26 October 2008

BayDogs Stumble Out of Gate in Season 10

The Baltimore BayDogs are off to a slow start with a 13-21 record in the early going of Hunter League's tenth season. Hoping to build off of last seasons 80-82 record, the best in BayDogs history, the club made a number of changes over the winter. Justin Granger, was one of two free agent signings and is playing 3rd base. Last years 3rd baseman, Rich Peterson has moved to centerfield to replace veteran Ed Shelby who was traded to New Britain for hard hitting left fielder Andrew Wright. The other major change to the line-up is rookie Fernando Beltre, promoted from AAA where he was noted for his handling of the pitching staff, platooning behind the plate with James Hardy.

Offensively, the Dogs are off to a good start led by veteran first baseman Rich Peters (14 HR, 33 RBI and a .363 average) and right fielder Jack Henderson (9 HR, 26 RBI and a .321 batting average). Pitching though is another matter. The starting rotation is off to very rough start with only Roy Riley pitching to a semi-decent 4.96 ERA. No starter has more than 1 victory. The BayDogs will go nowhere in the tough NL East unless Felipe Andujar, Jose Vallarta, Don Sedlacek and Harry Guevara can get things turned around.

Most of the changes to the pitching staff are found in the bullpen where free agent Damian Wolcott is currently assuming a long relief role but may join the starting rotation sooner than planned if problems with the Big 5 continue. Rookie Gregg Murratore is excelling in the set-up role after a very successful minor league career for the BayDogs. He is joined by veterans Glenn Patterson and Ricky Spoljaric in the effort to turn the game over to 3rd year closer James Sinclair who is already 3-0 with 5 saves.

Baltimore management is hopeful that the veteran starting rotation will find its stride and begin to perform to expectations. Without a quick turn-around it could be a long season for BayDog fans.

13 October 2008

BayDogs Finish with Best Record in 9 Year History

The Baltimore BayDogs took another step in their rebuilding program by finishing season #9 with a record of 80 wins and 82 losses. Playing at over .500 for most of the season, the BayDogs stumbled at the end but were still pleased to reach 80 victories. Though this represents the most wins of their nine year existence, the players and management know there is a lot of work remaining if they want to join the elite teams of Hunter.

Once again, the lineup was anchored by Rich Peters who had another stellar year, with 51 homers, 135 runs batted in and a very solid .286 batting average. The BayDogs exhibited some base running prowess for the first time with Rich Peterson (3b) swiping 60 bases and Jake Brock (LF) accounting for 51 more. The starting pitching, while improving, still has a way to go before the Dogs can compete with the powerhouse New York Metropolitans in the NL East. Harry Guevara, in his first season with Baltimore, led the staff with 11 wins. Former starter Glenn Patterson had a great year as the primary set-up man out of the bullpen with an 8-4 record and very respectable 2.82 ERA. James Sinclair continued to emerge as one of the league's dominant closers, with 30 saves and a 2.97 ERA.

The BayDogs are looking forward to season #10 and hope to build on the progress exhibited in season 9. Stay tuned for a look at the new BayDog season, coming soon!