Cyclones return home after southern discomfort

It’s not as if the Cyclones have taken their foot off the gas for the past two weeks, but it certainly seems like their recent competition is just pushing the gas pedal a lot harder for a playoff spot for the second half of the season. After wrapping up a postseason playoff spot in the first half with a 46-20 record, the Cyclones went on a nine-game road trip to play some stiff competition in South Carolina and North Carolina after the All-Star break.

Playing the South Division’s first–place Hub City Spartanburgers for the first time, the Cyclones lost two out of three at the Texas Rangers’ South Carolina affiliate. Avoiding a three-game sweep with a 13-3 win, the Cyclones then traveled to North Carolina to play the Pirates’ Greensboro Grasshopper affiliate, the Cyclones’ new in-division nemesis.  Oddly geographically placed in Brooklyn’s High-A North Division to equal out a 12-team South Atlantic League, the Grasshoppers battled the Cyclones down to the last day of the first half of the season only to lose a playoff spot by just half a game.

Playing first-place Greensboro for their first and only season series, the Grasshoppers showed their second-half toughness by winning five out of six games from Brooklyn. 

Before returning home, the reliable Boston Baro had a career day to save the Cyclones from a sweep by going 4-for-4, hitting a two-run homer and knocking in the winning run for a late inning 3-2 victory. After losing seven of nine games, the Cyclones have dropped to last place in the North Division’s second-half standings with a record of 13-17 (59-37 overall), while the hungry first-place 22-8 Grasshoppers continue their surge in the second half.

“We just haven’t been playing complete nine-inning baseball games,” said Cyclones manager Gilbert Gomez. “We’ve been in most the of the games on the road, but we didn’t play a clean game to finish for a win.”

Concerning the promotions of his top hitters Jacob Reimer, Chris Suero and Carson Benge to Double-A Binghamton, Gomez said, “When you make promotions from the middle of your lineup you’re going to suffer a little bit. So far our guys have been in the games that they’ve lost. They just have to play a complete nine-inning clean game to win.”

Referencing the postseason, Gomez said, “We have to play better to win this thing at the end.”