Lost for answers

It's back to square one.

With their loss and Edinburg's 12-11 win over Amarillo on Monday night, the Broncos are now tied with the Coyotes for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Broncos are 36-42. Edinburg is 34-40.

And there are still no answers as to why the Broncos have played lackadaisical and apathetic baseball of late, having lost seven of their last 11 games, and three straight, at a point of the season when they could least afford it.

"I don't know what to say anymore," Manager Dan Shwam said. "I don't know where else to look for answers. It is what it is. A true competitor doesn't give up or give in. I know it's a long, hot season, but there is still a job to do.

"This isn't a matter of talent. It's a matter of character, heart and pride. There are players taking baseball for granted. There are guys who've been in higher leagues, at higher levels, who feel they're owed something. It comes down to desire."

Twelve games remain in the Broncos' regular season - three against Amarillo, three against Alexandria and six against Edinburg.

The Broncos have put themselves in a precarious position to where each of those 12 games matter.

One slip-up or string of losses could end any hope of a playoff berth.

"I'm disappointed," Shwam said. "We've got 12 games to go and a key playoff situation. Not only that, but they're still getting paid to play. Any other job, with their kind of approach, and they probably wouldn't have that job anymore. Whether they like it or not, it's still a job."

Shwam pointed to the team's "support" behind right-hander Andy Schon on Monday.

Schon threw two bad pitches that cost him dearly - a two-run homer and a three-run homer - but otherwise pitched a stellar game, nothing new for team's most consistent pitcher and, arguably, its toughest competitor.

He allowed six runs on nine hits, striking out seven and walking two.

Offensively, the Broncos mustered three runs on 10 hits and left 12 on base.

"When your most consistent pitcher is on the mound, someone who's kept you in a lot of games, and you respond with a poor effort, that's not fair," Shwam said. "It's not fair to Andy, and as a true team, you should do whatever it takes for a guy who competes every single night. We have pitchers who decide when they'll pitch, and at what efficiency, but he's not one of them. Every night he takes the ball and gives 100 percent.

"These guys don't understand that their attitude and behavior is affecting 21 other guys. But if that's how they want to end their career, so be it. "

As of now, this is not a team worthy of a playoff berth. And it will be tougher to try and save face against Amarillo in its three-game series starting tonight, with Richard Bartlett (2-4, 8.42 ERA), Gregorio Martinez (6-3, 4.77 ERA) and Mickey Callaway (0-1, 4.50 ERA) slated to start the games.

For a team that boasts the likes of Luany Sanchez, Edgard Clemente and Dwayne White in its lineup, as well as Santo Hernandez, Gregorio Martinez and Schon in its starting rotation, struggling for a playoff spot seems laughable.

But that's the circumstances which it finds itself in. After all, talent can only get you so far, and the Broncos are finding out that the distance is even shorter than they imagined.