By Brian Bohl
CENTRAL ISLIP, NY- Over the course of a 140-game season, it can be difficult to select a single defining moment. But manager Dave LaPoint can look back at Sept. 7 as the day the Ducks solidified its status as a postseason contender.
Entering a doubleheader in York, the Ducks were clinging to just a half-game lead in the Atlantic League’s Liberty Division standings. Six losses in seven games cut the lead from three and a half games, threatening to break the franchise’s streak of four consecutive playoff appearances.
A well-pitched game by staff ace Randy Leek in the opener and an offensive onslaught allowed the Ducks to sweep the twin-bill. Since then, the Ducks won five of the next seven contests, reducing its magic number to three entering Tuesday night. Barring a collapse heading into Sunday’s regular season finale in Bridgeport, the Flock will face the Camden Riversharks in the best-of-three first round.
“It was big for a lot of different reasons,” LaPoint said about taking two games in one day against the Revolution. “We hadn’t won a game up there [in York] this year. We weren’t doing anything, but everybody is getting healthy at the right time and everybody got back in the groove. We kicked it in right there.”
The road to another division title seemed to be easy thanks to a nine-game winning streak in August. Nook Logan, a former Washington National who solidified the centerfield and leadoff spots, injured his arm and former Mets Richard Hidalgo and Carl Everett also missed time.
“We lost Carl and other guys and everyone went into a funk for two weeks,” LaPoint said. “The guys were just not hitting.
“They did it as a group. So the good thing about it is you come out of it as a group. Right now anybody in our lineup can hurt you. That’s a good feeling.”
Everett returned to the lineup and crushed his 28th homer of the season during a 7-5 victory over Camden Monday night in a potential playoff preview. Everett set a new Ducks single-season home run record, surpassing a mark held by ex-big leaguers Kimera Bartee and Henry Rodriguez, who both hit 27.
At one point, the Ducks roster featured 14 players who claimed big league experience. Yet the club has consistently struggled away from home. At Citibank Park, the Ducks are 43-28. Away from Suffolk County, LaPoint’s team is just 26-38, a mark the manager blames on the let-down from small crowds instead of the constantly filled to capacity crowds that attend home games.
Should the Ducks close the deal, Game 1 will be at Citibank Park Sept. 23 with Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) held at Camden’s Campbell’s Field. With every game critical, LaPoint said records don’t hold much weight.
“We have the type of team where home or road doesn’t make a difference,” LaPoint said. “Stats really don’t matter at this time. They are a lot of people playing at a higher level. All throughout the year, you have players going in and out. You’re in flux most of the year.
“Now you know who you got and who you’re going with. So it shouldn’t matter.”