Good teams win the ones they have to.
Great teams win the ones they have no business winning.
Lately, the 2009 Tri-City Dust Devils are somewhere between these two categories. But this could be a great team without question. All the pieces are there.
One of the most impressive traits of this year's squad is it's ability to come back from early deficits with a late rally. The Dust Devils have done it 11 times in their 19 victories this season.
Another trait that serves Tri-City well is its bullpen, which has the ability to hold a lead through the mid- to late innings.
In a 2-1 win over Eugene on Sunday, the Dust Devils looked like they were all but done after failing to bring in Tim Wheeler after his leadoff double in the eighth inning. It was discouraging to say the least. And then when the Emeralds loaded the bases with one out in the 10th inning, it certainly looked like Tri-City had its back against the wall.
But somehow, the Dust Devils got it done.
Then, in a 9-6 loss Monday, Tri-City trailed 6-0 before cutting the lead to 6-5 in the seventh inning. Until Eugene's Vince Belnome put the game out of reach with a two-run homer in the eighth, it looked like the Dust Devils had enough momentum to overtake the Emeralds.
And this is a team that has been hurting offensively since the promotion of Scott Beerer and Michael Zuanich last week. Granted, taking away a team's top two offensive producers is going to sting, but the Dust Devils still have a lot of firepower in the lineup.
Believe me, Kent Matthes is going to get hot at some point. Joseph Sanders is going to find his swing. Ben Paulsen has been a great addition to the lineup at first base and is already swinging a good bat offensively.
Even though Tri-City has lost three of its last four games, I like the team's chances of picking things up again very soon. The pitching has been strong from top to bottom, and that's without Rex Brothers the hard-throwing left-hander out of Lipscomb University.
The unspoken truth among Dust Devils coaches and players has been that the East Division is theirs to win. If pitching and defense wins championships, then there's no reason Tri-City shouldn't reach the Northwest League championship series.
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On paper, Dust Devils have NWL title wrapped up
On paper, Dust Devils have NWL title wrapped up
PASCO -- If you look at the Northwest League website, you'll see that the Tri-City Dust Devils have vastly superior numbers to the Vancouver Canadians.
The Dust Devils swept the first half and second half East Division titles, and then went on to sweep Boise in the best-of-3 NWL divisional playoffs.
The Canadians didn't win either half in the West and backed into the playoffs after losing five of their last six regular season games.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 3
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 3
Here's a quick Dust Devils alumni update: Russell Wilson, who played second base here in 2010 before heading back to the North Carolina State football team, where he started at quarterback.
Well, this year, he's quarterbacking Wisconsin after he was essentially shown the door at NC State when he chose to keep playing baseball in the Colorado Rockies' system. But it's been a great pickup for the Badgers, who beat UNLV tonight 51-17 in the season opener for both teams.
Wilson played most of the game and showed he is a great fit for the offense. As expected, he handed the ball off a lot, but he was also efficient when it came to making passes. Wilson completed 10-of-13 passes for 255 yards and two TDs. He also broke off an impressive 46-yard touchdown run near the end of the first half, getting a couple of great blocks along the way.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Yakima Bears, Game 1
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Yakima Bears, Game 1
Good to be back at Gesa Stadium after a long, eight-day road trip!! Hard to believe there's only
As I arrived in the press box, I was pleased to see a ceviche tostada waiting for me in my usual spot, courtesy of Dust Devils play-by-play man Jason Schwartz. God bless America, I thought. And thank God for Hacienda del Sol out in the stadium concourse for offering a $1 special on ceviche today. I liked the first one so much I rushed down to get two more. Screw hamburgers!
If I had to live on one food for the rest of my life, I just might have to go with sushi. But I've decided a good whitefish ceviche would be a close second. (as I write this, Tony Wise — the Dust Devils official scorer — is peering over my shoulder, wondering what I'm writing about. I did offer him one of my ceviche tostadas earlier, but he turned it down.)
Dust Devils on verge of NWL title
Dust Devils on verge of NWL title
The Tri-City Dust Devils got exactly what they needed today.
Well, a win of course. They needed that to keep their hopes of a Northwest League championship alive.
But it was more the spirit of the Dust Devils' 5-3 Game 2 win Saturday over Vancouver that put them in a great place heading into Sunday's game. It was one of those gritty, bloody-nose type battles that really lets you know what kind of team you really have.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Spokane Indians, Game 2
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Spokane Indians, Game 2
Another beautiful day at Gesa Stadium, and here I am getting paid to watch baseball. Rough life, I know.
Actually, it wasn't so beautiful earlier this afternoon, though. I was out in Richland doing some feature interviews for our upcoming football preview (which comes out Friday, Sept. 2), and there was a wicked windstorm that kicked up from the south.
The wind was still gusting as I headed out to Chiawana's practice in Pasco. No dirt to kick up, really, since they've got field turf on their practice field. But the wind was blowing my notebook pages all over the place.
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