Now the question is if that can be sustained for the next six days under very favorable circumstances.
After four days off from Texas League play due to the All-Star break, the Sod Poodles returned to Hodgetown last Friday for their longest stay at home so far this season. They took advantage of the situation by winning two out of three from the Springfield Cardinals, taking the rubber game of the series 6-5 on Sunday evening for their third series win of the season.
The Soddies, now 8-13 on the second half of the TL season, continue their homestand Tuesday at 7:05 p.m., when they open a six-game series against Wichita at Hodgetown. After a day off Monday, keeping up a refreshed look will be a challenge.
“That All-Star break was much-needed,” Sod Poodles manager Tim Bogar said. “We played well in San Antonio (a series split prior to the break) but we were all getting a little bit tired so we needed a little break. We got back here and played a first-place team in the division. I thought we pitched really well for the most part and our bats came alive.”
Right-hander Dylan File threw seven quality innings to open the series with a 7-1 win Friday. While he was the only starter to notch a win against Springfield, the bullpen kept the Sod Poodles in the series, giving up only four earned runs over three games.
Sunday, Dylan Ray had the roughest start of the series for the Soddies. He gave up nine hits over four innings but gutted it out with minimal damage, as he left the game with the Sod Poodles trailing 3-0.
With two outs, Rajcic was pulled for Andrew Marrero. On Marrero’s first pitch, Melendez belted a single to left to score Vukovich and give the Sod Poodles the lead for good at 5-4.
Melendez gave the Soddies some huge insurance with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, when he crushed a solo home run to left-center to make it 6-4. Springfield answered back with an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth, but Mitchell Stumpo made that hold up by surviving a two-out single in the ninth to earn the save.
“We have a good group down there,” Bogar said of his bullpen. “It’s just a matter of being in games and having the opportunity to pitch in the right slots. We’re trying to put them in the best position possible to succeed and I think all three games we used our pen pretty well and the guys have performed for the most part. It’s good to have a strong pen going into this part of the schedule.”
The pen didn’t have to do much work in the series opener thanks to File. He had his second straight strong start, giving up three hits and no walks, his evening only marred by R.J. Yeager’s solo homer in the fourth.
File has found a groove with four quality starts in his last five outings and has improved his record to 4-2.
“He’s found his slider,” Bogar said. “He has the ability to locate his curve consistently. What that does for him is when he locates his fastball it makes it a little more elevated and it gets on guys. He’s been able to get in some better counts and pitch better.”
New Soddie spins Weber
While File’s outing Friday night was certainly notable, the biggest on field revelation was the Hodgetown debut of Andy Weber. Making his season debut for the Sod Poodles, Weber got noticed quickly.
With one out and two runners on base of a scoreless game in the bottom of the second, Weber hit the first pitch from Quinn Matthews into left field to drive in the game’s first run. In his next at-bat in the fourth, Weber hit a two-run homer to right field to make it 4-1 and permanently give the Sod Poodles the momentum.
For good measure, Weber had an RBI single in the sixth to cap an auspicious Hodgetown debut. Not bad for someone making his season debut after rehabbing from a rotator cuff injury to his right shoulder.
“I definitely waited a long time to play baseball again,” said Weber, who was a Rule 5 selection by Amarillo’s parent club Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs. “It was about four months so I was excited to get back out here. I heard (Hodgetown) was a hitter friendly ballpark for sure, but when I got here, I was blown away with the facilities and the amount of fans we had here tonight.”
Weber’s homer wasn’t a prototypical Hodgetown blast which is a selling point to hitters. The prevailing winds out of the south to left field favors right-handed hitters, but the left-handed Weber made his splash by going out to right.
“From what I’ve heard it’s possible (to hit one out) in this ballpark just about any time or any day,” Weber said. “I got a good pitch to hit, stayed on it well and it was fortunate to sneak out.”
What to expect this week
After opening the second half of the Texas League season with 15 of 18 games on the road before the break, the Sod Poodles will be comfortable at home for a bit. They’ll open the series Tuesday by sending left-hander Spencer Giesting (2-3, 5.33 ERA) against another lefty, Wichita’s Jaylen Nowlin (5-4, 4.30).
The Sod Poodles will continue the series Wednesday by sending another lefty, Yu-Min Lin (1-3, 5.40) against Wichita’s Travis Adams (4-6, 4.86).