Majors look for wins and showcase their all-stars

Around the Diamond: Majors get back on track, but where are the runs? Is Krzeminski coming around? All-Stars on display this weekend; Home has its advantages …

(Photo: Wild Ave Photography).

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Not so fast. Just as it appeared they may be headed for a midseason swoon, having lost three in a row the previous weekend, the London Majors regrouped last weekend to win a pair of contests at home, putting an end to their mini skid and keeping them in third place in the IBL standings.

One of those wins, a 6-2 decision Friday, was particularly impressive. First, it came against the Guelph Royals, a team with a good offensive lineup. And the winner was reliever Braeden Ferrington, who got the start and worked an impressive 5 2/3 innings. In other words, as they have throughout the 2024 season, the Majors showed they can find different ways to win.

Ferrington allowed just two runs on four hits in his first start since last August. In seven appearances now, the veteran right-hander has a 2.31 ERA over 11 2/3 innings. Alex Springer followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of his own, before Skylar Janisse worked a scoreless frame of his own to secure the win.

In that contest, London’s first of two wins in two days, as they beat Brantford 5-2 last Saturday, Starling Joseph had a home run and Gibson Krzeminski went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

On Saturday, it was Travis Keys who got the win on the mound, allowing just one unearned run in five frames. Jonathan Henry was strong in long relief, while Victor Payano earned a save. Byron Reichstein had the big hit, a three-run homer in the third inning that was enough to lift London to the win.

And, so, after two unfinished games (a postponed contest last Sunday and a suspended one Tuesday), the Majors enter a new weekend in a good place. They remain in the top half of the league, and they have two winnable games on the docket this weekend …

UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (July 19, 8:00pm) @ Brantford Red Sox (Probable starter: Jose Arias)
Sunday (July 21, 1:05pm) vs. Kitchener Panthers (Probable starter: TBD)

1) Seeking scoring. Despite London’s winning ways last weekend, they continued a stretch of games where they’ve struggled to score runs in big numbers. Back on June 23, they put up 10 runs in a shutout of the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, which marked their fifth game of the season with double-digit runs. But they haven’t topped six runs in any of their last six contests.

In fact, despite going a decent 3-3 over that stretch, the Majors have averaged just four runs a game during that span. Winning with that type of scoring, in a hitter’s league, is not sustainable over the long haul, so London is surely looking to put up better offensive numbers in their games ahead.

And it hasn’t just been runs. Notably, they managed just seven hits in their 6-2 win over Guelph last Friday, and they mustered only six hits in their 5-2 win over Brantford Sunday. The Red Sox, in a losing effort, had nine.

“We know we’re a work in progress team,” said Roop Chanderdat, the Majors’ GM and field manager. “Every week you go out trying to get better and trying to nail down some of these things we’re trying to work on.”

They’ve been taking their walks, as they had eight in that game, but they’ll surely need to get more runners on base via the hit if they want to continue to keep pace against the best teams in the league down the stretch. Look for Eduardo de Oleo to pick things up, while veterans Byron Reichstein and Starling Joseph should be better going forward.

Reliever Braeden Ferrington, who got a rare start Friday (July 12), impressed by allowing just two runs over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-2 win over Guelph at Labatt Park. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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2) Gibson’s finest? Speaking of offense, one of the players Majors manager Roop Chanderdat expected would provide plenty of it heading into the 2024 season was infielder Gibson Krzeminski, who was a talented utilityman on London’s 2022 IBL championship squad. That hasn’t been the case for much of the season – but there is reason for optimism.

Since his batting average dipped to a season-low .261 back on June 7, Krzeminski has lifted it back up to a respectable .316. In the five weeks since, the 26-year-old has batted .339 (19-for-56) in 15 games, raising his OPS from .699 to .820 during that span. His season on-base percentage is a strong .402.

Meanwhile, over his last seven games, he’s been a run producer. He’s tallied 10 RBIs over that span, thanks in part to three doubles and a homer. He’s also stolen his first two bases of the season over that stretch, providing more contribution to the team. This, combined with the fact that he’s versatile in the field, with the ability to play the outfield as well, portends well for the Majors as they wind down July.

A productive Krzeminski would go a long way to helping London produce the kind of offense they’re capable of. The bats have been quiet recently, but it seems Krzeminski’s is waking up, and it could be contagious.

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3) All-stars to shine in Welland. Eight London Majors were chosen as all-stars for the ‘South Team,’ which will take on the North in a game Saturday in Welland, hosted by the Jackfish. Representing London as midseason all-stars include first baseman Kaiden Cardoso, outfielder Starling Joseph and pitcher Travis Keys, who were named starters.

Others named to the squad include catcher Eduardo de Oleo, infielder Victor Plaz, outfielder Drew Lawrence, and pitchers Victor Payano and Braeden Ferrington. Chanderdat will be a co-manager on the South Team, which comprises players from the Majors, the Welland Jackfish, the Brantford Red Sox and the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers. More than 6,500 voters cast ballots for this year’s IBL All-Star Game.

Keys, in his first year as a Major, is certainly a deserving all-star. The left-hander is among the pitching leaders in most categories. He’s tied for the second most wins (5), he’s fifth in strikeouts (54), and he has the seventh best ERA (2.58). He’ll see at least an inning in Saturday’s all-star game.

Cardoso, also in his first year, has shined the brightest among the London Majors’ bats thus far in the 2024 season. He enters the weekend second in the league with a .370 batting average. He has six home runs and 20 RBIs. Along with Starling Joseph, he’ll compete in the home run derby during the all-star festivities.

Among other Majors all-star nods: Joseph leads the team with 22 RBIs; Victor Plaz has a team-best 21 runs scored; Though his batting average is an underwhelming .260, Eduardo de Oleo has swatted five home runs and driven in 19 runs; He’s only played 14 games, but Drew Lawrence is batting .382 (13-for-34) in his limited action; Victor Payano has really turned it on, and he now owns a team-best 2.23 ERA among London starting pitchers; Ferrington, coming off a strong start, has a pair of wins and a 2.31 ERA.

4) Home sweet home. The Majors always love playing at historic Labatt Park. But the friendly confines have been particularly friendly this year, as the team has gone an impressive 11-3 at home so far this season. That’s good for a .786 winning percentage, second only to first-place Welland.

Each of those three home losses were also close. In other words, the Majors have had a chance to win in front of the home fans in each of their 14 contests thus far at Labatt Park in 2024. They’re hoping to continue that trend Sunday against Kitchener. In contrast, London has gone just 5-6 on the road.

Home cooking, in fact, has been the story of the last five weeks of Majors baseball – particularly in the last two. In their last nine games, the home team has won every one of those contests – five for London and four for their opposition. Going back five weeks, the home team has won 13 of London’s last 15 games. Don’t think home field plays an advantage? It certainly has as the season has gotten deeper into the summer.