Majors seeking wins — despite Boon gems

Around the Diamond: The London Majors look to get in the win column this weekend with two games against the Brantford Red Sox (home Sunday) and a Saturday contest in Barrie; Do they have another star catcher? Our latest news & notes …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The London Majors have learned quickly that you’re only as good as your last few games. Not that it’s been a wakeup call, as it’s a long season with plenty of time to find their footing, but the two-time defending champs have started the 2023 season with three straight losses, a humbling first week after hoisting the Intercounty Baseball League championship trophy the last two Falls.

To be fair, the Majors’ 0-3 record could be 2-1, as the team was ahead in the eighth inning in two of those games before their opponent mounted late comebacks. It’s a game of inches and close pitches, though, and London has come up short in three straight as they look to find their groove after a rainy spring limited their practice time ahead of the new IBL season.

No one is panicking, of course, and the Majors have a good chance to find themselves in the win column with a pair of games against the Brantford Red Sox this weekend (including Sunday at home), but manager Roop Chanderdat will certainly be looking for a better offensive performance from his team as they return to action …

1) Ace in the hole. Despite an 0-3 start, there have been positives to take away from the Majors’ early schedule. The most impressive? The performance of ace pitcher Owen Boon, who started two of the three contests but came away with a no-decision in both after late leads evaporated – first against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Opening Day, and then against the Hamilton Cardinals last Sunday.

Boon was sharp out of the gate, striking out 10 in five scoreless innings at Christie Pits in Toronto to open the 2023 IBL season. He allowed just two hits and a pair of walks in the outing, which was limited to five frames after reaching 102 pitches. The right-hander left with a 2-0 lead, which the Majors extended to 4-0 by the seventh inning. Unfortunately for London, the Maple Leafs put up a five-run eighth to earn a comeback win.

With a week between games, Boon was able to start the Majors’ third contest of the year as well, a tilt in Hamilton at Bernie Arbour Stadium last Sunday. In that one, Boon recorded an impressive 14 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk.

Ahead 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the righty struck out the first two hitters in the inning before allowing three straight singles (and a run) before being relieved by Edisson Gonzalez, who managed to get the third out on a strikeout, Unfortunately, Gonzalez got himself in trouble in the ninth, allowing a pair of hits and a walk to load the bases with one out. He then proceeded to walk in the tying run and allow a walk-off single to Hamilton’s Clayton Keyes to send London home with a loss.

In the very early going, Boon, who will likely start one of London’s three games this weekend (potentially Saturday in Barrie), leads IBL pitchers with 24 strikeouts (he’s the only pitcher who’s made two starts thus far). His 1.42 ERA is tied for third among pitchers who’ve thrown at least six innings so far.

Abdiel Velasquez allowed four runs on four hits and six walks in his London Majors debut May 20. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

2) Take two. Newcomer Abdiel Velasquez, an import pitcher from Panama, will be looking for a do-over the next time he takes the mound (likely this weekend). The right-hander struggled with his command in his Majors’ debut Saturday in the team’s home opener. He walked six batters on the day, allowing four runs in just 3 2/3 innings against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an eventual 9-3 London loss.

Velasquez needed 96 pitches to get 11 outs, and he was relieved by Pedro De Los Santos to finish off the fourth inning. The righty, who threw exactly half his pitches for strikes (49), battled command of his fastball right from the beginning. He managed to harness his curveball better, but that also gave him troubles at times.

All the run-scoring damage came in the second inning, as Velasquez walked the first two batters of the inning and then gave up an RBI single to Greg Carrington. After recording an out, he was tagged for an RBI double by Yoichi Ishihara and then, later, a triple by Jose Vinicio that scored two and made it 4-0 Toronto early.

Velasquez will almost certainly catch his footing in the IBL – likely sooner rather than later. The 30-year-old is a former pro player who spent his early days in Rookie Ball in the Los Angeles Dodgers system. Prior to the pandemic, the righty pitched for Panama in the Caribbean Winter Series.

3) Important bat. While Velasquez and Edisson Gonzalez struggled in their Majors debuts, London’s other new import player, catcher Eduardo de Oleo, has gotten his season off to a good start. The 30-year-old doubled and walked in the season opener and went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Hamilton Sunday.

In between, he introduced himself to Majors fans with a two-run homer at Labatt Park in the sixth inning of Saturday’s loss to Toronto. At the time, the shot to left field made it a 4-2 game – before the Maple Leafs piled on some runs against London relievers later in the contest. In his first three games, de Oleo is 5-for-11 (.455) with three RBIs and three runs scored.

de Oleo, of course, has big spikes to fill this season as the replacement for Robert Mullen, who produced numbers worthy of MVP consideration last summer. Mullen, a Panama native, was unable to return to London this year, but the Majors have another good one in de Oleo, who hails from San Juan de la Magua in the Dominican Republic.

The catcher spent parts of eight seasons in the affiliated minor leagues, reaching as high as Triple-A (while with the Houston Astros organization). Signed as an international free agent by the New York Yankees in 2010, de Oleo also played in the Dominican Winter League. Early in his career, he had a 12-homer, 41-RBI season in A-Ball.

4) Man down. The Majors lost their leadoff man Saturday, as centre fielder Austin Wilkie suffered an injury after being hit by a pitch in the third inning. The team announced earlier this week that Wilkie has been diagnosed with multiple hairline fractures in his knuckles.

Adding insult to injury? The play wasn’t ruled a hit-by-pitch – and Wilkie was ejected in the process. With one out in the bottom of the third, the London outfielder had a 1-1 count when he appeared to be hit by a Ryan Burnside pitch in on the hands. Home plate umpire Chris Wilhelm ruled it a foul ball, though, saying that it had hit the bat.

A flustered Wilkie took his time getting back into the box for the next pitch. Before doing so, he took a dry swing – and could be seen in visible pain on the practice swing. Deeming that he was taking too long to get back into the box, Wilhelm called Wilkie out (recorded as a strikeout). An argument ensued and Wilkie was ejected from the game. Manager Roop Chanderdat was then tossed shortly after.

It’s a tough loss for London, as the 23-year-old Wilkie has shown flashes of breakout potential – while playing a strong defensive centre field. He had gone 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in the season’s opening game and appeared locked into the leadoff spot for the 2023 season. Drew Lawrence replaced Wilkie in the lineup, and the youngster should get plenty of playing time during the former’s absence.

Starling Joseph is locked into an outfield spot (either right field or left field), while Byron Reichstein mans the other spot, although he’s expected to miss several games this year due to his coaching responsibilities with the London Badgers. On Sunday, Will Pollard and Judd Walker drew starts in the outfield.