Long Island Ducks baseball Mark Watson Travis Wade Central Islip Camden Riversharks Dave LaPoint

Spot Starts Provide No Relief

Ducks Drop Doubleheader to Riversharks

by Brian Bohl

August 24, 2007

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY— Instead of jogging from the bullpen to the pitcher’s mound, Mark Watson trotted out with eight Long Island Ducks teammates to take the field before the first pitch.

The left-hander did not get lost on his way to the rubber, though it would have been understandable if he needed a refresher course. When Watson started the first game of last night’s doubleheader, it marked his first non-relief outing since 1999, when he was playing for the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

Watson (pictured at right), primarily a middle-to-late-inning reliever, probably wished he could have stayed in the bullpen. The former Cincinnati Reds’ southpaw tied a Ducks record by giving up five home runs in a 6-3 loss to the Camden Riversharks in Game 1. Camden also went on to win the nightcap, 5-1, in front of 6,501 fans.

“I felt like challenging guys,” said Watson, who matched former Ducks pitcher Rusty Meacham’s dubious accomplishment. Meacham surrendered five home runs in a 2002 contest in Atlantic City. “I felt like I made my pitch, but I missed with spots. It’s just one of those days,” explained Watson.

Five different Camden players went deep, including solo shots from Ryan Lehr, Denny Abreu, Cristian Guerrero and Craig Paquette. Pete Shier added the lone two-run shot, breaking open a tie game with a two-out round-tripper over the left-centerfield wall in the fifth.

The Ducks nearly matched the power showing, scoring all of their runs on three solo home runs. Citibank Park generated enough power to match LIPA, and that total might have been extended if the game wasn’t a seven-inning affair. Atlantic League rules stipulate that twinight doubleheaders consist of two separate seven-inning games.

“It’s a different game plan, a different intensity,” Watson said about adjusting to starting. “It’s kind of the same mentality, except you have more days off. You feel better mentally and know what you have to do.”

The Ducks lost the services of three starters for three different reasons. Randy Leek, the staff ace, signed with the Blue Jay’s Triple-A affiliate on Thursday. Ed Yarnall struck out six Camden Riversharks in 3 1/3 innings later that evening before fog forced the game’s cancellation and precipitated the Friday night twin bill. To top it off, manager Dave LaPoint was forced to skip Donovan Osborne’s rotation turn as the former Yankee recovers from a tired arm.

With one starter off the roster, and Yarnall and Osborne shut down until next week, LaPoint was forced to dip into the bullpen for two spot starts last night. Watson and Travis Wade (pictured at left) were entrusted to stabilize the staff until the Ducks can bring in another pitcher Sunday. LaPoint said acquiring another starter is in the works but held off on making an announcement until possibly this weekend.

Watson, who appeared in 39 games before his start, gave LaPoint the chance to conserve the back end of the bullpen. He lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up 10 hits against three strikeouts. Normally, pitchers can survive the long ball if the home runs come with nobody on base. But the ability to minimize damage is compromised, according to LaPoint, when half the opposing lineup belts the ball out of the park.

“I thought he threw the ball pretty well,” said the manager searching for positives. “Their lefthanders didn’t do anything against him. I’m hoping this gives me confidence that when he’s back in the pen, he can get a lefty out. He knows what to do know and can help us out that way.”

Watson is struggling to show the ability that led to three different stints in the major leagues. He pitched for the Indians, Mariners, and Reds in his 11-year professional career. The 6-3, 240-pound southpaw carried an 8.92 ERA in 39 games for the Ducks this season before getting knocked around by Camden.

After spending all of last season in Triple-A, Watson was called on to be a bridge for closer Danny Graves and a reliable late-inning setup man. Instead, the 33-year-old has now allowed 62 hits and 13 home runs in 41 innings. Factor in his 16 walks, and the Atlanta native’s WHIP is 1.68.

“He’s just having one of those years,” a perplexed LaPoint noted. “I’ve never seen anything like it. He hasn’t had a break. He hasn’t had a ball go at somebody. Mechanically, he’s struggled a little bit.”

“His problem is more mental than anything else,” said LaPoint. “Sometimes, he’s aggressive. Sometimes, he’s not. We’re trying to get the non-aggressive out of him.”

The Ducks touched Camden ace Mark Ion for three homers, but that was almost all the offense could muster against the right-hander. Bryant Nelson cut into a 2-0 lead with a shot to right that landed at the top of the second tier of advertisements, breaking Ion’s shutout bid in the third inning. Estee Harris, a Central Islip native, excited the hometown crowd by lifting his first home run as a Duck in the fourth to tie the game.

Watson gave back the lead in the top of the next inning. Lehr led off with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Abreu flew out, brining up Shier. The second baseman yanked one deep down the leftfield line before it hooked foul. Shier fouled off the next few pitches, then ended all doubt with a deep drive to the right of the scoreboard that spotted Ion to a 4-2 lead.

Carl Everett added his team-leading 24th homer in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 6-3. That was all Ion would allow, as he improved his record to 9-1. Outside of the dingers, he allowed just one single. He struck out one and allowed just those four hits for the complete-game victory.

Notes: Anchor’s Away? The Ducks thought they found an everyday third baseman when they signed Jose Leon on Tuesday. Leon didn’t even get settled on Long Island before leaving. The former Oriole surprised the team when he announced he would be playing in Taiwan after appearing in just two official games for Long Island [See article on signing...Click Here]… Ray Navarrete finished 0-2, snapping his 17-game hitting streak, although a walk kept alive his 26-game on-base streak.

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