Around the Diamond: Capitalizing on the big inning; Joseph’s bat sizzling

The Majors look to extend win streak this weekend, beginning Friday vs. Barrie; Is Brownlee having a career year at age 38?; The home run is taking pressure off the small ball game; And more! Catch our latest news & notes …

Outfielder Drew Lawrence in action last weekend. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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1) Big-inning winning. The Majors’ bats have shown, time and again this year, that no lead is safe for their opponents. London’s potent offense enters action Friday with a .319 team batting and a league-leading 47 home runs and .936 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) through the team’s first 27 games.

And this is a team that scores in bunches, putting up big innings to take – or extend – leads. Last weekend, for instance, the Majors (19-8) put up a big inning in each of their three games, all wins, as they kept pace with first-place Welland (22-6).

Against Kitchener last Friday, London reversed a 3-2 deficit with a four-run 5th inning to take a 6-3 lead. On Saturday, the Majors put up a seven-run 4th inning against the Hamilton Cardinals to go up 8-2 and cruise to an 11-6 win. And on Sunday, they had two big innings in Toronto – a seven-run 2nd and a six-run 6th – en route to a 14-8 win and a sweep of their three weekend games.

The long ball has certainly helped. Home runs played a role in each of those big innings last weekend, and the Majors hit nine homers during those three wins (Austin Wilkie had three and Cleveland Brownlee had two, while Starling Joseph, Gibson Krzeminski, Phil Whelan and Jakob Newton also went deep).

London hasn’t gotten away from its time-tested run-manufacturing ways, but it’s had to play small ball less frequently this year with all the home runs. For an offense, that certainly makes life easier.

2) Sterling play from Starling. Perhaps because of a pedestrian first month, Starling Joseph, one of four Majors import players, went under the radar when looking at London’s offense. But the 23-year-old can be ignored no longer. A native of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, Joseph has his season batting average up to .366, good for seventh best in the IBL entering action Friday.

Joseph’s bat continued to be hot last weekend, as he went 7-for-13 with three extra-base hits (including a home run), five runs scored and five RBIs during London’s three wins. Heading into this weekend, the outfielder is riding an impressive 14-game hitting streak (dating back to June 21), during which he’s batted .448 (26-for-58) with 21 runs scored and 16 RBIs.

That’s hotter even than teammate Robert Mullen, who currently leads the IBL with a .411 batting average. Joseph’s .366 mark is third on the Majors behind Mullen and Brownlee (.370). He’s also third in home runs (7) and RBI (24). Joseph has played in all 27 games thus far (hitting safely in 25 of them), and he leads London with 32 runs scored. He’s even chipped in four steals.

Strikeouts have been an issue, as he leads the team with 29 of them, but he’s even made progress on that front in recent games. After striking out in nine straight games, he’s gone his last four contests without a single strikeout (while walking twice).

Starling Joseph enters action Friday on a 14-game hitting streak. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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3) Talk about an encore. With two more long balls last weekend, Cleveland Brownlee’s home run count is up to 11, tied for the league lead with Hamilton Cardinal-turned-Welland Jackfish (as of last week) Justin Gideon. The latter turned 27 last month. Brownlee turns 38 later this summer.

What Cleveland Brownlee, the long-time Majors fan favourite, is doing this season – his 12th as a Major – is nothing short of remarkable. When the veteran announced he was returning for 2022, many were surprised. Why not go out on top, that elusive IBL championship finally captured last fall?

This is why: He’s still very good at hitting a baseball (and, of course, he still loves the game). But few could have predicted he’d have the kind of numbers he’s put up so far. Entering action Friday against Barrie, Brownlee is batting .370 (fifth in the IBL) with a league-leading 38 RBIs and an eye-popping .770 slugging percentage. His impressive 1.233 OPS is second only to teammate Robert Mullen (1.244).

And he hasn’t missed a game. One of four Majors to play in all 27 games this season (Mullen, Joseph and Keith Kandel being the others), he’s already matched his games played total from last year, and his numbers are significantly better in his age 38 season than they were a year ago (he finished with 7 home runs, 21 RBIs and a .243 batting average during the 2021 regular season).

We’re talking a potential career year – in the twilight years of his career. He’s currently averaging a homer every 9.1 at-bats so far this season, the best rate of his career. He’s only two short of the career-high 13 he hit during the 2013 season (he hit 12 on two other occasions). He also has a shot at eclipsing his career-high RBI total of 50 set that same season. And if the season ended today, his .370 batting average would be the second highest of his career (.387 in 2011).

4) Keeping the championship pace? The Majors posted a 22-8 record during the COVID-shortened 2021 regular season, winning the league pennant in the process (and, of course, going on to win their first title in 46 years). This year? They’re currently 19-8. A sweep of their three games this weekend (Barrie on Friday, Brantford Saturday, Hamilton Sunday) would give them a record of … 22-8, matching last year’s mark through 30 games.

Of course, this year’s schedule is a longer one, and they’ll end up playing 42 regular season contests when it’s all said and done. Even if they sweep the weekend, which is a tall order no matter the opponent, they still won’t have sole possession of first place, as Welland is currently 22-6 and on an 8-game winning streak (the Jackfish play just twice this weekend, on the road in Guelph and Kitchener.

But a pennant is still certainly on the table for the Majors, with plenty of season left. It’s certainly going to be an interesting stretch drive and postseason, as there are a handful of teams capable of winning it all. Guelph (18-9) is just one game behind London, while Barrie (17-12) is 3 games back, and Toronto (16-12), who the Majors beat in last year’s final, is 3.5 games back.

As for this weekend, how does London match up against their three opponents? They’ve split their first four games against Barrie this season, the most recent matchup a 7-0 win over the Baycats on Canada Day. Meanwhile, they’re a perfect 3-0 against the Brantford Red Sox, and 4-0 against the Hamilton Cardinals.