Coqui Confident Versus Mighty Alleghanies
San Juan feels confident going into a Divisional Series rematch with West Virginia. The Coqui shrugged off Amsterdam, three games to one, after the Lions three and four starters faltered in San Juan and after the Coqui had come back to win in extra innings in Game 2.
“I know we won’t catch them sleeping again but we can hang with these guys,” General Manager Mike Best said of the 117-win Alleghanies. “They have that cavernous park and it benefits our pitchers as much as theirs.”
The San Juan pitching staff has been maligned this season but there is reason for optimism. Fernando Castro is 4-1, 0.92 in his last seven starts and went 3-0, 2.83, during last year’s postseason run. Rookie Marcel Osterhaut is 4-1, 2.92, since September 1. And Tetsuzan Shimada is a 15-game winner.
Shimada’s weakness lately has been giving up at least one home run in nine of his last 10 starts. In fact, 11 of 19 of the runs he gave up in August and September came via the long ball but, outside of his playoff start against Amsterdam, he was tough to score on otherwise. It’s hoped starting one of the two upcoming games at Watt Powell Field will work in his favor.
In the Wild Card Series, rookie Tracy Young took the MVP after slugging home runs in all three wins. It was extra rewarding for Young as he popped out of a late-season slump that saw him dropped in the batting order before the series.
The Coqui made a tough decision to sit center fielder Kelvin McDonald in Game 4 despite being the Game 2 hero and hitting .333 for the series. In addition to Wally Glasser having a better glove, McDonald had not hit Ron Wilson well previously. Glasser went 2-for-4, including a two-run double and stole two bases.
“It’s always hard to have one of those two sit,” said Manager Sergio Manetti. “It usually takes a lot more than a hunch to not start Kelvin.”
