Things are starting to get seriously worrying for the Boucaniers. 7th straight loss for Pablo Ossandon’s side, who were no match for a much sharper Savigny. La Rochelle is now just two wins away from 4th place and two wins away from 8th. Nothing is lost, but nothing is won. La Rochelle is stuck in the middle, but not far from sinking if the tide doesn’t turn. Because nothing seems to be working: during this streak, the pitching has a 6.36 ERA, which is a lot, and the hitters are batting just .157, which is very, very low. No surprise when you see the so-called offensive leaders struggling, like Johnston (.167) or Tovar (.137) during this period. You can see the coaching staff trying different things, with changes in the line-ups, the rotation, defensive positions, and numerous substitutions (La Rochelle has used the most players, 23), but to no avail. It’s even a bit of a sense of panic that’s coming through from a team that has no answers. It’s especially on the road that La Rochelle can’t seem to get out of trouble: 1 win in 8 games, a trend already observed last season (4-10). Against the Lions, La Rochelle barely existed. In the first game, the Lions drove the nail in gently by scoring 1 run in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings before hitting hard with a 4-run push in the 6th. The writing was on the wall. It was even shorter in game 2, everything was settled by the 3rd inning with a 6-run push. For La Rochelle, a reaction is essential this weekend against Rouen, or risk facing a very perilous end to the season.
The example to follow is that of La Rochelle’s opponents. Savigny was going nowhere at the start of the season: 5 straight losses to begin the championship, only 2 wins in the first 11 games. A defense in distress, a completely failing bullpen, key players below their standards, like Acuna, we wondered if Savigny could get out of it. Then there was a first spark with a win against Rouen, prelude to an exceptional run in the France Challenge, crowned with a title. Since then, everything has fallen into place: 4 wins in 6 games, a rotation strengthened by the arrival of Pena (3-0, 0.50 ERA), plays that are made (3.5 errors per game before, 1.8 since), and Acuna who has found his groove (.409). After looking down for so long, Savigny can start to hold their heads high and dream of a playoff spot.
Because no one is really out of it. For now, Toulouse and Sénart are neck and neck (9-9). But what will be the future of the Templiers? They are without Do Carmo for the rest of the season and Lopez for the next 4 games. The disciplinary commission has ruled, after the incidents surrounding the Montpellier – Sénart game in the France Challenge. The very strong sanction that hit the Brazilian comes after insulting messages sent via personal messaging to the match referee. We will leave it to the lawyers to consider whether the suspension is appropriate, insufficient, or too heavy. Protecting the integrity of referees is never a bad idea, that’s for sure. Will we see a generalized tightening of the punishment for delinquent acts against officials? We’ll see in the future. What was a bit more surprising was the fact that the name of the player at fault was never mentioned, whether in a long post by the federation president who launched the affair on social media (can we question the method of communication?) or in the statement signed by the president of the disciplinary commission. It’s very good to sanction, but why leave the doubt of anonymity hanging? In any case, Sénart, who was doing averagely (2 wins in their last 8 games), won’t have all their weapons for the final sprint. Fortunately for the Templiers, the arrival of a fiery Nayral, clocked at 94 mph, and a hot-batting Tanguy Meurant against Rouen last Sunday, leave them with some assets to defend themselves. The upcoming clash against Toulouse could take on a decisive character.
Stade split with Béziers in a match played the previous week and continues a rollercoaster season, failing to string together wins but avoiding losing streaks. Their last 10 games, for example, have been a mixed bag: a loss, then a win, then a loss, then a win, and so on. The young Toulouse team’s season has been marked by numerous injuries to key players, and if everything falls into place, Toulouse will have every means to qualify for the semifinals for the third season in a row. That semifinal spot, Béziers is eyeing with greed. The promoted team fears nothing. After a natural adjustment to D1 (2 wins in 8 games), Béziers has gotten into gear, carried by a top-6 offense of the highest order, where young Lucas Keurinck impresses week after week. The pitching of Gonzalez and, more recently, the relief of Lira (who has a streak of 11 consecutive strikeouts) has nothing to envy any bullpen, and the young French arms are starting to find their rhythm. Lesfargues, who had an imposing average of 12.33 in his first 5 games, has reduced it to 5.79 in his last four. It’s not perfect, but it can allow Béziers to snatch important wins at the end of the season.
When we say that no one is out of it, even Metz, who like the others suffered the law of the Montpellier steamroller on Saturday (and it’s likely that the rain on Sunday avoided another defeat for the Lorrainers). The Cometz are indeed last, but 3 games away from 4th place, it’s not completely out of reach. But it’s tough for Metz, who score few runs (71, fourteen fewer than the second-to-last in this category) and concede many (126, the second highest total, one fewer than Savigny but with one fewer game). The arrival of Pastran and Bailey has done some good, but with a pitching staff that collectively has a 6.19 ERA, it will be very complicated for coach Ruiz’s men. Metz is paying for a completely failed start to the season (1 win / 8 losses), and, for now, seems the best-placed candidate to finish in last place. Montpellier is far from having the same problems. The Barracudas are dominating the championship and not giving anyone a breather. It’s hard to believe it’s the same team that was beaten twice on the first day by La Rochelle. Everything is going well for Montpellier. For example, on Saturday, against Metz, we were surprised to see Paolo Brossier, dominant at the top of the lineup, moved to the 5th spot. He came through, so the choice was excellent. Same for the Canadian Walters, struggling since his arrival, hidden in the 8th spot, and who starts to produce. We were just as surprised with the wealth of the Barracudas’ bullpen, coach Smith calling on Guiraud in the 7th inning. He pitched three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit. With a Flores who is establishing himself as one of the best players in the championship, the Doat, Kovacs, Polit, who are doing the job, and a Vera who dominates every time he takes the mound, we can only label the Montpelliérains as the big favorites.
Rouen, however, remains in the wings, right on the heels of the team that beat them in the European Cup semifinals. The Huskies imposed themselves without too many problems against Sénart, with a really effective offense, which dominates in most categories. The Huskies have strengthened with an Australian pitcher (Livian) and an American shortstop (Martinez), showing that they don’t want to let go until the end of the season. This is going to make the summer exciting.
F.C.
Photo credit: F Volpato and RS Club
