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Hot Wild Things reach milestone
jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
A .500 record, the demarcation line between winning and losing baseball, had been dangling there like a piece of meat just out of reach of a hungry dog.
Not anymore.
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The Wild Things' record is even through 58 games, 29-29, but the .500 mark was not a destination, just a mile marker on the way to more important accomplishments.
"We started off the season horrible, horrible," said first baseman Ernie Banks, who hit two of the Wild Things' four home runs in the game. "Our goal is to win a wild card or win the division. As long as we get in the playoffs, we'll be fine."
Reaching .500 seemed more like a dream when the Wild Things stumbled through the early part of the season. They lost nine of the first 11 and were 16-26 after a 9-8 loss to Kalamazoo July 5. Washington has won 13 of its last 16 games to pull even.
"They know where they are," said Washington manager Mark Mason. "I don't harp on it."
This victory did not come without dramatics and this storyline played out in the ninth inning. Midwest loaded the bases with one out on closer Nick Peterson, who walked two batters and hit another in an uncharacteristic performance.
Keith Meyer rescued Peterson, giving up a sacrifice fly that scored a run before striking out former Wild Thing Robbie Knapp to end the game. Meyer recorded his first save of the season.
"We had a chance to win it in the ninth," said Midwest manager Eric Coleman. "They are trying to get to .500 and so are we. They did a good job against us. Our pitchers have to keep the ball down and they didn't do that."
Banks gave starter Brian McCollough (4-2) a nice cushion when he smashed an opposite-field, three-run home run in the first inning. That gave Washington a 3-1 lead.
Midwest tied the game in the top of the fourth when Bryan Bonner lofted a short fly over the head of Washington second baseman Michael Parker and in front of center fielder Chris Sidick. Parker made a nice running try, but the ball glanced off his glove and Josh Brodin and Gil Zayas scored. Brodin had reached on a single to center and Zayas walked one batter later.
Matt Sutton put the Wild Things ahead 4-3 with an opposite-field home run in the bottom of the fourth. Like Banks' shot in the first, the left-hander hit the first pitch from Midwest starter Kyle Wink (1-1).
Sidick led off the fifth with a home run, his fifth of the season. The Canon-McMillan graduate is on a nice run since the All-Star break. He is hitting .300 over the last 10 games and .400 over the last five. He's raised his average from .177 to .203 in the past month.
"He changed his number after the break," said Mason. "He wanted to see if he could shake things up."
Two outs after Sidick's home run, Banks sent a line drive that cleared the right-field fence by no more than a foot.
"On the first one, he hung a slider and I saw it real well," said Banks. "It didn't drop. It didn't move. The second one, I was surprised (it got over) because I hit it on a line."
Banks has 15 home runs, four behind team-leader Grant Psomas. Washington has 85 home runs this season, two away from the season record of 87.
"Banks is a strong, physical kid," Coleman said. "He probably deserves to be in affiliated ball."
Notes
Parker extended his hitting streak to 21 games and nine of the last 10 have been multiple-hit games. ... Attendance was 3,101. ... Former Wild Things' pitcher Dan Horvath pitched 2 1/3 strong innings for Midwest, which signed him two weeks ago. ... Washington's Michael Lucas pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with a strikeout.
