Goldeyes hang on to down Dogs

Back home and playing their first game since the American Association’s all-star break, the Winnipeg Goldeyes were in dire need of a fresh start. With a close 6-5 win over the Chicago Dogs on Thursday evening at Blue Cross Park, the Fish are hoping the tides are finally turning.

For a team that has been at the bottom of the American Association’s West Division for most of the season and is trying to squeeze into a playoff spot, the past two weeks could not have been more disastrous.

Despite going into the all-star break coming off a 9-3 win in Lincoln, Neb., against the Saltdogs on Sunday, it could not erase the season-high nine-game losing streak the Goldeyes went through beforehand.

“It goes without saying the last two weeks have been pretty rough,” said Goldeyes manager Logan Watkins. “But I guess that’s baseball. The hard part is seeing how many one-run losses we’ve had, being that close and not coming through to win at least half of them, but just kind of is what it is. We have a lot of baseball still left, so I think we just needed a quick break, let everyone reset mentally, and then come back.”

The winless streak means the Fish have lost six series in a row, making it even harder to play catch-up in the West Division.

“Everyone goes through slumps, but I think it’s just been a little bit unique this year, at least this month, that a good portion of our lineup went cold all at once,” said Watkins on the losing streak.

However, Goldeyes right fielder Max Murphy says getting some rest and coming home to win the first on the homestand is “huge” to getting something rolling.

“Just being relaxed,” said Murphy on the key to winning. “I think things are a lot more relaxed in the dugout. Guys weren’t so down on what’s been going on, so it was just a better vibe.”

The Dogs got on the board first Thursday in the top of the second with a run by T.J. Hopkins to open an early 1-0 lead.

Thanks to runs by Goldeyes’ Ramón Bramasco, Jacob Robson and new roster addition Tripp Clark, the Fish found themselves with a 3-1 lead at the bottom of the third.

The Goldeyes tacked one more on in the fourth, with Ray-Patrick Didder scoring to increase his squad’s lead to 4-1, before Chicago’s Reggie Pruitt Jr. brought the Dogs within one with a two-run home run over left field fence in the following inning.

After a scoreless sixth, the Goldeyes responded, and with help from a couple of stolen bases and a Murphy single, Robson and Tripp Clark added two runs to give the Fish a 6-3 lead at the bottom of the seventh.

A late comeback attempt with another two-run home run by the Dogs in the top of the ninth inning brought them within one yet again, but it wasn’t enough as an energetic crowd of 4,109 fans went home happy.

“We need to,” said Watkins on building momentum from the win. “It’s been kind of a weird year and hard to predict, so who knows. I know some of these guys look like they’re swinging the bat a little bit better. Hopefully, Landen Bourassa will be back by the first week of August, so that’ll be big too.”

All but one of the Goldeyes recorded a hit in the game, which saw the hometeam put up 12 in total. Mitch Lambson, the oldest player in the league to be named an all-star, got the start on the mound for the Fish, allowing three runs, nine hits, and striking out three in seven innings pitched.

Right-handed pitcher Ryder Yakel, who was also an all-star selection, pitched out the remainder of the game.

The Goldeyes continue their final homestand of July against the Dogs with game two of a four-game series going Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a series with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, who hold the final West Division playoff spot.

“Obviously, we’re in a big hole right now,” said Murphy. “I think we all know that just being negative and sad about it isn’t gonna help anything. So it’s kind of like, all right, let’s just go out there and play good baseball and see what happens.”

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca