Jul 24, 2018 5 min read

Things change quickly in the Frontier League.

When the league returned from its four-day all-star break July 13, the Wild Things were in first place in the East Division with a comfortable three-game advantage on its closest competition. However, when play began Tuesday night, Washington was sinking like a rock, having lost seven of nine games since the all-star break and had fallen into fourth place in the division. If the playoffs started Tuesday, Washington would be on the outside looking in.

So the Wild Things have taken the approach that there are six weeks left in the season and they are going to use them to their advantage to get back to their sizzling form of mid-June. That new outlook began Tuesday night with the opening game of a series against the East Division’s new first-place team, the Joliet Slammers.

Washington gave the baseball to lefty ace Thomas Dorminy and gave him one task: stop the slide.

For all but about seven pitches, Dorminy threw the baseball well enough to win. Those other pitches, however, proved costly as Joliet designated hitter Justin Garcia hit a pair of home runs, a two-run bomb in the sixth inning and a solo shot in the eighth, that sent the Slammers to a 4-2 victory.

The loss left Washington three games behind Joliet and closer to fifth place in the standings than to the Slammers.

“We’re not in the same place we were a month ago,” Washington Gregg Langbehn said, giving an evaluation of his team’s mental state. “It’s not because of a lack of effort. The last road trip we should have gone 5-1.”

Instead, the Wild Things went 2-4 on a trip to Normal and River City, and they couldn’t generate much momentum against Joliet. The Slammers, who lead the Frontier League in quality starts, got six strong innings from rookie pitcher Daren Osby and two relievers kept the Slammers in the lead.

Joliet broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth. Trey Fulton drew a two-out walk on five pitches and Garcia, who played 14 games for the Wild Things in 2016 before being released in spring training last year, followed with a two-run homer over the video board in right field to give Joliet a 3-1 lead.

Garcia made it 4-2 in the eighth with a solo homer, also off Dorminy (7-4).

They were the 15th and 16th home runs of the season for Garcia, who sat out last season after being cut by Washington, then had to pester Joliet manager Jeff Isom for a tryout this spring.

“He called me and called me. He was persistent enough to call when he had nothing going for himself,” Isom said. “In spring training, I saw that that he is a physical specimen. Then I saw the ball jumping off his bat. He had good numbers in college at Nova Southeastern, but his numbers weren’t good in pro ball. I asked him what happened, and he said all the right things. … He said he was willing to work hard and he has been an asset to the team. He might have had some extra motivation against his former team.”

After Garcia’s first home run, Washington was able to pull to within 3-2 in the seventh when Brett Marr scored on Roman Collins’ sacrifice fly against reliever Keegan Long. The Wild Things left two runners on base in that inning.

From the fourth inning through the seventh, Washington stranded seven baserunners.

Garcia’s second homer gave the Slammers another two-run lead in the eighth.

“Bad pitches at the wrong time,” Langbehn said. “That’s how things are going for us. We have to fight through it. Nobody said it was going to be easy.”

Joliet took a 1-0 lead in the third on Danny Zardon’s sacrifice fly that scored Chaz Meadows. Washington tied the score in the fourth with an unearned run. Kyle Pollock reached on a two-base throwing error and scored on Hector Roa’s double.

Osby (3-1) gave up six hits in six innings but did not issue a walk. He struck out six.

Extra bases

Prior to the game, Washington placed relief pitcher Frank Trimarco (4-1, 4.23) on the 14-day disabled list and signed rookie left-handed pitcher Kellen Croce, who played college ball at Division II New Haven this spring. … Washington center fielder James Harris was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk. … Former Wild Things pitcher Jacob Condra-Bogan, who played in Washington last year, was traded Sunday by the Kansas City Royals to the Washington Nationals for major league outfielder Brian Goodwin. Condra-Bogan was 1-1 with six saves and a 2.06 ERA for Class A Lexington at the time the trade. He has been assigned to Wilmington of the Class A Carolina League.