Key to Generals’ season: D
Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Second in the league in hitting, second in the league in pitching. So how is it that the Generals are sitting at .500 through 12 games in 2010?
One word: defense.
“We’ve got to get better on defense,” co-owner and first-base coach Jim Critzer said, pointing to the area where Waynesboro has been glaringly deficient through 12 games. How about 11th in the 11-team Valley League in fielding with a league-high 27 errors that have led to (gulp!) 24 unearned runs?
The Generals have a 3.41 team ERA, but are nonetheless surrendering 5.42 runs per game with the unearned runs adding to the total, good for just sixth in the league.
Add in the league-high 24 stolen bases that Waynesboro opponents have run up, and you can see the room for improvement.
“We’re hitting the ball, and our pitching is as good as anybody in the league,” said Critzer, who is right on both of those counts according to the league’s statistical rundown, which currently has Waynesboro hitting at a brisk .289 clip and scoring 6.0 runs per game, good for second in both categories to first-place Haymarket, and the 3.41 team ERA is second to Front Royal, which is right now posting an otherwordly 2.46 team ERA through 13 games.
“We’ve got a solid ballclub,” Critzer said. “We keep the errors down, and we’re going to win some ballgames.”
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The record of the Generals with 3 errors or more is (1-5), but there is some good statistics we have done this season being one of only a few teams to throw more than 1 shutout, 2 of them both on road (vs New Market and Rockbridge). I know and I do believe that when Generals don’t have that many errors, they win. GO GENERALS!
And we’re 5-1 in games in which we commit less than three errors. If we get good D, we win, bottom line.
one suggestion to cut down on errors at home would be to topdress the field (infield and outfield) and add some dirt to the infield dirt to soften the lip. our home field is extremely rough.
Good observation. There are numerous issues with bad hops, particularly late in ground balls on the infield.