Majors cementing selves as contenders in 2024

Around the Diamond: Majors’ pitching suddenly among league’s best; Who will represent London at All-Star Game in Welland?; Can Cardoso continue hit streak?; Drew Lawrence offers glimpses of leading man …

Drew Lawrence slides into third base during the London Majors’ 8-3 Canada Day win over Barrie at Labatt Park. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The Majors are on a roll. If not for an extra-inning loss to Toronto last Sunday, London would have rattled off five straight wins. It’s four of five, instead, which includes a pair against upstart Chatham-Kent and victories over contenders Guelph and, most recently, Barrie.

A packed house of 5,000 fans took in the Majors’ 8-3 win over the Baycats on Canada Day Monday at Labatt Park. It was a beautiful day for baseball, and, certainly for the London faithful, it was a beautiful win for the home side.

Travis Keys was rewarded with the start on the special day, his performance thus far in 2024 making him more than worthy. And the left-hander turned in a quality start, allowing three runs (just one earned) on seven hits and a trio of walks to the Barrie offense. He struck out nine on the day.

Christian Coombes (seventh and eighth) and Braeden Ferrington (ninth) delivered three scoreless innings from there, and London’s hitters provided more than enough offense to earn a win – a four-run fourth inning being the big difference.

Drew Lawrence went 3-for-4, Starling Joseph smacked a pair of doubles, and Kaiden Cardoso went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Gibson Krzeminski drove in a pair.

The Majors’ recent run, which included a big 8-0 win over Guelph the Friday before Canada Day, has them firmly in second place in IBL standings heading into a new weekend. At 13-6, they’re two games back of the Welland Jackfish for top spot. And now, another busy weekend …

UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (July 5, 7:35pm) vs. Brantford Red Sox (Probable starter: Victor Payano)
Saturday (July 6, 6:05pm) @ Welland Jackfish (Probable starter: Jose Arias)
Sunday (July 7, 8:00pm) @ Kitchener Panthers (Doubleheader, to begin at 5:15 pm with completion of rainout from June 6)

1) Pitching on point. Almost quietly, the London Majors all of a sudden find themselves with some of the best pitching numbers in the Intercounty Baseball League. In their last six contests, they’ve allowed a total of 14 runs. That’s 2.33 runs per game, a rate conducive to winning many ballgames.

They’re 4-2 in that span, the two losses being a 1-0 affair in Guelph on June 22 and a heartbreaking 7-6 loss in 10 innings in Toronto last Sunday (London led 6-5 heading into the bottom half and ultimately lost on a wild pitch). In those games, they’ve outscored their opponents by a combined 36-14.

Heading into action Thursday night, the Majors had an IBL-best 3.66 team ERA. That’s a marked improvement on what it was just two weeks ago. London pitchers have held the opposition to a .248 batting average overall, third-best in the league behind Guelph and Welland. They’ve allowed the second-fewest home runs (nine) and have racked up the third-most strikeouts (171 in 19 games).

Travis Keys is certainly a major factor in the Majors’ pitching success. The lefty owns a 2.28 ERA in 43 1/3 innings in his first season in the IBL. But the recent performance of Victor Payano has perhaps put London in the top spot. He’s now sporting a 2.09 ERA in his 34 1/3 innings of work.

Payano was the winning pitcher last Friday night against Guelph, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven (Skylar Janisse and Daniel Gore notched a scoreless inning apiece to close that one out).

And London is still hoping their ace from 2022, Jose Arias (4.80 ERA so far this year), finds that magic again down the stretch. If the current level of pitching keeps up, the Majors will be in good shape no matter who they face in the playoffs.

Tommy Reyes-Cruz scores a run in front of a packed crowd of 5,000 at Labatt Park on Canada Day, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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2) Cardoso Mr. Consistent. He’s played 19 games now as a London Major, and first baseman Kaiden Cardoso has recorded at least a hit in … 19 games. That impressive streak has produced a .395 batting average for the 24-year-old – tops in the IBL heading into action Thursday night (July 4).

Cardoso, a revelation early this year, has been the leader of the London offense all season. He burst onto the scene with home runs in three of his first four games. And he hasn’t stopped hitting since. During his current 19-game hit streak, he’s recorded nine multi-hit games.

The reigning IBL Batter of the Week, Cardoso has been extra hot lately. After seeing his batting average ‘drop’ to .343 after last Tuesday’s Majors win in Chatham, the first baseman went a scalding 9-for-14 (.643) over the weekend, smacking two homers and collecting five RBIs.

On the year, Cardoso is sitting at a .456 on-base percentage, fourth-best in the IBL. His .630 slugging percentage and 1.086 OPS are both tops on the Majors. His 32 hits, meanwhile, lead the league.

Kaiden Cardoso is enjoying a fantastic first season with the Majors. Heading into action Thursday night, July 4, the first baseman led the league with a .395 batting average. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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In fact, he’s on an impressive hit pace. At his current rate, he’d finish with 71 hits. That would place him second among all Majors batters since 2010 – ahead of Robert Mullen’s 66 in 2022, the second year of back-to-back London titles. Ryan LaPensee owns the record of 81 hits.

As for that hitting streak? It’s the third-longest run by any Major since 2010, one game ahead of the string of 18 games Jakob Newton put together in 2022. Mullen, now a member of the Welland Jackfish, had a 20-game streak in ’22, while the leader is longtime veteran Byron Reichstein at 26 games (achieved in 2014).

3) All-stars aplenty? Voting for the 2024 IBL All-Star Game ends July 4, and it appears several London Majors will earn a chance to compete in the special game in Welland on July 20.

The aforementioned Cardoso seems like a lock, while other potential selections may include outfielder Starling Joseph and catcher Eduardo de Oleo. On the pitching side, Travis Keys seems like a sure thing. Others with a chance to earn an invite include starters Victor Payano and Jose Arias and reliever Braeden Ferrington.

For his part, Roop Chanderdat, the Majors’ GM and field manager, believes there are plenty of London players worthy of selection.

“I would think Keys is for sure an all-star. He’s been one of the top pitchers not just on our team but in the league. He’s had some gems, so he should for sure be in the mix,” Chanderdat said. “And I think we’ve got a few others. Obviously, Cardoso is having a big year. And no matter their numbers, Starling [Joseph] and [Eduardo] de Oleo are all-star players. I see them as all-stars.”

The league has split the selections into two teams. The South team consists of four teams: the Majors, Chatham-Kent, Brantford and Welland. The North team consists of the other five teams: Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener and Toronto.

4) Lawrence leaves mark. He’s missed games and dealt with injuries, but when he’s been on the field this season, Drew Lawrence, a two-sport athlete who also stars on the London Beefeaters junior football team, has been fantastic.

His skills were very much on display on Canada Day. Batting leadoff, the outfielder reached base four times, had an RBI and scored a run. He also stole a base. It was a glimpse of what Lawrence is capable of – and what the Majors would love to see on a more regular basis.

While Cardoso leads the team – and the league – with a .395 batting average, Lawrence, though in a fraction of the at-bats, is actually hitting .394 so far this year. He’s done it in a much smaller sample size, but the numbers are still impressive.

In 14 games, he’s gone 13-for-33 with more walks (7) than strikeouts (6). His on-base percentage is an eye-popping .524. That on-base potential must surely have manager Roop Chanderdat salivating at what could be if Lawrence was healthy and available to be an everyday player.

He’s started his share of games, but he’s also come off the bench in a handful and been unavailable in others. He’s started four of the last five, though, and he’s fared very well, going 6-for-11 with three walks and three stolen bases. Perhaps a sign of more consistency and a big second half to come.