After starting the season on a high note, having won each of their first nine series, the Capitales de Québec are going through a slightly more hollow period, they who have lost four of the following six, including the last two.
Despite this slump, manager Patrick Scalabrini’s men still sit atop the Eastern Association standings, with a 30-14 record. They will nevertheless have to rectify the situation quickly in July if they do not want to be caught up. Their next opponents, the ValleyCats of Tri-City, however, will not be the easiest prey.
The formation which evolves in Troy, in the State of New York, where will take place the series against the Capitals, from Tuesday to Thursday, has the wind in the sails for a few days. The ValleyCats had won nine of their last 11 games before Monday’s game.
These recent successes have also lifted them to fourth place in the Eastern Conference of the Frontier League, with a record of 24-20, once again without considering the outcome of their duel against the Titans of Ottawa, Monday evening.
The Capitals will still be able to start this series by allowing themselves to be optimistic. In their only series of the season against the ValleyCats, again at Troy, they had won two of three games, their only loss coming in extra innings.
Generating offense
If the Capitals want to rectify the situation, they will have to look at the performance of their hitters, while the Old Capital team’s mound has been defended brilliantly since the start of the season.
On the hill, the formation of the Belle Province is among the leaders in several categories, including first for the average of earned points (3.13).
The story is quite different at bat. The Capitals are in the bottom half of the Frontier League standings in several offensive categories, including batting average (.262; 11th), RBIs (226; 10th) and home runs (52; 9th).
They will therefore hope to replicate the performance of their first spell in Troy, when they scored 18 points in three games.
