Scrappers double up Spinners

July 30, 2011 at 12:10a.m.

NILES

Now that the Mahoning Valley Scrappers are beyond the halfway point of the season, they are, fittingly, entering the dog days of summer.

But instead of being dog tired, the dogs are getting their seconds winds and running the yard.

The players, many of which came straight to the team from high school or college, are getting used to the grind. The hitters are becoming more familiar to certain pitchers. And things are just becomming a little bit more, well, comfortable.

And it’s all coming together at the right time as the Scrappers sit comfortably at the top of the New York-Penn League’s Pinckney Division.

The Scrappers used a balanced attack of offense and defense in an 8-4 victory over the Lowell Spinners on Friday night at Eastwood Field.

Perhaps the most exciting thing for first-year manager David Wallace is seeing how his team is handling the new workload.

The Scrappers (23-18) and Spinners (19-22) were coming off a three-plus hour marathon on Thursday in which the Scrappers fell apart late. But the team rebounded to close out the homestand with a victory.

“This bus ride will be a lot [seem] a lot shorter with this win,” Wallace said. “We had a little refocus session [Thursday] night and we had a great day of work in even before the game.

“So I was happy before the game even started, no matter what happened,” he added. “Those guys responded, and they deserve a lot of credit.”

The Scrappers got another brilliant outing from starter Joseph Colon. The righty pitched six innings and gave up only two hits — though one was a two-run home run. Colon (4-2) kept the Spinners off balance and struck out eight. He walked two, including the leadoff hitter in the sixth inning, which Wallace said was more disappointing than the blast.

Speaking of blasts, the home team got a charge out of the bat of first baseman Jerrud Sabourin.

Named the player of the game for the second time this season, Sabourin said it was a positive for the team respond to a tough loss the way it did.

But that was easy for him to say. He had the night off Thursday.

Still, whether it was fresh legs or steady focus Sabourin led the charge with a pair of hits and two RBIs. He scored once and also waked once.

Sabourin said the turnaround — after playing or watching — is tough, but it’s all part of learning how to approach the game as a pro instead of a prospect.

“It shows that we have a lot of good players and when we really put it together we’re a tough team to beat,” Sabourin said. “We got back on track today.”

Wallace said the constant rigors of professional baseball are at least starting to become second nature at this point. The daily games and preparation are starting to feel more like a routine, he said, and the players are starting to get it all.

“Coming in here from high school and college ball, playing two or three times a week, you’re in the dog days now,” he said. “A lot of these guys played a full college season before this, and now this season. Seventy-two games might be called a short season, but it’s no joke.

“They’re really starting to solidify their routines and figure out what they need to do to be ready to play every day.”