Mark Cohoon- Gave up on four hits in eight innings during his last outing and currently has 73 innings of work under his belt. The team record is 83.2 by Tobi Stoner in 2006.

Jim Fuller- Gave up five earned runs in just one inning of work on Friday.

Sam Honeck- Continues his horrible August, hitting .184 with only seven hits in 38 at-bats

Mike Powers- Has four saves in his last four appearances and is just one away from tying the single season team record held by Robert Paulk.

Quickly amassing a 16-5 record this season, due to a more than healthy combination of hearty hitting and fiery pitching, the Brooklyn Cyclones were riding high atop the NY-Penn League Standings when their first taste of reality began to hit home.

With a 2-7 record over a nine game stretch in mid-July, the baby Mets weren’t nearly as dominant as they were earlier in the season.

Nevertheless, they believe the experience has been productive one and one that will help them find the continuity they need to keep their lead in the McNamara Division with a hot Staten Island Yankees team behind them.

Bouncing back over the past week, winning four out seven games, it looks like the Clones are back in the driver’s seat.

“We’re human,” said reliever Mike Lynn, who has rebounded marvelously after spending most of last season with arm problems, posting a 2.79 ERA through his first six appearances. “We got off to a great start, but everyone was still getting to know each other. It’s just a matter of how fast we can turn it around.”

Taking the series with the Yankees this past weekend, it seems they may have been doing more than spouting clichés during the week when they were grilled about their lack of production.

Getting quality pitching has always been a trademark of the team and over the past three games, the team’s pitching staff has returned to the form they had earlier in the season.

After giving up 11 earned runs through his last three starts, rotation ace Collin McHugh hurled five shutout innings to lead the team to a 1-0 win last Friday. Despite scattering nine hits the next day, Clones hurler Mark Cohoon gave up just two runs in an 11-3 win. Making just his third start of the season on Sunday, Darin Gorsk threw six innings and gave up just two runs, allowing Brooklyn to sweep the series and get back on track.

“I don’t think it’s too much adversity,” said Cyclones closer Mike Powers, who has five saves and a stellar 1.59 ERA in nine appearances this season. “Things went our way earlier in the season and we’re not getting too caught up in the highs and lows. We have a talented and experienced team and that’s what’s going to shine through in the end.”

The pitching staff hasn’t been the only thing clicking as of late. Despite not being as explosive as they were earlier in the season, Brooklyn has managed more timely hits, resulting in more wins.

Picking up the slack on offense has been the fresh-faced Tyler Vaughn, who has four hits in his first nine at bats with the team. The Clones have also gotten pick-me-ups from former major leaguers Andy Green and 2003 MLB rookie of the year Angel Berroa, who have spent time over the past two weeks with the team on conditioning assignments. While Berroa has only appeared in two games with two hits, Green has been sound, hitting .307 in seven games. Regulars Sam Honeck [.323 BA, 12 RBI] and Luis Rivera [18 RBI, .310 BA] have continued their stellar play as well, giving the team just enough offense to get over the hump.

While the team will obviously need more offense down the stretch if they want to stay in the win column, the timely hitting and excellent pitching are proving to be more than enough to get them by.

You can doubt them all you want, but according to the young team, ‘they told you so.’

“We’re like a family,” said McHugh. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had on a pro team, but it’s baseball; you’re going to win some and you’re going to lose some. We all get along though and we’re going to keep up what we were doing earlier in the season.”

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Here are a few notables:

2007, 2008 Cyclone Jordan Abruzzo is hitting .196 with three RBI in 13 games for the Honolulu Sharks. Banged up towards the end of the season, I was originally surprised to see him playing winter ball, but simply put, this kid is a warrior who loves to play the game. Hopefully he turns things around.

2008 Cyclone reliever Roy Merritt is also playing with Abruzzo on the Sharks and just like the beefy catcher, isn’t enjoying the same amount of success in winter ball as he did in the NYPL. Working on his secondary pitches for the most part, it’s safe to say that Merritt is better than his 4.70 ERA in 11 games indicates.

2007, 2008 Cyclones catcher Caesar Cordido is just getting started with Navegantes del Magallanes in Venezuela, going 0 for 3 in three games. Considering the fact that he was never given a great opportunity this season in Brooklyn, he should be a guy to keep an eye out for.

The same thing goes for reliever Mattias Carrillo, who has a 6.23 ERA in seven games with Tomateros de Culiacan. Again, a guy that was still developing as a pitcher and was never really let off the leash so to speak, it should be interesting to see how his season ends up as well.

2006 Cyclones reliever German Marte has one scoreless appearance under his belt with Gigantes del Cibao.

2004 Cyclone Ambiorix Concepcion is hitless through seven games with Leones del Escogido.

2004, 2005 Cyclone Edgar Alfonzo has 1.59 ERA in five appearances with the Navegantes del Magallanes.

Site Notes-

As some of you may know or may not know, I am in the process of writing a book about the Cyclones 2008 season. In order to do this, I have to interview several players, coaches and even fans and parents so I can tell the story the way it deserves to be told. With that being said, you can expect to see some new interviews over the next few weeks and months on the site. Like I said before, just because baseball season is over doesn’t mean this site will not be updated at least once a week, so stop by and check us out!

Photo by Ron Hatcher.

At 23 years of age and only one year of pro baseball under his belt, Suire is someone fans may see back again next year as well, as he tries to move up the long ladder of the organization. Who knows, looking into next season, he could be someone Brooklyn fans grow attached to quite quickly. A 35th round pick in the 2008 draft, Suire has already shown the drive and moxie to make himself more than just a filler prospect.

Chatting with DemBrooklynBums.com the day he was called up Suire was excited to make the jump to Single-A and was more than happy to talk about his game.

DemBrooklynBums.com: How do you feel being in Brooklyn?

Kyle Suire: It feels good every time you get called up, but to be here in Brooklyn and help this team win their division, or even a championship is really exciting. While I’m here, I’m going to everything I can to help this team win.

DBB:To be frank, you were hitting the crap out of the ball in Kingsport. What do you think you bring to this team?

Suire:I play the game hard. I’m a gamer. I give it everything I got. I look out for my teammates and I’m always there when they need me. I’m here to be a part of this team. That’s what I offer.

DBB:Do you compare yourself to anyone at the major league level?

Suire: No. You can’t really do that if you want to be successful. Those guys are at a different level. All I can do is go out there and do my best when I’m on the field and just be myself. That’s all I can do.

DBB:Do you consider yourself more of a power hitter or a contact guy?

Suire: I would say I’m more of a gap to gap hitter, but everyone in a while I get lucky and take a ball deep.

DBB:What about your play on defense?

Suire:I’m kind of banged up now with my hamstring and my range isn’t what it’s supposed to be, but I’m feeling better every day. When I’m healthy, I think I’m solid on defense. I’m very dependable.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Powered by a two-homer night from catcher Jordan Abruzzo, the Baby Bums kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-1 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades Sunday night, climbing to just a half game behind the Jamestown Jammers for the NYPL Wild Card spot.

“It feels like we can’t lose,” said Cyclones starter Scott Shaw. “But we can’t stop there. We have six games left and we have to keep winning.”

Despite giving up eight hits, Shaw limited the Hudson Valley offense to only one run over 5.1 innings pitched.

Hudson Valley starter Shane Dyer was just as solid early on, but gave up an Abruzzo solo-homer in the fourth that gave Brooklyn a 1-0 lead.

Looking for their eighth win in a row, the Cyclones admitted they would have liked to give Shaw some more offensive support, but loved his perseverance on the mound in spite of it.

“When a pitcher doesn’t have his best stuff and pitches that way, you have to be proud,” Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo said. “He gave us a chance to win tonight.”

Showing the moxie of a playoff team, the Clones got the lead right back in the bottom of the sixth after an Ike Davis single and an error by Renegades right fielder Kyeong Kang allowed Eric Campbell, who reached on an error earlier in the inning by Hudson Valley shortstop Robi Estrada, to score and give them their one-run lead back at 2-1.

Johnson continued to pitch for Brooklyn and twirled scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth, while Abruzzo added his second homer in the bottom of the eighth to put the Mets Single-A affiliate up by two runs with only one inning left to play.

Johnson then returned to the mound on the ninth and retired the side in order, giving the Baby Bums their eighth consecutive victory.

With losses by Staten Island and Jamestown on Sunday, Brooklyn is now three games out of first place in the McNamara Division and a half game back of the Wild Card.

Nevertheless, Brooklyn knows they can’t afford to count their chickens before they hatch and must continue winning in order to secure a post-season birth.

“We keep this up, who knows what could happen,” said Johnson. “We’re making it interesting. That’s for sure.”

Notes-

While the Cyclones coaching staff said on Sunday that Reese Havens’ return could be as soon as today, with the Mets first round pick taking batting practice on Sunday and looking like he’s awfully close to 100 percent, the team still feels like it may keep him out of the lineup longer.

“He’s ready to play, but I don’t know,” said Alfonzo. “In terms of his career, it’s not important for him to play right now. Maybe he’ll DH or pinch-hit here and there, but we don’t want him to go out there and get hurt and miss more time. We need to be careful.”

With Wilmer Flores thriving in Brooklyn [seven hits in his first four games], the Mets Single-A affiliate could have an interesting situation develop over the final week of the season.

Cyclones first baseman Ike Davis is hitting .351 over his past 10 games and has a nine-game hitting streak.

“I hope he keeps hitting this way,” said Alfonzo. “We need him hot over the last six games.”

Update 9:30 P.M.-

With 12 strikeouts tonight, Cyclones starter Brad Holt has broken the record for most K’s in a season by a Brooklyn pitcher. The previous record was 93 by Kevin Deaton in 2002.

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

“They were great,” said shortstop Reese Havens, who ended up with the game-winning RBI. “As far as I’m concerned, they’ve been great all season.”

Just like Sunday, the Mets Single-A affiliate got on the board first. Batavia starter Zach Pitts wasn’t sharp in the early going and gave up a pair of doubles from Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Jordan Abruzzo, sandwiched in between a wild pitch that allowed Nieuwenhuis to score and gave Brooklyn a 1-0 advantage. Havens then padded the lead with a two-out RBI single that scored Abruzzo and gave the Clones a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.

“When you get an early lead, it helps,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “You play harder. It happened tonight.”

Coming off of his first win of the season on Aug. 6, Brooklyn starter Pedro P. Martinez [1-2, 3.20 ERA] wasn’t his normal solid self early on and was unable to work his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, giving up a Jairo Martinez RBI single that cut the Brooklyn lead in half.

That’s all the Cardinals Single-A affiliate could muster off the righty however, as Martinez stifled them over his last three innings pitched, striking out a season-high eight batters and keeping the game at 2-1.

“He did his job tonight,” Alfonzo said. “He pitched well enough to win.”

Jimmy Johnson came out of the Brooklyn bullpen in the sixth and kept the Muckdogs scoreless through the eight and left with two outs in the ninth. Yury Santana was then inserted and got the final out, securing the team’s 29th win of the season in the process.

With Staten Island’s doubleheader split on Monday, the Baby Bums are now only three games out of first place and feel confident going on the road against Auburn, before coming back home for a three-game series with the Tri-City Valley Cats this weekend.

“We’ve played great on the road this season,” Johnson said. “The offense always steps it up away from home and the way we’ve been playing as a team lately, we know this is an important stretch.”

Notes-

The rumor circulating around the park tonight was that Mets closer Billy Wagner will be making a rehab appearance at Keyspan this weekend.

Video-

Amazing grab by Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the eighth

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Photos and Video by Ron Hatcher.

However, unlike the pitching staff that was again on it’s game, Brooklyn’s bats couldn’t lend a helping hand in a 2-0, three-hit loss to Batavia.

11-12 at home this season, the Cyclones still seem confused at the plate behind their hometown fans and are searching for answers as the season begins to wear down.

“It’s hard to win when you have only one hit going into the ninth inning,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo.”

The game remained scoreless through the third, as Brooklyn starter Brad Holt [3-3, 2.08 ERA] and Batavia’s Thomas Eager [3-3, 1.83 ERA] were strong early on, allowing only a hit apiece.

“I got ahead early and got a lot of ground balls,” said Holt. “I felt really good and the defense was strong behind me.”

Things opened in the fourth however, as Holt got himself into a bases loaded jam and ended up coughing up a Chris Swauger single that gave the Muckdogs a 1-0 lead.

Throwing 36 pitches in the inning, Holt was replaced by Mattias Carrillo in the fifth. Carrillo gave up two hits in 1.2 innings pitched, with one being a solo home run by Colt Sedbrook that stretched the Batavia lead to 2-0.

Jeff Kaplan was then summoned out of the bullpen to finish the fifth and kept the game at 2-0 the rest of the way. The Mets Single-A affiliate’s offense continued to struggle off Eager and George Brown however, who replaced him in the sixth and gave up just one hit through the final three innings. Adam Reifer then had mop up duty and despite leaving two runners on, retired Ike Davis for the last out of the game .

With State Island’s win, the Cyclones now find themselves four games back of the McNamara Division lead and know they have to start producing at home if they want to make the playoffs this season.

“We can’t explain it, it’s crazy” said catcher Ralph Henriquez in reference to the team’s play at home this season. “On the road, we’re much more aggressive and at home we freeze up. With four weeks left, we know we’re still in it though. We just have to come out and play hard and anything can happen.”

Notes-

Mets first round pick Reese Havens made his return to the starting lineup on Saturday after missing over two weeks with a pulled groin.

According to Alfonzo, Havens will most likely start at shortstop today as well.

Alfonzo also said that Holt was taken out of the game due to the team’s late arrival today and didn’t want to tire him out. After the game, Holt was fine and actually said he thought he could have pitched into the next inning.

Henriquez reached base twice in the game, once on an error and once with a single in the ninth.

Video-

Reese Havens bomb dies in the Coney Island wind.

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Pics by Ron Hatcher and Jim Dolan. Video by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Enter 2007 Cyclones infielder and fan favorite JR Voyles.

Nicknamed J-RBI last season after hitting .387 with two home runs and 13 RBI through his first nine games last season, Voyles was a crucial member of the Brooklyn offense before injuring his hamstring and enduring a nasty bean ball to the head that limited his production to just three homers and 29 RBI in 49 games.

Healthy in 2008, some considered him a sleeper prospect with a future as a utility man at higher levels in the organization.

However, before coming to Brooklyn this season, Voyles was struggling in limited duty with the St. Lucie Mets, hitting .216 with only four homers and in 41 games.

“There were some older guys in St. Lucie and the organization felt it would be good if I came back,” said Voyles. “I know what my job is here and I’m looking forward to getting more ABs and producing.”

With three homers and seven RBI in only 11 games with Brooklyn this season, Voyles has given the offense a much needed lift and has gone from a seldom used utility man to a pivotal member of a team fighting for a playoff spot.

Some players may look at a demotion such as Voyles’ as a detriment one when assessing their future success, but the 24-year-old is focused on making the most of his opportunity to get more playing time and helping a team with the fan base like the Cyclones succeed.

“I love playing here and I love the atmosphere,” said Voyles. “I was a little frustrated after my first game [where he went 0-4], but I’m starting to get comfortable and I’m happy I’m helping the team win.”

The coaching staff in Brooklyn couldn’t agree more and loves the versatility and extra base power Voyles has shown in his second stint in Coney Island. Three games out of first place as on Sunday afternoon, the Cyclones staff know that production from players like Voyles is extremely important.

“He’s a guy that can do a lot of things for us,” said Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo. “He can play second base and third and has power. He knows what it’s like playing here and I know he’s capable of producing here.”

Link-

Box Score to last night’s 5-3 Cyclone win

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

Through the team’s first 18 games this season, it looked like all the preparation had paid off for the 21-year-old Reading, PA-native, as he was leading the team with an uber impressive .340 batting average and nine RBI.

On Jul. 6 however, Lutz hit another barrier in his professional career, as he re-injured the same foot after grounding out in the third inning of a game against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

For a team already starved for offensive production, the absence of Lutz, which only lasted three games, was a heart-breaking one. Without the youngster manning the hot corner, the Mets Single-A affiliate scored only three runs.

The comeback was a short one however, as two games later Lutz found himself back on the DL, this time after getting 40cc of blood drained from a hematoma on his right quad and hasn’t been in the lineup since.

“I didn’t think it was that bad at first,” he said. “I went to the doctor and had an MRI and I couldn’t believe it.”

However, while Lutz’s latest injury is a setback for him, his endless devotion to the game has so far been able to bring him back to the spotlight.

Wearing a cast on his foot for nearly five months after his first injury last season, Lutz refused to take a day off in rehab. Working extremely hard on developing his upper-body, Lutz came to training camp looking like completely different from the 175-pound infielder he was the year before.

The way he did it is an interesting one.

“It was weird [rehabbing], because I was instructed to always keep my foot elevated,” said Lutz. “But I still did things when I was injured. It was really tough at times, but I had to do something. I usually went outside and put my right foot on a bucket and I would throw the ball around with my mother or father. I tried to do anything to stay active.”

Trying desperately to come back a better baseball player after the injury, Lutz believes he took his body to places it had never been previously.

He also sharpened his mind during that time as well.

“I went back to school and took four classes, which was a little weird as well,” he said. “I had to keep my foot elevated there too.”

By working so hard to continue playing the game he loves, Lutz unbelievably, ended up with an even greater appreciation for the sport than he did before.

“Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you question if you have the energy to go out and perform,” Lutz said. “Sometimes you take it for granted. But then, something like what happened to me can happen and it puts everything into perspective.”

Out for at least another two weeks, Lutz is itching to get back on the field and let his teammates know he isn’t ready to turn in the towel on his season.

“I’m going to keep my head up and keep working hard,” said Lutz during the team’s last homestand. “Hopefully it’s only a few more days until I get back on the field and start practicing with these guys. I want nothing more than to be on the field with my teammates.”

Link:

Box Score to Last Night’s 4-3 Cyclone Win

Photos by Ron Hatcher and Patrick Hickey Jr.

In 2008 however, the Mets Single-A affiliate’s play at home has been less than inspiring, evidenced by a mediocre 5-7 record at home through their first 12 games there.

Three games out of first place in the McNamara Division, a place where they’ve grown quite accustomed to being on top of over the past few years, having four division championships to their credit, the Baby Mets can’t seem to get on the right foot at home this season.

“I’ve spoken to the players about it a few times now,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “They know they have to start playing better baseball at home. I’m starting to get a little worried. I don’t understand why we can’t hit here.”

Despite getting more than adequate pitching this season at Keyspan being the arms of Brad Holt, Pedro P. Martinez and Scott Shaw, Brooklyn’s offense has been problematic. Scoring only 31 runs at home so far this season, Alfonzo and his coaching staff have tried several different hitters in the lead off spot to give the team’s bats a jolt. However, in spite of their willingness to tinker with the lineup card, the team’s problems with the bats has only been exacerbated.

Losing two of their last three games at home over the past week, the team is quickly running out of excuses as to why they can’t produce offensively at home. Knowing that, the team understands they are in a situation that needs to change very quickly.

“We have a great team and we know everything is going to turn around,” said Brooklyn catcher Luis Allen, who hasn’t recorded a hit this season in five games and 19 at-bats. “Things are rough now, but we know we’re going to start winning here.”

Away from home this season, the Cyclones have looked like a completely different team. On a recent road trip to Williamsport from Jul.2 – Jul.4, the team rocked the Cross Cutters for 25 runs in a three game sweep. Away from Keyspan Park this season, the team has a 6-5 record and have scored 49 runs in only 11 games.

With a die-hard fan-base cheering ardently for them every night and Keyspan Park being one of the best minor league ballpark’s in the country, you’d expect the Cyclones to be more than comfortable playing half their games there.

“In all the time that I have spent with this team, we’ve always scored runs and won games at home,” Alfonzo, who is in his third season with the team and is attempting to win his third McNamara Division Championship this year. “I hope we figure this out and start to score some runs. Right now, they’re trying too hard to make something happen.”

With 24 games left at home this season, Alfonzo, like his team, is confident the team will come around offensively though.

“We have too many good hitters on this team for this kind of thing to go all for a long time,” he said. “I know this team can hit and I know they will. I think it’s just a matter of them getting comfortable and doing the little things. Once they do that, I think this team is going to hit very well.”

Photos by Ron Hatcher.