Fish batter Canaries to climb atop division

You’ve got to be good to be lucky and lucky to be good — and the Winnipeg Goldeyes are living proof of that popular phrase these days.

A wild 12-6 win over the Sioux Falls Canaries on Thursday night at Blue Cross Park was just the latest in a growing list of recent examples.

The turning point came in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the game tied, two outs and runners on second and third base. Sioux Falls pitcher Will Levine was called for a balk, bringing home the go-ahead run which would turn out to be the game-winning run.

Canaries manager Mike Meyer raced out of the dugout to confront home plate umpire Pearson Tahuka, who immediately gave him the heave-ho. Meyer made sure to get his money’s worth, screaming in Tahuka’s face and slamming his hat to the ground.

“You’re making s–t up,” the skipper could be heard shouting while many of the 3,761 in attendance roared over what they were witnessing.

It was easy to see why he was so triggered. Tahuka had called two previous balks in the game against Sioux Falls starting pitcher Christian Edwards — including one he overturned after consulting with crew chief Clay Park, who was working first base on the night.

It’s rare to see one balk in a game, let alone three. And the flip-flop on the second suggested Tahuka was having a rough night in that regard.

How did the Goldeyes react to the unexpected gift? By opening the floodgates.

Jiandido Tromp singled to make it 8-6 and then, after a Max Murphy hit, Kevin Garcia belted a three-run homer to make it a five-run frame. They’d add another in the eighth for good measure to turn a squeaker into a laugher.

The Goldeyes took all three games from the Canaries this week — scoring 33 runs in the process — and have now won 16 of their past 18 overall, improving to 43-33 overall. This was their fifth series sweep of the year, which have all occurred in the second half of the 100-game schedule.

Add it all up and you can call them the first place Fish as they overtook Kansas City on Thursday for top spot in the West. That’s a remarkable achievement, considering they were sitting at 27-31 three weeks ago and in a fight to sneak into a playoff spot.

Controversial balks aside, the bats have been the biggest story of late. The Goldeyes are stacked up and down the lineup, as proven by the fact Garcia is hitting out of the nine-slot.

“I kind of blacked out when it happened,” Garcia said of his big blast, which was his third of the season. The veteran credited teammates Ray-Patrick Didder and Ramon Bramasco with giving him some solid advice recently regarding batting mechanics which is starting to pay off.

“I think it’s just trusting each other. There was a time when we didn’t know if we could come back (in games like this),” said Garcia. “It’s just about having full confidence in our lineup, full confidence in each player and full confidence in our pitchers. Just a full team effort.”

Other key contributors included Keshawn Lynch (three RBI), Noah Marcelo (team-leading 69th RBI), Adam Hall (three runs), Didder (three singles), Bramasco (single, double, RBI) and Tromp (two singles, run scored, RBI).

It’s that type of production which can cover up a shaky pitching performance, which the Goldeyes received from the normally solid Ryo Kohigashi.

The reliever-turned-starter laboured through five innings, giving up six earned runs including a second-inning grand slam to Canaries shortstop Grady Mee which quickly wiped out a 4-1 lead his team had built in the first.

Sioux Falls extended that to 6-4 in the fourth, but Winnipeg knotted it up in their half. Neither team could score in the fifth or sixth, setting the stage for the dramatic seventh.

Rookie reliever Aidan Newton got the win after working two scoreless innings. The 23-year-old from Red Deer, Alta., who signed with the Goldeyes in late July after wrapping up his collegiate career with Mount Olive, is 3-0 with a 2.92 earned-run average.

Quinn Waterhouse and Willian Suarez also put up zeros in their respective innings of work.

Sioux Falls continues to hold down the fourth and final playoff spot in the division, now with a record of 39-38. Next up for Winnipeg is a visit from the fifth place team, the Sioux City Explorers, starting tonight and running through Sunday to close out this six-game homestand.

winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre