Game 53: Stormers 6-1

	D.J. Mattox 0-4, 7.07 ERA		Jon Connolly 0-0, 1.80 ERA

The Barnstormers’ offense, on the whole, hasn’t been bad this month. The team is averaging five runs a game and is collectively hitting .276. The trouble has been a lack of consistency. There are great nights and quiet nights. Still, the overall production is somewhat surprising since the Barnstormers have played all 17 games without the expected heart of their order and have played 10 of those games on the road.

How have they endured? They’ve received huge contributions from two lower-profile sources. Lloyd Turner and Juan Francia have been Lancaster’s best hitters this month. Turner is batting .413 and has a ridiculous .500 on-base percentage. Francia is hitting .350 with six extra-base hits. The duo has combined to score 23 runs and drive in 17.

Turner and Francia reinforce the need to build around players who were in affiliated ball recently. Of the Barnstormers’ 11 active position players, only Turner, Francia and Jarred Ball were part of an organization last season. Players who come to the Atlantic League from Double-A or Triple-A often perform beyond expectations. Ball, of course, is a notable exception at this point.

Francia’s turnaround has been remarkable. On June 2, he looked like a player on the roster bubble. He was hitting .178 and had committed eight errors in 22 games. Now the second baseman looks like an intregal part of the team’s plan going into the second half.

The Barnstormers believe they’re only one hitter away from being a contender. The team hopes DH Matt LeCroy can return to the lineup next week. 1B Ian Bladergroen is on target to return before the second half begins. With those two, and the intriguing Greg Blosser, things should start looking up for the offense.

In the meantime, the Barnstormers can thank Francia and Turner for keeping the lineup afloat when so many of the big bats weren’t around.

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Strike ‘em out:

Following Monday night’s loss at Long Island, manager Von Hayes reportedly had a meeting with his hitters to discuss their soaring number of strikeouts.

In the two games since the meeting, the results have improved. The Barnstormers struck out 12 times in 18 innings in their wins Tuesday and Wednesday. Not coincidentally, they racked up 28 hits during that time. Strikeouts usually aren’t that big of a deal, but in the Atlantic League – where defense is suspect – it’s important to put the ball in play.

The Barnstormers were 28-for-62 when they made contact the last two nights. That’s good for a .452 average. For the season, they’re hitting .333 when they don’t strike out.

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Let’s go streaking:

If the Barnstormers win tonight, they’ll have their first three-game winning streak of the season. The team has won two in a row seven times.

Liberty Division-leading Camden, by contrast, has won at least six in a row on three occasions. The Riversharks are riding an eight-game streak right now and have pushed Southern Maryland five back in the standings.

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Lineups …

(21-31)	(26-25)
Juan Francia, 2B	George Sandel, SS
Mike Woods, LF	John Ramistella, RF
Danny Gonzalez, SS	Clint Johnston, DH
Manny Mejia, C	Patrick Osborn, 3B
Lance Burkhart, 1B	Eric Crozier, 1B
Jutt Hileman, CF	Jeremy Owens, CF
Greg Blosser, DH	James Shanks, LF
Lloyd Turner, 3B	Chad Ehrnsberger, 2B
Jarred Ball, RF	Adam Shorsher, C

Scoring summary …

Barnstormers	311	001	000	6	13	0
Blue Crabs	100	000	000	1	5	0

WP: D.J. Mattox (1-4)
LP: Jon Connolly (0-1)

FINAL: Barnstormers 6, Blue Crabs 1

Stormers 1st: Mejia’s double scores Woods and Francia. Mejia scores on wild pitch.
Lancaster leads 3-0.

Crabs 1st: Osborn’s single scores Ramistella.
Lancaster leads 3-1.

Stormers 2nd: Ball’s double scores Turner.
Lancaster leads 4-1.

Stormers 3rd: Hileman’s groundout scores Mejia.
Lancaster leads 5-1.

Stormers 6th: Gonzalez’s double scores Woods.
Lancaster leads 6-1.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: D.J. Mattox

6 IP

3 H

1 R

1 ER

4 BB

3 K

This was a big start for Mattox. He earned his first win and proved his worthiness for a spot in the rotation. Mattox has two quality starts in nine games this season. Although his ERA is still elevated at 6.26, he has allowed just one earned run in his last 9 2/3 innings. So the trend is positive.

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Notes:

*Judd Songster posted two more scoreless innings. The righthander hasn’t allowed a run in 11 2/3 innings and has lowered his ERA to 3.70, which is the lowest it has been all season.

*Lance Burkhart collected three hits as he was moved into the No. 5 spot in the lineup. Burkhart is hitting .338 this month and appears headed for another All-Star appearance.

*Over the last three games, the Barnstormers have collected 41 hits and are batting .366 as a team. They only have 15 strikeouts during that time. It’s as if someone has flipped a switch and all of the at-bats have gotten better at the same time.

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The bottom line:

Finally, a three-game winning streak. The Barnstormers have quietly moved within 7.5 games of first place. One of the goals for the team was to build momentum heading into the second half. This is a step in that direction.