It’s been a roller-coaster of a week for the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Thanks to right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac, the Hillcats secured a shutout to begin the week Sunday.
Two days later, they were nearly no-hit.
A day after that, the Hillcats tallied a season-high 14 hits.
The ’Cats are 3-9 in their past 12 games, but some good moments have them hopeful.
“We’re gonna have good pitching, play good defense and have timely hitting,” Hillcats manager Rougie Odor said, confident in the talent and ability of his team after Sunday’s shutout.
“I think this is what we are,” he said.
The Hillcats put together perhaps their best all-around performance of the season that game, as they had an error-free defensive showing, used what Odor considers the underappreciated sacrifice bunt and sac fly to move runners and had stellar pitching.
“Obviously we’ve been a little inconsistent at times,” he said Sunday, adding the six-game skid they had recently broken is “what happens when you don’t execute with consistency.”
The steadiness hasn’t been there for Lynchburg, but Plesac said the mindset in the locker room is still good, and the Hillcats (15-17) think things should begin to turn around.
Reliving Plesac’s gem
A complete-game shutout is always impressive. Giving up just two hits over nine innings adds to the feat. Add in the fact Plesac faced just one batter over the minimum Sunday and did it with just 74 pitches and it’s pretty outstanding, according to Odor and the ace’s uncle, Dan Plesac.
Dan, the three-time American League All-Star and 18-year MLB veteran pitcher, even gave his nephew some accolades.
“Shout out to my nephew,” he tweeted with a link to a story about the game, “… bringing home the mail in the @Indians minor league system!”
What went mostly unnoticed Sunday, though, was the fact Plesac’s gem followed a dismal showing five days before. He gave up 10 hits and eight runs (all earned) in 4 2/3 innings against the Winston-Salem Dash on May 1.
He also allowed 10 hits in his season debut, and while he had some good outings in between, he explained Sunday he could feel he was finally getting back on track.
After starting the season with an 11.57 ERA, that number is down now to 4.33.
“It meant a lot to me [considering] the work I put in — trying to stay consistent in my routines, staying in a positive mindset and just battling through each start, trying to give my team as many innings as I can and give ourselves the best chance to win,” Plesac said.
During his 74-pitch, 55-strike game Sunday, he never threw more than 11 pitches in an inning and didn’t miss the strike zone in the fifth or sixth innings, according to the Hillcats.
Plesac is scheduled to start in Game 2 of the Hillcats’ series at Salem on Friday.
Longo’s contributions
Outfielder Mitch Longo’s been an important part of the Lynchburg lineup lately, quietly taking over the top spot on the team for batting average (.303) along the way.
As of Wednesday night, he was 11th in the Carolina League for batting average, and he put together a league-best 18 game hit streak before he left Sunday’s game with an injury.
In the 26 games he’s appeared in, Longo has recorded at least one hit in 20 games and had two hits or more on eight occasions.
One of his six games without a hit was Sunday, when he was injured after being hit by a pitch, and another came Wednesday in his first game back after sitting out two days.
Both of those games went down as losses, and the Hillcats are 1-5 when Longo’s not in the lineup.
Since being moved to the leadoff spot, Longo is batting .350 (16 for 35).
He’s also reached base safely in every game he’s appeared in this season, and the streak extends to 30 games dating back to Aug. 31, 2017.