Armena hopes to avoid repeat of 2008
Posted June 23, 2010
The Armena Royals are pretty much playing for pride now after seven straight losses has dropped them to 1-8 on the season.
All that being said the Royals can win the season series with their basement rivals, the Tofield Lakers, Thursday night on the road. It was back on May 25 when the Royals earned their only win of the season in an entertaining 7-4 victory. Tofield responded with an 8-4 win in Armena.
The season is seemingly spiraling out of control for a team that showed promise defensively at the start of the year. Four errors against Tofield, six against Bardo and seven against Ryley have helped those opponents notch 21 unearned runs.
“It’s not one guy, it’s not a group of guys, it’s all of us making mistakes,” said player-coach Jason Buzzell. “It’s me one inning, it’s someone else the next. We all have a piece of this disappointing stretch.”
The team has also expectedly fallen on the mound as well. Joel Boettger’s and Adam Johnson’s absence has hurt. Opening day starter Brian Rademacher, acquired in the offseason has been injured. Youngsters Mark Walker and Kyle Ellis have struggled with control. The only bright spots have been Lee Palmer and Ian Sherbaniuk sporting 2.72 and 4.08 ERAs. Cody Sroka and Jason Buzzell have thrown strikes but have been touched up by the long ball occasionally.
“Lee and Cody both pitched well enough for us to win a couple games,” Buzzell said. “Losing Boettger and what we hoped would be a good replacement in Rademacher has hurt. It makes us rely on our defence, which is tough when we have guys who haven’t played for a few years or in positions they aren’t accustomed to.”
The Royals will send Kyle Ellis to the mound Thursday night for a chance to redeem himself after a horrible start against Bardo all the way back on May 20. A loss could put the team in jeopardy of tying the worst Armena season ever back in 2008 when they went 1-14.
“He’ll be on a short leash,” Buzzell said. “I haven’t heard it in the hamlet yet, but I’m pretty sure if we lose this one, I’m fired.”
Posted on June 23, 2010 by Jason Buzzell
