Lumberjacks much improved in 2nd season

Last season, the Bangor Lumberjacks had solid pitching, suspect defense, inconsistent hitting, and clubhouse chemistry that was more like a laboratory experiment gone awry than an ideal formula.

The Lumberjacks would get hot at the plate, reel off three or four straight wins, then lose seven or more of their next 10 games. Starters complained about how they were being used, some teammates couldn’t get along with each other, and many players worried more about their statistics than winning games. Some even griped about the music played by the public address system when it was their turn to bat.

This year, the Lumberjacks’ locker room and playing complex are much more harmonious, and the kinder, gentler atmosphere has helped translate into solid pitching, vastly improved defense, and an offense that is not only more consistent, but much more multi-faceted.

Still, even with all the improvement, the Lumberjacks find themselves stuck in fourth place in the Northeast League’s four-team North Division with a 19-17 record and 13 games left in the first half of the regular season. Bangor manager Kash Beauchamp is frustrated by his team’s inability to move up in the standings, but he’s keeping his perspective.

“We’re so much better than we were last year: offensively, defensively, pitching is still solid, and our bullpen is stabilizing a bit,” Beauchamp said. “We’re not a last-place team and we don’t play like one.”

The Lumberjacks have had (Bangor) franchise-high win streaks of five and six games this season and have won nine of their last 12 games through Sunday.

A year ago, the Lumberjacks finished the first half 21-24 and in third place en route to a 42-49 overall record.

“The toughest part of our schedule is over and I think the other clubs respect us and know we can play with them. We’re going to be OK,” Beauchamp said. “We want momentum and we have that going for us right now. If we can pick up some games here and there, we’ve got all these teams coming in to play us and we can move up.”

Several recent moves – the claiming of middle infielder Rolando Bello off waivers, a lineup shuffle that installed leading hitter Jake Whitesides at the top of the order, the switch of Lance Calmus from bullpen to the starting rotation, and an alteration in starting pitcher Adam Thomas’ delivery – have helped Bangor shrug off a six-game losing streak in mid-June.

“The addition of Bello has really helped shore up our defense, and the starters have been outstanding lately,” Beauchamp said. “We’re stealing bases like crazy and we’ve got some hot home run hitters, so things are kind of feeding off each other.”

It’s the little things, like Jose Garcia’s ongoing effort to improve his plate discipline and be more patient, which have helped make the difference. Garcia is snapping himself out of an offensive malaise.

“We’ve had different things going well all season,” Garcia said. “One time it was pitching and another time it was hitting. Now everything is just coming together.”

It hasn’t gone unnoticed by others in the league.

“Bangor has a good club. They’ve got guys up and down the lineup who can hurt you and their pitching is very good,” said Quebec manager Darren Bush. “Last year, you could pitch around their big guys. This year, it’s harder to do that.”