Broncos still searching for answers with 18 games left

The Broncos are not a team of accountability. They shy away from responsibility.

They're not a team of the greatest work ethic, and they're not a team devoid of talent and potential.

They're also not a team to point fingers.

"I wish I knew what they were thinking," Broncos General Manager Jose Melendez told me prior to Tuesday's 6-5 loss, Laredo's seventh in its last 11 games. "But I get nothing. When I ask them what the problem is, they beat around the bush. I don't get direct answers. They don't point fingers, none of them do.

"Maybe if they'd talk to you, they'd be honest."

Only, they haven't.

In talking to players, I get probably what Melendez does. The standard responses of "We'll pick it up and things will turn around" or "This team has the talent to be good, we'll get there."

There's no hint of frustration or irritation. It's a "wait and see", shrugging approach. And perhaps that's where the issue stands.

No one seems to care.

Either the Broncos are truly afraid to reveal what's hindering them, or they're like the rest of us, with no idea as to what the problem is.

Veteran slugger Edgard Clemente said he felt the team was pressing... BUT ... that things will turn around and it wasn't a primary concern.

Pitcher Andy Schon said, more or less, the same thing. But he too stated the team is too talented and that it would eventually pick up its play.

Dwayne White, the Broncos' pure hitter, said there is no pressure at all and that the team is unaffected by the string of losses or Edinburg sneaking closer and closer to grabbing the fourth and final playoff spot out of the team's hands.

And then there's pitcher Richard Bartlett's take.

"I think we're a little tired," he said following Tuesday's loss. "We just need a break, we need something to go our way. Once that happens, I think it'll spark us. I've been on teams like this before and I know once we get that spark, we won't be stopped. That's all it takes. It's a matter of who's hot at the end, not the beginning.

"We've got a lot of veteran guys. We know what we're doing. It's not a matter of pressure, it's a matter of getting that something extra to boost us."

Bartlett's reasoning is sound. The Broncos have been up and down all season. In the first half, they were great hitters and poor pitchers. Now, they're great pitchers and poor hitters.

They've been derailed by injuries all throughout, making for roster moves and people being released and brought in.

As talented of a team as they are - and ULB officials and peers say they're the most talented in the league - the baseball gods have not been kind.

"It's not good," Manager Dan Shwam said of the team's vibe and morale. "We have some guys who are still fighting and others who have checked out and are playing for stats. We've got guys sore and tired. We're broken down."

An example, Shwam noted, is that he's scheming for four different rotations throughout the rest of the season, due to pitchers being hurt, wanting extra days of rest or just being flat-out exhausted.

"It's a rollercoaster ride," pitching coach/pitcher Mickey Callaway said. "We're still trying to figure out who and what we are. We should have hoped to have found out by now but it hasn't worked out like that. We're all still plugging along, hoping for answers."

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Some other notes following Tuesday's game:

Shwam on Tuesday's effort following Monday's lethargic performance: "It was better. The pitching was okay, the bullpen guys gave it up. We got hits too late, as always. We made a rally in the ninth, it happens every game. We fell just a bit short, it happens every game. Same ol' Broncos."

Bartlett on his performance on Tuesday, a no-decision start in which he threw 5 2/3 innings and surrendered three runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking five: "My arm's starting to feel good finally. I was home for two months before I came here so I'm still rounding into shape. I had a good first start but my arm has felt tired since. Now everything's starting to feel good and things are looking up."

Callaway on Tuesday's performance, when he pitched 1/3 of an inning, surrendering two runs on two hits and earning his first loss of the season: "I didn't feel very good. You have good and bad days coming off this (Tommy John) surgery, and this was my first bad day. I was stiff and really couldn't extend through the ball. Everything was flat."

On whether he's ready to start: "I thought I was until (Tuesday). I think I may need a couple of more days off to keep the swelling down but I think I'll be ready soon. Hopefully I'll get a chance to start and then we'll see what happens."

Shwam on Harlingen, the league's worst team and the Broncos' next foe for a three-game series starting today: "This series scares the s*** out of me. It's scary. They're playing for nothing so they'll play loose. They finally get to go home (after staying out of the Valley for an extended time due to the hit of Hurricane Dolly on the area late last week) and that's going to be a relaxed and excited team. Harlingen will have a chip on its shoulder, playing with pride and heart because their people got hammered from the storm."