‘We like the heat’

Ray-Patrick Didder is no stranger to heat. The product of Oranjestad, Aruba, loves to see the thermostat climb high as it does back home pretty much year-round.

Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that his own play is now following the weather patterns here in Winnipeg. The sizzling Goldeyes shortstop has been hitting the cover off the ball lately, leading an offence that has snapped out of an early-season cold streak to become one of the best in the American Association.

Consider this: Heading into Friday’s start of a three-game series against the Gary SouthShore RailCats at Blue Cross Park, Didder had posted 25 hits in 65 at bats (.385 average) with 18 RBI, 21 runs scored, 16 walks and just 11 strikeouts over his previous 18 games.

He kept the good times rolling by belting his eighth homer of the year and scoring a pair of runs as the Fish won for the third time in four outings, this time by a score of 9-3, in front of 3,989 fans to improve to 23-26.

Yes, the 31-year-old is officially “en fuego.”

“What I’ve been working on in the cages, I’ve been able to just bring it to the games,” Didder told the Free Press following batting practice on Friday.

“I think it’s just making good decisions at the plate. Doing damage on pitches that you can and if you can’t do damage, just let it go. Just discipline at the plate.”

He flashed a huge smile when informed the mercury is expected to climb this weekend into the mid-30s.

“Oh, we like the heat. That’s going to be good,” said Didder, who is now in his 14th season of pro baseball after previously getting as high as Triple-A.

The Goldeyes started the 100-game season back in May with four straight losses and have essentially been playing catch-up ever since.

However, there are signs things could be starting to turn.

Winnipeg just finished off a three-game series in Milwaukee in which they took two of three games from the league-leading Milkmen — scoring a whopping 32 runs in the process — and the overall approach at the plate once again looked good in Friday’s victory as they pounded out 16 more hits.

As a team, they are now in the top four or five of most offensive categories in the 12-team loop.

“At some point this year, the whole team is going to click and it’s going to be scary,” said Didder.

They’re not quite there yet. As good as the bats have been, the pitching still leaves plenty to be desired. Winnipeg’s projected starting rotation has been decimated by departures, injuries and unexpectedly poor performances, which has put extra pressure on the offence to come through. The Goldeyes currently rank eighth in team earned-run-average, although they got a great performance from reliever turned starter Tasker Strobel against Gary (5.2 innings, two earned runs) and some solid bullpen efforts from Quinn Waterhouse, James Colyer and Derrick Cherry.

“We’re generating a lot of runs,” said Goldeyes manager Logan Watkins “It’s hard to ask a pitching staff that’s as patched together as it is right now to come out and throw shutouts and stuff like that. Thankfully the offence has kind of answered the call.

“If you have five good starters throwing well right now you’re extremely fortunate.”

Not surprisingly, he’s leaning heavily on Didder these days and had him batting in the leadoff spot on Friday night. Ride the hot hand, right?

“He’s just so confident now,” Watkins said of Didder, who ranks sixth on the team in average (.280), second in home runs (8) and second in RBI (31).

Having a fellow Aruban on the club in Jiandido Tromp doesn’t hurt matters. The pair have been friends since childhood and have helped each other adjust to playing pro baseball far away from their island paradise.

“It might have taken him a little bit of time to come out of his shell and get comfortable. But I think everyone feels a little bit better when you’ve got someone from back home here with you,” said Watkins.

Representing his nation in the World Baseball Classic this past March also injected a dose of confidence that has remained with Didder.

He nearly earned himself an American Association All-Star nomination, narrowly missing out on being the “last man in” as voted on by fans.

Winnipeg will still send a trio of players to Lincoln for the showcase game next Wednesday in relief pitchers Derrick Cherry and Eli Saul along with outfielder Noah Marcelo.

“Not a big deal,” said Didder, who will enjoy the four-day baseball break that begins on Monday.

“The real point is to get to the playoffs and win it all.”

That’s still very much a work-in-progress with the Goldeyes officially hitting the halfway mark on Saturday night.

The good news is nobody is running away with things in the league, as evident by the fact Winnipeg was just six games out of first place in the division heading into action Friday.

“At some point the pitchers are going to pitch (better) and as hitters we’re going to keep hitting,” predicted Didder.

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