Majors Down Barnstormers, Strengthen No. 1 Seed Push
Written by: Evan Frederiksen / Photos By Matt Hiscox and Mason Dawdy
The No. 1 seed may be the ultimate goal, but the London Majors know it will be earned one game at a time. Friday night was another opportunity to take care of business against the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers and keep London’s position at the top of the CBL standings. The Majors did just that, putting together a full team effort to defeat the Barnstormers 5-0 at Labatt Memorial Park Friday night.
There have been a lot of high-scoring affairs in the CBL this season, but in Friday’s contest between the Barnstormers and Majors, runs were hard to come by for the most part.
Travis Keys got the nod for his 13th start of the season and was absolutely phenomenal.
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
Travis Keys’ Final Line Against Chatham:
The 2-time All-Star set a new season high in strikeouts while once again giving London a quality start. It marked his 6th quality start over his last 7 outings, continuing his strong stretch on the mound.
Chatham sent Mizuki Akatsuka to the mound, and the native of Japan delivered a strong performance through his 5 innings of work. The Barnstormers’ pitching staff entered Friday night with an 8.05 team ERA and a 1.97 WHIP, but Akatsuka provided a much-needed strong outing for a staff looking to find some consistency, allowing just 3 earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 9. His 9 strikeouts tied a season high he originally set on June 4th against Barrie.
The London offence did get to Akatsuka early though, as Maikol Escotto, who entered Friday night 10-for-23 (.435) over his last 5 games, lined an RBI double to right field, scoring Jordan Lewis and giving the Majors a 1-0 lead after an inning.
David Draayers then put together an impressive at-bat in the bottom of the 2nd against Akatsuka, eventually resulting in an RBI double that scored Tucker Zdunich and extended London’s lead to 2-0 after 2 frames.
Both pitching staffs really settled in after the 2nd inning, as neither offence could generate much in the 3rd or 4th. Maikol Escotto broke through for London in the bottom of the 5th, however, lining a sacrifice fly to center field that brought home Jordan Lewis and extended the Majors’ lead to 3-0.
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
Zach Laird was the first arm out of the London bullpen and was electric and efficient through his inning of work, walking 1 and striking out 1. Laird entered the contest with a 41.7 K% and continued to show his ability to generate whiffs and keep hitters uncomfortable at the plate.
Majors Memorial Bullpen Breakdown (Laird, Orfaly, Janisse):
Shane Gustafson was the first arm out of the Chatham bullpen, and the London offence was able to get to him in the bottom frame of the 7th, as both Tucker Zdunich and Eduardo De Oleo added RBI singles, cushioning London’s lead to 5-0.
That was all the offence London needed, as the bullpen shut things down from there. Daniel Orfaly pitched 1 and two-thirds scoreless innings before Majors closer Skylar Janiesse came in and recorded the final out, sealing a 5-0 win for London.
Majors Key Performers:
Travis Keys: Pitched 6 amazing innings, striking out a season-high 7 batters, earned his 8th win of the season, continues to give the Majors valuable innings when called upon.
Maikol Escotto: Went 2-for-3, drove in 2 runs, Escotto continues to lead the CBL in hits with 78, his AVG. now sits at .386, his OPS also moves to 1.064.
With the win, the Majors now improve to 31-13 on the season and still maintain a 2-game lead for the No. 1 seed in the CBL.
CBL standings
Team W-L GB STRK
As the CBL regular season is slowly coming to a close, here’s a look at the CBL playoff picture, updated to August 21st:
CBL Playoff Picture (August 21st updated):
#2 WELLAND JACKFISH ──────┐
(Best of 7 Series) (Semi-Final)
(Wild Card Game) #3 GUELPH ROYALS ────────┘
#4 HAMILTON CARDINALS ────┐ TBD VS TBD FINALS (Best of 7 Series) ├─ CHAMPIONSHIP
#5 BARRIE BAYCATS ───────┘ #1 LONDON MAJORS ─────┐
(Best of 7 Series) (Semi-Final)
WINNER OF #4/#5 ───────┘
The Majors will look to extend their winning streak to 4 games on Saturday, August 22, when they visit Hastings Stadium to take on the 27-18 Guelph Royals. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.