leadoff hitter was 4-4, scored 3 times, drove in 3 runs, homered twice, and doubled. Rondell White, batting second, drove in 4 runs on 2 hits, including a homer. Tony Batista and Scott Rolen also contributed 3 hits each while Jason Giambi and Jose Valentin hit homers. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit and scored or had an RBI in the Punxtawney 20 hit barrage.
Starter Bobby Thomas, after a horrid first outing, showed Shapiro what he was really made of. He allowed just one run on 4 hits while walking only 1 and striking out 11 over 7 innings. Dario Veras threw the 8th inning, giving up 2 hits and getting one strikeout while holding the Panthers scoreless. Jim Burright came in next and stuggled a bit, getting 2 outs but walking 3. He gave up one run, which was unearned, on a Greg Myers error. Butch Henry came in and bailed him out, getting the final out of the game. Thomas got the win, going to 2-2 on the year. Springfield starter Bud Black got the loss, dropping him to 3-4.
An update on Punxtawney statistics thus far. Top of the order stars Roberto Kelly and Rondell White have both excelled thus far as Groundhogs. White is hitting .338 with a .401 on base percentage while Kelly is hitting .346 with 7 homers and a .427 OBP. Newly acquired Jose Valentin is now hitting over .300 at .302 and he is up to 10 homers and 26 RBI. Marty Cordova is up to .289 and Jason Giambi has recovered from a short slump to bring his average back to .289 with 11 homers. Rookie Scott Rolen is hitting .298 with 17 doubles and 3 homers, making a strong run for rookie of the year. However, team star Ryan Klesko outshines everyone else. He is hitting .390, has 24 homers, 61 RBI, and has created 73 runs.
The new pitching staff isn't doing as well as the old one, but the bullpen is far better. Pedro Martinez is just 3-3 with a 4.15 ERA, but he has 53 strikeouts thus far. Jon Lieber has been excellent so far and he is now 4-2 with a 3.19 ERA. He has just 8 walks in over 50 innings of work. Number 3 man Rocky Coppinger is 4-4 with a 3.96 ERA, and he has been very on and off this year. New starter Bobby Thomas has started only twice, but he has a 2-2 record and 4.15 ERA as he worked 7 games in relief. The big surprise has been rookie Dustin Hermanson. He is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA since his callup, even with just 5 strikeouts and 16 walks in 31 innings.
Ricky Bottalico leads the new bullpen with a 1-0 record and an ERA of .90. He has 4 saves and 3 holds in 8 appearances, along with one blown save. Setup man Scott Ruffcorn has been very impressive, maintaining a 2.93 ERA in 20 appearances over 27 2/3 innings. Butch Henry, after early struggles in the bullpen, has finally got used to the role of long relief and he has dropped his ERA from over 10 to 7.99. He also got his first save and has 3 holds. Curt Leskanic and Jim Burright have been average in their work from the pen so far, with Leskanic throwing just 3 innings so far due to an injury and Burright having an ERA of 4.05.
News and Notes and Trade Rumors:
Punxtawney wanted to commend Denver 3B Matt Williams on his incredible game in the opener of the Larimer-Denver doubleheader. Williams was 4-5, scored 3 times, and drove in an astounding 9 runs with 3 homers.
Punxtawney trade rumor mill--Punxtawney may be looking to trade Pedro Martinez for another ace of comparable quality. Perhaps a lefty. If you want Pedro and you have something that matches up to him pretty well in numbers (or someone slightly better, I'm always willing to throw stuff in), please contact me! Also, a shocking note--Punxtawney will be cutting back on the trading, more or less, for a while now. Other than an occasional deal for minor leaguers and stuff like that, the Groundhogs will be content to let their season play out with this fine team they currently have. Definetly off limits for trading at this point, unless, of course, you offer me a deal that I simply can't refuse, are Ryan Klesko, Scott Rolen, Dustin Hermanson, Rondell White, and Ricky Bottalico. Most likely Roberto Kelly and Marty Cordova as well. But remember--if you ever want a Groundhog, get in touch with me. Odds are, if you want someone badly enough, we can work out a deal that helps us both.
Written by Dan Shapiro