Barnstormin’

[caption id=”attachment_2160″ align=”alignnone” width=”450″ caption=”Sendy Rleal and Manny Mejia”][/caption]

	Erik Dessau* 4-5, 4.65 ERA		Juan Padilla 0-0, 0.00 ERA

Manager Von Hayes has placed an emphasis on defense since the start of spring training. That’s part of the reason he released Dominick Ambrosini and signed Jarred Ball. It’s why the team moved Mike Woods from second base to left field and put Juan Francia at second base.

Has the philosophy worked? Not really. The Barnstormers never adequately replaced Ambrosini’s production. Ball hit .190 here. Francia batted .225 until he was put on the bench. Woods has been the best leadoff hitter in the league, but his bat is better suited for his original position. Lancaster’s offense ranks last in several categories.

With that background in mind, the trade of Manny Mejia to the Newark Bears Friday shouldn’t have been all that surprising. Mejia struggled defensively and newcomer David Castillo looks like a significant upgrade. The difference between this move and the others mentioned above is Castillo could also be a better hitter. He doesn’t strike out as often as Mejia and gets on base more.

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[caption id=”attachment_2109″ align=”alignnone” width=”450″ caption=”Danny Gonzalez and Manny Mejia”][/caption]

	Shane Youman 4-2, 5.48 ERA		Aaron Rakers 7-6, 4.64 ERA

The Barnstormers have made a four-player trade with Newark. They sent C Manny Mejia and a player to be named later to the Bears in exchange for P Matt Sweeney and P Steve Kent.

Newark has needed a catcher since John Pachot bolted for Mexico last month and the Barnstormers were less-than-enthralled with Mejia’s defensive skills. Add in the fact that Lancaster just lost Judd Songster, creating a hole in the bullpen, and this trade makes some sense.

Does it make enough sense? Let’s see.

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[caption id=”attachment_2066″ align=”alignnone” width=”380″ caption=”Nick Renault”][/caption]

	Nick Renault 3-6, 6.69 ERA		Jim Magrane 4-7, 6.26 ERA

When the Barnstormers return to Clipper Magazine Stadium for their big series against York Friday night, they’ll have a new pitcher in their rotation. His name is Erik Dessau. He’s a 6-3, 212-pound righthander who has been acquired from the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies in exchange for future considerations.

Dessau, 25, was 4-5 with a 4.65 ERA in 13 starts for the Grizzlies. This was his fourth season with the club and this year’s stats are actually his worst to date. The St. Louis native enjoyed greater success at that level in the past, including a 14-2 record and 3.07 ERA last season.

Career stats here.

The Barnstormers desperately needed another pitcher, preferably a starter. The team was down to 10 healthy arms. Dessau’s arrival will allow Lancaster to keep Yamel Guevara in the bullpen, where he has proven more effective. Dessau could start as soon as Saturday.

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	Eric Ackerman 4-6, 4.54 ERA		Josh Brey 5-0, 3.83 ERA

The off day came at an opportune time for the Barnstormers. After losing Josh Hall and Judd Songster in a two-day span, the team’s pitching staff was depleted and overworked. The bullpen in particular needed a rest.

Monday was Hall’s turn to start. Manager Von Hayes decided to skip that turn and go back to the top of the rotation. That means Eric Ackerman pitches tonight and Jason Scobie goes Wednesday. The off day allowed the team to keep Yamel Guevara in the bullpen — for now — and provided more time to search for a potential fifth starter.

The Barnstormers are riding a four-game winning streak into an interesting series. They play the next three at Somerset’s Commerce Bank Ballpark, which — as avid fans know — has replaced the Sandcastle as Lancaster’s house of horrors.

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The Barnstormers are 16 games into the second half and alone in first place. They’re 9-7 and one game ahead of York in the crowded Freedom Division. Lancaster’s four-game sweep of Newark gave everyone reason to believe the home team might stay in this race.

Here are five reasons the Barnstormers may contend followed by five reasons they may not.

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	Nick Renault 3-6, 6.72 ERA		Pat Stanley 9-3, 3.79 ERA

Josh Hall is the quintessential Atlantic League story. The righthander came to the Barnstormers at a low point in his career. His confidence was down. His results with Double-A Harrisburg were terrible. He was in desperate need of a fresh start.

It happened in Lancaster. While many players decide to go home for the summer after being released from affiliated ball, Hall took the Zack Parker route. He signed with the Barnstormers almost immediately after getting cut by the Nationals. He went 6-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 13 starts and is now back in Triple-A with the Rockies.

While this league has its faults, and while the Barnstormers’ player procurement has become a two-year study in frustration, Hall’s progression is one of the things that makes coming to the ballpark every night worthwhile. It’s fun to see talented players get another shot.

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	Jason Scobie 0-0, 2.16 ERA		Benito Baez 4-3, 4.32 ERA

The Barnstormers went back to their familiar top-of-the-lineup formula Thursday night. That meant Mike Woods in the leadoff spot and Danny Gonzalez hitting second. The decision left only one question: What took so long?

The Woods-Gonzalez combo ranks among the best in the league. Both players are patient hitters who draw walks and sport excellent on-base percentages. Woods’ on-base is .396. Gonzalez’s is .401. This is where they belong.

“I’ve always batted second,” Gonzalez said. “I feel comfortable anywhere. I’m trying to do my best every time I go out there, so it really doesn’t matter.”

Gonzalez, despite his 10 homers and team-best .470 slugging percentage, was miscast as a No. 3 hitter. He’s more of a table setter than a slugger. Barnstormers put him third after a rash of injuries and departures left them with little choice. Now that Ian Bladergroen is back, the team can return to its original 1-2 setup.

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	Eric Ackerman 3-6, 4.70 ERA		Mike Bumstead 10-5, 5.21 ERA

Last week, Newark’s second-half hopes looked like they were heading downhill fast. The Bears had dropped six games in a row. Their offense, once among the most feared in the league, wasn’t the same after OF Val Majewski and OF Cory Aldridge were signed by affiliated teams.

Today, Newark is riding a five-game winning streak and is once again atop the Freedom Division standings. The Bears are tied with York at 6-6. How did their fortunes change so quickly? They made two big moves during the All-Star break, signing OF Ruben Mateo and OF Raul Gonzalez.

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	Josh Hall 6-2, 4.01 ERA		Tony Peguero 6-1, 4.52 ERA

Camden is going through the same problems that plagued the Barnstormers in the first half. The Riversharks have lost 11 players either to affiliated ball, retirement or injury. There were some stars among that group, including C Jason Phillips, DH Josh Rabe and P Ryan Drese.

Head of baseball operations David Keller and manager Joe Ferguson have done their best to fill the holes. They’ve added a pair of ex-big leaguers in C Alberto Castillo and P Jose Lima – although neither has performed well so far. They’ve signed two outfielders who have been standouts at this level: Sheldon Fulse and Shaun Boyd.

Despite those maneuverings, the departures have been so fast and so frequent that Camden isn’t the same team these days. Its infield, for example, is a mess.

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	Nick Renault 3-5, 6.16 ERA		Kevin Mannix 0-6, 8.35 ERA

The Barnstormers just completed a six-game homestand with the four-day All-Star break sandwiched in the middle. They went 2-4. For a team building its hopes for contending in the second half on winning at home, this wasn’t a good sign.

One reason the results haven’t changed is the roster hasn’t changed much. The offense hasn’t received the premium upgrade it desperately needs. So the peaks and valleys continue. The Barnstormers scored 19 runs in their two wins during this homestand. They scored 10 runs in their four losses – which included two extra-inning affairs.

Over their last 18 games, the Barnstormers have scored four runs or fewer 11 times. They have just three homers since the second half started. They are dead last in runs, batting average and on-base percentage and are starting to lag significantly behind the seventh-place teams in those categories.

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