For the first time this season, the Border Patrol are in first place.
This development was exciting enough to tempt Tijuana owner Scott
Watterson out of his summer hideaway (a secret cubicle somewhere in
the the Tucson area).
"Of course I'm excited! I've been watching our team all season,
contrary to some rumours cooked up by a few malcontents. The pitching
staff really seems to have turned the corner, and is one of the best
in the league. The key was Jaret's season. He's really turned it up
a notch. Sean [Bergman] was a big pickup too. Losing Mussina hurt,
but getting a guy like Bergman back was tremendous."
The offense has been more sporadic than the pitching, but shortstop
Damian Jackson's surprising power has made up for disappointing
seasons from Todd Walker and Mike Sweeney. Jackson has forced his way
into the leadoff role against lefties, by tatooing them at a .372
clip.
Defensively, the Border Patrol is one of the best teams in the league,
having committed only 13 errors all season. This is in stark contrast
to their opponents 41 errors on the same span, the largest
differential in the league.
"We're just going to take things one day at a time, and try to keep
the rest of the pack behind us." says DH Albert Belle. "I haven't
really been playing at the level I'm capable of, and neither have some
of our other guys. I think we can really do some damage when we get
going."
Of concern for BP management is their poor record in extra inning
games. It wasn't until about a week ago that Tijuana won their first
extra inning game. "I think a large reason for the record is the
manager's insistence on bringing in Sherman Mossor in the extra
frames. I don't really understand it, he's the only guy on the staff
that's been struggling, and he's been in for almost all of our
losses." says Watterson. "We've spoken about it, and I think that
situation is resolved. We want to see more of Ternasky and Allison,
and less of Mossor."
"I'm confident though. Unless we get another rash of terrible
injuries, we should be in contention for the playoffs all season."
