With seven games left in second-half play, the title is still anyone’s for the taking — but time is running out.
After a touch-and-go race for second place between Mississippi and Mobile, the Blue Dynasty has hit another hot streak and overtook Jacksonville for the division lead last night. The Suns were the team to beat for all of August, nearly slipping up in Pensacola before a ninth-inning grand slam on August 10 propelled a winning tear. But with losses in six of their last seven games, Jacksonville finally tumbled in Montgomery to hand the BayBears the crown.
Mobile has been victorious in eight straight games, good for a league-best 16-9 clip in August. In fact, we might be looking at a case of déjà blue when we consider their first-half luck. The BayBears used a four-game series victory in Pensacola as a springboard up the standings, winning twenty of twenty-nine games to climb the ladder and eventually clinch the South Division in the final game of the half. Could Mobile be poised for a sweep?
According to the Southern League rules, Mobile’s theoretical second-half win would activate the wild card. The team with the second-best overall record (currently Mississippi) would take the second and final playoff spot. However, a tie at the top would require a one-game playoff following the regular season.
The Wahoos are still a serious threat even three-and-a-half games back, but a legitimate postseason push would require a fair share of victories down the stretch. Each win would have to come before the elimination number runs down to zero; it sits at four entering tonight’s game. Like the flip side of a magic number, a combination of Mobile wins and Pensacola losses would eliminate the Fish from September considerations. So long as the bats can connect against southpaw Spencer Arroyo, the Wahoos have a chance for a series victory tonight. The starting nine bat .265 (159-for-599) against lefties this year compared to .238 (441-for-1852) when facing right-handers.
It also helps that the top of the lineup is streaking. Ryan LaMarre leads the charge on offense with knocks in nine straight, gunning for the team high tonight while chasing his mark of eleven games set last season. Devin Lohman has hits in five of his last six games entering tonight, while a trip to first base for Mike Costanzo could build on a streak broken just yesterday. Costanzo tied a franchise record with a nineteen-game home on-base streak, going 0-for-4 and whiffing three times last night as the record fell. Workhorse Josh Smith gets the start for Pensacola and seeks his record-setting tenth victory; only eleven other Southern League pitchers have hit double digits in 2013. He set seven Barons down on strikes back on August 5, a 6-2 triumph that cemented the last series.
The prospect of a title run is far from laughable, but the Blue Wahoos need to keep their winning ways alive if they want a fighting chance.
RUNDOWN: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (32-30) vs. Birmingham Barons (30-33)
Site: Pensacola Bayfront Stadium — Pensacola
Time: 7:00 PM CST
On the Mound: RHP Josh Smith (8-8, 3.86 ERA) vs. LHP Spencer Arroyo (8-6, 3.37 ERA)
On-Air: 1450 ESPN Pensacola, now on 101.1 FM | TuneIn Radio
Social Media: @BlueWahoosBBall | @wahoosblog | Facebook | Instagram
BIR Lineup: Wagner 2B, Puckett 3B, Thompson RF, Black 1B, Jacobs LF, Blanke C, Herbek SS, Manzella DH, Walker CF; Arroyo LHP
PNS Lineup: LaMarre CF, Lohman SS, Costanzo 1B, Rodriguez RF, Barnhart C, Mattair 3B, Short LF, Wimberly DH, Chang 2B; Smith RHP
