07/26/2016 9:24 AM -
TUESDAY’S GAME:
Joliet Admirals (23-18)
at Northwest Indiana Oilmen (25-19)
July 26, 2016 • 5 p.m. • Whiting, Ind.
Radio: Online Only, NWIOilmen.com (4:40 pregame)
Pitching Matchup
NWI’s Max Siedlecki (New Mexico Highlands / Evanston, Ill.) vs. Joliet’s Nick Newman (Southern Illinois Carbondale)
For Starters
The Oilmen will play their first road game since July 9 on Tuesday. They hold a seven-game road winning streak and haven’t lost an away game since June 3. The Oilmen, Admirals and Hounds have all locked up playoff berths, but those top three could finish in any order. The fourth through sixth place teams could also finish in any order. The Oilmen enter Tuesday 1/2 game ahead of Joliet for second and 1 ½ games behind DuPage County for the league lead. The Hounds are idle on Tuesday, so the Oilmen can pull to within a game of DuPage and move to 1 ½ ahead of Joliet with a win. As the Oilmen enter the final week of the regular season, they would love to rekindle some of their 2015 magic, when they rapped off five straight wins to close the regular season and secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Inside the Oilmen
Chase Dawson ripped his fourth triple of the season on Sunday to move into the league lead. He also matched the single-season Oilmen record that had stood since Craig Austgen had four triples in the inaugural season of 2012. Dawson is 12-for-19 (.631) with 10 RBIs in his last four games, all of them multi-hit performances. Chris Baker is still the league leader in walks with 28, two ahead of Joliet’s Ryan Schefske. The Oilmen haven’t had any player strike out more than 25 times this season. Jordan Flint had his ninth multi-hit game of the year on Sunday against Joliet. Tommy Szczasny also had two hits and is 5-for-7 in his last two games. Tyler Sroczynski recorded his 12th multi-hit game and has scored at least once in 26 of the 31 games he’s played this summer. Bo Fletcher has at least one hit in seven of his last eight, upping his average from .184 to .227, his highest since June 19. Eight of the nine players in the Oilmen lineup notched at least one hit in Sunday’s 6-3 win over Joliet. Jordan Petty improved to 3-0 in three starts with one earned run allowed over 19 innings as a starting pitcher. Tuesday’s starting pitcher is Max Siedlecki, who is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in eight games (seven starts) spanning 39 innings. He has issued 17 walks and struck out 24. Siedlecki’s last start was a no decision against the Lakers on July 20, when he allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. He has faced the Admirals once this season, a win on June 26 in which he yielded two runs on four hits in six innings.
Inside the Admirals
The Admirals have dropped three straight games after a seven-game winning streak. Joliet fell 9-5 to the Lakers on Monday night despite three hits including a home run from Brendan Krob. Krob is 10-for-22 (.455) over the last five games. The home run was just the third of the season for the Admirals, with the both others coming against the Oilmen on June 19. Cody Grosse went 4-for-4 against the Oilmen on Sunday, but was 0-for-8 in his previous two games and went 0-for-4 against the Lakers on Monday. Joliet starting pitcher Nick Newman will make his second start and fourth appearance of the year. He has allowed two runs in three innings against the Oilmen this season. Overall, he holds a 9.95 ERA in 6 1/3 innings.
About the Matchup
The Oilmen secured the season series with a 6-3 win over Joliet on Sunday. They are 6-3 against the Admirals this season and 27-8 all-time. After Tuesday, the two teams will meet once more on Sunday for the regular season finale at Wayne L. King Junior Field.
Click "download attachment" to view full Oilmen Game Notes.
