Majors need timely hits, better pitching to climb standings

Around the Diamond: The London Majors (4-6) hope it’s ‘Home, sweet home’ this weekend as they seek return to .500. It’s Toronto and Barrie at Labatt Park. Read for the latest Majors news & notes …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Three of London’s first four losses this season were comeback wins for the opposition — games that the Majors had led (and late in the game) but had been unable to hold onto. That wasn’t the case last weekend, and a pair of losses – to Kitchener and Guelph – have London two games below .500 and looking for signs of optimism.

As far as last weekend goes, one such sign could be the number of hits they managed to rack up despite losing both their games. Against Kitchener at home Friday, the Majors were only outhit 11-9 in their 9-2 loss to the Panthers. In Guelph Saturday, they matched the Royals’ nine hits in a 9-6 road loss.

Only four of their 18 weekend hits went for extra bases, though, and that’s something London will need to address. Not necessarily knocking out home runs (although that wouldn’t hurt), but driving balls into gaps and down the lines for doubles. That would make life easier than manufacturing runs and putting more pressure on a pitching staff that’s struggled so far.

At 4-6, London enters action Friday (June 1) in sixth place in Intercounty Baseball League standings, five games behind the first-place Welland Jackfish (10-2) — but just two-and-a-half games back of second place. It’s Toronto and Barrie this weekend, both at home, and the Majors are hoping their Father’s Day gift is a return to .500.

1) Pulling the positives. Yes, they’ve lost three in a row and, by the standards set the last two seasons, the Majors’ current 4-6 record is a disappointment. But it’s easy to forget that winning pennants is a difficult thing to achieve in the highly competitive Intercounty Baseball League. Even last year, London needed an extra tie-breaking game to accomplish the feat.

A pennant isn’t out of the question, but a more realistic outlook this season is a hard-fought regular season in which the club puts themselves in a position, come playoff time, to battle for a championship – regardless of where they finish in regular season standings. To that end, manager Roop Chanderdat is pleased to point out the positives – even in losses – in the early going.

“In that Guelph game, the glass half full takeaway is that we didn’t quit,” the manager said. “We fought back, we battled back. We had a little rally going. Right now, it’s the little victories. It’s just trying to put it all together.”

Down 9-2 in a contest in which starting pitcher Edisson Gonzalez struggled, the Majors managed an eighth-inning rally that puts four runs on the board to get within striking distance. A Byron Reichstein double brought in Tommy Reyes-Cruz; Starling Joseph drove in Reichstein with a single; Dan Battel scored on a wild pitch, and Drew Lawrence also came in for London’s sixth run.

“We’re trying to get some offense early, so we can get some runs for our pitchers,” Chanderdat said. “We’re not getting many back-to-back hits. It’s the old cliché: It’s not how many, it’s when. So, we’re getting hits, it’s just a matter of stringing together back-to-back hits and timely hits.

“We’re right there, we just gotta put it all together.”

2) Byron’s big bat. He’s missed three games already, due to other commitments (including coaching within the London Badgers organization), but in the seven games he’s played, Byron Reichstein has been a force at the plate. Not that that should be surprising. The outfielder is a proven veteran bat who was arguably the team’s most valuable player two seasons ago when the Majors won their first IBL championship in 46 years.

The 29-year-old leads the team in hitting heading into action Friday, batting .464 (13-for-28) in his seven games played. He’s scored eight times, smashed three homers and driven in 12 runs His six extra-base hits are tied with Eduardo de Oleo and Starling Joseph for tops on the team.

After a disappointing season at the plate in 2019, Reichstein returned in 2021 rejuvenated after missing the COVID-canceled season and was the team’s top hitter, batting an impressive .411 for the year. He had seven home runs and 29 RBIs in 28 games during that shortened season, which culminated in a Majors’ pennant win – and an IBL championship.

Last year, he didn’t join the club until Canada Day, and although it took some time to knock off the rust, he managed to hit .299 in 19 games before really turning it on in the playoffs. There, he batted .391 (18-for-46) with four homers, 12 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 12 games to help London win back-to-back titles.

3) Miller time. The Majors will have a new face in the lineup when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday night. Well, not exactly new. Myles Miller, a Windsor, ON native, has signed with the team and will patrol an outfield spot in the lineup going forward. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he had a stint with the Majors back in 2019.

That year, London signed the outfielder at the deadline, and he batted .300 (15-for-50) in 14 regular season games before enjoying a strong series against the Welland Jackfish in the playoffs. The Majors lost that one, four games to one, but Miller went an impressive 12-for-22 (.545) in the five games.

Now 27, Miller brings with him pro ball experience, including a season spent in the Seattle Mariners organization last year. After a strong final collegiate season at Cameron University (and his stint with the Majors), Miller played a pair of seasons in independent ball before catching on with the Mariners. In 2021, with the Boise Hawks of the Independent Pioneer League, he enjoyed a breakout season, batting .339 with a .410 on-base percentage. His 131 hits (in 94 games) were third most in the league.

That performance earned him an invite to spring training with the Mariners in 2022, and Miller was assigned to their High-A affiliate, the Everett AquaSox for the ’22 campaign. The outfielder struggled there in 45 games before being released. Since then, he’s spent time in the Frontier League and back in the Pioneer League.

4) Pitching changes? Something needs to give. With an offensive lineup that lacks the firepower of last year’s group, the Majors will need strong pitching to win games in 2023 – and they’re not getting it so far.

Import arms Abdiel Velasquez and Edisson Gonzalez have combined to post an 8.13 ERA in eight appearances (five starts). That’s 35 runs (28 earned) in 31 innings so far. That’s not going to get it done. Somehow, the Majors’ 5.39 team ERA is second best in the IBL (it’s a hitter’s league …), but it’s clear the pitching will need to improve if London is to have a chance to climb the standings.

That overall number is helped by two stellar starts by Owen Boon, who faltered a bit last Friday in a loss, and a pair of strong outings by Jaryd Lund against Brantford. But Boon is limited this year in the number of games he can make, due to his work life in Toronto. Where does that leave London? In need of arms either stepping up – or stepping in.

Chanderdat is hopeful that Pedro De Los Santos, once he gets stretched out, can recapture some of the magic of his 2021 season, during which he led the league in ERA in nine starts during the regular season that year. He made another nine starts last year. The left-hander has pitched out of the bullpen thus far in 2023, but he’s expected to get a start soon.

At the very least, the Majors’ pitching staff will need to cut down on the walks. They’re currently tied with Brantford with the second most walks-per-nine rate (0.61) in the league heading into action this weekend. That’s not a recipe for pitching success.