June is finally here. A new month, and a new set of games. Sunday’s shutout win against Durham at home was a fitting end to the ups and downs of May. Going into Tuesday’s game on the road against Gwinnett, we were hoping for a win to start June and propel the club onwards and upwards for the rest of the month. The Shrimp fell behind early once again, but they rallied for six unanswered runs to come away with a 6-2 victory.
The win gives the Shrimp a two-game winning streak and moves the club to a record of 15-10, good for third in the Southeast Division and four and a half games behind the red-hot first place Nashville Sounds.
The Jumbo Shrimp had 13 hits on the night. They were paced by Corey Bird who went 3-for-4 with a double. Connor Justus was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Every starter – even pitcher Daniel Castano – had at least one hit in this game.
The troubling aspects of this game, at least to me, came in the form of allowing early runs once again. Early runs will come back to kill you, as evidenced by the recent losing streak. Also, the Shrimp left 20 (!!) men on base. The club seriously needs to work on getting runners over and in. I know that massive player turnover doesn’t help solidify an offensive strategy, but these are fundamentals that are necessary at all levels to win games.
The Jumbo Shrimp and Stripers are back at it again tonight in Gwinnett. Game time is 7:05 pm. The clubs will play at 7:05 pm Thursday and Friday, 6:05 pm on Saturday, and 1:05 pm on Sunday.
Whatever it was the gripped the Jumbo Shrimp at the end of May 2021, let’s hope they have finally shaken it and will resume their winning ways for good.
The Catch 