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The Baysox welcome an inconsistent Connecticut Defenders team for a three-game series from Friday, May 16 to Sunday, May 18 at Prince George’s Stadium.

 

Friday, May 16 – 7:05 p.m. RHP Kyle Schmidt vs. LHP Paul Oseguera (my guess)

Saturday, May 17 – 7:05 p.m. RHP Brad Bergesen vs. RHP Adam Cowart (my guess)

Sunday, May 18 – 2:05 p.m. RHP David Hernandez vs. RHP Garrett Broshuis (per baysox.com)

 

The Defender’s rotation and bullpen have been pretty strong. The pitchers have yielded the fewest home runs (16) and fewest earned runs (108 ) in the Eastern League.

 

The Defenders offense has been a different story. Connecticut’s .685 OPS is second to last in the EL (league average .734) and the team is first in strikeouts with 308.

 

The Baysox will likely miss the Defenders’ strongest starter RHP Joseph Martinez. When Baysox starter Chris Waters was promoted, Martinez took over the Eastern League ERA lead at 2.29 (35.1 IP). Martinez and possible Saturday, May 17 starter RHP Adam Cowart have yet to give up a home run. Cowart is second to Baysox starter Jason Berken with a 1.27 BB/9 and his 2.32 ERA (42.2 IP) is second in the EL to Martinez’s mark.

 

The Defenders hitters are very inconsistent. Some are exceptionally disciplined. For example left fielder Eddy Martinez-Esteve is has the lowest K/PA at 5.9% and the second best BB/K at 1.67 in the EL. And catcher Adam Witter is second in the EL with a 20.5% BB/PA. On the other hand, designated hitter Simon Klink leads the EL with 37.6% K/PA and is third to last with a 3.8% BB/PA. And then there’s third baseman David Maroul.

 

David Maroul (easports.com)  

David Maroul was a 23^rd round draft pick in the 2005 first-round draft out of University of Texas at Austin. While he was a Longhorn, Maroul was named Outstanding Player of the 2005 NCAA World Series and appeared on the cover of EA Sports’ MVP06 NCAA Baseball. Since going pro, Maroul hasn’t put up “Playstation” numbers (.711 OPS in 1120 AB at five levels), but a closer look shows he could hurt the Baysox this weekend.

 

Like Klink, Maroul is a free-swinger. His .254 OBP is the lowest in the EL (112 ABs), his 1.8% BB/PA is at the bottom as well, and his 37.4% K/PA is the second highest. However, no one in the league hits a higher percentage of line drives (24% line drives/batted balls). So, when he makes contact, it’s often solid.

 

David Maroul OPS Splits, 2008 (through May 14)

vs. LH—.362 (32 AB)

vs. RH—.893 (75 AB)

Home—.436 (50 AB), K/PA 42.3%

Away—.994 (57 AB)

April—.479 (66 AB), K/PA 40.0%

May—1.146 (41 AB)

 

As you can see above, Maroul has an extreme reverse platoon split for a right-handed hitter so far this year. He strikes out an awful lot at home as well, which seems to diminish the park effect that might be hurting him at Dodd Stadium. And he is rebounding from a challenging April. (Of course, all of these insights should be considered in light of the small sample sizes.)

 

Unfortunately for Baysox fans, all these splits indicate Maroul could have a big weekend in Bowie (as he’ll face three right-handed starters, he’s playing away from home, and he’s having a Bondsian May). Of course, baseball games aren’t played on paper.   

 

btw . . .

Sunday’s starter for the Defenders RHP Garrett Broshuis has a blog at sportingnews.com.