Franchise's first Eastern League championship within Erie SeaWolves' grasp this week
Erie SeaWolves manager Gabe Alvarez has fond memories of going to TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
It was the first road trip of this season for the SeaWolves, back in mid-April, and the first chance he had to get to know his team without the distractions of being at home.
“It was a long time ago and we were just getting to know each other,” Alvarez said. “We've come a long way since then and it'll be a lot of fun going back there.”
Alvarez and the SeaWolves hope to complete the five-month journey through the regular season with one more win against Somerset to earn the franchise's first Eastern League championship.
The SeaWolves rallied several times to win 6-5 Saturday at UPMC Park in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. Game 2 is set for Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will be Wednesday at 6:35 p.m.
The SeaWolves won just two of six games at Somerset April 12-17, and are 5-7 all-time in Somerset's ballpark. Erie, however, has the best road record in the Eastern League at 22-11, while Somerset is 19-14 at home.
Different rosters
The SeaWolves have significantly transformed since that early-season road trip, their first of this season after they'd played just three games at home.
In the final game of the April series, the Erie lineup included Andre Lipcius and Jose King, who are in Triple-A Toledo; Kerry Carpenter, who is with the Tigers; West Michigan catcher Cooper Johnson; and Dillon Dinger, who has been out for a few weeks with an injury.
The pitchers used in the final game included Markus Solbach, who isn't in pro baseball right now; Nick Kuzia, Joe Navilhon and Zach Houston, who are in Toledo; and West Michigan pitcher Jared Tobey.
Somerset has also gone through changes, the most notable the departure of shortstop Anthony Volpe. He is in the running for Eastern League MVP with Erie's Quincy Nieporte but was promoted to Triple-A on Sept. 2.
“Heading back home we've won a bunch of comeback games to win series all year,” Somerset manager Dan Fiorito said. “We'll keep battling and stay professional and keep working.”
Setting up Game 2
Chance Kirby (8-3), who leads Erie in wins and has a 2.62 earned-run average, is scheduled to start Tuesday for the SeaWolves, while Somerset's starter had yet to be announced Monday morning. A strong candidate is Clayton Beeter, the No. 9 prospect for the Yankees who joined Somerset after being traded for Joey Gallo this year. The Patriots could also turn to No. 12 prospect Yoendrys Gomez, who has just four starts in Double-A but has jumped two levels this year, or No. 15 Randy Vasquez, who is 2-7 with a 3.90 ERA.
“We've come ready to play all year and I don't have any doubt that we won't do the same this week,” Alvarez said. “Somerset is a very good ballclub, but I think we have the right guy on the mound.”
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Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com and on Twitter @ETNReisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie SeaWolves hit the road looking for Eastern League championship
