L.I. Ducks ~ A Refortified Staff Over-Shadows Loss

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE




Long Island Ducks:  Despite Loss to Camden, the Webbed-Nine Are Back in Business.


After having his contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and serving a short stint with the AA-Altoona Curve, Mike Loree made his first start since returning to the Ducks earlier this week against the Camden River Sharks Friday night.


More importantly, the Ducks all of a sudden are pitching collectively well again.  Are they reinvigorated with the news their Ace pitcher is back?  Who cares!  They're pitching well and Loree is indeed back...; period.


In their last series against Bridgeport, the Bluefish gave the Ducks a little taste of second place just in case they had forgotten what that was like.  The Ducks haven't been in second place since the first-half, when Southern Maryland briefly over-took them.  But Long Island recovered to regain first place again this half in the Liberty Division; and they did it with resurgent starting pitching.


Entering Saturday night's second game of a double-header, the Ducks were winners of three of their last four games.  Last Wednesday the bullpen shined in relief of Dave Williams; who, admittedly struggled again.  Then the latest stabilizer signed to the rotation; Josh Banks; pitched well again but lost.  Then two Ducks pitchers offered up a pair of dynamite starts; one by De Los Santos Friday, and another by Bob Zimmermann earlier this evening in game one.  In those last two starts, the two pitchers combined on 14 innings; 6 hits; 1 earned run allowed; 3 walks; 12 strike outs; making both winners.


And so there's life again in The Pond.  In fact, the place should get down right Quackin' again.  Since Mike Loree's departure some time back on August 20th, the Ducks' tailspin was dangerously near to being out of control.  Perhaps, they now have the wind back underneath their wings again.


In tonight's second game of their double-header with Camden, Mike Loree was back on the mound and in a Ducks' uniform.  But he wasn't nearly as effective as he was when he left.  I'm sure that will change.  In the mean time, the Ducks fell to the Camden River Sharks 9-3 in the night cap.


But now with Mike Loree back in the fold and the recent pick up of Josh Banks,  the Ducks are officially back in business for a short-series showdown with anyone again.




*INJURY REPORT:  
RP-Ehrne Wassrman was placed on the P.U.P. list.  He's been masterful out of the bullpen this season.
1B-John Rodriguez continues to miss games with his third stint on the injured list.




Mike.BTB