Majors look to take advantage of home swing

Around the Diamond: Keys’ impressive encore; de Oleo’s bat catching fire; Excellent start for Zdunich; Not-so-routine defense needs improving. Our news & notes …

(Photo: Isaiah Bergsma).

* * *

The season officially turns into summer this weekend, and London Majors fans will be welcomed with a lot of baseball to kick it off. Including this weekend’s games Friday and Sunday, the Majors will play six of their next seven contests at Labatt Park – and they’re hoping to give the home fans a lot to cheer about.

Despite coming off a loss Tuesday, an 8-3 contest against the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, London carries a 10-5 record and continues to sit in second place in the IBL standings. They’re 2 1/2 games back of Welland, who they’ll host Friday – and hope to beat for a second straight time.

Prior to Tuesday’s loss, London had won four straight, including a dramatic walk-off win last Sunday against the Hamilton Cardinals in front of the home fans on ‘Pack the Park’ day for Father’s Day. Ken Sugi’s ball in play with a runner on third brought home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th, sending everyone home happy.

That win followed an 8-1 triumph two days prior, on Friday, where the Majors manhandled the Kitchener Panthers. Despite making four errors – something the team knows it needs to address – London pitching dominated and a pair of big innings on offense earned a lopsided win.

Now, the Welland Jackfish will try their hand in Labatt Park against the London … Cobra Chickens? That’s right. Don’t adjust your monitors. For the third time in their last three home games, London will be wearing special jerseys. This time, it’ll be the debut of the ‘Cobra Chicken’ moniker, which began as a simple April Fools gag but took off with the community.

London is certainly famous for its, shall we say, combative Canadian geese (‘cobra chickens’), and those pesky birds will be recognized with a fun themed night and special Cobra Chicken jerseys. The Jackfish will have their hands full …

(Photo: Isaiah Bergsma).

UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (June 20, 7:35pm) vs. Welland Jackfish (Probable starter: Victor Payano)
Sunday (June 22, 1:05pm) vs. Brantford Red Sox (Probable starter: Travis Keys)

1) Keys to victory? What do you do for an encore? Left-handed pitcher Travis Keys is showing Majors fans right now. A rookie in 2024, he impressed with a 3.45 ERA and 79 strikeouts over 73 innings in 15 appearances (12 starts) last year, earning the start in the midseason all-star game.

He’s been even better this time around. In fact, it wasn’t until last Friday that Keys allowed his first earned run of the season (in an 8-1 win over Kitchener). Prior to that second-inning run, he’d gone his first 21 innings without allowing an earned run, an impressive accomplishment that has his ERA at a microscopic 0.35 through five outings.

He’s allowed seven other unearned runs, due to some poor defense behind him, and his strikeouts are down this year (just 14 in 26 innings), but there’s no denying he’s been at the top of his game.

“He’s been as good as his numbers suggest,” said Majors manager Roop Chanderdat.

“He’s been a road warrior. He goes into Barrie [May 24], we beat Barrie with (Frank) Garces on the mound. And then he goes into Welland [June 7], another tough environment, and he beats them. They were undefeated.

Last Friday, the 27-year-old allowed just the lone run against the Kitchener Panthers at Labatt Park, scattering seven hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out three en route to his third win of the season. He’ll go for number four Sunday at home against Brantford.

Majors lefty Travis Keys. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

2) Catching heat. As recently as May 30, following the first seven games of the year, Eduardo de Oleo was hitting just .226 with a .273 on-base percentage. Certainly, unfamiliar numbers for the import catcher, who was named an all-star each of the last two seasons.

Well, the former minor leaguer has picked things up. Over his last eight contests, he’s gone a blistering 17-for-36 (.472) to raise his average up to .358 and his OPS up to .974. All of a sudden, it looks like a regular productive season for the 32-year-old.

“It’s simple with de Oleo. If he stays disciplined, if he doesn’t chase [pitches], he’s one of the best hitters in the league,” said Chanderdat. “So, more recently, he’s been having a real disciplined approach. That’s a small adjustment he’s made.”

Not known for drawing many walks, de Oleo hasn’t recorded a base on balls yet this season. But he’s keeping his strikeouts in check, and he’s been hitting the ball hard. Eight of his 24 hits have gone for extra bases, including four home runs. He has 13 RBIs and 12 runs in 15 games.

Majors catcher Eduardo de Oleo. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

* * *

3) Immediate impact. It’s not easy getting cut from a team. It means going in the opposite direction, professionally, towards the goal of reaching higher levels in the game. That’s what new Major Tucker Zdunich is going through after being cut by the Ottawa Titans. But Chanderdat is quick to praise his new recruit for his attitude and character.

“He’s a great, great young man,” the manager said. “You’d take 10 guys like him. It can be tough on players when they’re cut, because they can start questioning everything. But he knows he can have success at the next level because he’s seen it. So, it’s just a matter of putting up some big numbers with us, hopefully, and getting his opportunity.”

So far, Zdunich has been holding up his end of the bargain. In his first six games in a Majors uniform, the High River, Alberta native has gone 11-for-25 (.440) with two homers and six RBIs. He’s walked three times and struck out just once.

“He’s helping us here as we go along. He can definitely hit. He’s got some pop.”

That pop was on display Tuesday when Zdunich crushed a three-run homer out to right field at Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham. He’s splitting time playing the outfield and first base while with the Majors. Ostensibly, he’s replacing Kaiden Cardoso, who was signed by the Titans and is now getting his chance in pro ball with the Frontier League team.

If Zdunich keeps this up, London won’t miss a beat in the middle of their lineup.

Getting defensive. We mentioned earlier the handful of unearned runs that Majors pitcher Travis Keys has been tagged with this year. But he’s far from the only London pitcher in that situation. And it’s because the ballclub has been committing far too many errors in the first third of the season.

Heading into the weekend, the Majors led the league in defensive miscues – by a wide margin. Their 38 errors are 13 more than the next highest team (Toronto).

“It’s a bit of an Achilles heel for our team right now,” said Chanderdat. “And it’s costing us. We have to cut down on those errors. But I actually think we can be one of the top defensive teams.”

The reason? The highlight-reel plays he sees on a regular basis, from the likes of centrefielder Toby Simmons, shortstop Francisco Fajardo, and even Josh Niles at third base.

“They’re all making great plays. They’re just having little hiccups with routine plays,” Chanderdat said.

These types of errors are often termed ‘mental errors,’ but they can be costly. The good news is they can be cleaned up. If the Majors hope to make a run at a championship this year, they’ll have to do just that.