RIGHT FIELD FOG

I wrote last week about the Brewster Whitecaps. They were getting good pitching and winning games. Nothing spectacular, but it was worth noting.

After last night, the Whitecaps are veering into the spectacular.

Brewster won two 1-0 games over Hyannis, running its league-best record to 11-3. The Whitecaps are the first team to hit double digits in wins and they have two more wins than any other team in the league.

As usual, their pitching was the story. The offense scored a run in the first inning in both games, and the pitching made the slim leads stand up. The two shutouts dropped Brewster’s league-leading ERA to 1.98.

Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) was the biggest standout. He pitched in relief his last time out, but I’m going to guess he’ll be starting from now on. The sophomore tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out nine, walking one and allowing just two hits. He lowered his ERA to 1.84.

Drew Martinez (Memphis), who leads the league with a .408 batting average, stole his 12th base and scored the game’s only run.

In the second game, Jake Floethe (Cal State Fullerton) pitched four innings of no-hit ball. The bullpen did the rest, with Luke Bard (Georgia Tech) pitching two scoreless innings. Matt Larkins (UC Riverside) and Tommy Kahnle (Lynn) combined to pitch a scoreless seventh.

Taylor Ard (Mt. Hood CC), a 35th-round pick this year, went 2-for-2 and drove in the lone run.

Elsewhere

Bourne also posted a double-header sweep, beating Orleans 2-1 and 3-1. The Braves have taken over first place in the West, and they’re the only team in the division with a winning record. Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina) delivered a strong first start in game one, allowing just an unearned run on four hits in six innings. Chance Sossamon (Wichita State) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and the Braves scored a run in the eighth to win it. In the second game, Austin Stadler (Wake Forest) surrendered just one hit in six innings for the win and Tony Zych (Louisville) picked up the save. Daniel Bowman (Coastal Carolina) hit his first home run and Ryan Wright (Louisville) drove in two.

Cotuit and Harwich split their twin bill, with each winning a one-run game. Harwich won 3-2 in the opener while Cotuit won 8-7 in the nightcap. Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) struck out nine for Cotuit in the first game while Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) struck out seven for Harwich. The Mariners broke through for two runs against the Cotuit bullpen, with Clint Moore (Army) hitting a walk-off two-run double. In the second game, the offenses did more damage. C.J. Cron (Utah), who was strangely batting in the leadoff spot, went 4-for-4 to lead Cotuit. He’s raised his average to .306. Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine) and Joey Hainsfurther (Baylor) each drove in two for the Kettleers, who scored six in the first inning. Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida), Brian Goodwin (North Carolina) and Tyler Pill (Cal State Fullerton) all had two hits for Harwich.

Falmouth and Y-D also split their doubleheader, with Y-D winning the first game 11-4 and Falmouth taking the second game 7-4. In the opener, Y-D’s Brett Mooneyham allowed four runs in five innings, but his offense picked him up. Matt Jensen (Cal Poly) went 2-for-3 with three RBI and Tyler Hanover (LSU) also went 2-for-3 to power a nine-hit attack. In the second game, it was Falmouth’s turn. Kevin Medrano (Missouri State) hit a home run and Matt Skole (Georgia Tech) drove in two.

Chatham and Wareham played one game then got three innings into game two before the fog rolled in and forced a postponement. In the opener, Chatham posted a 5-2 victory. Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) and Joe Pavone (Connecticut) drove in runs, and the Anglers took advantage of four Gatemen errors for four unearned runs. Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) allowed three hits and only one earned run in five innings for the Gatemen but took the loss. Derek Self (Louisville) allowed two runs in six innings and picked up the win. For Wareham, George Springer (Connecticut) hit his third home run and Alex Dickerson (Indiana) went 1-for-3.

What to Watch

No games on the schedule tonight.

If you were in Wareham last night, I’m jealous.

The probables section hasn’t offered many awesome pitching match-ups this season, but if you checked on it yesterday, you saw the best one yet. Brewster’s Anthony Ranaudo (LSU), supplemental-round pick of the Red Sox, would take on Wareham’s Matt Barnes (Connecticut), a potential first-rounder in 2011.

They didn’t disappoint.

In front of a Saturday night crowd listed at 1,110, Ranaudo and Barnes staged the best pitchers’ duel of the summer. Ranaudo allowed one hit in 6.2 shutout innings and struck out eight. On the other side, Barnes struck out 14 — a league-high for the season — in seven innings. The difference was a Jeremy Schaffer (Tulane) RBI double in the fourth, which plated the lone run Barnes allowed. With the bullpens struggling, both teams scored late, but the decision stood. Ranaudo got the win and Barnes the loss as Brewster won 5-3.

If the Red Sox were watching this one, they had to like what they saw from Ranaudo. In his first start of the summer, he was on a pitch count and went four innings with three strikeouts. Now, with 10.2 innings in the books, Ranaudo has allowed two hits and no runs, while striking out 11.

According to AOL FanHouse baseball analyst Frankie Piliere, Barnes was even more impressive. Piliere reports his velocity was between 93 and 96 and touching 97.

I guess it’s a shame someone had to lose this game. It’s also a shame that both Ranaudo and Barnes may not be long for the Cape League, with Ranaudo likely getting an offer at some point and Barnes possibly heading to Team USA trials.

But for one night at least, the Cape League was a winner.

Elsewhere

Sticking with that game for a moment, Wareham’s Alex Dickerson (Indiana) had two more hits to keep his average at .500. He has had two hits in all five games he’s played in this summer.

Cotuit stopped Y-D’s five-game winning streak with a 9-2 victory. The Kettleers had 11 hits, getting at least one from nine different players. Paul Hoilman (East Tennessee State), Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine) and James McCann (Arkansas) all hit home runs for the Kettleers. McCann was making his Cape League debut. Michael Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt) and Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) had two hits apiece. On the mound, Josh Spence (Arizona State) made his second start for Cotuit and allowed a run in three innings. A.J. Achter (Michigan State) picked up the win with four shutout innings.

Another West team topped a strong East club as Hyannis beat Chatham 6-2. Trent Howard (Central Michigan), who was impressive in his first two starts, put up another strong one last night, allowing two runs and striking out five in 5.1 innings. Howard now has 17 strikeouts and just two walks in 15.1 innings. Mark Micowski (Georgia State) had three hits out of the Hyannis leadoff spot, and Jason Nappi (Harding) drove in two.

Orleans faced Falmouth’s Mark Pope (Georgia Tech), who hadn’t allowed a run in his first two starts, and touched him up for 11 hits. Though they only scored two runs off him, he was done after six and the Commodores kept scoring against the Falmouth pen. Danny Muno (Fresno State) had one of the best offensive days of the summer, going 5-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI. Jason Esposito (Vanderbilt) wasn’t far behind, finishing 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI. Esposito had two hits in his first four games, but after last night, is hitting .316. Shon Roe (Loyola Marymount), Kevin Muno (San Diego) and Kolten Wong (Hawaii) also had multi-hit games for Orleans.

Tommy LaStella (Coastal Carolina) hit a walk-off double as Bourne beat Harwich 5-3 in 10 innings. Bourne led 3-1 until Harwich tied it in the eighth. But a dropped third strike gave Bourne life in the 10th and LaStella followed with a double to give Bourne the win. Ryan Wright (Louisville) and Nick Ahmed (Connecticut) had two hits each for Bourne. Tyler Pill (Cal State Fullerton), another big talent arriving late to Harwich, went 2-for-4 in his debut. Mikie Mahtook (LSU) went 1-for-4.

What to Watch

It’s a doubleheader day. Big South Pitcher of the Year Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina) will make his debut for Bourne in game one of a twin bill with Orleans. Meo went 13-2 this spring with a 2.61 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 96.2 innings.

There’s been no shortage of quality starts this season from Cape LEague pitchers. Six innings, a run or two, a few strikeouts.

But there has been a shortage of dominance. Mark Pope struck out 11 in one start for Falmouth, which stood as the best pitching performance of the season.

Until last night. Pope’s Georgia Tech teammate Jed Bradley was a little bit better. Making his second start of the season for Wareham, Bradley struck out 11 and allowed just a run in a complete-game win over Hyannis.

It’s the first nine-inning complete game of the Cape League season, and for Wareham, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Gatemen had lost three in a row.

Bradley was the stopper they needed, just as they hoped.

In the absence of some of the big-name power arms, Bradley came to the Cape with some of the best credentials around. Though his ERA ended up over 4.00, he was impressive all year for Tech, finishing with 95 strikeouts in 86.1 innings.

In his first Cape start, he pitched fairly well, allowing three earned runs and striking out eight in six innings. But two unearned runs also came home, and Bradley took the loss.

Last night, he was firmly in control and looking the ace Wareham needs. Bradley scattered six hits and worked his way out of the only two jams he got into. The 11 strikeouts give him 19 for the season, good for second in the league.

And Bradley had plenty of help. The Gatemen had nine hits and were led once again by Alex Dickerson (Indiana), who’s having a remarkable start to his season. Dickerson arrived a few days ago. He’s played in four games and he’s logged two hits in each of them, good for a .500 average. Last night, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Dickerson has been invited to Team USA trials, but maybe his torrid start can convince him to stick around.

Jonathan Smith (Tennessee-Wesleyan) added three hits for the Gatemen.

Elsewhere

Y-D beat Orleans 5-3 for its fifth straight win, which moved the Red Sox into a first-place tie with Brewster. Michael Goodnight (Houston), a 13th-round pick this year, allowed a run on three hits in six strong innings and picked up the win. D.J. Baxendale (Arkansas) got the save. The game was tied 1-1 until the seventh, when Y-D put up three. Pinch-hitter Dusty Robinson (Fresno State) knocked in the go-ahead run with a single and the Red Sox never trailed again. Robinson picked up another RBI in the eighth and Matt Jensen (Cal Poly) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. After breaking out of a season-long slump last night, Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) went 1-for-4 with a double. Y-D’s lineup last night didn’t have a single player who’s hitting over .300, but some of those averages are finally starting to climb. For Orleans, Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 2-for-4 and hit his league-leading third home run.

Led by another strong day from Drew Martinez (Memphis), Brewster beat Bourne 6-3. Martinez went 2-for-4 on Wednesday and 3-for-5 on Thursday. He went 3-for-5 again last night, raising his average to .410. He also stole his ninth base of the season. Batting leadoff, Martinez had a hand in three Brewster rallies. Jon Berti (Bowling Green) also had three hits for the Whitecaps and scored two runs. Nathan Melendres (Miami) and Cohl Walla (Texas) had two hits apiece. Matt Crouse (Ole Miss) picked up the win in relief with two scoreless innings. For Bourne, Travis Shaw (Kent State) went 2-for-3, raising his average to .367.

Harwich dropped Chatham from first place with a 3-1 victory. Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida) went 2-for-4 for the Mariners, upping his average to a league-best .417. Austin Nola (LSU) also had two hits. Pierce Johnson (Missouri State), a 15th-round pick out of high school in 2009, struck out seven and allowed just an unearned run in six innings of work.

Falmouth finished with 13 hits and Cotuit had 11, but the Commodores beat Cotuit 10-3. Nick Martini (Kansas State), who had struggled so far, went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. Matt Skole (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with two RBI. For Cotuit, Paul Hoilman (East Tennessee State) continued a hot streak with a 3-for-4 night.

What to Watch

The radar guns will be lighting up tonight in Wareham when Anthony Ranaudo (LSU) makes his second start for Brewster against the Gatemen’s Matt Barnes (Connecticut). It could be one of the better pitching match-ups of the season. Also, in Falmouth, Mark Pope (Georgia Tech) makes his third start for the Commodores. Pope hasn’t allowed a run yet this summer and has struck out 16.

Apologies for my absence yesterday and my lateness today. It was a crazy morning yesterday, and I had to get some cavities filled today. Good times all around.

I feel like I’ve missed things. That’s what happens in a Cape League season. The biggest thing I’m noticing as I work my way back into playing shape: the Eastern Division is off to a fast start. Even after yesterday, when the East beat up on itself a little bit, the teams are a step ahead of the West. Fourth-place Orleans would be tied for first in the West.

I’m sure things will even out at some point, but there’s no denying that Chatham, Y-D, Brewster and Orleans are playing well right now.

Last night, Y-D was probably the most impressive. The Red Sox visited Brewster and came away with a 9-4 victory, their fourth in a row. They’re tied with Brewster in second place at 7-3.

The Red Sox hadn’t had a ton of luck offensively. They came in hitting .219. But they pounded out nine hits against three Brewster pitchers and got some big hits from guys they figure to be counting on this summer.

Jordan Ribera (Fresno State), the national home run leader who went undrafted, was hitless this summer and he struck out in his first at-bat Wednesday. But in the fourth inning, Ribera cranked a solo home run. In the sixth, he hit an RBI triple as the Red Sox started pulling away.

Caleb Ramsay (Houston) also had two RBI for the Red Sox, while Tyler Hanover (LSU), Joe Panik (St. John’s), Matt Jensen (Cal Poly) and Matt Watson (Boston College) drove in one apiece.

John Leonard (Boston College) delivered another solid start for Y-D, allowing a run in five innings of work. Brewster scored three in the ninth, but Y-D held off the charge for the win. Leonard now has a 2-0 record and a 0.77 ERA.

For Brewster, leadoff man Drew Martinez (Memphis) went 3-for-5, bumping his league-best average to .382.

Elsewhere

Harwich has welcomed some big names to town the last few days in Mikie Mahtook (LSU) and Steven Proscia (Virginia). Neither has made a big impact yet and neither could help the Mariners against Orleans last night. Orleans got a solid outing from Cameron Hobson (Dayton) and just enough offense to win 3-2. Hobson only struck out one but also only allowed one run in six innings of work. Matt Koch (Loyola Marymount) had two RBI and Will Piwnica-Worms (Duke) went 3-for-3 to lead the Orleans offense. The game was tied 2-2 in the ninth before Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) allowed a double, a walk and two straight hit batsmen to force home the go-ahead run.

Chatham broke a 4-4 tie with two in the ninth and held on to beat Wareham 6-5. Dan Paolini (Siena) reached on an error and scored on another in the ninth, and Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) drove in his third run of the night with a double. Wareham pushed a run across in the bottom of the ninth, but Matt Brazis (Boston College) wiggled out of a jam to give Chatham the win. Peter Verdin (Georgia) went 2-for-3 for the Anglers. George Springer (Connecticut) hit his second home run for Wareham, while Alex Dickerson (Indiana) stayed hot with a 2-for-4 day. In three games since arriving, Dickerson has gone 6-for-13.

In West action, Bourne won its third straight game and moved back to .500 with a 3-2 decision over Cotuit. The Braves trailed 2-1 going into the ninth. Tommy LaStella (Coastal Carolina) hit a one-out double and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Cotuit got the second out, Mike Nemeth (Connecticut) knocked LaStella home with the tying run. A dropped foul pop-up kept the Braves alive, and Creede Simpson (Auburn) singled home Nemeth with the winning run.

Falmouth scored two in the first and never trailed en route to a 5-1 victory over Hyannis. K.C. Serna (Oregon) went 2-for-4 to lead the offense and Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) added two RBI. Christian Jones (Oregon), a talented freshman who struggled in an earlier relief appearance, made his first start and allowed just two hits in six shutout innings.

What to Watch

Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook), who’s tied for the league lead in strikeouts goes for Cotuit against Falmouth.

In the preseason, nobody’s pitching staff looked particularly impressive. That’s a combination of a few things: not many aces are on the Cape and college pitching numbers always look a little rough for everybody else.

Brewster’s staff didn’t look like the exception; in fact it looked like the rule. The Whitecaps had just three players who were regular starters for their college teams. Six of the 11 pitchers had ERAs over four.

But funny things can happen on the Cape.

Through eight games, the Whitecaps lead the league in team ERA. Their pitchers haven’t been overpowering, but they’ve been consistently good every step of the way. And they’ve helped turned the Whitecaps into an early-season contender. With a 4-3 win over Orleans last night, the Whitecaps moved to 6-2, the best record in the league.

The Firebirds came into the game winners of four straight, and they led for most of the game, despite a strong pitching performance by Mike Palazzone (Georgia). But the Whitecaps got to the Orleans bullpen for two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth. Kirk Singer (Long Beach State) hit a two-run single in the ninth to plate the tying and winning runs. The clutch hit was part of a 3-for-4, 3 RBI day for Singer, who had just one hit in his first 18 at-bats.

While the offense delivered the comeback, Brewster pitchers — as they’ve done all summer — kept the team in the game. Palazzone was an 18th-round pick out of high school two years ago but he has struggled at Georgia. In two starts for Brewster, though, Palazzone is 1-0 with 0.68 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.

The bullpen also pitched well on Tuesday. Kyle Hendricks (Dartmouth) allowed an unearned run in two innings of work and got the win. Colton Murray (Kansas) picked up the save.

Brewster pitchers have now allowed four runs or fewer in all but one game, a season-opening loss to Chatham.

Elsewhere

One other note from that Brewster-Orleans game. Orleans’ Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 2-for-3 with a home run, and he now leads the league in hitting at .429 and is tied for the league lead in home runs.

Bourne rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the final three innings to beat Chatham 8-2. Mike Dennhardt (Boston College) cruised through five innings for Chatham, but the Bourne bats woke up against the bullpen in the seventh. Travis Shaw (Kent State), who had one hit in Bourne’s first seven games, hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, and the Braves tacked on five more runs in the ninth. Shaw finished with three hits and four RBI. Mike Nemeth (Connecticut) drove in two. Bourne improved to 3-5, while Chatham dropped to 5-2-1.

Joe Holtmeyer (Nerbaska at Omaha) struck out eight and Brian Goodwin (North Carolina) went 4-for-4 to lead Harwich past Hyannis 4-3. Holtmeyer, the top strikeout pitcher in Division II this year, was making his second start. He allowed one earned run in his first outing and did the same last night, with a few more strikeouts. Goodwin, a talented freshman who was playing in his fifth game, matched his hit total from the first four. In the seventh, he singled, stole second and came around to score on two wild pitches. It proved to be the game-winning run. Goodwin is now hitting .421 with four stolen bases.

Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) struck out seven and allowed one run, and the offense rallied from two deficits as Y-D topped Wareham 5-3 to improve to 5-3. Mooneyham now has 14 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in his two starts. He allowed three runs — two earned — in this one, but kept Y-D in the game. The Red Sox battled back from 1-0 and 3-2 holes, taking the lead for good with three runs in the seventh. Caleb Ramsey (Houston), a recent addition who played briefly for Y-D last year, led the way with two RBI. Joe Panik (St. John’s) and Matt Watson (Boston College) each had one. For Wareham, Big 10 Player of the Year Alex Dickerson (Indiana) made his debut and went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Rob Kral (College of Charleston), who had 14 homers this spring, also made his first appearance and went 0-for-3.

What to Watch

Tanner Poppe (Kansas), who’s had two strong bullpen outings, will make his first start for Y-D as the Red Sox host Harwich. Lex Rutledge (Samford), who pitched four no-hit innings in his first start, is slated to go for Harwich.

Cotuit and Falmouth were the only teams in action Monday night, and they played a 7-5 game.

Or a 7-5 inning.

In the top of the second, Falmouth touched up Cotuit starter Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) for five runs, thanks in large part to a three-run double from Nick Martini (Kansas State). In the bottom of the second, Cotuit returned the favor. Paul Hoilman had a two-run double to give Cotuit the lead, and he later scored on a passed ball to make it 7-5.

And that was it.

Murray and Falmouth starter Taylor Wall (Falmouth) were both done by the time the second inning ended, and the bullpens kept things where they were. Four Kettleers and three Commodores combined to pitch 13.2 innings. Hoilman’s run was charged to reliever Rob Chamra (North Carolina State), who came on in the second, but that was the only run either bullpen allowed.

Cotuit’s David Colvin (Pomona-Pitzer College) was credited with the win. He allowed three hits in two scoreless innings. A.J. Achter (Michigan State), Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) and Kyle McMillen (Kent State) also had scoreless outings.

Those performances made it a frustrating night for Falmouth. Amazingly, the Commodores out-hit the Kettleers 13-3 and didn’t commit an error. But there they were, trailing and unable to string anything together. Every Cotuit reliever gave up at least two hits, but none gave up more than three. Falmouth left nine on base, but in most cases, it was one runner at a time.

The loss dropped Falmouth to 4-4, while Cotuit picked up the much-needed win to move to 2-5-1. The Kettleers are ninth in batting average and ERA, but if they can shake off their bad start, they’ve got enough potential to be right in the mix.

Mike Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt) made his debut for Cotuit and struck out in his only at-bat. For Falmouth, Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech), the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, had his best day of the summer, going 4-for-4. The middle of the order — Martini, B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Mississippi) and Matt Skole (Georgia Tech) — contributed for three hits and three RBI. All three of those players are hitting under .200, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t heat up soon.

What to Watch

Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) gets the start for Y-D in a home game against Wareham and Max Perlman (Harvard). Mooneyham struck out seven in five innings in his first start. Perlman struck out three in seven shutout innings his first time out.

Dominant pitching performances have been unusually hard to find this summer. But at least some big arms are starting to show off.

Anthony Ranaudo made Brewster the place to be last night and delivered a solid performance in his debut. The Red Sox draftee struck out three in four innings, while sticking to a pitch count. Ranaudo is likely the top arm on the Cape right now, but if he’s on pitch counts and not staying long, he’s not going to have the eye-popping results.

Two guys who probably will deliver have eye-popping results squared off in Chatham last night.

Falmouth’s Mark Pope (Georgia Tech), who struck out 11 in his first start — the best pitching performance of the summer — took on Logan Verrett (Baylor), who made his first start for Chatham. They were both pretty impressive. Verrett went seven shutout innings, striking out nine, walking one and allowing just three hits. Pope was also strong for Falmouth. He only struck out five but he didn’t allow a run in six innings of work. He hasn’t allowed a run yet this year and he’s tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 16.

Verrett figured to be Chatham’s ace this summer, and he certainly was on this night. In a landscape where a lot of top sophomore pitchers are being advised to take a summer off, Verrett is on the Cape and ready to go. He struck out 97 this spring for Baylor.

He didn’t factor in the decision on Sunday, but if he keeps pitching like this, he’s going to get some wins. The way Chatham’s playing, he’s bound to. The score was 0-0 last night when Verrett left the game. After Falmouth took a 1-0 lead in the eighth, Chatham rallied to tie the game and win it in the ninth. Dan Paolini (Siena) knocked in the tying run before pinch-hitter Kevin Vance (UConn) hit a three-run walk-off homer to give Chatham the victory.

The Anglers are now 5-1-1, the best record in the league.

Elsewhere

Another talented sophomore was on the mound for Wareham, as Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) made his debut. The sixth-best prospect in the league last summer, Armstrong didn’t have a great showing. He went seven innings but allowed 10 hits and four runs. He only struck out one. He still picked up the win, though, as Wareham scored five runs and held off a Harwich charge to win 5-4. Freshman Max Muncy (Baylor) drove in three runs for the Gatemen.

Brewster won Ranaudo’s debut by a 3-2 score. Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) got the win with some solid relief work and Tommy Kahnle (Lynn) picked up his second save in as many days. Kahnle struck out two, and has now struck out five in two innings this season. Cohl Walla (Texas), who’s coming off a fantastic freshman season, made his first start and went 0-for-4.

Orleans won its fourth in a row after an 0-3 start, topping Cotuit 5-3. Marcus Stroman (Duke), a talented two-way freshman, struck out five in five shutout innings. Duke teammate Will Piwnica-Worms had two hits and two RBI for the Firebirds. Steve Selsky (Arizona) went 1-for-2, raising his league-leading average to .478.

Tanner Poppe (Kansas) was impressive in relief as Y-D beat Hyannis 4-1. Poppe is a 6’6 freshman with a ton of potential, and he flashed it on Sunday. He came on in the third and worked 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six. We’ll see if Poppe moves into the rotation after an appearance like that.

What to Watch

Just one game on the schedule tonight as Falmouth visits Cotuit. Steven Gruver (Oklahoma State), who has struck out 11 in a start and a relief appearance, makes his second start for Falmouth. Matt Murray (Georgia Southern), who went six shutout innings in his debut, goes for Cotuit.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I need something to write about.

And this, after last year, is something.

We are five days into the 2010 Cape League season. Fifteen games were on the schedule, and 15 games have been played. Mother Nature has stood idly by, perhaps feeling sorry for what she did last year in the worst summer ever.

This time last year, we’d already had a few postponements and were about to head into the worst few days of the summer, a stretch in which 12 of 20 games were postponed. The scheduled was being adjusted on the fly, and all those “only game in town” days fell by the wayside as teams filled up every possible day.

On Thursday, Brewster and Y-D were the only game in town, and this one went off without a hitch. Brewster improved to 2-1 with a 3-2 victory.

The Whitecaps led 2-0 into the seventh when the Red Sox tied it. But in the top of the ninth, Brewster scratches a run across when Drew Martinez (Memphis), who had singled, came into score from third on a double play. Jake Floethe (Cal State Fullerton) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth when Ronnie Shaban (Virginia Tech) lined into a game-ending double play.

Jon Berti (Bowling Green), John Andreoli (Connecticut) and Andy Burns (Kentucky) had two hits apiece to lead Brewster. Tyler Hanover (LSU), a 2009 CCBL all-star, made his debut for Y-D and went 2-for-4.

What to Watch

We’re back to a full slate of action tonight. If you start in Cotuit and then head to Harwich, you’ll see two 2010 draftees make their debuts. Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount), a 27th rounder, gets the start for Orleans at Cotuit. Viramontes was a 2008 Cape League all-star. In Harwich, Michael Goodnight (Houston), a 13th rounder, is set to go for Y-D.

Also, I will be away for part of the weekend, so there won’t be a daily fog on Saturday. I should be able to post one on Sunday, but it might be a little later than usual. There is good news: the weekend looks beautiful. Maybe I didn’t jinx anything.