Rain a tough foe for Tri-city
Team has already had 12 washouts this season
At least Tri-city Valleycats centerfielder Carson Maxwell had a good time after another washout Sunday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
In a steady rain, Maxwell ran and slid headfirst on the soaked tarp after the Valleycats announced they suspended the first game of their scheduled doubleheader with Tri-city and Equipe Quebec tied 0-0 in the bottom of the second inning.
"It's just fun," Maxwell said. "You've got to remember to have fun in this game, you know? It keeps you loose a little bit."
The suspended Game 1 will be resumed Friday as part of a doubleheader, when Quebec returns to Bruno Stadium for a series next weekend. General manager Matt Callahan said there will be an announcement on Monday about what will be done with Sunday's postponed second game.
Though Monday is an off day on the Frontier League schedule, the Valleycats and Quebec decided not to play Monday because the forecast doesn't look promising, and Quebec has to take a long bus trip to start a series Tuesday against the Washington (Pa.) Wild Things.
Maxwell has had plenty of
chances to perfect his tarpsliding skills this season. The Valleycats have had 12 dates either suspended or rained out completely, including Saturday and Sunday.
They've played six doubleheaders this season — four in the past two weeks — because of rain makeups with three more currently remaining on the schedule. The franchise record is 10 doubleheaders in 2009.
"It's tough," said Maxwell, who is from Houston and attended Mcneese State in Louisiana. "They say it's never like this up here. I don't know if I believe them. It's weird. I feel like we haven't played a full nine-inning game in so long . ... Sometimes it's hard to stay locked in when you get locked in and then it's canceled. It's definitely a challenge, but I feel like we help each other out."
Frontier League doubleheaders, like the major leagues, are seven innings each. Valleycats manager Pete Incaviglia said he doesn't like playing seven-inning games because it's harder to come back if his team falls behind early. He also goes to his bullpen earlier.
"For any manager, I think, we don't like doubleheaders," Incaviglia said, "but on the other hand, the way the weather is, we don't have any choice. It is what it is. You've got to deal with it. I don't think I manage any different, I just move the timetable up because it's a seven-inning game."
Incaviglia said he thinks the doubleheaders are tougher on his position players than his pitching staff.
"They're playing 14 innings," Incaviglia said. "The way the schedule sets up, getting Mondays off, we're still able to get guys rest. That's been the only good part about this."
Valleycats starting pitcher Josh Hiatt had his starts on July 1 and 3 shortened by rain to 1 1/3 and one inning, respectively.
"I wouldn't say it messes up (his routine) too much," Hiatt said. "I kind of do the same thing every day to prepare for every fifth day or whatever. As long as we get some kind of throwing in, it doesn't affect us too much."
During rain delays, Valleycats players play ping pong to pass the time in the clubhouse with catcher Daniel Angulo and Hiatt going at each other. Even with the interruptions, Tri-city has won 17 of 23 games to improve to 21-22 and take over first place in the Frontier League's Atlantic Division.
"When you're playing good baseball, you just want to get on the field, no matter what," shortstop Nelson Molina said.
Besides his GM duties, Callahan also leads the tarp crew, which has been working overtime lately. He acknowledged the rainouts have affected attendance. It's been another challenge for the Valleycats, already adjusting to their first year as an independent and welcoming back fans from the pandemic.
The Valleycats are second in the Frontier League at 2,025 fans per game, about half of what they drew as a Houston Astros affiliate.
"Look, the weather is a challenge," Callahan said. "We know it every year. It's been particularly challenging this year because we've had a lot of rain, more than I ever remember. Of course, it impacts the gate . ... It's a challenge we need to deal with and we've always factored that into our model and that's why we prioritize working with groups and trying to get tickets sold in advance."