July has not been kind to the Carolina Blaze. After entering the month with a 7-5 record, Carolina has dropped five of its six July contests, falling to 8-10.
This Blaze team has been on the wrong end of close battles. In those five losses this month, Carolina was outscored by a combined 11 runs. Only one of those games, a 9-3 loss at Oklahoma City on July 1, was lost by more than two runs. This is a team that started the season with timely offense and found ways to get it done.
Now coming into Saturday, July 11, the offensive numbers have trended to in the wrong direction, including a .279 batting average with runners in scoring position that was at .304 coming into the month.
“I think we’re a little bit tense and just trying, everybody wants to be the one to get it done,” Blaze head coach Kara Dill said after Friday’s loss. “And we’ve talked about that, about just freeing ourselves up a little bit to just let it happen, not trying so hard to make it happen. But what I like is that we’re continuing to get runners on. We’re continuing to put pressure on. So we just got to open that floodgate, with one run scored, I think it’s going to open the floodgate for us the rest of the year.”
Friday night may have been one of the most frustrating cases of the season for the Blaze. The biggest came in the sixth inning. They squandered a bases-loaded with two-out chance, and then in the eighth, could not get Aubrey Leach home from third. Over the last four games, a team that has been solid with runners in scoring position is 6-for-30 in those spots. Friday was the low point, when the Blaze failed in 10 tries, and also finished 0-for-8 with two outs.
So, what has happened to this offense? It can mostly be chalked up to the mental side. Also, the pitching in this league is stronger as time has moved on. The games are close, and teams that can find that extra hit or two are the ones pulling out wins. Carolina has faced back-to-back walkoff losses in extra innings, where the opposing starting pitcher went the distance.
“It’s definitely due to great pitching,” Dill said Friday. “I think the pitchers on all sides have gotten better and adjusted. And the offense needs to adjust too. So, it’s not a lack of effort. It’s not a lack of trying. It’s not a lack of preparation. Our offense wants it really bad.
“Sometimes we think they want it a little bit too much. They’re a little bit tense in those moments. So it’s just bringing them up a little bit in their mindset. But we have every tool, we have every player we need to make it happen. We are just not there right now.”
The Blaze are 8-10 with seven games to go. It just takes a game for things to move in the right direction. Just a week ago, the Portland Cascade were on a three-game losing streak, and those were all in run-rule fashion. However, they turned it on just in time to avoid a bigger slide. Now, they are ahead of Carolina and battling with Chicago.
The Blaze have prime opportunities coming up, starting with Saturday’s game against the Volts. If they take it one pitch and one swing at a time and start to turn those missed opportunities into wins, this team can be right back in that conversation, but they can’t afford any stumbles.
