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player ready...Phil Bates, a regular in the Slammers’ outfield again this season, was having trouble contributing at the plate.
The 24-year-old Georgia native was batting .224 at the All-Star break with only nine RBIs.
“There’s been highs and lows,” Bates said. “I haven’t really found a consistent wave to ride, but I’m finding it right now.”
Batting leadoff for the first time this season, Bates delivered a two-run double and a solo home run Sunday to lead the offense in a 6-5 win over River City at Silver Cross Field.
Joliet (37-28) has won seven in a row after a 2-10 stretch shrunk their lead in the Frontier League East Division.
“For me this was a big game, but for the team as well,” said Bates, who has raised his average to .241. “We just swept two series in a row. That’s huge. Any time you’re doing that, it’s huge.”
Manager Jeff Isom said Charlie White, the Slammers’ All-Star center fielder and normal leadoff hitter, has needed a day off ”for a long time.”
White, first baseman Marc Flores and shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez were the only Slammers to have played all 64 games before Sunday.
“They gave Charlie a day off,” Bates said. “I guess I was the right guy for the role.”
Sikes Orvis contributed two hits and two runs in the No. 7 spot and Casey Fletcher was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI batting eighth.
“The bottom of the order feeds off the top of the order,” Bates said. “Vice versa. If you get strong at-bats one through nine, then you’re playing good ball. That’s the goal. Everybody, one through nine, have good at-bats and you’ll come out on top usually.”
Left-hander Chris Rice (2-0, 3.96 ERA) pitched six solid innings (7 hits, 1 earned run) in his third start after spending most of the season in the bullpen.
“I was a starter my whole life,” Rice said. “I tried to come in spring training as a starter. My my arm really wasn’t up to it, so he (Isom) put me in the pen.
“He kind of worked me up long innings, couple four-inning outings, three-inning outings, to work the pitch count up. He gave me the Fourth of July spot start and everything just clicked.”
Isom expects Rice to remain in the rotation for the final 31 games.
“He’s got the stuff to be a starter,” Isom said. “He’s got the stuff to be a quality pitcher in this league.”
River City (30-35) rallied with three runs in the ninth, but Mitchell Osnowitz got the final two outs for his first save.
“Two straight sweeps, seven in a row,” Isom said. “Yeah, we’ll take that. They haven’t been easy. Good thing we’re scoring runs, adding extra runs.”
Joliet opens a three-game series Tuesday against Normal at Silver Cross Field. Bates likes the camaraderie among the 2016 Slammers compared to last year.
“There’s a lot better team chemistry, for sure,” Bates said. “We’ve got a core group of guys that started from the beginning, and we’ve made some additions with Boo (Vazquez) getting signed and a few other guys leaving.
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“Everybody that Isom brought in here has kind of bought in to what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s really cool.”
Tim Tierney is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.