Goldeyes sweep Explorers

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This article was published 05/08/2021 (1568 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes didn’t need a lengthy winning streak to improve their chances for a berth in the post-season.

A mid-season change to the American Association’s playoff format has done just that.

The Fish, who improved to 35-35 and remain fourth in the North Division standings, completed a three-game series sweep of the Sioux City Explorers with a 5-0 win before a crowd of 1,229 at Shaw Park Thursday afternoon.

Winnipeg only needs to catch one of the three teams — Milwaukee Milkmen, Chicago Dogs and the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks — ahead of them to qualify for the post-season.

The second- and third-place teams in each divison will play a one-game playoff game to determine who advance to the division final.

Previously, only top two teams in each division were to qualify for the post-season. Winnipeg trails the third-place Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks by four games.

“I mean it gives us a better opportunity, but at the same time we got to just keep on pressing the gas pedal and keep on going,” said rookie Winnipeg right-hander Jorge Gonzalez, who hurled six shutout innings Thursday before giving way to Jose Vasquez.

Vasquez, from Cambridge, Ont., tossed three innings of scoreless relief for his first save as a professional.

Gonzalez, Winnipeg’s player of the game, improved to 3-4 while scattering four hits, two walks and striking out a season-high eight batters.

“I’ve had a couple of rough starts — I want to say the last two games,” said Gonzalez, who arrived in Manitoba with his teammates just prior to Tuesday’s home debut. “So (today) was for sure the best strikeout start that I’ve had. I usually like to pitch for contact — get flyballs and ground balls — but other than that, it was a great start.”

Explorers starter Eric Morell and took the loss, allowing two earned runs on two hits in 3 1/3 innings. He also walked four and struck out one.

Winnipeg’s Max Murphy, who had two doubles in four at-bats, broke open a tight game in the seventh inning when his bases-loaded double stretched Winnipeg’s lead to 5-0.

The Goldeyes took full advantage of a makeshift Explorers roster constructed earlier this week when 24 of the team’s 25 players, unwilling to comply with Canadian masking and vaccine requirements, were temporarily replaced by a collection of free agents and players loaned from the Pecos and Frontier leagues.

Sioux City was outscored 30-13 in the series.

With 30 games remaining in the regular season, Fish manager Rick Forney said making a playoffs is formidable but not impossible task.

“I don’t know (how many wins we need) but I would say, based on the people that we’re playing and the people that we’re chasing, we’ll probably need 21 or 22 of them,” said Forney.

The first-place Milwaukee Milkmen, who start at three-game series at Shaw Park Friday night, have a 11-game lead on the Goldeyes.

Should the Goldeyes beat Milwaukee in the opener, they would go above .500 for the first time since Game 1 of the regular season.

EXTRA BASES: Sioux City is 39-32 and third in the South Division… Winnipeg acquired pitcher Donnie Hart from the Atlantic League’s Gastonia Honey Hunters earlier this week. Hart, a lefty who pitched four seasons in the big leagues, was the return for left-handed closer Jose Jose, who left the Goldeyes due to vaccine requirements in Canada. Hart is expected to arrive in Winnipeg Friday and could be available to pitch immediately… Right-hander Greg Harris (1-5, 9.70) starts for Winnipeg against the Milkmen Friday. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14