By: Joe Krasnowski
EUGENE, OR – The numbers lied, Emeralds fall to Spokane 9-3
Statistically speaking, the discrepancies coming in were far too large for one to overlook.
The Emeralds’ offense entered leading the Northwest league in home runs, stolen bases, runs scored and hits.
The Emeralds’ pitching staff entered leading the division in strikeouts and walks while holding batters to the lowest batting average among the six Northwest teams.
Most nights, that statistical advantage is too much for opponents, the numbers too suffocating, the margins too tight.
Indeed, baseball — and the many talented players who play it — always allows for the unexpected. Marred by early defensive errors and — outside of Justin Wishkowski — an abysmal offensive showing, the Emeralds never gained traction in a 6-3 loss to Spokane.
Instead, they endured a lackluster performance from starting pitcher Hayden Wynja, who gave up three earned runs and seven hits in three innings.
They received little production from all hitters outside of Wishkowski who blasted a two-run home run in the fifth. The rest of the Ems’ sluggers only managing four hits while struggling with Spokane left-hander Sean Sullivan
And they were poor in all facets of the game, committing three errors, walking just once and enduring an 0-12 slump from the middle of the order.
Nine Indians had reached base before Alexander Suarez’s third-inning single gave the Ems their first base runner of the day.
The rest of the numbers were lackluster for the Ems as well.
The Indians (22-16) had more hits (11 to five) than the Ems, fewer errors (one to the Emeralds’ three), a better starting pitching performance (thanks to a 6 ⅔-inning, three-run — none earned — effort from Sullivan, and significantly more production from their star players (highlighted by Bryant Betancourt’s two hits including a dagger of a three-run bomb in the ninth). And more importantly more runs, nine,compared to just three from Eugene (23-18).
To build the early advantage, Spokane capitalized on all types of Eugene mistakes. A pair of misplayed balls in left by Andrew Kachel keyed Spokane’s first and third runs of the game. Both mistakes were undoubtedly scored as doubles, but were catchable nonetheless.
If Kachel’s misplays were bad, a two-out, two-run inducing pop-fly where Matt Higgins simply missed the ball only made matters worse.
Wynja did himself no favors but certainly was unaccommodated by the Ems’ woeful defense, two unearned runs came across in a four-run fourth.
Even on the night where Eugene’s offense was lackluster, the Ems were able to cash in on the lone real opportunity they did get. Wishikowski’s blast was the team’s lone hit in three tries with runners on.
Diego Velasquez went 0 for 4. Quinn McDaniel was hitless in three at-bats. And outside of the blast from Wishikowski, the bottom half of the lineup offered no other production, leaving the numbers far too lopsided on a forgettable night at PK Park.
Short hops
Despite MLB teams spending millions of dollars and housing numerous jobs to analytics and the various intricacies of MiLB players’ development, I, an unpaid intern, can tell you there is one number impossible for the Emeralds to ignore Thursday night, nine, the Emeralds struck out nine times in the loss.
Chase Dollander, Spokane’s starter tomorrow, is really good — or so the numbers say.
The Emeralds spend nearly an hour pre-game on defensive practice.
