L.I. Ducks (30-33) hit restart button

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The Long Island Ducks couldn’t have scripted a better start to the second half of the Atlantic League baseball season, highlighted by Bethpage Park hosting the 21st Annual All-Star Game on July 11.

After a frustrating first half resulted in a record of 30-33, leaving them five games behind Liberty Division winner Somerset, the Ducks embraced the clean slate and swept Freedom Division winner Sugar Land in a three-game series while scoring 29 runs in the process.

“We were too inconsistent in the first half,” Ducks manager Kevin Baez said. “The guys were giving great effort, but we just didn’t get the results we wanted.”

Left-handed pitcher Bennett Parry, who started an All-Star Game that included six teammates, capped off the sweep of the Skeeters on July 8 with another dominant performance on the mound. He tossed seven shutout innings and struck out 10 while allowing eight baserunners in the 5-3 victory. It was Parry’s sixth win in seven decisions and he lowered his ERA to a stellar 2.60 to go with a strikeout/walk ratio of 104 to 28.

“In my opinion, he’s been the top starter in the league,” Baez said of Parry, who has a career ERA of 2.55 over seven-plus minor league campaigns since being drafted in 2011 by the Baltimore Orioles. “He’s got an outstanding change-up and a good fastball,” he added. 

The pitching staff, from Parry to closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod), overcame some obstacles in the middle relief department to produce a solid first half. The Ducks boasted a 3.88 ERA with 511 strikeouts in 565 innings with Parry (65 2/3), Jake Fisher (73 1/3), John Brownell (64 2/3), Matt Larkins (54 1/3) and Jair Jurrjens (50 2/3) doing the heavy lifting.

Fisher was traded to the Ducks late last season and picked up where he left off, earning a spot in the All-Star Game. He had three wins and 66 strikeouts in the first half. Brownell is the franchise’s all-time leader in most pitching categories, including wins (59) and Ks (714), following a respectable first half. Larkins sports a solid 3.64 ERA through nine starts and won five of seven decisions prior to the break, while Jurrjens, who has 128 Major League starts and 53 victories under his belt, hopes to return from injury after going 3-3 with a 3.55 ERA in nine starts.

Rodriguez (13 saves, .183 opponents’ batting average) and All-Star selection Wander Perez have put the bullpen on their backs, and Baez said he’s excited about recent addition Colton Murray, who’ll serve as the set-up man. The 36-year-old K-Rod, who has 437 MLB saves (83 as a member of the New York Mets) including a single-season record 62 in 2008 with the Los Angeles Angels, has proven a key addition.

Another former Met, infielder Jordany Valdespin, has been raking at the plate in his first season on Long Island. He finished the first half with a .351 batting average and was leading the league with a .358 clip entering the All-Star Game. He’s scored 52 runs and swiped 13 bases in addition to reaching base in nearly 30 consecutive games. “Everyone says this is the best Independent League around and I’m glad to be here,” Valdespin said. “We’ve got a great group of guys.”

As a whole, Baez would like to see the Ducks batting average climb much higher than the lackluster .258 mark through 63 games. Former Major Leaguers Emilio Bonifacio (.305, 16 steals), Travis Snider (.279, 9 homers, 45 RBIs) and Lew Ford (.271, 39 RBIs) all enjoyed a strong opening half. In-season additions Taylor Ard (10 homers in 36 games) and Ramon Cabrera (.993 fielding percentage) bolstered the offense and catcher position, respectively. Ford, Cabrera and power-hitting David Washington were named All-Stars.

“When you’re not one of the two teams that wins the division in the first half, it’s nice to get a fresh start,” Baez said. “We’ve been able to bounce back in the second half in previous years, but nothing’s guaranteed.”

Bud Harrelson night: Aug. 3

The Ducks have teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Association to present “Bud Harrelson Appreciation Night” on Aug. 3. 

The evening will be highlighted by a pre-game ceremony honoring the baseball legend and all that he has accomplished with Long Island’s hometown team. During the festivities, Harrelson’s #3 jersey, which he wore throughout his 13-year career with the Mets and since the Ducks inaugural season of 2000, will be permanently retired and affixed next to the DuckVision video board in left-center field. The program will also feature special remarks from the Harrelson family and members of the Ducks organization.

Ducks players and coaches will pay tribute while also raising awareness for Alzheimer’s, which Harrelson was recently diagnosed with, by donning special purple jerseys throughout the course of their game against the Road Warriors, with each player wearing Harrelson’s #3 on the back of their uniform. The jerseys will be auctioned off from the time the gates open through the top of the seventh inning, with net proceeds from the auction benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association. 

“Words do little in describing what Bud Harrelson has meant to the game of baseball, the Long Island community and the Ducks,” said President/GM Michael Pfaff. “Now, facing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis head on, it is fitting we pay tribute to the man and all he has done, while raising awareness for the cause.”