13 July 2006

Braves scouting for consistency

After getting all of his ducks in a row during the off-season, Bourne Braves coach Harvey Shapiro returned to the Cape this summer anticipating a stocked bullpen and heavy hitters.

What he was greeted with, however, was the reality that 10 of the players he signed would not be in Bourne this year.

"Injuries, personal issues, college coaches, summer school," says Shapiro, listing the litany of reasons some of his top prospects have not joined the Braves. "We lost 10 guys before June 1."

The Braves woes were apparent in the early days of the season, with lackluster pitching dooming them and the bats just not coming alive. The team was 1-11 before beating Wareham July 4 to break the losing streak. That win was followed by two more victories before the Braves lost to Cotuit Monday.

"It's always more fun when you're winning. When they're losing, they get cranky," says the coach, who adds that the team is aiming for less erratic play now that the roster has been finalized.

Tom Farmer, a right-hand pitcher from Akron, has been effective for the Braves, amassing a 1.59 ERA in 22 innings after four starts. Eammon Portice of Highpoint (N.C.) College, also has thrown some strong innings, as has Andrew Carignan of North Carolina and Mickey Storey out of Florida Atlantic.

Possibly the biggest boost to the lineup has been the arrival of Bobby Bell, the 6 foot, 4 inch all-American out of Rice who arrived after the Owls finished their College World Series journey. The Rice standout made his first start of the season against Brewster where he threw a six-inning beauty en route to the Braves only shutout of the year.

"This league is about pitching. Until recently, our pitchers just hadn't stood up. When you're winning by five runs in the last inning, you shouldn't be losing a game like that," says Shapiro, citing the Braves first go-round with the Gatemen.

The coach wants to see more of his pitchers go deeper into the game instead of constantly looking to the bullpen for relief.

"We were going through three or four pitchers a night. That's not our game plan," he says.

While the Braves have received better pitching lately, they have started to take shape at the plate as well. Fan favorite Brett Bartles out of Duke is batting .250 with four doubles on the year, while Mitch Mooreland from Mississippi State is above the .200 mark with two homers and a team-leading 12 RBI.

Florida's Brian Leclerc continues to be a threat as well. His .242 average and his league-leading 10 stolen bases are giving the Braves more base-running options down the stretch.

The Braves can undo some of the earlier self-inflicted damage by finding the consistency their coach has called for all season. "We were really looking forward to getting in some of the guys who we hoped would be here earlier in the season," says Shapiro, noting that the roster being finalized should help alleviate some of the question marks that lingered early on.

In addition to strong arms and bat speed, the Braves could also benefit from some help from Mother Nature. The team has had to postpone seven of its games because of rain so far this year. The Braves are due to play at Harwich tonight before a two-night homestand against Chatham and Orleans.