Elm City Update: New Haven Ravens

By Peter Smith

On the evening of Mon., Sept. 7, anyone walking around the Yale campus would have heard the loud fireworks coming from Yale Field after the Ravens game. One could only imagine the massive celebration going on over in West Haven--shouts, laughter, even tears. Anyone who was actually there, however, would quickly point out that not only was there very little celebration, there was very little to celebrate.

The New Haven Ravens, the AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, closed out their dismal season on Monday with an 11-6 loss to the playoff-bound Binghamton Mets. The 2,693 fans who came out to Yale Field for the season-finale witnessed two blown three-run leads, of 4-1 and 6-3, after the sixth inning. Binghamton scored two runs in the seventh and four in the eighth and ninth off Ravens relievers Heath Bost and John Salamon.

Bost in particular has experienced a rough season. He started the season on the disabled list after falling down a set of stairs, and he ended it by allowing four earned runs without getting any outs. Salamon gave up two singles and walked two in the ninth before manager Tim Blackwell pulled him in favor of Robbie Beckett. Beckett surrendered an infield single, which resulted in a bases-clearing error when shortstop Kyle Houser's throw flew past second and into right field.

The poor bullpen performance overshadowed a solid effort by starting pitcher Mike Kusiewicz, who finished the season with a 14-7 record. Kusiewicz gave up only three runs in seven innings. His earned run average was the lowest in the Eastern League, and he finished second in wins.

As terrible as this game may sound, the Ravens did win their three previous contests with Binghamton. They were trying for a sweep on Monday, which would have been the first time in franchise history that the Ravens swept a four-game series.

Still, it is obvious that the Ravens must regroup. It's hard to place the blame on any particular aspect of the team, be it the pitching, offense, or defense. In the case of the Ravens, everyone is responsible and there is no doubt that everyone is disappointed.

They have much to ponder in the offseason, and with luck, they'll turn it around next year.

Back to Sports...