Ouch. Put a bandage on that one — it hurt.
The Eugene Emeralds lost a big game Sunday afternoon at Civic Stadium, a 12-2 pounding at the hands of Spokane.
“You lose a game like we lost today,” Emeralds manager Jeff Gardner said, “and you just move on.”
Fortunately for Gardner and the Ems, Sunday was the antithesis of Eugene’s recent play. The Ems — now one game over .500 at 13-12 overall — entered Sunday’s contest riding seven straight wins over Spokane. The streak took the Ems from worst to first in the Northwest League’s West Division.
After Sunday’s loss, the Ems moved a half-game behind Salem-Keizer for the league lead. Eugene’s game Monday night at Everett was rained out.
Gardner said the Ems’ recent spurt has come thanks to a shift in mentality.
“I think we realize we’re a pretty good club,” Gardner said.
And a good club the Ems have become, thanks to a heavy-hitting lineup and a dose of speed. Heading into Sunday’s game, shortstop Jason Bartlett was second in the NWL in hitting with a .373 average, while designated hitter Greg Sain was first in home runs with six. Sain was also fifth in the league in hitting with a .350 average.
But the Emeralds have also added some speed with the late addition of Marcus Nettles. The rookie had been playing with Miami, the College World Series champion, before joining the San Diego Padres’ farm club.
“He’s helped a lot,” Gardner said of Nettles. “He’s what every team needs: a guy that can straight score runs with his legs.”
Nettles has made an immediate impact leading off and playing center field. His three stolen bases Sunday moved his season total to 10 swiped bags, enough to be tied for second in the NWL. Nettles has also hit a respectable .292 in the leadoff position.
Bartlett and Sain have done the majority of Eugene’s work at the plate, hitting a combined 59 of the Ems’ 228 hits. Bartlett leads the NWL in on-base percentage, while Sain leads in slugging percentage. Combined, the two players lead the Ems in every hitting category.
Eugene has gotten good pitching over its recent run of wins. Scott Kelly, although he picked up the loss Sunday, has been the most consistent starter with a 2-1 record and a 4.14 earned-run average. All of the Ems’ starters have ERAs around 4.50.
“Our starters have been pretty good all year,” Gardner said. “We’ve had a lot of close ball games.”
Eugene’s game with Spokane Sunday ended the teams’ streak of 10 straight games facing each other. The Ems went 7-3 to get back into the hunt for a west division title.
The Ems now go on the road for eight straight games against two of the NWL’s toughest teams. Eugene will play three games against Everett, which has an identical record to the Ems. Then Eugene will take on Boise in five straight games. Boise leads the NWL’s East Division with an 18-8 record.