The bottom line of the last week is that the Hillsboro Hops remain stymied by the Vancouver Canadians, but have found their stride against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.
With the opening week’s growing pains in the bullpen, manager Shelley Duncan has likely accelerated the “getting to know ya” period and landed on the pitchers to trust with the heavy lifting, and chief among them is Tyler Mark. While the starters are sometimes flustered by the middle of the game, there’s no denying that the bullpen is hot; the Hops have 120 strikeouts in 14 games, coming second in the league only to the Spokane Indians’ 138. Mark threw 10 strikeouts for Hillsboro in a seven-inning appearance against Salem-Keizer on Tuesday, walking no one.
Meanwhile, the relievers are being deployed with sniper precision. Southpaw Kirby Bellow was awarded the win Thursday night when he stepped in to deliver a strikeout, retiring the top of the sixth inning and holding the Volcanoes to a 2-2 tied game. Tucker Ward and rookie Jake Winston have rounded out the arsenal, with only five earned runs between the two of them in a combined 13 innings.
Unfortunately, the lack of wood at the plate is the major malfunction. The Hops are just now averaging seven hits per game after the big night Thursday, and that victory over Salem-Keizer saw no hits for Hillsboro for four innings. That is not a professional standard. The lifeless pop-ups are numerous, and while batting coach Jose Amado is surely preaching patience (as evidenced by the team’s league low of 92 strikeouts at the plate), the key right now is some ground balls. The Hops need to put runners on by any means necessary. Base running is sharp through the entire order, as the Hops lead the league with 27 bases stolen. This was the key to the solitary 12-2 victory in Canada, as well as the strong series against the Volcanoes. While the double-threat of Luke Lowery and Justin Chigbogu is impressive, it can’t win games unless the team’s RBI potential is unlocked.
If these two series can illustrate one thing, it’s that the Hillsboro Hops are winning and losing all their games in the fifth and sixth innings. Against the Volcanoes, they can’t quite cut the Dijon until they are down by several runs or simply scoreless in the fifth, at which point they rally and take over the pace of the game entirely. Conversely, against the Canadians, they play sharp and disciplined throughout the first half until they are demoralized by a bad error or a rogue line drive. Then they go to sleep until it is too late. There are two approaches to this issue: A) the team needs to focus on maintaining that first-inning game face through the whole game, or B) they need to develop that underdog, last-chance moxie earlier, particularly if they have no hits after three innings.
The Hops have finally swept a series, but the uphill battle continues on the road against the Boise Hawks during the weekend, followed by a week at home for a four-game series with the Tri-City Dust Devils.
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