Cape League Weekly Preview - Week Four07/03/2023 9:45 PM Article By: Daniel Curren As the calendar switches to July and Independence Day is upon us, we have reached the halfway point of the Cape Cod Baseball League regular season. It’s time to look ahead to next week. Battle for the East The Harwich Mariners (11-8) and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (11-8-1) have been battling it out all season for the Eastern Division. The Orleans Firebirds (9-10) have brought themselves back in the picture after winning seven of their last 11. Orleans has scored 5.27 runs per game throughout this span. The three teams are separated by just five points. Y-D and Harwich are separated by just six points in OPS, and four points in batting average against. Cotuit Remains on Top The Cotuit Kettleers (14-6) have continued to dominate the league. The Kettleers have the best run differential in the league (+31) and their pitching has remained elite. Cotuit has a 3.14 team ERA, the next lowest in the Cape League is 3.64. Leading the way for Cotuit pitching is Camron Hill (Georgia Tech) who has an 0.57 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 15.2 IP. Also dominating on the mound is Jake Gigliotti (Northeastern), Christopher Kahler (George Washington), and Rafe Schlesinger (Miami). Gigliotti, Kahler, and Schlesinger have ERAs of 0.71, 1.39, and 1.42 respectively in over 12 innings pitched.
Jo Oyama (Orleans/UC Irvine) The product of Okinawa, Japan has become a sensation for the Orleans offense. The middle infielder leads the Cape League in batting average (.365), OBP (.460) and ranks 2nd in SLG (.519) and OPS (.979) in 65 plate appearances. Oyama also has 10 walks and only nine strikeouts this season. His three triples are the most on the Cape, and he also has two doubles, three stolen bases, and five RBI. Hector Garcia (Yarmouth-Dennis/Hope International University) Across 13.1 innings pitched this summer, Garcia has faced 46 batters and struck out 20 of them (43.4%). He has only walked one batter and allowed five hits. His 0.450 WHIP is among the best on the Cape. He has only given up one extra base hit and has locked down two saves for Y-D. Matchups to watch: Bourne @ Wareham: Tuesday, July 4 The two highest scoring offenses in the league will be lighting up the night on Independence Day. The Wareham Gateman have scored a league-high 111 runs as a team this season, and the Bourne Braves are close behind at 108. These two teams will be facing off for the second time on Tuesday, as Wareham won a dramatic 7-6 game in 10 innings against Bourne on June 18th. Orleans @ Harwich: Friday, July 7 Two of the top three teams in the Eastern division will face off at Whitehouse Field. Harwich is looking to maintain its lead in the division, while Orleans is looking to gain ground. This will be the 4th time these teams have played each other this year, and the Firebirds are seeking their first win against the Mariners in 2023. |