Player Movement Brings Hope For Second Half Surge
Published on July 20, 2006 under Golden Baseball League (GBL)
San Diego Surf Dawgs News Release
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Surf Dawgs took a look back into the past on Friday night, June 7th when they commemorated their 2005 Golden Baseball League Championship with the distribution of rings. This event reminded both new and old Surf Dawgs about the taste of championship. The 2006 season has brought the challenge of making these pieces fit together for team manager Terry Kennedy. The Surf Dawgs stumbled out of the gate with a 10-20 record, but have since gone 8-5 against the top two clubs in the Golden Baseball League. Since the second half began, the Surf Dawgs are leading the GBL with a 2-1 record. If they finish with the top second half record, they will face Reno for the 2006 GBL Championship.
Along the way, there have been several signings and terminated contracts. Outfielder Matt Maloney was the first notable addition to the Surf Dawgs and has been one of the most productive Surf Dawgs in the lineup. Maloney has been an offensive wrecking machine, batting a searing .387 with an amazing 1.120 OPS (On-base plus slugging percentage), both first on the team. He is batting even better at home, with a .414 average and a 1.293 OPS. He is also second on the team in homeruns with five, and is fourth on the team in RBI's with 17.
Third baseman Victor Roldan came in for the departed Justin Moore to man the hot corner. The 22-year-old is playing a stellar third base and has been a rally starter, batting .316 when leading off an inning. The promising youngster hit his first professional homerun on Sunday, July 9th.
Catcher Kevin Reinking was released to make room for catcher Kevin Ciarrachi. Ciarrachi got off to a 0-for-9 start but since then has batted .360, while being solid defensively and calling a good game behind the plate. He is also first on the team in road batting average hitting at a .400 clip with a 1.105 OPS.
Jeremy McCann, who was a teammate of Matt Maloney's at Gardner-Webb, has joined the Surf Dawgs as a first baseman and an outfielder. McCann is hitting .391 in his first six professional games. With the Bulldogs he had the second highest batting average on the team his senior year, hitting .360 with nine home runs and 51 RBI. McCann is currently on a six-game hitting streak to start his career.
The biggest area of concern for the Surf Dawgs has been the pitching staff, as the collective 5.77 ERA is almost a full run higher than any other team in the league.
Steve Smyth should help bring that ERA down. Smyth, a left-handed starting pitcher, played with the Dawgs at the end of last season and was very effective. He has spent time at the major-league level with the Chicago Cubs and has recently returned from pitching in Taiwan. This season he is 2-1 in three starts with a 3.63 ERA with 17.
Also joining the starting rotation is Jake Meyer. Meyer had a rough debut with the Surf Dawgs in Reno but rebounded nicely in his second start, which came against the Outlaws. The Surf Dawgs lost the game but Meyer pitched beautifully allowing three unearned runs in 7.1 innings on only three hits. In his most recent start, Meyer went seven innings allowing only one run on six hits with eight strikeouts to pick up his first win of 2006.
Rounding out the newest additions to the Surf Dawgs is Cuban Yoankis Turino. Turnio has made two appearances in a Surf Dawgs uniform. On July 12 Turino came in for the eighth inning with San Diego leading and retired the Outlaws in order while striking out two.
The addition of Smyth, Meyer, and Turino should help bolster the Surf Dawgs starting rotation and make their pitching staff that much better for a second half run at the GBL playoffs.
Play resumes tonight at Tony Gwynn Stadium when the Surf Dawgs will take on the visiting Fullerton Flyers at 7:05 p.m. PT.
Golden Baseball League Stories from July 20, 2006
- San Diego steals win 4-3 - Orange County Flyers
- Peanut Williams and Nate Sevier named GBL players of the month - GBL
- Player Movement Brings Hope For Second Half Surge - San Diego Surf Dawgs
- Long Beach Armada's Adam Pettyjohn Acquired by Oakland Athletics - GBL
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