Goldeyes impressive at the plate

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This article was published 04/06/2010 (5667 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The early returns, just like the Winnipeg Goldeyes, are back.

And the portrait that emerged from the bus full of bleary-eyed ballplayers that pulled into the lot at Canwest Park is one of a well-rounded baseball club with potential to win many, many games this summer.

The Fish returned home Thursday afternoon following a six-game road trip through Rockford, Ill., and Gary, Ind., their first road swing of the young Northern League season.

The Goldeyes went 2-1 against the RiverHawks in Rockford and then 1-2 against the RailCats in Gary and will take an 8-6 season record into the Fishbowl tonight for the first of a seven-games-in-seven-days homestand.

With 14 games now behind them, some patterns have begun to emerge in a ball club that was meticulously put together over the winter with one goal: to win this franchise — and this city — its first professional sports championship since 1994.

So what does the architect think so far about his handiwork?

"It’s still very early in the season," said Fish manager Rick Forney. "That’s not something I’m even thinking much about just yet.

"What I will say though is that I like the effort. I think we play hard every night. The effort shows."

Offensively, the Goldeyes lead the Northern League in hitting, boasting a .290 team batting average and leading the league in hits with 131.

DH Juan Diaz leads the league in homers and RBI after a lightning start and veteran outfielder Kevin West has caught fire, driving in eight runs and hitting .348 over the last seven days.

And West isn’t the only Fish on fire — shortstop Wes Long hit .393 on the recent road trip while outfielder Dee Brown hit .370.

Put it altogether and it has been a very impressive show at the plate for these Goldeyes. "It’s the best lineup we’ve had in the three seasons I’ve been with the Goldeyes — by far," West said Thursday. "It’s not even close."

And the best part is Forney thinks his club has yet to find its best stroke.

"We have the potential," Forney says, "to be a very difficult team to face."

The work on the mound has also been exceptional so far this season. Fish starters Mark Holliman and Chris Salamida have both struck out a league-leading 16 batters, while last year’s Northern League pitcher of the year, Ace Walker, has a perfect 2-0 record, scattering just 17 hits and giving up only five runs through 20 innings so far.

The only weak link in the rotation so far has been Antony Bello, who will carry an 0-2 record and a 5.87 ERA into a scheduled start tonight.

"We’ve been not bad so far," says Forney. "We’ve been getting quality starts — we’ve only had one or two bad ones — and the bullpen is young but they’ve been pitching pretty good."

Better than pretty good, says West.

"I think our pitching has been keeping our heads above water. I don’t think we’ve been hitting like we’re capable of and they’ve been keeping us in games. Once we start hitting like we can, I think we’ll just get better and better."

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Series snapshot

Winnipeg Goldeyes (8-6) vs Schaumburg Flyers (4-9), Canwest Park

Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (6 p.m.), Sunday (1:30 p.m.)

Quick and dirty: The Fish begin a seven-game homestand tonight with the first of three games against the Schaumburg Flyers. The Fish are coming off a six-game road trip that saw them go 3-3 against the Rockford RiverHawks and Gary Southshore RailCats. The Flyers lost six of their first seven games but have gone 3-3 in their last six.

Who’s hot? The Goldeyes boast the league leader in home runs (5) and RBI (14) in DH Juan Diaz and also boast the co-leaders in strikeouts in Chris Salamida and Mark Holliman, who along with former Goldeyes hurler Andrew Cruse (now pitching for the T-Bones in KC) have fanned 16 batters already this season.

Who’s not? Former big-leaguer Bobby Korecky got roughed up in his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery. The new Fish closer entered the game in Gary Wednesday with the Fish up 4-3 and, after retiring the first two batters he faced, promptly gave up a triple and home run to get hung with the 5-4 loss.