Fish hold fate in own hands

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This article was published 14/08/2017 (2984 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The red-hot Winnipeg Goldeyes enter the biggest week of their season very much in the driver’s seat — but with a pair of familiar rivals still lurking in the rear-view mirror.

Winnipeg (47-32) kicks off a pivotal stretch today during which it plays eight straight games against the teams chasing it for first place in the North Division.

The St. Paul Saints are in town for a four-game series at Shaw Park before the Goldeyes head to Fargo-Moorhead for four games against the RedHawks starting Friday.

How those play out will go a long way in determining whether it ends up being a race to the finish line for the Goldeyes or a leisurely cruise toward another playoff appearance.

Winnipeg currently sits four games ahead of St. Paul and five in front of Fargo-Moorhead, but will play them a combined 15 times over its final 21 games.

The Goldeyes helped their cause this past weekend with a pair of impressive victories over the Wichita Wingnuts, the team they beat last season for the American Association championship.

A solid outing from pitcher Edwin Carl and yet another impressive offensive display led the Goldeyes to a 14-5 rout on Sunday, which included a season-best 21 hits. Winnipeg pounded out nine runs and 15 hits in the first six innings against pitcher Alex Boshers, who entered the game as one of the league’s best pitchers with 10 wins and a 3.17 ERA. And the runs and hits kept coming off the bullpen once Boshers was sent to the showers.

“You put up crooked numbers like that against a good team like Wichita, it’s a really good performance,” said outfielder Josh Romanski, who had a monster day at the plate with four hits and five RBIs, including a three-run home run.

Catcher Mason Katz also went deep for the 12th time this season and had three RBIs. Both Romanski and Katz each finished a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Outfielder Reggie Abercrombie had a pair of RBIs, while David Rohm, Wes Darvill and Andrew Sohn also drove in runs.

Carl gave up four runs off six hits while pitching into the eighth inning in getting his eighth win of the season.

In Saturday’s game, pitcher Zack Dodson made a fourth consecutive start on short rest and had a rough outing, falling behind 6-1 early in the game. But the Goldeyes erupted for four runs in the third and five more in the fourth to take a 10-6 lead. Dodson ended up lasting just four innings, putting a major strain on the bullpen. And while they bent early — giving up three runs in the sixth — they came through down the stretch as Victor Capellan and Ryan Chaffee combined for three scoreless frames to preserve what ended up being an 11-9 win.

“We’re kind of falling into a little rhythm like we were last year when it’s a different guy every day,” said Romanski, who had a home run and two RBIs Saturday. Teammate Shawn Pleffner also had a homer and four RBIs in the come-from-behind victory.

“That’s one of the key marks for a good team, when you can have guys picking each other up and different guys performing every day and coming through. When we’re hitting well and we’re rolling, it’s contagious,” Romanski said Sunday.

Winnipeg dropped Friday’s opener against the Wingnuts by a 3-1 score in what was a rare off-night for the bats. The Goldeyes are now 12-3 in their past 15 games and playing their best baseball of the season.

“When the guys are rolling the way they are right now, we’re a tough team to beat, a tough team to get outs against,” Romanski said.

“We’re running quality at-bats one through nine. It’s tough for any arm to go out there and try to navigate through a start.”

Romanski said last week’s addition of all-star pitcher Charle Rosario to the rotation — via a trade with Gary — shows how serious the organization is about defending its title.

“Outstanding. I’m absolutely ecstatic about it,” Romanski said of the move. “He’s hungry to win. He knows why he’s here and he’s excited about the opportunity. And I’m excited to have him on our club, because he just makes our club that much better.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca