Bill on Baseball: No Dramatics, But Hoppers Find a Way
The Hoppers may have run out of electrifying, heart-stopping moments Monday afternoon, but they didn't run out of wins.Greensboro edged Lakewood 2-1 to complete a rare five-game sweep. The victory pushed their record to 29-14 and was their 22nd win in 28 games. It also wrapped up a homestand in
The Hoppers may have run out of electrifying, heart-stopping moments Monday afternoon, but they didn't run out of wins.
Greensboro edged Lakewood 2-1 to complete a rare five-game sweep. The victory pushed their record to 29-14 and was their 22nd win in 28 games. It also wrapped up a homestand in which they played nine games in seven days and came out with a 6-3 record.
There was no inside-the-park homer like the one
"I wish I could know what their plan is," said manager Miguel Perez with a chuckle about his players. "They're the guys doing it and they're creating something special, on and off the field. It's not just pitchers with pitchers or position players with position players. It's all around."
Catcher
"It's just a good bunch of guys who enjoying coming to the park and hanging out," Koch said. "We pull for each other. When Mason came up yesterday in the second game in the same situation, everyone in the dugout knew he would do it again. It's just a belief in each other."
The Hoppers managed to win despite getting just three hits.
"I was expecting something off-speed," Koch said of his third homer this season. "I had to adjust to a fastball and I took it the other way. That's what I usually try to do, go up the middle or go the other way."
Hoppers pitching made the two runs stand up.
"They have very different styles and pitch to their strengths," Koch said. "They threw first-pitch strikes and gave the hitters no hope."
Koch said Bido, who had been roughed up his last two outings, worked at a faster pace, which allowed him to get the ball and pitch without thinking too much. Jacques kept the BlueClaws off balance with his left-handed sidearm delivery. O'Reilly, an undrafted free agent last summer, showed excellent poise.
"That's what the guys in the bullpen are expected to do," Jacques said of the way Lakewood was shut down.
Jacques said he converted to a sidearm delivery at the suggestion of his college coach at Manhattan.
"It changed my career," he said. "I can paint the inside corner with my fastball and from my arm slot, it's tough to pick up."
Pitching coach Stan Kyles said it was a big outing for Bido, who "got back down to pitching and not overthrowing."
The Hoppers may be a bit weary, but there's no rest in sight. They begin a four-game series in West Virginia Tuesday, followed by four in Hickory before there's a day off on May 29.
NOTES: Starting pitcher Nick Economos was promoted to Bradenton, so