Ducks seek second-half surge

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Of its many positive traits, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball’s split-season concept gives six of the eight teams a reboot every year and an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs regardless of the first 70 games.

The Long Island Ducks, who finished a respectable 36-34 in the first half but were six games off the pace of Liberty Division frontrunner Somerset, are looking to make the most of a fresh start and make a run at their third league title in six years.

“We have all the parts,” said young second baseman Giovanny Alfonzo, who played 48 games in the opening half and led the Ducks with a .340 batting average (54-for-159) while driving in 22 runs. “We’ve got the hitting, pitching and defense,” he added. “We’ve just got to get all three going at the same time. The pitching’s been excellent and we’re trying to find that rhythm and string at-bats together on a consistent basis.”

John Brownell continues to be the ace of the staff and earned his first ALPB All-Star Game appearance. With a pair of wins already in the second half, bringing him to 79 in a Ducks uniform, he’s 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA and 57 strikeouts. “No situation is too big for John and it was great to see him named an All-Star,” manager Kevin Baez said. “We know exactly what he’s going to give us every time he steps on the mound. He’s as reliable as they come.”

Brownell, Rafael Perez, Matt Larkins and Dennis O’Grady have been fixtures in the rotation all season with at least 13 starts apiece through last weekend’s series with Somerset. “Overall, the pitching has been very good,” Baez said. “A few of the guys, especially Larkins, hasn’t been getting enough run support but we’re hoping to change that in the second half.”

Perez, a lefty from Freeport who played seven MLB seasons with the Cleveland Indians, upped his record to 6-5 last Saturday night with a quality outing against the Patriots. The first-year member of Long Island has a 3.98 ERA with 65 strikeouts and only 18 walks.

Larkins made considerable strides as of late, firing a pair of one-hitters over the span of a month to significantly lower his ERA from 5.24 to 3.95. He allowed only a ninth-inning hit in a 3-1 victory at Somerset on June 15 and then came back four outings later to stymie Lancaster on July 5 in a 1-0 win with 10 strikeouts. “Everything is going well and my confidence is through the roof,” he said. “We’ve got a strong staff and everyone is picking each other up. As a team, we’re just waiting for that moment where everything clicks.”

O’Grady has four wins on the campaign and gobbling up innings (79), while Patrick Crider (2.85 ERA) and Zach Treece (6 wins) are spearheading the bullpen bridge to closer David Aardsma. With nine MLB seasons and 69 saves under his belt, Aardsma is making a case to return to the big leagues. In 17 innings of work with the Ducks, he compiled eight saves, a 1.03 ERA, and 23 strikeouts. 

If the pitching continues to shine and the offense returns to 2016 form when the Ducks batted .270, they’ll be dangerous. They finished this year’s first half hitting .251 yet remained aggressive on the bases with 58 steals and slugged 51 homers. They lost 15 games by one run, a statistic Baez said needs to change.

Delta Cleary Jr. (.321, 52 RBIs and 32 steals last year), Fehlandt Lentini (.313, 9 HRs, 75 RBIs, 51 steals) and Dan Lyons (.272, 7 HRs, 49 RBIs) are trying to bury subpar offensive performances in the first half, while Alfonzo, Angelo Songco (14 HRs, 36 RBIs), Elmer Reyes (team-leading 74 hits, .305 average) Marc Krauss (7, 33) and veteran Lew Ford (5, 21 in only 32 games) will look to maintain or better their numbers over the first 70 games.

“The first half didn’t go the way we wanted to,” Baez explained. “We just have to get after it for the second half and try to get in the playoffs.”

Jersey Auction

The Ducks’ annual patriotic jersey auction is under way. Fans are able to bid on these special red, white and blue jerseys the players wore in their July 4 win over Lancaster and will don again Aug. 5 when Bridgeport visits on Military Appreciation Night. Bidding will run through the conclusion of the top of the seventh inning that evening and proceeds go to the QuackerJack Foundation, the charitable arm of the franchise. Current leading bids can be viewed at LIDucks.com.

2018 All-Star Game

Bethpage Ballpark will be home to the 2018 ALPB All-Star Game, marking the third time the Ducks host the event. Long Island has led the league in attendance in 14 of its 17 seasons with more than 7 million fans coming through the gates. “It’s a great honor to host the All-Star Game and festivities,” President/General Manager Michael Pfaff said. “We are looking forward to celebrating a special event that will be memorable for all that attend.” Tickets will be included in all 2018 season packages.