10-3 rout advances Goldeyes to the West Division Final

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This article was published 07/09/2024 (419 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It took the Winnipeg Goldeyes a while to get going in their three-game playoff series against the Sioux Falls Canaries. Nearly too long, in fact.

But once they did, there was no turning back. Or stopping them.

Now the Fish are flying into the second round after staving off elimination twice this weekend in convincing fashion while playing in the friendly confines of Blue Cross Park.

A 7-3 come-from-behind victory on Friday night was followed by a 10-3 rout on Saturday evening.

The Goldeyes advance to the West Division Final against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, who beat the Sioux City Explorers in their opening round series.

Game 1 goes Monday night in North Dakota, with Game 2 back in Winnipeg on Wednesday. A third and deciding game, if necessary, would happen Thursday at Winnipeg’s downtown ballpark.

There’s not a lot of runway in such a short series, and the first-place Goldeyes appeared to be in serious trouble after dropping the opener 5-0 in Sioux Falls, then falling behind 3-1 after five innings in Friday’s must-win contest against the Canaries.

It looked like Winnipeg’s decision to face the second-place squad — the divisional winner picks its first-round opponent — might have backfired.

“We kind of just weathered the storm,” Goldeyes manager Logan Watkins told the Free Press inside a celebratory clubhouse.

“We knew that maybe their depth in the bullpen wasn’t as deep. If we could get to the bullpen we could put up some runs, and that’s kind of what happened.”

“We knew that maybe their depth in the bullpen wasn’t as deep. If we could get to the bullpen we could put up some runs, and that’s kind of what happened.”–Logan Watkins

Home runs played a major role in the offensive explosion.

After outfielder Miles Simington plated a pair with a single in the bottom of the first inning on Saturday, designated hitter Edwin Arroyo crushed a three-run shot later in the frame to give the home team a comfortable early advantage.

Arroyo was the Game 1 offensive hero, breaking a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning on Friday with a three-run home run, then later adding an RBI single. Add it all up and that’s seven RBI in less than 24 hours of work.

“We have guys that can definitely swing the bat. There’s just a little bit of a streakiness to them,” said Watkins, the first-year skipper. “But when we get going, when we get hot, we’re a pretty tough team.”

Watkins previously managed Arroyo in Cleburne two seasons ago and was a key part in bringing him to Winnipeg. But the 33-year-old slugger was hampered by injuries for much of the summer, appearing in just 27 games and batting .213 with one home run and 13 RBI.

“He’s one of those guys who really want to be in those big moments,” said Watkins. “He doesn’t shy away from that. He wants to be at the plate with the game on the line, and I think that showed in games two and three.

“We had opportunities to score when he was at the plate and he came through. Anybody on our team’s capable of doing that.”

Sioux Falls starting pitcher Neil Lang, who had gone a sizzling 7-1 in eight regular-season starts, was given the early hook.

“It was good for us to jump on their starter and make them have to scramble to figure out how they were going to pitch the rest of the game and figure out who they were going to use,” said Watkins.

“It was good for us to jump on their starter and make them have to scramble to figure out how they were going to pitch the rest of the game and figure out who they were going to use.”–Logan Watkins

“It was really good to see and maybe kind of took some of the pressure off our shoulders. This was a huge elimination game. To get out in front like that, maybe we could relax a bit.”

The Canaries cut into the deficit in the third inning with a pair of runs against Goldeyes starter Mitch Lambson, but the big bats came through again in the fifth as Simington drilled a three-run home run to make it 8-2 and give him five RBI in the game.

Throw in Max Murphy’s two-run shot on Friday and that’s four big blasts combined.

Lambson’s night ended after Canaries outfielder Josh Rehwaldt took him deep to lead off the sixth inning. The veteran lefty, who re-joined the organization earlier this summer after beginning the season in Mexico, gave his team the type of start it needed on a big stage.

Winnipeg pushed a couple more runs across in the sixth courtesy of a Ramon Bramasco sacrifice fly and a Dayson Croes RBI single. That was more than enough for the bullpen, as relievers Nick Trogrlic-Iverson, Thomas Ponticelli and Tasker Strobel shut down the Canaries the rest of the way.

“With how good our pitching has been this year, if you give us a lead it’s hard to get it back,” said Watkins.

“With how good our pitching has been this year, if you give us a lead it’s hard to get it back.”–Logan Watkins

It wasn’t just the bats that were blazing, but the defence as well.

And you won’t see many better plays than the one second baseman Andy Armstrong made in the second inning. He fielded a blistering grounder while falling down, then quickly got back up to get a force-out at second base and then throw out the batter at first for a spectacular double play.

Later in the game, left-fielder Roby Enriquez made a sliding catch, then doubled up a runner at second base who couldn’t get back in time.

“We’ve got a really good defensive team, which is partly why our pitching numbers were so good this year,” said Watkins.

The faces change every year, but the Goldeyes have consistently been clutch with their backs against the wall. Winnipeg is now 9-3 when facing elimination in American Association playoffs.

This is the first playoff series victory by Winnipeg since 2017, when they captured a second straight championship. Since then, Winnipeg has missed the postseason in five of six seasons, and were defeated in the opening round by Fargo-Moorhead in 2022.

After a big crowd of 4,700 on Friday night, there were 2,762 in attendance Saturday. No doubt the number was impacted by the sold-out Banjo Bowl that went down a few hours earlier across town.

Tickets for the second-round games will go on sale to the public on Monday morning.

Expect to see Goldeyes ace Joey Matulovich, who had a rough playoff debut last Wednesday in Sioux Falls, to be on the mound for Game 1 against Fargo-Moorhead. He will be on his regular rest and with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

“He obviously didn’t throw as well as he’s accustomed to. I think he’s really grateful that we found a way to win the series so he could go out and get a little bit of redemption for himself,” said Watkins.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg