Ducks Lineup is Top Notch

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Sunday, August 17, 2008



CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Dave LaPoint watched his lineup belt out 10 runs in an inning the previous game. Why fix what’s not broken?

The Ducks manager decided to stay with a thriving combination, keeping the same the batting order intact for Friday’s marathon contest against Southern Maryland and Saturday’s rematch. Different days, same results; as the Ducks moved 2 ½ games over the Blue Crabs in the Atlantic Division.

“They can sniff it right now,” LaPoint said. “We’re playing better baseball. The pitching is starting to get better. They’re getting the feeling of, ‘maybe we can get to the postseason.’ Everybody is feeding off each other right now.”

Backup catcher Rob Sandora did not play last night but continued his hot hitting the previous two games, belting a three-run home run in the fourth to help the Ducks jump out to a 10-1 edge on Friday. Sandora took Keith Ramsey’s offering over the wall in left, marking his second long ball of the season. Sandora also logged two RBIs the previous game, allowing LaPoint to rest All-Star catcher Jamie Pogue.

Sandora’s homer was his second of the season, giving the 27-year-old one more than the total he accumulated in five seasons in the Expos/Nationals organization. In 48 games, the 6-1, 200-pound backstop is batting .269 with 21 RBIs and 39 hits.

“You just look for good pitches. I put a good swing on it,” said Sandora before Saturday night’s contest. .

The hot hitting lineup has featured former Nationals outfielder Nook Logan as the leadoff man. Former major leaguers Edgardo Alfonzo, Pete Rose Jr. and Carl Everett have filled out the 2-4 slots with Atlantic League All-Star Ray Navarrete protecting Everett.

Richard Hidalgo, another former Met, provides power potential in the six hole. Damian Rolls continues his recent surge, carrying a 20-game hitting streak into last night. Rolls is batting .397 during that span. Sandora and Pogue have split time catching and hitting eighth, while Haverbusch has broke out his funk since dropping down to ninth.

“That’s one of my pet things as a manager: I like to have a strong lower end of the lineup because sometimes the pitchers relax and think they are easy outs when they really aren’t,” LaPoint said.

Sandora continues to be a pleasant surprise. He never advanced past high A-ball after signing as an undrafted free agent with Montreal in 2003. The West Babylon native played his college ball at Stony Brook University after transferring from Briarcliffe College. He came to the Ducks with the opportunity to play at a higher professional level in his home county and continues to capably back-up Pogue.

“You try and soak up as much as you can,” Sandora said. “You’re playing with Carl [Everett] and Pete [Rose Jr.], all the big leagues guys that have been there. They know the game. You try and learn from them.”

As for Friday night’s contest, in which the last out was recorded shortly before 1:00 a.m., Sandora said the field became almost unplayable after the sixth inning. He said he had never experienced that type of long delay that late in the ballgame in his career.

“That was a first for everybody in the clubhouse,” Sandora said. “We thought once they pulled the tarp, the game was going to be called. It was a weird situation.”