Brewster’s Offense Struggles Again in 4-2 Loss at Chatham

By: Koki Riley

​CHATHAM, M.A. – There was an odd calmness to Whitecaps head coach Jamie Shevchik’s voice after his team’s fourth loss in five days on Monday night in Chatham.
 
Brewster (13-15-1) has scored just five runs in its last two games. After stranding at least one man in scoring for the first seven innings of yesterday’s ballgame against Wareham, the Whitecaps mustered just one extra base hit and struck out 11 times against the Anglers (18-11-2) in the 4-2 defeat.
 
But even still, Shevchik didn’t seem too concerned.
 
“We just didn’t have the firepower to come back,” Shevchik said after the loss. “Our lefties primarily add most of our power. So, when you throw a lefty like (Jeremy Wu-Yelland) (Hawaii) it neutralizes the home run.”
 
The home run is the magic trick that the Whitecaps offense has relied on all summer. This season, Brewster is second in the Cape League in home runs with 24 despite not hitting any long bombs in their last two contests.
 
But the Whitecaps tendency to swing for the fences has resulted in tons of strikeouts. Brewster has struck out 271 times this summer, more than every team in the league other than Orleans.
 
For Shevchik, the punch outs have yet to trouble the Whitecaps head coach.
 
“No, I’m not (concerned about the high strikeout totals).” Shevchik said. “As long as our home runs numbers are up like they are I’m willing to let these guys go. Let them swing because at any point any one of these guys can hit the ball and we can have a two or three run lead.”
 
The serene tone from the Whitecaps head coach shows a head coach who never gets too high or too low on any given result.
 
In Shevchik’s head there’s always another battle to be fought the next day. A mindset that guided the Whitecaps to a league championship in 2017 and an Eastern Divisional Finals appearance last season after starting the season at 2-14-2.
 
The Cape Cod Baseball League has a long season. In about eight and a half weeks teams play 44 games with limited days off sprinkled throughout the season. In short, the summer is a marathon and not a sprint.
 
And yes, the Whitecaps only have 15 more games to solidify a spot in the postseason. But, a lot can still happen between now and July 31st.
 
Shevchik’s formula has worked in the past. But with Harwich just a point behind the Whitecaps in the standings, will Shevchik’s patience pay off again?
 
Brewster faces off again Chatham again, but this time from Stony Brook Field. First pitch in Brewster will be at 5 p.m.