Laurel, Maryland - By taking two of three on the road in Cincinnati, Laurel evened its
record as the mid-season point approaches in the PVBL. With a 40-40
record, the Lynx currently have the 8th best record in the 14 team
Enterprise League. Laurel manager Floyd Hoerst said, "We have a much
better record at this point than I would have expected, especially
considering we traded away most of our big guns since the start of the
season." Gone are starters Scott Erickson and Steve Avery, 1B Jeff
Bagwell, and OF Danny Tartabull. Hoerst added "Maybe we could have
been a real playoff contender in September had we kept those guys, but
we decided early to add youth and stuck with the plan. Hopefully it
will turn out well for the long term."
GM Sean Dawson stated "We expected to be much worse and end up with
another high pick in the amateur and free agent drafts in 1999. If we
finish in the middle of the pack it will hurt the overall team
building process, but if we do finish around .500 it would be a good
step forward for the franchise."
The team has scored 370 runs (4.6 per game) which is 3rd best in the
Enterprise League. In addition, the team batting average of .271 is
tied for 2nd in the league, while the Lynx total of 97 home runs is
4th. Where the team suffers is in the pitching department. The team
ERA of 3.98, puts them in a three way tie for 7th. Perhaps the
biggest reason why the team has not been more successful is that
Laurel is last in the league in quality starts with a total of 37.
Enjoying it While It Lasts
The Lynx don't figure to be at .500 for very long as they play at home
against Galena (49-27) today. Bartolo Colon and Armando Reynoso will
start the first two games of the series. Hoerst stated, "We like to
get a split today, but we haven't had much success against the
Hamsters this season."
On the Block
Available are OF Jacob Brumfield (.287 avg, 15 HR, 12 SB), 3B Gary
Gaetti (.315 avg), and starting pitcher Armando Reynoso (3.84 ERA).
Jermaine Dye is also available for a high draft pick.
