Brooklyn Cyclones: Despite Dramatic Win Friday, Offensive Woes Continue

From the desk of:   THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Brooklyn Cyclones: Game Recap - A Near Perfect Night In Coney Island

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  Last Four Games Are Microcosm of Season.  The Brooks Sport the League's Best Team ERA, But Score The League's Fewest Runs.


After slipping in Lowell, the Brooklyn Cyclones are now three games behind in the McNamara Division standings to the first place Hudson Valley Renegades.  Twenty-four games remain in the regular season to over come that margin.  But the Brooks still maintain a five game lead over the State College Spikes for the Wild Card.


Friday night's win; although incredibly dramatic; was a game not unlike many they've played this season; low scoring, and very well pitched affairs.  It's no secret the Cyclones pitching has carried the team this season.  They sport the circuit's best ERA with a 2.45 mark.  Offensively however, what they've mustered, especially lately, will not get them through two rounds of playoffs.  The Cyclones have struggled to score four runs in their last four games, and seven over their last five.  Over those five games, they only managed twenty-four hits.  That's less than five per game.  And the number is a little off, as they had nine hits against Lowell on Tuesday night.


Although, they sport some of the more powerful bats in the league; ranking second in the league in home runs; their team batting average comes in last with a .230 mark.  And in team slugging, their  .335 mark ranks tenth among fourteen teams.  On the other side of that, they rank number one in drawing walks, and rank fourth in OBP.  But at the end of the day, there is only one stat that really matters.  In all the New York Penn League, the Brooklyn Cyclones rank last in runs scored.  In fifty-two games, they have scored 192 runs.  That's an average of 3.69 runs per game.  The McNamara Division leading Hudson Valley Renegades are a full run better, with 4.69 runs per game.  Tri City is tops with 5.81 runs per game.


Something else the Cyclones rank last in?  Try stolen bases; by an embarrassing margin too.  The Brooks have stolen eighteen bases all season.  The next lowest team is Staten Island with twenty-nine.  Once again, Tri City is tops with eighty-six stolen bases.  But where does that really get you?  Some would argue nowhere.  But this edition of Baby Bums is taking stationary baseball into uncharted territory.





Mike.BTB