AUBURN - In the first two games of the 2005 New York-Penn League playoffs, the Auburn Doubledays have made scoring double digits look routine.
The day after sweeping the Oneonta Tigers and earning a spot in the league championship series, the Doubledays gathered Monday afternoon at Falcon Park, this time just to keep things fresh.
"We just try to keep the players in a routine," Auburn manager Dennis Holmberg said. "We're going to work out lightly today and have a regular practice tomorrow. We have to try and keep things routine, baseball is all about routine."
With two days off before they begin a series with Staten Island, Holmberg hopes his players don't lose their hot hands so the bats don't cool. Auburn tallied 33 runs in the two games against the Tigers, putting both games out of reach in the early innings.
For the Doubledays, the days off between series is a double-edged sword. It gives injured players a chance to recover, but it also may slow the offensive momentum.
"You never want to take too many days off," Holmberg said. "One day off is OK but two days might be too much. At least the two days off allows us to get the rotation set up. We can go with (Robert) Ray in the first game and repeat (Eric) Fowler and (Kristian) Bell in the last two."
Fowler got the win in Game 1 of the semifinals, throwing seven innings of one-run ball. Bell wasn't as impressive as Fowler, but his Game 2 performance was solid enough to eat up innings and allow the Auburn bats to take over.
Ray finished the regular season 4-3 with a 2.77 ERA. The Game 1 starter will have a well-rested arm, having not made an appearance in a week.
Although the break will give the pitching staff a rest, Ray says it doesn't give his team much of an advantage.
"I don't think it matters, we could play the game today or Wednesday, we're still going to be armed and ready," he said. "We played 76 games this year, almost all consecutively. We're used to playing everyday. We have everyone we need to throw at them."
Ray says the only advantage the Doubledays have in finishing before the other series is they can post big numbers and possibly get in the heads of the Staten Island pitchers.
"Right now, I wouldn't want to be on the other team's pitching staff wondering how I'm going to stop these guys," Ray said. "It makes it nice for me, having these bats behind me."
Despite the big numbers in the box score the past few games, much of the Doubledays' offense is plagued by injury. Joey Metropoulos suffered a laceration to his thumb after sliding into home Sunday night in the first inning. Sluggers Ryan Patterson and Cory Patton are also suffering from nagging injuries that won't keep them off the field, but may slow their play.
"The two days off won't help Metropoulos, but it will help guys like Patterson and Patton," Holmberg said. "It gives some guys a good chance to heal. If everybody was healthy, I'd say lets get this things started."
Metropoulos will most likely be out of the lineup when Auburn plays Wednesday but may be able to return for Thursday.
As the Doubledays, the team that is forever loose, goes about their business on Monday, there's still the look of determination in their eyes. The celebration after the series win on Sunday was a bit subdued as Auburn only achieved half of their goal.
"We're not done yet," Ray said. "If we win these next two games, there'll be a big celebration. But not until then."
"We just try to keep the players in a routine," Auburn manager Dennis Holmberg said. "We're going to work out lightly today and have a regular practice tomorrow. We have to try and keep things routine, baseball is all about routine."
With two days off before they begin a series with Staten Island, Holmberg hopes his players don't lose their hot hands so the bats don't cool. Auburn tallied 33 runs in the two games against the Tigers, putting both games out of reach in the early innings.
For the Doubledays, the days off between series is a double-edged sword. It gives injured players a chance to recover, but it also may slow the offensive momentum.
"You never want to take too many days off," Holmberg said. "One day off is OK but two days might be too much. At least the two days off allows us to get the rotation set up. We can go with (Robert) Ray in the first game and repeat (Eric) Fowler and (Kristian) Bell in the last two."
Fowler got the win in Game 1 of the semifinals, throwing seven innings of one-run ball. Bell wasn't as impressive as Fowler, but his Game 2 performance was solid enough to eat up innings and allow the Auburn bats to take over.
Ray finished the regular season 4-3 with a 2.77 ERA. The Game 1 starter will have a well-rested arm, having not made an appearance in a week.
Although the break will give the pitching staff a rest, Ray says it doesn't give his team much of an advantage.
"I don't think it matters, we could play the game today or Wednesday, we're still going to be armed and ready," he said. "We played 76 games this year, almost all consecutively. We're used to playing everyday. We have everyone we need to throw at them."
Ray says the only advantage the Doubledays have in finishing before the other series is they can post big numbers and possibly get in the heads of the Staten Island pitchers.
"Right now, I wouldn't want to be on the other team's pitching staff wondering how I'm going to stop these guys," Ray said. "It makes it nice for me, having these bats behind me."
Despite the big numbers in the box score the past few games, much of the Doubledays' offense is plagued by injury. Joey Metropoulos suffered a laceration to his thumb after sliding into home Sunday night in the first inning. Sluggers Ryan Patterson and Cory Patton are also suffering from nagging injuries that won't keep them off the field, but may slow their play.
"The two days off won't help Metropoulos, but it will help guys like Patterson and Patton," Holmberg said. "It gives some guys a good chance to heal. If everybody was healthy, I'd say lets get this things started."
Metropoulos will most likely be out of the lineup when Auburn plays Wednesday but may be able to return for Thursday.
As the Doubledays, the team that is forever loose, goes about their business on Monday, there's still the look of determination in their eyes. The celebration after the series win on Sunday was a bit subdued as Auburn only achieved half of their goal.
"We're not done yet," Ray said. "If we win these next two games, there'll be a big celebration. But not until then."
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