Tonight the Eugene Emeralds come to town for a three game series against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. This series is a bit unique for me because I am rooting for one of these two teams to win the second half playoff spot for the West division. It really doesn’t matter which team personally, because I just want one of these two teams to make the playoffs so I can watch a few extra baseball games this year. Granted I would be most excited with the Volcanoes winning since they are only 8 minutes from my house but I’m willing to drive.
Well okay back to the actually series. The Volcanoes move into the second half of the season hoping to turn a disappointing first half into a run to the playoffs. The Emeralds come in on the complete other end of the spectrum. Having the second best record in the Northwest league the Emeralds were only denied a playoff spot because the best record in league was owned by the Everett AquaSox who unfortunately were in the same division. With the second half just starting this series could have a great deal of impact as to which team can get on a roll and compete for the final playoff spot with the Vancouver Canadians.
In the opening game of the series the Eugene Emeralds will send Juan Marcano (2-2, 2.80 ERA) to the mound to face off against Joan Gregorio (3-4, 5.87 ERA).
Gregorio is seen as a top 20 prospect for the San Francisco Giants, but if he is going to keep that status he will need to find a way to keep the ball down in the zone and keep the opposing hitters in check. A big part of his success will come down to the defense behind him. Young pitchers often need a few amazing plays behind them to help them build their confidence and to help them relax on the mound.
Keys to the series
- In a game earlier this season the Emeralds had 5 errors against the Volcanoes and still won. This is both a statement about the Emeralds need to focus defensively as well as the Volcanoes need to take advantage of opportunities.
- Too many Volcanoes players try and be the hero on every swing of the bat. Home runs are great, but singles can be just as important. The team needs to make contact with the ball and put it in play, instead of hoping for the big fly every swing. Yes, there are a few guys that can hit the ball a long ways, but striking out trying for the big fly doesn’t help anyone other then the opposing pitchers K to BB ratio.
- For the Emeralds they just need to keep doing what they were doing in the first half. With Chris Taylor of the AquaSox already being promoted and Mike Zunino most likely on the shortlist of players to be called up soon, they may have a great opportunity to not only make the playoffs but to win the western division title and go to the championships. Last year they were the team that lost a key player in Spangenburg, but this year could be different.
My prediction for this series is that the Emeralds take two of three. For the past two season the Emeralds have just seemed to have the Volcanoes number and unless something changes that trend may just continue.