There doesn’t seem to be any panic in the Storm Chaser locker room after back-to-back home losses for the first time all season.
Not the vibe that Mike Jirschele was giving off when he walked into his pregame press conference before Sunday’s game against the Memphis Redbirds at Werner Park.
“It’s always a good day for baseball, although I would prefer our usual 1 pm start times,” Jirschele joked.
The Omaha Storm Chasers took a lot of positives away after being shut out last night by the Redbirds 6-0. For example, Anthony Veneziano pitched a solid game despite taking his second loss of the season. He went 4 2/3’s innings allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out three. He also retired 14 of his last 15 batters.
“I thought he did a good job last night, even when it was shaky early,” Jirschele said, “There were a couple of plays that should’ve been made. I thought he did a good job getting out of it despite the two runs in that first inning. As far as what he’s doing, he’s working on a few things and he’s starting to throw more strikes and feel more comfortable out there. He’s gone back and forth from the bullpen to a starter and it’s a tough role to have, but it’s good to see he’s getting more comfortable.”
Veneziano is one of many arms in that Omaha bullpen that continues to throw strikes and get outs. Guys like Walter Pennington, Evan Sisk, Carlos Hernandez, and Dan Altavilla continue to put up great numbers for the Chasers even if they’re on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
“I think there’s no doubt that we have one of the stronger bullpens in the league,” Jirschele told me, “Dane [Johnson] and David [Lundqvist] do an outstanding job with our pitching staff, getting them in the right spots that they need to be put in. It helps me a lot with them out there.”
It certainly helps a pitching staff when you also have one of the best offenses in the minor leagues. The Storm Chasers still lead the International League in run differential at +80 and have had multiple comeback wins over the last couple of weeks. Up and down the Omaha lineup, there’s no one clear threat.
Jirschele said, “It seems like it’s someone else every night that comes through.”
Omaha’s 23-5 run in May was in large part because of comeback victories. Out of the 23 wins, almost half of them were when the Chasers were trailing at one point in the game. There’s no panic in their game, which is what Jirschele loves about this year’s team.
“This is a good group of guys. They get along really well, they ride one another, and they have a lot of fun. Once you start winning those games, it becomes contagious and everyone wants to be that hero and they’ve been coming through a lot for us this past month.”
I asked Jirschele about Royals rehabber Kris Bubic, who will make his third rehab start of the season today when the Chasers wrap up the series with Memphis this afternoon, about what Jirschele has seen from him since being sent down to Omaha.
“You can see that he’s building himself up,” Jirschele told me, “His first outing, last couple innings, he got tired, I thought. He lost a little velocity and his command was going a bit on him, but he battled through it. Other than that, he’s been doing well. He’s throwing strikes and attacking hitters. He’s still not happy with where he’s at with his command, but he can see himself getting better and stronger with every outing.”
According to Broadcaster Nick Badders, Omaha’s magic number to clinch the playoffs is eight heading into today’s game. Depending on the outcome of today’s game OR what happens to Syracuse (NYM), that could change. The Storm Chasers have 12 games left after today: at Toledo (DET) next week for six, then at home for six against Louisville (CIN). Jirschele told me that he doesn’t even look at the standings even though he knows the Chasers are at the top.
“I know where we’re at, but I don’t check to see what everyone else does at the end of the night,” he said, “All we have control of is what we control on the field day by day, inning by inning, pitch by pitch. That’s what you have to be concerned about as a coach.”
The Storm Chasers take on the Redbirds at 5:05 pm at Werner Park, looking to win their 6th straight series of the season and improve that magic number. Watch the game on Bally Live or MiLB.TV, or listen to it on the Storm Chasers Radio Network.