Pitching hopes

The Broncos' pitching has been anything but steady this season.

There are no problems with the offense. They have two dominant starters, one very reliable starter, and two practically non-existent starters.

Their bullpen has been misued and they have no true closer, meaning any lead -- whether by one run, three runs or 14 runs -- is not safe.

But there are signs that things can turn around.

In talking to Broncos Manager Dan Shwam and player/pitching coach Mickey Callaway, the solution to all this begins with finding two steady starters -- the No. 2 and No. 4 spots -- so that the bullpen can be used accordingly and relievers are not forced into multiple-inning situations.

The Broncos rank No. 2 in ULB in hitting and No. 3 in pitching. But it's the way their pitching hurts them -- late in games, trying to close games or giving up clutch hits with two outs -- that is the issue.

Here's a story that will run in Saturday's Times. The general consensus is that things will turn around sooner than later.

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By DENNIS SILVA II
LAREDO MORNING TIMES

Six runs per game will often win a lot of baseball games.
But for the Laredo Broncos, 6.4 per contest has been just enough to keep them close.
Despite boasting United League Baseball’s second-best hitting club — and best in home runs — the Broncos have barely managed to stay above water, claiming a 15-14 record following Friday’s 7-5 win over Alexandria at Veterans Field.
Overall, 16 pitchers have seen time for the Broncos through 29 games. Heading into Friday’s contest, they’ve compiled a team ERA of 5.78, striking out 275 and walking 121.
As a unit, they rank third in the six-team ULB in ERA, first in strikeouts and second in walks.
But look closer: Not all of the blame falls on Laredo flamethrowers, as only 160 of their 197 runs against have been earned.
Player/pitching coach Mickey Callaway said the unearned runs have made it tough on a young staff that already struggles with confidence.
“It’s tough,” said Callaway, who intends to join the Broncos’ staff in early July after completing rehab from an elbow injury. “As pitchers, we’ve just got to act like it (the unearned run) never happened and overcome. The best pitchers go through it. You’ve just got to compete and go out there and get outs, no matter what’s already taken place.”
Since coming on board with the Broncos on June 1 after spending the spring as the interim baseball coach of the TAMIU Dustdevils, Callaway’s point of emphasis to the Bronco pitchers has been a simple one.
“Right now, we’re just stressing throwing strikes,” he said. “If there’s been one primary problem, it’s that guys aren’t confident right now, and that goes back to being able to throw strikes, get guys out and make a low, outside pitch seven out of 10 times.”
The primary causes of concern for the Broncos’ inconsistent pitching have been a shaky bullpen and the lack of a true closer.
With only three starters — Santo Hernandez (4-1, 2.50 ERA), Gregorio Martinez (2-0, 3.83) and Andy Schon (3-1, 4.88) — having thrown their full number of starts to this point, the lack of stability at the No. 2 and 4 spots, respectively, has put the bullpen in a bind, forcing manager Dan Shwam to use his pitchers in uncomfortable situations.
“Once we get our guys healthy and use our bullpen correctly, we’ll be better off,” Shwam said. “We’ve had stop-starts, half-starts and everything else, to where our bullpen is thrown off track. We can’t get a consistent five guys in the rotation to stay healthy.”
Henry Lozado was the No. 2 starter before being released after three games due to poor performance.
In came John Odom, infamous for coming to Laredo in exchange for 10 maple wood bats, who gradually improved through his first three starts before being sent home on Tuesday to attend to family matters.
Julian Williams began the season as the No. 4 starter before being sent to the bullpen as Sean Donlin was acquired to take that spot.
Donlin injured his side last week and will miss approximately 2–3 weeks.
For the time being, Dan Sausville, normally a late-inning reliever, will fill the No. 2 spot, as he’s the lone experienced reliever who can manage to go four or five innings.
“All the moving and shuffling around (of the starters) has affected their (bullpen) confidence because they’re being used in ways they’re not used to,” Shwam said. “So they’re pressing and tightening a bit, coming in and working a count instead of challenging people.”
With that said, the Broncos got a glimpse of what their bullpen could potentially be during Thursday’s 7-6 win over Alexandria.
With no current replacement for Donlin, the Broncos went with a “pitcher by committee” alignment, starting Benny Cepeda — whom the team has plans for as an eventual closer — and using six more pitchers following his two innings of work.
The seven-man crew held the Aces to six hits and struck out 10 while walking 13.
“We’ve been in transition, bringing starters in and people getting hurt,” Callaway said. “It’s taken its toll on the bullpen. But I think we saw what the bullpen is capable of (on Thursday) when it was an all-bullpen day, guys just going out and grinding out a win.”
It’s because of outings such as Thursday’s that Callaway, who spent five seasons in Major League Baseball and was a key contributor to the 2002 Anaheim Angels’ World Series championship team, sees vast potential in his staff.
“We’ve got great stuff,” Callaway said. “If we don’t walk guys and make pitches, we’re going to have a really good staff. From top to bottom, we’ve got great talent but we’ve just got to home in and use it to the best of our advantage.”
The Broncos share his optimism and generally feel as though they are two solid starters away from a great team.
“The offense has done its job,” Shwam said. “We know we have hitters and an offense that can keep us in games. If we can keep guys healthy on our rotation, we’ll be alright.”
And the hope is that improved production begets improved confidence.
“At this level, it’s all about confidence in yourself to get the job done,” Callaway said. “Everybody is here for a reason, and that’s because they’ve got great stuff. The only thing I see is that the confidence isn’t there. By just talking to the guys, some of them don’t believe they can throw strikes consistently.
“So we’ve got to work on that and understand that these are stages and the idea is to improve every year.”
BRONCO BITS: Callaway has made a good first impression with his peers. “I see the kids responding to him because they have respect for him,” Shwam said. “I think he’s done a good job, though his effect on our pitchers can’t be seen right now because it’s been a short period of time. But he’s a positive asset for us and someone the guys know they can talk to regarding almost any situation.” … Callaway noted that coaching NCAA Division II baseball is, as expected, quite a difference compared to minor league baseball. “It’s totally different,” he said. “The approach is different. I probably coached TAMIU like I did here, so I should have coached TAMIU a little different. But here, I’m used to this style of ball, and it’s an even keel game at this stage. At TAMIU, you can get pumped up and raise a little fire every now and then. Here, you have to stay balanced because you play every day and you don’t want to wear yourself out with all the games that are played.” … The Broncos claimed third-place outright in ULB with Friday’s win. Dave Wasylak got his second win of the season before a crowd of 1,392. The Broncos will embark on a three-game road trip to Harlingen before returning for a six-game homestand starting Tuesday.