Game 38: Stormers 7-3

	Josh Hall 0-0, 4.22 ERA		Sean Thompson 1-0, 4.32 ERA

Eight errors. As soon as you hear a figure like that, you ask the obvious question: Is that a record? Well, it’s a team record. The previous high for errors committed by the Barnstormers was five. It happened on May 12, 2005, which was the second game ever played at Clipper Magazine Stadium. SS Travis Hake made three errors that night. 1B Ryan Minor and 2B Juan Melo each made one.

What if you look beyond the Barnstormers? Was this an Atlantic League record? Who knows? The Atlantic League has a difficult enough time running an accurate transactions page after 11 seasons, so we’ll give it another decade or two to publish an actual record book. At the big-league level, the most errors in a game (post-1900) is believed to be 12. That was accomplished by the Tigers in 1901 and the White Sox in 1903. Of course, the players wore oven mitts for gloves and Cracker Jacks cost 1/3 of a penny back then, so it’s hardly a fair comparison.

The bottom line is the Barnstormers were historically bad in Camden Monday night and they’re on their way to a historically bad season. They have won 35 percent of their games to this point. If the Barnstormers continue at that pace, they’ll finish 49-91. There have been worse records in AL history — the 2004 Road Warriors went 23-103, for example — but this would rank among the worst seasons by a team with a home ballpark.

Thirty-seven games does not make a season and there’s plenty of time to turn things around — at least to a degree. The ‘05 team went from winning 38 percent of its games in the first half to 53 percent in the second half. The Barnstormers need to forget about winning a division title or even contending. They just have to get better incrementally.

It starts with revamping the offense, if that’s even possible at this stage of the season. The team’s batting average is down to .245. It ranks seventh in average, seventh in hits and seventh in runs. Thank goodness York is still in the league or the Barnstormers would have hit rock bottom. While the eight errors were an aberration, the hitting struggles are not. They have to find a way to score more runs or this summer is going to make people pine for Steve Booker and the good old days of 2007.

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22 and counting:

Paul Thorp became the 22nd pitcher used by the Barnstormers. The righthander tossed two scoreless innings Monday night. Thorp has a lifetime ERA of 2.66 and has allowed just 252 hits in 280 innings despite having some issues with his weight over the course of his career. The numbers indicate he could be a nice addition.

The 22 pitchers, by the way, is one fewer than the team record. And it’s June 3. The Misery Tour ‘07 team used 23 pitchers. If you’re wondering, the pitching-thin ‘05 team used 21 and the championship ‘06 team used 20.

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RECORD: 14-24

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Lloyd Turner (2-for-4, 2 runs scored)

One benefit to signing Ivanon Coffie is it allows Turner to return to his utility role. Instead of playing every game, he plays part-time and will likely be more productive because of that change. Coffie sat out against the lefty starter, which created a great matchup for Turner. He capitalized.

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The pitchers:

*Josh Hall notched his first Atlantic League win:

6.1 IP

7 H

3 R

3 ER

1 BB

2 K

Those of you who read the actual content of this blog religiously — all six of you — have probably figured out I’m high on Hall’s chances of success at this level. Of the pitchers in the Barnstormers’ rotation, he has the best chance to be a top-end performer. He has the stuff and the right attitude. Hall allowed one run in the first six innings and kept his team in front.

*The set-up/closer duo was at work:

Ryan Cullen and Jose Cabrera recorded the final eight outs. They allowed five hits, but no runs (two inherited runners scored). Those late innings don’t feel quite as stressful with those two in the game back-to-back.

*Scott Patterson’s stay in the big leagues was brief. He was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Tuesday. The Yankees promoted P Dan Giese to take Patterson’s place.

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The hitters:

*The offense showed a spark with seven runs on 12 hits after being held in check for three consecutive games. As usual, when the lineup gets moving …

*Mike Woods is the catalyst. He had two hits, scored two runs and stole a base. He also belted a run-scoring triple in the ninth.

*Juan Francia delivered two hits. The slumping 2B drove in a run with a two-out bunt single in the fifth inning.

*Lance Burkhart, whose average was down to .203, also came through with two hits. Following Manny Mejia’s rough defensive night Monday, Burkhart played first base.

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The bottom line:

The Barnstormers bounced back after Monday’s eight-error debacle. They won a road game against a first-place team and put themselves in position to win just their second road series of the season Wednesday. The sun shines again in Lancaster, even though it’s raining.