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The Vero Beach Bums have taken over sole possession of first place in the hotly contested Picard Division of the Defiant League. On the strength of a four game winning streak, including another huge blowout over Sacramento and two 4-2 games over fading Spokane, Vero Beach is half a game in front of Binghamton. Vero Beach now has the fifth best record in baseball, just two games behind Punxsutawney. [the real spelling, btw]
On Wednesday, June 4, Vero Beach came from a 5-0 deficit against Sacramento to win 26-9. The Knights knocked out starting pitcher Ismael Valdes after only 2 innings, but Dave Weathers pitched a strong 5 1/3 innings of long relief. Weathers didn't give up a run until the eighth inning, by which time he had a comfortable 17-5 lead. "With that kind of run support, I could have thrown left-handed and still gotten the win," joked Weathers, a righty. Weathers is 2-0 in 16 innings of relief.
Catcher Tom Pagnozzi had another great game, going 3 for 5 with a walk, a HR, and 7 RBI. RF Brian Jordan went 4 for 5, scoring 3 times and driving in 3 runs. Again, no position player went without a hit.
Vero CEO J. Lee Gohlke had this to say about the Bums' torrid week, in which they scored at least 18 runs five times: "Well, what can I say? When they get going, they get going. I'd love to see this kind of production continue all the way down the stretch, but that's too much to ask for." When asked about the chance that Vero might be running up the score too much, he replied, "I can see how that might seem like a problem, but what am I going to do--tell them not to try to hit? Our objective is to win every game, and we can't give an inconsistent effort if that's our goal." However, Gohlke did admit that the Bums have not taken advantage of the opportunity blowouts offer to put backups on the field.
On Thursday, June 5, Vero Beach defeated Spokane in the first of two 4-2 victories. Shawn Estes gave up 2 runs in 7 1/3 innings for the win to improve to 4-3 on the season. Trevor Hoffman finished the game for the save. LF Gregg Jefferies was a perfect 4 for 4 on the day with a run scored and one RBI. Jefferies has been on a tear since coming to Florida, improving his batting average about 70 points. He's now hitting above .300, as are most of the Bums' starting position players.
On June 6, Vero Beach again beat Spokane 4-2. Albie Lopez had a brilliant outing, giving up just one run on four hits (including a home run in the fifth) and striking out twelve in eight innings. Again, Trevor Hoffman saved the game, giving him the league lead with 8 saves on the season. Jeff King and Rex Hudler each hit one home run in the victory.
Written by Jason Gohlke