Swatting down opponents of late

They’re pesky, stubborn and swarming opponents lately.

We’re talking about the Winnipeg Goldeyes, who fittingly re-branded as the “Manitoba Mosquitoes” for one night only as they opened a seven-game homestand on Friday at Blue Cross Park.

“And we’ve got a good buzz going, too,” veteran pitcher Tasker Strobel told the Free Press with a laugh.

Unlike the notorious insects, however, the Goldeyes don’t suck.

The Fish entered their meeting with the Lincoln Saltdogs riding a season-high five-game winning streak, climbing above the .500 mark for the first time this year. They were fresh off a three-game sweep in Kansas City against the top team in their division.

And they kept the good times rolling with a dominant 11-4 victory in front of 5,390 fans on Friday, improving to 33-31 overall.

“I think it’s just newfound aggression,” said Strobel. “We definitely all came together on this last road trip. We’re just collectively looking at this stretch like, ‘Hey, it’s time to go.’”

The offence, which has been clicking for most of the campaign, has found another explosive gear. And the pitching has started to round into form after plenty of struggles that led to many long nights at the ballpark.

A recipe for success in any league.

“Everybody is picking it up at the right time,” said outfielder Keshawn Lynch. “Just collectively as a group it’s just really good baseball and really good vibes right now.”

Lynch has been leading by example. He’s been swinging a hot bat and sat fourth in American Association hitting with a .332 average prior to first pitch Friday. He just had a three-game stretch in which he pounded out nine hits while driving in six runs.

“I’m just trusting in my abilities. I’ve had trouble in the past not believing in myself,” said Lynch. “Now that I trust in myself, everything has been going pretty good.”

Goldeyes manager Logan Watkins had repeatedly preached patience after his team dropped its first four contests of the 100-game campaign and then essentially remained in that hole the past two months. A win or two would quickly be followed by a loss or two or three, with the club stuck in neutral.

“In the beginning, it was tough. You’ve got some new guys, some returning guys, everybody is trying to get used to the league and each other,” said Lynch. “Now that we’ve gotten over the hump, we just have to keep trusting in each other.”

Prior to Friday’s game, Winnipeg ranked third in batting average and fifth in runs scored in the 12-team loop. The Goldeyes have also climbed to eighth-best (or, if you prefer, fifth-worst) in earned-run-average. That may not seem like much, but the club had been languishing at or near the bottom through the first half.

A big reason for the improvement on the mound is everyone settling into their roles. Friday’s starter, Ryo Kohigashi, began the year in the bullpen before three losses from the projected five-man rotation pressed him into starting duty. He’s relished in the new role and is arguably the team’s ace.

A similar move happened for Kevin Vaupel, and he’s been a solid complementary piece to regular hurlers Luke Boyd, Mitch Lambson and James Bradwell, who has really started to turn his season around.

There’s could be more good news on the horizon, with former ace Landen Bourassa expected to return to the club at some point in August after heading to Mexico earlier this summer.

“We’ve got a good staff. A lot of new guys, a lot of new faces. It takes time getting into this league, seeing different hitters,” said Lynch. “This is a great league, a lot of great players. It’s tough for some of the guys when they first come here. As you start seeing guys a few times, now they know how to pitch them. That really helps a lot.”

As for the bullpen, two rookies signing last week made immediate impressions in Kansas City, with Sage Ferguson and Aidan Newton having scoreless debuts.

“We were all wondering how it was going to play with the brand new pro guys but they didn’t miss a beat,” said Strobel, a reliever who has also made some spot starts this season.

“It’s stressful on a bullpen when you have to take bullpen arms to make starts. But now that we’ve got some bona fide starters, our bullpen kind of gets to catch our breath.”

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The Goldeyes haven’t won a championship since 2017, coming close in 2024 — the first year under Watkins — but losing in the final. Last year represented a significant step back, with an ugly 41-58 record.

Now? Hope springs eternal and a sizzling summer has the Goldeyes thinking about what could be come fall. The top four teams in both the West and East Divisions make the playoffs, and Winnipeg entered play Friday with a 3 1/2 game cushion and 37 games remaining on the schedule.

“I would definitely put us up against anyone right now with the way we’re playing,” said Strobel.

The Goldeyes will host the Saltdogs tonight and Sunday afternoon, then welcome the last-place Chicago Dogs for four games starting Tuesday, including a double-header that evening.

winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.