Jul 10, 2016 4 min read

Following an easy-as-it-appears 8-1 victory Sunday over the Schaumburg Boomers that moved Washington into a tie for first place in the Frontier League’s East Division, the Wild Things’ players and coaches weren’t caught saying it, but they sure had to be pondering one collective thought:

Can’t we postpone the all-star break for a week or two?

Why stop now when the Wild Things are rattling off one series win after another? Why go on hiatus when the batters have figured out how to smack around opposing pitchers like they’re batting practice fodder? Why can’t the band keep on playing? Where does it say that the Frontier League has to take a four-day break every July?

It says so, on the schedule, where it always is. Those are the breaks of the game, and that’s bad for the Wild Things because, with the exception of a two-inning stretch Friday night, they just played their best baseball of the season during the last week.

Washington won its third consecutive series and for the sixth time in eight games to enter the all-star break with a 27-22 record and tied with the foundering Joliet Slammers, who have lost five in a row. The Wild Things’ winning percentage is .002 better than that of the Slammers.

“We’re playing really well,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn said, “but all-star breaks are always good. It gives the guys a chance to rest. We’ll regroup and hope that we come back with the same energy and mentality that we’ve had.”

Washington will send four players – right fielder David Popkins, third baseman Ricky Rodriguez, starting pitcher Trevor Foss and closer Zac Grotz – to the all-star game Wednesday in Florence, Ky. Three of the four all-stars played big roles in the one-sided win over Schaumburg. And Grotz, who hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, has only Foss to blame for not being able contribute anything more than walking and stretching in the bullpen.

Foss (7-2), a right-hander from Jamesville, Wisc., who spent the last three years in the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system, pitched his league-leading seventh complete game (in 11 starts) and allowed only one unearned run. Foss scattered nine hits but he did not issue a walk and struck out eight. He threw 117 pitches.

“I talked to Trevor before the eighth inning and he was at only 91 pitches,” Langbehn said. “He told me he wanted to finish it. And really, 117 pitches is not that much, though it’s the most pitches he’s thrown in a game this year.”

Before this year, the Wild Things’ single-season record for complete games by a pitcher was five, set by Ben Ally in 2003 and matched by Justin Hall in 2011. Foss already has surpassed that total and is only two shy of the league record of nine that was set in 2000.

“I talked to Zac before the game and I told him, I know it’s the last game before the all-star break, but there’s a good chance you might not get to pitch in this one because Trevor is pitching,” Langbehn said. “Trevor pitches to contact and he doesn’t walk batters. He’s so pitch efficient, that’s what keeps him in ballgames.”

Washington’s hitters were making a lot of contact over the weekend. For the second day in a row they matched their season high with 14 hits. Designated hitter Jimmy Yezzo led the way with two solo home runs, one to right field in the fifth inning that made the score 6-1 and one to the opposite field, just inside the left-field foul pole in the seventh inning.

“Yeah, maybe it’s not a good time for the all-star break,” said Yezzo, who has a team-high eight home runs. “We got some new players in here and we’re on a roll. We have some confidence … but four days off doesn’t hurt.”

Yezzo and Rodriguez each went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Popkins also drove in two runs. Five different Wild Things had multi-hit games against Schaumburg starter Lars Liguori (0-3) and two relievers.

“Every time Foss goes out there, we know we’re going to be in the game,” Yezzo said. “We think that if we can get a couple of runs early, then we’ll have a good chance of winning.”

This is the second time in three years that Washington has been in first place at the all-star break. … Schaumburg catcher Chris Robinson left the game in the fifth inning after being hit in the facemask with a foul ball. … Popkins is batting .438 (21-for-48) against left-handed pitching. … Washington will begin the second half of the season Friday at home against West Division leader Southern Illinois.