CHATHAM — There was high optimism and cause for celebration among the Chatham A’s after the team raced out of the chute with an East Division leading 6-3-1 record at the beginning the season. 

But those upbeat feelings were quickly tempered by a seven-game losing streak in early July that culminated with a desultory 10-1 loss to Falmouth, forcing the A’s to play catch up after their searing start. 

At this week’s start Chatham is 15-17-1 (31 points) and trails East Division leader Yarmouth-Dennis 21-13 (42 points), wildcard front-runner Brewster 19-13-2 (40 points), and third-place Orleans 18-14-1 (37 points) in the standings.

While climbing back into playoff contention isn’t a mathematical impossibility, Chatham’s chances look dim. Still, they remain hopeful.

“The talent level in the East Division from top to bottom is very similar, so it’s just a matter of who gets a break here or there,” Chatham Field Manager John Schiffner said. “So I don’t think anybody’s out of it, and I don’t see why we, or even [last place] Harwich couldn’t go on a streak and get back into the mix. We’re not talking about being out of it, but we’re also not talking about playoffs either. We’re talking about today’s game today and tomorrow’s game tomorrow.” 

A failure to hit at times, and more specifically a lack of timely hits, contributed to Chatham’s tumble. The A’s are batting .220 (tied for second worst in the 10-team league), and are 7-15 in games decided by two runs or less this summer (six of those narrow losses came in the aforementioned seven game skid).

To the contrary, Chatham’s pitching staff, which sports a team ERA of 2.45 (second-best in the league) has been their one saving grace and kept them out of last place. 

Starter Ricky Hargrove (2-0, 0.76 ERA) has been the undeniable ace of the rotation, while Elliott Cribby (1-2, 2.05 ERA), Nathan Moreau (0-3, 2.08 ERA), Rich Sirors (1-1, 3.76 ERA), Chris Wiman (2-0, 2.56 ERA), and Robert Woodard (2-2, 2.20 ERA), have each made valuable contributions. So have middle relievers Matt Giannini (3.71 ERA), Justin Segal (1.08 ERA), Vance Worley (2-2, 3.71 ERA), and closer Paul Koss, who has yet to yield an earned run in the 12-plus innings he’s pitched. 

Schiffner admittedly had doubts about his staff at the beginning of the summer. But the unit, despite lacking in star power, has come through and been a pleasant surprise.

“The starting six have done an excellent job. They’ve given us a lot of quality innings,” Schiffner said. “They’re not the power arms we’ve had in the past. They’re not Jared Hughes, Andrew Miller and David Huff. But they’re what I like to call ‘solid college pitchers,’ who may not be first round picks, but are going to get their shot at pro ball. They battle out there with a lot of guile. And when we’ve needed the bullpen, they’ve been there for us.”

The same can’t be said for Chatham’s periodically anemic offense, which has been held to one or fewer runs on nine occasions. Five sluggers who are regulars in Chatham’s lineup are batting below .200, which is simply not good enough.

“The key is we have to hit,” said Schiffner. “We can’t expect our pitchers to throw shutouts or only give up one or two runs. We’ve got to get four or five runs consistently to take the pressure off our pitchers, because right now we’re not allowing our pitchers to make very many mistakes. You have to give them breathing room because once in a while they’re going to miss their spots, and when they do, teams will often capitalize on those mistakes.”

The root of the problem, Schiffner said, is a “stubbornness” to adjust to wood bats. “Some of them still feel that they have an aluminum bat in their hands, that they can do it their way, and only have to make a slight adjustment to the wood,” the 13th-year skipper said. 

One batter who’s fine-tuned his swing is third baseman Reid Fronk, who leads the team with a .319 average. Second baseman Chris Carrara, who’s consistently hit in the .300s this season (though is currently at .282), has also faired well with lumber. A multiple threat, Carrara is tied for the league lead with 14 stolen bases, and leads the league with a .460 on-base percentage.

Other capable batters include catcher Edward Easley, who’s hitting .242, short stop Danny Espinosa, who’s hitting .252 and leads the team with 30 hits, and first baseman/DH Matt Rizzotti, who’s driven in a Cape League best 22 runs. 

Despite their struggles and failure to get back to the .500 mark since the second week of the season, the A’s aren’t playing out the schedule as a mere formality, but rather trying in earnest to get back into the mix. 

“It’s been a difficult season at times, but if there’s one constant it’s that the kids haven’t stopped trying,” Schiffner said. “They’ve maintained their focus, they’re working hard, and they’re getting better. The nice thing about this team is that when we do lose, the kids wash it away, forget about it, and come out the next day ready to play hard all over again.

by Eric Adler
Eric Adler