Hoppers continue to struggle on offense
from Bill Hass with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com
One of the things that Kevin Randel wanted to learn from last season was patience.
And so far, the 2016 Hoppers are testing that patience.
Greensboro stayed in its offensive funk to start the season Sunday when it fell to West Virginia 3-1. It was the Power’s third straight win in the series after the Hoppers won the opening game.
The Hoppers finished the four games with a total of seven runs and 22 hits. They continued to be inept with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-9 Sunday after 2-for-12 Saturday.
So is it too early in the season to be frustrated?
“It’s borderline,” Randel said. “We just have to take it day-by-day and see how we rebound. If we can get good at driving in runners in scoring position, we’ll come out smelling like roses.
“We’re not getting the leadoff hitters on base (just twice Sunday) and that always makes it tough. That will be something important for us going forward.”
Randel said it’s natural for players to be pressing, especially early in the season. Every hitter wants to the one to break the logjam, and so far no one has been able to do that. Failure has come throughout the lineup.
There were several opportunities against the Power Sunday, starting with the first inning. With two outs, Josh Naylor singled and Angel Reyes followed with an infield hit. Both moved up on a passed ball. But Korey Dunbar struck out swinging to strand both runners. Scoring early might have changed the tone of the game.
In the fifth, Kris Goodman reached on an error and Kyle Barrett got an infield hit. Anfernee Seymour followed with a walk to load the bases with one out. The threat ended abruptly when Rony Cabrera hit into a double play.
Dunbar singled to lead off the ninth and Isael Soto walked. Alex Fernandez took a called third strike but Kris Goodman walked to load the bases with one out. Barrett managed a sacrifice fly, a run the Power conceded, and Seymour flied out to end the game.
Pitching continued to be a bright spot. Although starter Kevin Guzman was only so-so, giving up four hits and three runs (one earned) in 4 2/3 innings, the relief pitchers were sharp. Ben Holmes pitched shutout ball in his 3 1/3 inning stint and Andy Beltre pitched a scoreless ninth.
“Guzman was in and out of trouble,” said pitching coach Brendan Sagara. “He’s a strike-thrower who pitches off his fastball and makes them swing the bat.
“Holmes was really good. His velocity is up a tick this year and he throws strikes. He knows what he’s doing out there. Beltre has been out two years after surgery and it was good to see him settle in (after an uneven inning Friday).”
Hickory, which won three of its first four games, opens a three-game series at NewBridge Bank Park Monday at 7 p.m. Chuck Weaver, signed out of an independent league last summer, will start for the Hoppers. Sagara said Weaver pounds the strike zone and is “a winning type player who can settle a rotation.”