The Eugene Emeralds entered this week with sole possession of first place in the High-A West, having not lost a series all season.
The Everett AquaSox put a stop to that.
They beat the Emeralds four games to one, with the sixth game being rained out. It was the first series loss of the season for the Emeralds, as they fell all the way down into third place. After a long road trip, they’ll look to bounce back as they return to Eugene for the next two weeks.
The offense continued to slide
The Emeralds’ offense started the season on fire but has only gotten worse as the year’s gone on. They put up a .194/.340/.300 line this series, collecting as many walks as hits. For the season, they still own the second-best OPS in the High-A West with a .706 mark, but trail the leading AquaSox by a large margin of .115.
Tyler Fitzgerald was the only true offensive standout, putting up a .368/.429/.474 line in the five games. Sean Roby only hit .154, but did walk six times and had a clutch three-run homer that fueled the team’s only win of the series.
Everyone else struggled, including first-rounder Will Wilson, whose numbers have dipped after a hot start. He went just 3-for-20, bringing his average down to .258 for the season. He still boasts an .859 OPS, which leads the team among qualified players.
Fellow first-rounder Patrick Bailey also struggled mightily, going 0-for-14. A silver lining, though, is that he only struck out twice, as strikeouts have been a huge problem for him this season. He saw his season average fall below .200.
Walks have come back to bite them
For much of the season, the Emeralds have gotten away with their pitching staff’s occasional control issues. But this series, they walked 28 in 41 innings, leading to a division-worst 6.80 ERA. Giants No. 5 prospect Seth Corry has walked 30 batters this season, tied for the most of anyone in not just the High-A West, but all of Minor League Baseball.
The pitchers did still strike out 55 batters, good for a 12.07 K/9, and own an extremely impressive 12.12 mark for the season. It’s been a double-edged sword, with the dominant strikeout numbers countering the abundance of walks.
They fell from first to third place
The Emeralds entered the series with a 1.5-game lead for first place in the High-A West over the AquaSox. But they now find themselves in third place, a half-game behind the Vancouver Canadians and 1.5 games behind the AquaSox.
Everett also leads the division with a forceful +95 run differential, while Eugene and Vancouver have similar marks at +13 and +10, respectively.
Fortunately for the Emeralds, their two-week road trip has come to an end, and will now be countered with a two-week homestand back in Eugene. It will start with “Re-Opening Day” at PK Park on Tuesday against the Hillsboro Hops, with the Emeralds welcoming back more than 2,000 fans and giving away rally towels to the first 500 who enter the ballpark.
With the home crowd waving their rally towels and cheering alongside the mascot Sluggo at the familiar confines of PK Park, the Emeralds will look to get their season back on track.
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June 15, 2021 at 07:24AM
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Emeralds lose their first series of the season in rain-shortened slate with AquaSox - Oregon Daily Emerald
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