By: Joe Krasnowski
EUGENE, OR – Here’s a list of everything that’s gone wrong for the Emeralds just two dreadful days into this slog of a homestand.
The offense left 14 batters on base last night in a 6-0 loss, reigniting fears of another lost season after a strong opening month.
2023 third-rounder, Cole Foster, “earned” an “off-day” after starting his Emeralds’ career just 2-13.
Then, one of the Emeralds’ most reliable pitchers, Wilkelma Castillo, was lit-up loss to the Vancouver Canadians. The C’s tout a star-studded lineup, the Emeralds must topple to end up in October, and showed every bit of their power tallying 12 hits in the win.
The good news?
Nick Morreale struck out five over 3.2 scoreless innings in relief.
Other than that … It’s been a bleak week.
There have been low lights amid the Ems’ season, and boy has the team flopped before, with countless wonderful summers cruelly melted into autumn ashes. A five-game losing streak to end their first-half playoff hopes, and a choked six-run lead headline a few blunders now in the last stretch of the season. But it wasn’t until the second inning in Wednesday’s game that the team marked a clear new nadir.
With Castillo pitching, the C’s brought ten batters to the plate, scoring six runs mostly punctuated by back-to-back home runs in the fatal frame.
Considering the opponent — the Canadians own the Northwest League’s best second-half record and have bulldozed through all opponents thus far. The result was far from unexpected.
But given the crumbling state of the Emeralds’ pitching staff — the team has struggled mightily to throw together a shut-down inning now 18 innings into the series— more will be expected of the Emeralds against talent-rich opposition, too.
But none was to be had. After surging in front with a quick two-spot coming via a Rodolfo Nolasco homerun, the Emeralds’ bats came to a screeching halt in their loss at PK Park, with the team’s muted play mirroring the slow, meandering rhythm of another three-hour game.
Boo’s rained down at PK Park, lots of them — a rarity in minor league baseball, much less on the team’s princess night.
“You are disappointing the princesses,” Game Director Kyrstin Ginter said.
On Wednesday, though, the Emeralds couldn’t put on a show, despite their pink-out jerseys.
Instead, amid another long day on and off the field for Eugene’s beleaguered team, the entire squad continued a lackluster streak of poor execution, bad luck, and losing results in a week that has been full of them.
Short hops
The first 12 pitches of Wednesday’s game included a dropped pop-out, a stolen base with no throw to third, and then a runner scoring on a wild pitch. Bad baseball.
The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367. • Emeraldsbaseball.com • Facebook.com/EugeneEmeraldsfanpage • Twitter.com/EugeneEmeralds
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