Staten Island 5
Cyclones 2
Sept. 7 at MCU Park
The Yankees are going to the playoffs, and the Cyclones, well, they can hit the links.
The hated Staten Island Yankees clinched the McNamara Division title with a 5–2 win over Brooklyn in a game Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa said summarized his weak-hitting team’s season.
“We scored our two runs,” Gamboa said. “That’s about what we can do.”
Even that’s impressive for a team that set franchise lows for team hits and team batting average. Brooklyn finished 16–21 at home, including 3–13 after August 1.
The Evil Empire of the New York-Penn League broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the fourth inning. The big blow was a two-out, two-run double off the bat of Eduardo de Oleo.
Jose Celas took the loss, giving up three runs in four innings. The righty, as usual, walked four batters.
“Celas could be a helluva pitcher if we could ever get him to get the ball over the plate,” Gamboa said.
Staten Island tacked on a run in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 5-0 lead.
Edioglis Villasmil pitched the last five innings for Brooklyn, giving up one earned run.
The Cyclones scored twice in the seventh and put two on with two out for Desmond Lindsay.
The Yankees turned to Michael Schaub. The righty retired Lindsay on a groundout and set down the Cyclones in the eighth and ninth to preserve the win.
And the Clones skipper had some harsh words for his many players who routinely swung to early in the count to often, and mostly at balls not in the strike zone.
“The guys picked up some experience and some of them, the guys that hit under .200, as I told a lot of them, they better get their act together and really work during the winter time because most of the clubs I’ve been with, if you don’t hit .200, it’s a tough time even being asked back the next year.”
The skipper already knows what he will do when he returns to California.
“It’ll be nothing but golf when I get home.”
But Gamby, whose salty language and tell-it-like-it-is attitude, says he’d still like to come back next year to manage one more time before retiring to the mountains of Brazil or something.
“There’s a good chance that I’ll probably come back one more time. But if I do come back next year that would definitely be it,” the skipper said before reciting his bucket list. “There’s too many other things that I want to do. I want to go to the Masters, I want to go to the Kentucky Derby, I want to spend more time in Europe, things that only occur during the baseball season.
And if he does come back, he knows exactly what he wants out of his players.
“Let’s hope that we get equal pitching, but a better offense,” he said.
Staten Island 4
Cyclones 2
Sept. 6 at MCU Park
The Cyclones rallied to tie the game in the eighth and ninth but Pedro Perez’s error in the 10th cost Brooklyn two runs and the game.
With the 4–2 win the hated Staten Island Yankees stayed half a game in front of Aberdeen for first place in the McNamara Division.
The Evil Empire of the New York-Penn League can clinch a playoff spot with a win on Monday or an Aberdeen loss. Wins by Aberdeen and the Cyclones would cost Staten Island a playoff spot.
Staten Island took the lead in the fifth as Junior Valera singled and scored on a one-out double from Jhalan “Action” Jackson on an 0–2 pitch.
The Yankees had a chance to break the game open in the seventh. Ryan Krill led off with a single and Valera followed with a double.
Raul Jacobson struck out Brandon Wagner before the Yanks’ strapping right fielder came to the plate with first base open, but Gamboa opted to let his starter pitch to the All-Star.
The move paid off when Jackson struck out, and Jacobson got Jake Hernandez on a grounder to end the inning.
The skipper knew that Jackson struggled with breaking balls which is why he let Jacobson pitch to the slugger.
“We had a good feeling that if Jacobson made his pitches that he could strike him out.”
Kolton Mahoney kept Brooklyn scoreless for seven innings on three hits and struck out nine.
The Cyclones broke through against Josh Roeder in the eighth.
Jose Garcia led off with a single on an 0–2 pitch and moved to second on a slow groundout to the pitcher.
After Pedro Perez flew out, Manuel Hilario came through with a run-scoring double down the left field line to tie the game at one.
Gamboa turned to the usually reliable Corey Taylor to pitch the ninth. Taylor’s first pitch was sent over the left field wall by Trey Amburgey.
“I think everybody was shocked,” Gamboa said. “He’s been so effective this year. It looked like he just went with a kind of a get me over fastball to the first hitter he faced and the guy whacked it right out of the ballpark.”
After an error by Perez, Taylor struck out the side.
With Roeder still on the mound in the ninth, the Cyclones rallied again.
Enmanuel Zabala led off with a double. Desmond Lindsay had struck out three times but Gamboa wasn’t having him bunt.
“He didn’t come here to bunt,” the skipper said. “And I didn’t want to show a lack of confidence in him.”
Lindsay tied the game up with a single to center and ended Roeder’s day.
Jonny Drozd got Zach Mathieu on a pop-up and then picked off Lindsay. After walking Brandon Brosher, the southpaw got Jose Garcia on a groundout.
P.J. Conlon came on to pitch the 10th. Jake Hernandez led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, and advanced to third on Thairo Estrada’s single.
With runners on the corners, Conlon got Jeff Hendrix swinging for the second out of the inning.
Gamboa ordered an intentional walk to Amburgey to load the bases for the lefty Krill.
Krill then hit a tapper to third which Perez, who usually plays first base, fielded but threw into the Cyclones dugout, giving Staten Island a 4–2 lead.
“He’s always had problems with his throwing,” Gamboa said. “I mean major, major problems.”
Drozd retired Brooklyn in order in the 10th to preserve the win.
The 33–42 Cyclones look to spoil the Yankees’ season on its final day, playing the last game on Coney Island today.
Brooklyn hasn’t won a game at home against the hated Staten Island Yankees. The Evil Empire of the New York-Penn League only won once at home against the Cyclones.
“You very seldom see that,” Gamboa said.
Staten Island 7
Cyclones 3
Sept. 5 at MCU Park
The hated Staten Island Yankees stayed in first place by half a game with a 7–3 win over the Cyclones.
Erik Manoah took the loss, giving up seven runs on eight hits over six innings.
All-star Gaby Almonte was promoted to Savannah for the South Atlantic League playoffs.
The Cyclones only had 10 position players available. Jeff Diehl and Vinny Siena were sent to St. Lucie and Branden Kaupe and David Thompson are injured.
The Evil Empire of the New York-Penn League got on the board in the third when Eduardo De Oleo led off with a double, advanced on a groundout, and scored on Zack Zehner’s single.
Jeff Hendrix followed with a bunt single to put runners on first and second before Zehner moved to third on Ryan Krill’s fly out.
After Hendrix stole second and Kevin Cornelius came through with a two-out, two-run single to give the Islanders a 3–0 lead.
Brooklyn wasted no time answering back against southpaw Ethan Carnes.
With one out, Alfredo Reyes drew a walk and Enmanuel Zabala singled. The Cyclones then pulled off a double steal but Desmond Lindsay struck out. With two outs, Zach Mathieu doubled down the left field line to drive in two runs.
Brandon Brosher followed with a run-scoring triple to deep center to tie the game at three.
Staten Island took the lead back in the fourth. Thairo Estrada walked on four pitches and moved to third on Jhalan “Action” Jackson’s double. After a strikeout and a walk, Zehner came to the plate with the bases loaded and drove in two runs with a single to left to make it 5–3.
With runners on the corners, Staten Island stole a run. As Jeff Hendrix struck out, Zehner took off from first.
Brosher’s throw went to second where Reyes collided with Manuel Hilario. The ball fell to the ground as Kyle Holder, who took off on Brosher’s throw, stole home to give Staten Island a 6–3 lead.
It was a tough inning for the Cyclones who had fought back to tie the game.
“That’s when a pitcher needs to put a zero on the board the next inning,” skipper Tom Gamboa said.
Two Brooklyn miscues on one play gave the Rockers a run in the sixth.
De Oleo hit a fly ball to center which Lindsay came in on, and the ball went over his head for a triple. Lindsay got the ball back in to Reyes whose relay thrown went into the Yankees dugout to score De Oleo.
The Cyclones had a chance to cut into the lead in the sixth. With two on and two out, Matt Borens got Manuel Hilario looking at strike three.
Brooklyn had a final chance to rally in the ninth. Pedro Perez singled off James Reeves to begin the ninth.
Hilario grounded into a force out and then was inexcusably picked off.
“Hilario’s M.O., unfortunately, he just spaces out,”Gamboa said. “That’s not uncharacteristic. It’s just unfortunate. We’re trying to teach him to play and it’s like he fights us on it.”
Reyes walked and Zabala singled but Lindsay struck out to end the game. If Lindsay got on (or Hilario hadn’t been caught napping), Mathieu would have come to the plate representing the potential tying run.
Carnes picked up the win, giving up three runs in five innings.
The 33–41 Cyclones take on the hated Staten Island Yankees at 1 pm today on Coney Island.
Connecticut 4
Cyclones 3
Sept. 4 at Connecticut
The Cyclones dropped their final road game of the season — the team’s 40th loss during a disheartening season — falling to the Tiger bat that never gave up after two were out.
The Tigers scratched a run across in the first when Patrick Mackenzie singled and moved to second on a Kevin Canelon wild pitch.
With two outs, Corey Baptist beat out an infield single and Mackenzie scored from second on a throwing error by first baseman Jose Garcia.
Connecticut scored again in the second as Keaton Jones drew a one -out walk, stole second, and scored on Mackenzie’s two-out single to make it 2–0.
Shane Zeile singled to lead off the fourth, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on another two-out single from Mackenzie to give the Tigers a 3–0 lead.
After being shutout by Chase Edwards for five innings, Brooklyn finally got to the Connecticut starter in the sixth.
Enmanuel Zabala singled, Desmond Lindsay walked, and Jose Garcia singled to load the bases with nobody out.
Brandon Brosher cleared the bases with a three-run double to tie the game and end Edwards’ night.
Matt Davenport got Oswald Caraballo to ground out although Brosher advanced to third.
Hengelbert Rojas hit a grounder to third but Steven Fuentes threw Brosher out at the plate.
After an error put runners on the corners with two outs, Davenport retired Manuel Hilario on a groundout to second.
Tom Gamboa called on Ruben Reyes to keep the game tied in the sixth.
The southpaw walked Franklin Navarro and gave up a single to Tanner Donnels to put runners on the corners with nobody out.
After Keaton Jones struck out, Fuentes gave Connecticut a 4–3 lead with a sacrifice fly to right.
Brooklyn went down in order in each of the final three innings as the Tigers held on for the win.
The 33–40 Cyclones gave been eliminated from playoff contention but will look to play spoiler this weekend.
Brooklyn will host the hated Staten Island Yankees at 6 pm. The Evil Empire of the New York-Penn League leads the McNamara Division by half a game.
Cyclones 5
Connecticut 3
Sept. 3 at Connecticut
Alfredo Reyes and Enmanuel Zabala scored all five runs in Brooklyn’s win over the Tigers.
The Cyclones jumped out to a first-inning lead as Reyes led off with a double, moved to third on a Zabala single, and scored on Ryan Castellanos’ balk.
With Zabala on second, Desmond Lindsay laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Zabala to third before Jose Garcia’s run-scoring groundout gave the Clones a 2–0 lead.
In the third, Reyes tripled and Zabala singled to make it 3–0.
Connecticut got on the scoreboard in the fourth when Tyler Badamo walked Shane Zeile, Zeile moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a fly out, and scored on a groundout to cut the lead to 3–1.
The Cyclones extended their lead in the sixth when Reyes walked and Zabala singled to start the inning before Desmond Lindsay doubled to right, scoring Reyes.
After Jose Garcia grounded out, Brandon Brosher’s run-scoring single made it 5–1.
The Tigers cut the lead in half in the seventh. Jose Zambrano singled with one out and moved to second on Johnny Magliozzi’s wild pitch.
Zambrano scored on Tanner Donnels’ triple to center. Will Allen followed with a single to cut the lead to 5–3.
Corey Baptist singled to put runners on second and third. After Magliozzi got Joey Havrilak to fly out, Shane Zeile drew a walk to load the bases.
Tom Gamboa called on Craig Missigman to get out of the jam. The righty struck out Keaton Jones to end the inning.
Missigman hit Steven Fuentes and walked Jacob Kapstein to begin the eighth. After Jose Zambrano flew out, Gamboa called on Carlos Valdez to put out the fire.
The southpaw struck out Donnels and Allen to end the inning.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Havrilak reached on a bunt single and Zeile reached on a Reyes error.
After Keaton Jones lined out, Valdez uncorked a wild pitch to move the potential tying runs into scoring position.
But Valdez got Steven Fuentes to fly out to center to end the threat and the game.
Valdez’s fifth save closed out Badamo’s fifth win of the season. Enmanuel Zabala went three-for-four, and Alfredo Reyes, Desmond Lindsay, and Oswald Caraballo added two hits apiece.
The 33–39 Cyclones play their final road game of the season in Connecticut at 7:05 pm.
Connecticut 2
Cyclones 1
Sept. 2 at Connecticut (Game 2)
Will Allen’s walk-off single in the seventh inning gave Connecticut a 2–1 win, salvaging a doubleheader split for the Tigers, but ensuring that the will finish the season with a losing record for the first time in team history.
It will be the team’s worst finish since it went 42–42 in its sophomore year of 2002, and worst since 2013 when the team finished at 38–37.
Jeff Diehl’s second inning solo homer off Toller Boardman gave the Cyclones a 1–0 lead but that was all the scoring Brooklyn got.
The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the second.
Shane Ziele struck out but reached second on Brandon Brosher’s throwing error. Another error, this one by Jose Celas, put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Celas struck out Franklin Navarro and then picked Tanner Donnels off first.
But Keaton Jones then walked and Jacob Kapstein doubled to left to tie the game at one.
The Cyclones could only muster three hits over the final five innings.
Alfredo Reyes singled in the third but was erased on a double play. Diehl singled in the fourth but was picked off and caught stealing second base.
Desmond Lindsay singled to leadoff the fifth but was picked off.
Nicco Blank replaced Celas who navigated through three innings. Blank pitched three scoreless innings before giving up the losing run in the seventh.
With one out, Kapstein walked and Patrick Mackenzie singled.
Jose Zambrano grounded out to first, advancing the runners.
Will Allen lined a two-out, walk-off single to left.
Blank fell to Blank–5.
Brooklyn is now 32–39.
The Cyclones take on Connecticut again tonight at 7:05 pm. Let’s see if these boys have anything left in the tank.
Cyclones 7
Connecticut 1
Sept. 2 at Connecticut (Game 1)
Brooklyn took Game 1 of the doubleheader with a 7–1, seven-inning win over the Tigers.
Edioglis Villasmil picked up his first win, giving up one run on six hits over six innings.
The Tigers took a second-inning lead as Shane Zeile, nephew of 2000 Met Todd Zeile, doubled with two outs and scored Tanner Donnels’ single.
After not getting a runner on base in the first three innings, the Cyclones broke through against Josh Heddinger in the fourth.
With one out, Vinny Siena and David Thompson singled. After Jeff Diehl struck out, Zach Mathieu walked to load the bases.
Desmond Lindsay came through with a two-run single to give Brooklyn the lead, although Mathieu was thrown out at third to end the inning.
The Cyclones added two more runs in the fifth. Jose Garcia reached on an error and moved to second on Hengelbert Rojas’ single.
After Oswald Caraballo sacrificed the runners over, Alfredo Reyes singled to left, scoring Garcia and moving Rojas to third.
Siena followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 4–1.
Brooklyn put the game away in the sixth. Facing Matt Davenport, Thompson and Diehl started the inning with back-to-back singles.
After a force out and a strikeout, Jose Garcia lined a double to left field scoring both runners and giving the Cyclones a 6–1 lead.
The Cyclones added another run on a wild pitch.
P.J. Conlon pitched a scoreless seventh as his earned-run average remained at zero.
