As usual, Medicine Hat is a team of teens. Every once in a while, the Blue Jays show signs they're coming of age, and Manager J.J. Cannon says he's seeing that happen regularly in the second half of this Pioneer League season.
"They rise to the occasion against the better teams," says Cannon, whose youngsters, while just compiling a 16-39 record, have played five games against the Southern Division-leading Salt Lake Trappers (36-20) and have won two of them, both shutouts."The Trappers are just a well-balanced team, and our guys play better against the good teams," Cannon says.
For 19-year-old left-handed pitcher Travis Baptist, that was certainly true Wednesday night in Derks Field.
The youngster didn't even come close to his team's 110-pitch limit in a 7-0, complete-game win over Salt Lake.
He limited the league's third-best batters to three hits and had a no-hitter until one was out in the sixth inning, when Trapper Todd Stefan ripped a double to the left-field corner.
"I hung that first slider for that first hit," said Baptist, who was at least glad it was "nothing cheap" that broke up his no-hitter.
"I was aware of it," he said of the no-hitter, "but no one in the dugout would talk to me."
Once the no-hitter was gone, the shutout was the goal, and Baptist, whose teammates picked up five runs in the seventh and eighth innings, got nervous when he walked Trapper David Rolls with one out in the ninth. He remembered doing that in the ninth inning of another game and losing.
"I'm young and making mistakes," Baptist said.
But not so many now. "All year he's shown steady improvement," says Cannon. "This was his best of the year."
Baptist offered Salt Lake the usual pitches but had good control and kept the ball low to get the Trappers beating it into the ground. Through the first six innings, only four balls went to the outfield.
He uses two fastballs, one over the top and the other from the side that runs a little, like a slider.
"He's a spot pitcher and got ahead of our hitters and made us hit his pitch all night," said Trapper Manager Nick Belmonte. "It was one of those nights. Their guy pitched an outstanding game, and they hit the ball well."
Salt Lake often swung at the first pitch, sometimes a sign of anxiety, but Belmonte credited Baptist's control for that. "He made some good first pitches," Belmonte said.
Baptist's numbers coming into the game - a 2-4 record and 4.34 earned-run average - didn't terrify anyone, but, said Belmonte, "He was 4.34, which means he's capable of doing it."
It was the first time the Trappers had faced Baptist. "Hopefully the last," said Belmonte. The Blue Jays remain in town tonight and Friday to conclude the season series.
Medicine Hat poked 15 hits, but it only got two runs on nine hits in six innings against Trapper starter Willie Ambos. "We'll take that any time," said Belmonte.
Trapper errors encouraged scoring in the seventh and eighth. One error put the seventh-inning leadoff man on to help a three-run spree. Ted Langowski's two-run double was the big blow. A two-base throwing error put a man on third in the eighth, and he scored on Felipe Crespo's triple. Crespo scored on a single by John Soukalis, who had three hits for the night, as did Stoney Briggs and Langowski.
Belmonte's biggest gripe was that the Trappers got their leadoff man on base only twice. "That lessens your chance of scoring," he said, "and when you fall behind, it takes away a lot of your offensive weapons."
The loss didn't hurt the Traps, who remained three games up on Idaho Falls.