As the Cape League All-Star break is on the horizon next weekend, two new teams are on top of the divisional standings.
The Brewster Whitecaps retook the East Division lead from the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox on Friday with a 10-5 victory over Y-D at Red Wilson Field. Third baseman Brendan Lawson has given the Whitecaps’ lineup a huge boost since arriving on the Cape. He has an average over .300 and an OPS over 1.000 with three homers in his first nine games. Lawson led off the game with a home run, and Brewster scored the first nine runs.
“It’s awesome when all the guys are doing well and everyone’s raking,” Lawson said. “It’s fun. Even at some of the lower points, we’re still having fun. Everyone seems super loose, so I think that’s part of why the bats are starting to come alive.”
With a 14-9-1 record, Brewster is narrowly ahead of Y-D, who is 13-9-2. The Harwich Mariners are right there as well with a record of 11-9-3. The Mariners have the best team ERA (3.14) in the league and best run differential (+20) in the East. In fourth place is the Orleans Firebirds, who defeated Brewster on Sunday to climb to .500 at 11-11-2.
Brewster right-handed pitcher Lance Davis won the Pitcher of the Week award. He tossed four perfect innings with eight strikeouts in a win against the Wareham Gatemen on Tuesday. In five relief appearances this summer, Davis has pitched to a 1.49 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 18 strikeouts.
While there are four teams at or above .500 in the East, every team in the west is below .500. The Hyannis Harbor Hawks led the division for most of the season but have lost three straight and fallen to 10-11-3. The Falmouth Commodores have taken the division lead with a record of 11-12-1. Falmouth beat Harwich on Tuesday in the most dramatic game of the week, a 10-inning thriller. Catcher David McCann hit a clutch two-run homer in the top of the 10th that proved to be the difference in the Commodores’ 9-8 win.
The hottest team in the league is Wareham, who has won four games in a row. But the best record over the last 10 games belongs to the Cotuit Kettleers at 6-3-1, 10-12-2 overall. Even though they are fourth in the division, the Kettleers have the best run differential in the league at +22. They also have the best team OPS in the league and the second-best team ERA. Cotuit is the only club in the top five of both categories.
Kettleers’ catcher Jack Natili was named Franklin Sports Player of the Week. He hit five home runs in a four-game stretch, two of which were grand slams, and recorded an OPS of 2.432 for the week.
Natili will headline the Cape League All-Star Game, presented by Milton CAT, which is upcoming on Saturday, July 19, at Red Wilson Field. Rosters were announced for the East and West Divisions this past Saturday. Y-D’s Brady Hamilton will start on the mound for the East against Trever Baumler of Falmouth for the West. Other headliners include Elijah Ickes and Robbie Lavey of Orleans, batting average leader Jarren Advincula of Cotuit and OPS leader Maika Niu of Falmouth.
The All-Star festivities begin with a fan festival and autograph session. The Home Run Contest, presented by Velo Sports, will begin at 2:30 p.m. with first pitch of the All-Star Game slated for 4:05 p.m.
(Featured image by Sydney Ciardi)
