Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Article By: Daniel Curren

All-Star weekend has come and gone, and teams are now ready to make their final push before the playoffs. It’s time to look ahead at Week 7 of the Cape Cod Baseball League season.

Y-D Pulling Away:

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (20-14-1) enter play on Monday with a 7 point lead in the Eastern Division. Y-D has won three in a row and are 9-6 in their last 15 games, scoring 5.5 runs per game in that span. The Sox have been led offensively by Zander Darby (UC Santa Barbara) who is slashing .450/.542/.750 for a 1.292 OPS in 24 plate appearances. His 1.292 OPS ranks 8th highest on the Cape. On the pitching side, the Red Sox were propelled by great outings from Smith Pinson (Kennesaw State) and Micah Bucknam (LSU). Pinson dominated on Brewster on Friday, pitching six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Bucknam threw six innings of one run ball against Hyannis on Wednesday, striking out three and not walking anyone.

Battle in the West:

The Hyannis Harbor Hawks (21-12-2) sit just three points behind the Cotuit Kettleers (23-10-1) as Hyannis has surged. The Harbor Hawks have won 12 of their last 14 and are the hottest team on the Cape, while Cotuit has won nine of their last 13. Cotuit and Hyannis boast the top two OPS in the league, and they are separated by 0.05 in ERA. They will face each other one more time in the regular season.

Players to watch:

James Tibbs (Brewster/Florida State)

Tibbs shined during All-Star weekend as he was named the Home Run Hitting Contest Champion. Over the last seven days, he is slashing .471/.526/.882 for a 1.408 OPS in 19 plate appearances. Throughout the season, he is slashing .290/.379/.491 for a .870 OPS in 132 plate appearances. His six home runs are the 3rd most on the Cape and his 22 RBI are 4th.

Bryce Cunningham (Bourne/Vanderbilt)

In 19.2 innings pitched across four appearances this summer, Cunningham has a 1.37 ERA, the third lowest on the Cape over the last 30 days. His 22 strikeouts are tied for the fourth most in that span and his 5 walks are tied for the second fewest among pitchers with at least 16 innings pitched.

Matchups to watch:

Y-D @ Hyannis: Wednesday, July 26 (Hartford)

The Red Sox and Harbor Hawks will be traveling to the Constitution State to play at Dunkin Donuts Park in Hartford. The Harbor Hawks will be looking to gain ground on Cotuit in the Western Division, while the Red Sox will be looking to expand on their lead in the East. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 am.

Hyannis @ Cotuit: Saturday, July 29

The top two teams in the Western Division will be facing off for the final time in the regular season. This game could play a large role in who wins the West as Cotuit leads Hyannis by three points. Cotuit currently leads the season series 4-1. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 at Lowell Park