Ezi a defensive wizard

When the words came out of Corey Thurman’s mouth in spring training, I couldn’t help but laugh a little bit.

“He could be a fourth outfielder in the major leagues,” Thurman said of teammate Travis Ezi. “He has so much athletic ability and it’s nice to have him out there in center field because he can run anything down. If a fly ball goes out there, there’s a chance he’ll go get it.”

Thurman is known as a great orator. And certainly he was simply trying to pump up one of his teammates. But after awhile, I started bouncing this idea around in my head. Could Ezi really be a serviceable major leaguer? Well, the idea is not as crazy as you might think.

Sure, Ezi has never been quite good enough as a hitter. That’s the reason he’s in the Atlantic League in the first place. But everyone raves about his defense and his range in center. So I went searching for a way to prove Ezi’s worth on defense statistically. I found the Range Factor formula, another creation of the legendary Bill James. Here’s how it works.

Game 16: Somerset 6, York 5

WSBA broadcaster Darrell Henry called it the “Road Trip from Hades.”

His words might have been too kind.

The York Revolution lost for the sixth time on its seven-game road trip Sunday afternoon when Somerset’s Josh Pressley (pictured) slammed a game-winning RBI single into left field in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Atlantic League leading hitter’s heroics gave the Patriots a 6-5 win at Commerce Bank Ballpark.

Gerardo Alvarez scored the winning run after a strange ninth inning. Jason Olson (1-1) struck out David Housel to start the frame and then allowed Alvarez a single to right field. Then with Brandon Larson at the plate, Alvarez took off for second base. A wild pitch from Olson allowed Alvarez to go from first to third on the play and it set the stage for Pressley’s game-winning hit after Larson took first when he was hit by a pitch.

York (6-10) jumped on top in the first inning on a two-run single from Matt Esquivel. After Somerset tied it in the bottom of the first, Keoni De Renne’s RBI groundout scored Kenny Perez and gave York the brief lead, 3-2. Then the Patriots came back with three runs thanks to Elliot Ayala’s two-run triple and Housel’s RBI triple.

Game 15: Somerset 9, York 1

The road losing streak might be history, but the York Revolution showed it’s still not quite comfortable playing away from the confines of Sovereign Bank Stadium.

York lost a 9-1 decision in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Somerset at Commerce Bank Park. The loss gave the Revs eight losses in nine road games this season.

After an 11-5 win in the first seven-inning affair, Brian Adams — not the singer, the reigning Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year — allowed one run on three hits in five innings to pick up his second win with the Patriots, 8-8, since returning from Taiwan. York (6-9) has also lost five of six games on its current road trip.

Aaron Myette (1-2) started for York and surrendered eight earned runs on 11 hits in four innings. It was easily his worst outing of the year after Myette had established himself as one of the Revs’ top starting pitchers in the early going. The former major leaguer allowed five runs in the second inning — a frame highlighted by former Road Warrior Vito Chiaravolloti’s three-run homer.

Sandy Aracena provided the lone run for the Revolution on a solo homer in the third. Chiaravolloti answered back in the sixth inning with his second homer of the game — a solo shot.

Game 14: York 11, Somerset 5

The York Revolution found a two-fold solution to its troubles on the road.

Play fewer innings. And score a heck of a lot of runs.

The Revs jumped out to an impressive nine-run lead early in the first game of its doubleheader with Somerset Saturday and cruised to an 11-5 victory at Commerce Bank Park — a win that snapped a seven-game losing streak on the road. York, 6-8, only had to hold it together for seven innings after Friday’s game was washed out.

Keoni De Renne (pictured) — making the move to second base in this one — singled to lead off the game and came around on Travis Ezi’s double. Then Tyler Von Schell added a sacrifice fly later in the frame to give the Revs’ a two-run advantage. York added to its lead later when Patriots’ starter D.J. Mattox walked the bases loaded twice — once with Ezi up and once with Matt Padgett at the plate. Kenny Perez also added an RBI single, Luis Taveras launched his first homer of the year — a three-run shot — and De Renne made it back-to-back bombs with Taveras, hitting a solo homer of his own.

Game 14: York @ Somerset (Rained out)

The York Revolution will have to wait another day to end its seven-game losing streak on the road. The Revs’ game with Somerset at Commerce Bank Park Friday night was rained out.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 5:05 p.m. If manager Chris Hoiles sticks with his scheduled starters for the series, Wayne Franklin (2-0, 1.59 ERA) and Aaron Myette (1-1, 3.18 ERA) will get the nod. They’ll face the combo of the Patriots’ D.J. Mattox (0-1, 6.00 ERA) and Brandon Knight (0-1, 2.65 ERA).

This should be a great opportunity for York to end its skid away from Sovereign Bank Stadium. Franklin and Myette have been York’s best starters so far this season.

Game 13: Somerset 2, York 1

Once again, the York Revolution appeared to be on the way to solving its troubles on the road.

But for the seventh time this season, the Revs came up empty away from Sovereign Bank Stadium.

York held an early one-run lead after Matt Padgett delivered a clutch, two-out RBI single, but Somerset stormed back with two runs to take a 2-1 victory in the first game of a four-game series at Commerce Bank Park. Sean Smith, signed by the Patriots earlier this week, ripped an RBI single after Matt Hagen’s triple in the seventh to provide the game-winning hit.

York, now 5-8, once again had its chances and wasted an excellent start from David Gassner (pictured) (seven innings, two earned runs, five strikeouts). Travis Ezi led off the sixth with a triple, but the trio of Padgett, Matt Esquivel and Tyler Von Schell failed to bring him home with the Patriots’ infield drawn in. Ezi played for the first time since last Saturday, when he collided with outfielder Matt Esquivel.

Scott Wiggins started for Somerset (7-7) and threw six innings of one-run ball. Jason Richardson threw two scoreless while striking out four and Bret Prinz saved it in the ninth for his sixth save this season.

Series 5: York @ Somerset

Editor’s Note: Check out the Dispatch’s View of Sovereign Bank Stadium.

The York Revolution enter tonight’s four-game series with Somerset wondering why the heck it can’t seem to win a game on the road.

The Revs (5-7) have lost all six games away from Sovereign Bank Stadium so far, with Wednesday’s night’s 8-6 debacle at Bridgeport easily being the worst of them. But here’s some consolation for the Revolution. The club is not alone in its road struggles.

The eight Atlantic League teams are a combined 9-34 on the road to this point. That’s a putrid .265 winning percentage and no team in the league has a winning mark away from its home ballpark. York and Lancaster are both 0-6, while Long Island (1-5), Newark (3-6), Somerset (2-5), Bridgeport (2-4), Camden (1-2) and Southern Maryland (2-4) are not much better.

This is a really interesting statistic and I’m not exactly sure what to make of it. Given, it’s still very early. But if this trend continues — and chances are the collective road winning percentage won’t be this bad all year — it seems a team that can manage close to a .500 record on the road could do very well.

Game 12: Bridgeport 8, York 6

First, the good news.

Matt Padgett and Matt Dryer finally made an offensive contribution Wednesday night. Dryer scorched two hits — including a monster solo homer — and Padgett launched a three-run bomb that gave the York Revolution a brief lead.

Now, the bad news.

York suffered maybe one of the most excruciating losses in its history at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, dropping an 8-6 decision after an incredible series of events unfolded in the eighth inning. Relief pitcher Jason Olson (pictured) retired a batter but was then tossed from the game by home plate umpire Edwin Ortiz for arguing balls and strikes. Then the floodgates opened.

Bridgeport scored five unearned runs with Matt Trent on the mound thanks to four errors committed by the Revs in the inning. Matt Esquivel dropped a line drive and Keoni De Renne was charged with three miscues.

The Revolution (5-7) battled back with two in the ninth, but De Renne grounded out with the tying runs on base to end the game. Needless to say, this one stings. York dropped to 0-6 on the road, 2-10 all-time at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard and now has four road games against the always-tough Somerset Patriots coming up.

Game 11: Bridgeport 7, York 0

Corey Thurman’s first two starts of the year were farm from horrendous. Despite losing both outings, Thurman really only had one bad inning in each start and battled without his best stuff.

Tuesday night, though, was a disaster. Thurman (0-3) didn’t get out of the second inning in Bridgeport’s 7-0 thrashing of the York Revolution at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Ct.

Much like Monday night, the Bluefish (6-5) used one big inning to do the bulk of their damange. Bridgeport scored six runs in the bottom of the second, an inning that was highlighted by Adam Greenberg’s three-run triple. Jesse Hoorelbeke, Jake Daubert and Luis Lopez added RBI singles in the inning to put the ‘Fish ahead, 6-0.

York only managed three hits in the game and Bridgeport starter Tim Drew shut down the Revs over eight innings. The brother of the Boston Red Sox’s J.D. Drew only allowed two hits and walked one while striking out three.