Winning all eight on a homestand
Rick Sweet ranks as one of only a handful of managers in minor league baseball to have won more than 2,000 games in his career.In 30 years as a skipper, he has pretty much seen it all.But if you ask him to count the number of times he has emerged
Rick Sweet ranks as one of only a handful of managers in minor league baseball to have won more than 2,000 games in his career.
In 30 years as a skipper, he has pretty much seen it all.
But if you ask him to count the number of times he has emerged from a homestand with an 8-0 record, he will just shake his head.
"Not many times," he said. "Not many. It just doesn't happen very often."
Well, it's happened now at least once.
Playing as the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio, Sweet's Missions rallied behind Trent Grisham and others to thump the Vihuelas de Nashville, or the Nashville Sounds, by a score of 5-3 on Thursday night at Wolff Stadium.
As a result, they completed an eight-game, Pacific Coast League homestand sweep, which included four victories each over the Omaha Storm Chasers and the Sounds.
"This was pretty much (a combination of) offense and defense and pitching - all of it," Sweet said. "We're just playing very good baseball right now, whether we're ahead, behind - it doesn't matter."
If you look at the statistics one way, you see that the Missions dominated the eight-game set, in a sense that they outscored opponents, 65-32.
In addition, they hit for a robust average of .350 on 97 of 277 at the plate.
Then again, it wasn't always easy, as they had to scrap to win by two runs or less in each of their last three games against the Sounds.
On Thursday night, with newcomer Shelby Miller making his first start, they fell behind 2-0 in the first inning.
In both the first and second innings, the Sounds appeared as though they might blow the game open, only to misfire on a few choice opportunities.
But with 22-year-old Grisham, Hernán Pérez and David Freitas leading the way offensively, the Missions came back with one run in the third, one in the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth to take charge.
Grisham, called up from Double-A on June 20, finished 4-for-5 with three doubles to continue an eye-opening hot streak.
Perez, outrighted from the parent club Milwaukee Brewers to the Missions on July 3, also contributed three doubles to punctuate a 3-for-4 night. Freitas was 3-for-5, with an RBI.
In all, the Missions lashed 15 hits to establish a season-high winning streak (eight games) and to bolster the best record in the PCL (62-36).
Perez said chemistry is a key element to the Missions, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
"We have a great group of guys," he said. "That's the most important thing on a baseball team. Like, everyone's connected.
"If you strike out, you know you have someone behind you who can do the work. I think that's why we are so good right now. Everybody's connected, and everybody pushes each other."
Grisham, a speedy center fielder, has emerged as the talk of the team. The Fort Worth native hit .514 with four home runs and five doubles on the homestand.
"He's an athlete," Perez said. "He's an amazing player. I call him right now the (Christian) Yelich of the Missions."
Even though Yelich is the reigning star of the Brewers at the moment, Sweet wouldn't disagree, because Grisham has a similar impact on the Missions.
"That's the perfect quote," Sweet said. "That's exactly what he is."
Grisham amassed 18 hits in 34 at bats during the series, hammering some balls on a line and some on high-arc shots to the sky.
His hits are flying out to the opposite field in left, and they're also getting pulled down the line in right.
"I got nothing to say," Sweet said. "He just keeps laying out ropes."
Additionally, Grisham has shown quality speed in tracking down balls in the outfield, as well as running the bases.
His stunning dash from first base to third on Mauricio Dubón's single set the stage for what ultimately evolved into a two-run seventh inning against the Sounds.
"That's why he's a first-round draft choice, and why he's moving along and, you know, will be in the big leagues one day," Sweet said.
Batting .358 in 24 games at the Triple-A level, he's making a mockery of his five-year career average in the minors of .251.
"Professional baseball is a lot different from high school and college," Sweet said. "It takes some guys -- especially young, high school guys -- it takes them awhile to get used to playing every day. It wears on you, and he's had to learn to play the game."
While Sweet has been getting all-star quality play from Grisham, the skipper has also been monitoring solid results from veterans like Freitas (.371 on the season), Cory Spangenberg (.321) and Travis Shaw (.269).
Now, Perez is starting to show signs of getting his game back together.
Not only did he hit the ball well in the homestand finale against Nashville, a Texas Rangers' affiliate, but he also made a couple of sparkling plays in the field at third base.
Perez said he's seeing and hitting good pitches lately.
In the field, he's just contributing with a quiet confidence, matter-of-factly knocking down hard-hit smashes and turning double plays.
Even though his demotion to the minors three weeks ago was a jarring development, he said he remains focused on making improvement every day, just like he has always done since coming to the United States from Venezuela in 2009.
"The years with the Brewers were amazing," Perez said. "I enjoyed (the) time I was there. Here, I'm trying to get better every day and enjoy the guys."
Sweet said he likes the attitude.
"I had him (when) he was 18 years old," Sweet said. "I've known him since he was a young man. And he's always been that way. He's always been professional, very mature. Very focused on the game and a very smart player."
PCL standings
American Southern Division - San Antonio 62-36; Round Rock 57-41; New Orleans 52-46; Oklahoma City 43-54.
American Northern Division - Iowa 55-43; Omaha 45-53; Nashville 40-57; Memphis 39-59.
Note: Winners of the American Southern and American Northern divisions meet in the first round of the playoffs.
Coming up
San Antonio (Thomas Jankins) at Oklahoma City (Daniel Corcino), Thursday, first game of a three-game series.
Inauspicious debut
Right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller struggled through two innings in his first start with the Missions. The 28-year-old, former major-leaguer gave up two runs on three hits. He also walked four. Miller, who most recently pitched for the Texas Rangers, signed with the Brewers earlier Thursday.
It was also announced that pitcher Drew Smyly had exercised his right to become a free agent. Smyly was 1-0 with a 4.97 earned run average in three starts with the Missions.
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