The Brooklyn Cyclones — once dead last in their division — are on the verge of a New York–Penn League playoff berth, thanks to an 11–3 stretch after the All-Star game on Aug. 19 that included a nine-game win streak.
The streak sent them leapfrogging over the Jamestown Jammers and into a half-game lead for the wild-card slot on Wednesday with just three games to play.
The team couldn’t have done it without discovering its bats.
Before the All-Star break, the Cyclone offense was pop-gun at best. But thanks to a resurgence by starters Jordan Abruzzo (.325 over his last 10 games, with two home runs), Ike Davis (.333 with three doubles), newcomer Wilmer Flores (who has hit .348 in his first six games), Sean Ratliff (.371 with two homers) and Josh Satin (.345 with two homers and a triple), the team batting average is no longer at the bottom of the league.
During the same period, reliable starters have become even more stellar. Brad Holt is 1–0 in his three post-break starts and Scott Shaw is 2–0. Both are slated to pitch in the Cyclones’ final three games.
