League-leading Goldeyes embark on road trip after finishing 4-2 homestand

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This article was published 30/05/2019 (2347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It didn’t end pretty, but the Winnipeg Goldeyes have got to be happy with their first homestand of the 2019 season.

The Goldeyes went 4-2 in their first week playing at Shaw Park, as they won two of three games against both the Kansas City T-Bones and the Gary SouthShore RailCats. The Fish sit atop the American Association standings with a 9-4 record.

The Fish won their first two games against Gary, but the RailCats avoided the sweep with a 10-3 victory in the series finale on Thursday afternoon. The Goldeyes will hit the road and play three games against the Sioux Falls Canaries starting Saturday.

“It means a lot,” Goldeyes outfielder Reggie Abercrombie said on the strong start to the season. “Pitching has been holding us down pretty well. We’ve got to start hitting a little better than what we’ve been doing so far, but we’ve won four series in a row. We’re just trying to go to Sioux Falls and try to get a couple wins out there and come back home for another long series.”

Pitching definitely led the way for the Goldeyes this week, minus Thursday’s disappointing start from Harrison Cooney, who was lit up for five earned runs in less than two innings of work. The staff held Kansas City and Gary to six runs total in the four games they won. The Goldeyes’ bats, however, have been quiet. The Fish didn’t score more than four runs in any of their six games this week, and the team’s overall batting average after 13 games is a disappointing .249.

“It’s going to take time,” said Abercrombie, who has two home runs and five RBIs this season.

“Cats are used to getting spring training and getting 30, 40 or 50 at-bats. You just try to get at-bats under your belt and grind from there. Everybody right now is putting up good at-bats but, unfortunately, we’re not getting it done. It’s going to come around, and when it does, it’s going to be big.”

The most notable game of the week was Wednesday’s 3-1 win against the RailCats. For the first time since 2006, a Winnipegger hit the field at Shaw Park for the Goldeyes when 26-year-old left-handed pitcher Ryan Johnson was given the start. The rookie tossed six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits to pick up his first win as a professional.

It also happened to be Abercrombie’s 694th game in the league, which put him in sole possession of the record for most games played. Abercrombie previously shared the record with former Goldeyes third baseman Josh Mazzola.

“It was a great accomplishment,” the 38-year-old veteran said. “My good friend (Mazzola) was the leader. I talked to him the other day. I’m just blessed to have played this game as long as I have.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31