Brooklyn Cyclones: McNamara Division Proving Difficult Hill to Climb

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

BASEBALL BY THE BEACH

West Virginia Black Bears

vs.

Brooklyn Cyclones

FROM

Steeplechase Grounds

CONEY ISLAND

The McNamara Division is fit to be tied.  Just over one-third through the 2019 season, all four member clubs have taken turns occupying first place.  By close of business Saturday, the Hudson Valley Renegades lead both the Brooklyn Cyclones and Aberdeen Ironbirds by one game, and the Staten Island Yankees by 2.5 games.

Offensively speaking, the Cyclones are somewhat of an enigma.

• Hits: 5th in league; 1st in division.
• Home runs: 5th in league; 2nd division.
• Total bases: 5th in league; 1st division.
• Team average: 5th in league; 1st division.
• Team slugging: 4th in league; 1st division.
• OPS: 8th in league: but 2nd division.
• Yet Coney Island is sixth in the league in strikeouts, dead last in walks, and 11th in the league in runs scored.

(LF)-Yoel Romero is batting .321 which rates third in the league.  With only six NYPL players presently hitting above .300, (RF)-Ranfy Adon's .277 mark ranks 12 best.

(2B)-Luke Ritter ranks fourth in the league with a .392 OPS.  Yoel Romero is second on the team and 13th in the league with a .369 OPS.

(1B)-Joe Genord is fourth in the circuit with a .506 slugging average.  Yoel Romero is right behind Joe with a fifth ranked .500 slugging average.

• YOEL ROMERO  .321/.369/.500, six doubles, two HR, ten RBI through 78 at-bats.
• JOE GENORD  .259/320/.506, six doubles, five HR, 19 RBI through 85 at-bats.

Cyclones pitching has been somewhat more confounding.

• The Cyclones have so far yielded the NYPL's least hits.
• As such they own the league's second lowest WHiP; second in division.
• They've surrendered the seventh most earned runs; but the least within the division.
• The seventh most home runs; but second least in division.
• The seventh most walks; but least within the division.
• However Cyclones 3.56 team ERA ranks eighth; last in division.
• The sixth most strikeouts; but third in division.

Starter Jaison Vilera is presently the lone Cyclone starting pitcher sporting an ERA (3.81) below four among those with at least four starts.  He likewise leads the Cyclones with a 1.20 WHiP.  Garrison Bryant is second with a 1.26 WHiP, and also leads the team with 27 strikeouts.  Vilera has 23 strikeouts through through 28.1 innings pitched.  

• Daison Acosta is 1-0 with a 0.98 ERA and 0.82 WHiP, yielding just two earned runs on none hits and six walks with 25 strikeouts though 18.1 innings pitched.

Seven different relievers have registered saves for manager Alfonzo.  Luis Silva leads with four despite an unsightly 6.75 ERA through 9.1 innings.  However relievers Andrew Edwards, Matt Mullenbach, and Dan Goggin, have joined to post a 3-1 record with a 2.08 ERA and six saves with 37 strikeouts and ten hits allowed through 30.2 innings.

The Cyclones are 6-7 in the month of July, and 15-13 overall.  In fact the Cyclones and West Virginia Black Bears enter Sunday's action with identical records.  Brooklyn outlasts the Black Bears 3-1 in Saturday's series opener.  Starting pitcher Alec Kisena,  and relievers Daniel Goggin, Yeudy Conlon, and  Matt Mullenbach join to yield just one run on five hits and five walks with 15 strikeouts.  Goggin earns his second relief win of the season.  Mullenbach earns his second save.

Kisena joins the Cyclones after making 16 appearances with the Columbia Fireflies, where he posts a 4.65 ERA with 17 walks and 32 strikeouts through 31 innings pitched.

• Stats: New York Penn League

SUNDAY

Black Bears   1

Cyclones       4

FINAL

Brooklyn wins their second straight against the Vest Virginia Black Bears and close to withing one-half game of the first place Hudson Valley Renegades.  Starter Matt Cleveland and closer Andrew Edwards combine on a nine inning gem.  Cleveland yields no runs on just one hit and one walk with one strikeout over 6.1 innings to earn his first victory of the season.  Edwards surrenders one run on two hits and one walk with one strikeout over 2.2 innings en route to his third save.  Catcher Jose Mena is 1 for 3 with a triple, and RBI.  Second baseman Luke Ritter is 2 for 3 with two runs scored.  Center fielder Jake Mangum is 2 for 4 with a run scored.