TRENTON- Will Carter has finally broken his Double A duck, and it could not have happened at a better time. The 23-year-old righty, who came up from Tampa on July 25, threw six innings Sunday, as Trenton won the rubber game from the Hartford Yard Goats 10-2. It puts the Thunder in command of their playoff fate, as they...
TRENTON- Will Carter has finally broken his Double A duck, and it could not have happened at a better time.
The 23-year-old righty, who came up from Tampa on July 25, threw six innings Sunday, as Trenton won the rubber game from the Hartford Yard Goats 10-2. It puts the Thunder in command of their playoff fate, as they opened up a seven game lead with just 15 games remaining on the schedule.
For Carter (and the Thunder), who is now 1-3 with Trenton (3-6 overall at three levels in 2016), it was a much needed victory.
"It was huge," Carter said. "That was a big win for us, to win that series. Plus it is always nice to get my first win here. It is coming down to the end of the season, so it is big to get as many wins as possible."
Thunder manager Bobby Mitchell will start resting players over the next week and a half so that his players are fresh for the final series of the season, which starts next Friday at ARM & HAMMER Park. With Reading coming to town for that finale, it will be a matchup of probable playoff teams, so Mitchell wants the squad to be as fresh as possible.
For Carter, he is feeling great right now, and should play a big part in the run up to the playoffs over the next two weeks.
"I feel great," Carter said. "Early in the year, I kind of took a few weeks off, so I feel great, and I am ready to finish the year off strong. We want to go into the playoffs as hot as we can, so we are going to take it a game at a time right now. It is all that we can do."
"We have a strong team, and a strong staff right now," Carter said. "Anybody we throw out there, or put in the lineup, gives us a strong chance to win."
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Mitchell started his plans to rest key players on Monday night, as the Thunder hosted the Bowie Bay Sox for the first time this season. In the first game of three, both Tyler Wade and Mark Payton were given off, and it should continue over the next 10 days before the series with the Fightin Phils.
"We want to clinch it as soon as we can, but we also need to rest some guys," Mitchell said. "I don't want to rest them right before the playoffs. I want them to rest so they go into that Reading series at full strength."
"Today, you got Wade and Payton off," Mitchell said. "Tomorrow might be a couple guys. One guy I need to rest is Fowler. And then see what happens after that. There is nothing set in stone right now, because we have to make sure we are in. You don't want to rest guys and keep losing games."
With the business end of the season upon us, most of the players would rather be on the field every inning of each game. But Mitchell knows he has to get them as much rest as he can, and still keep them in the flow.
"I keep track of how many days they play in a row," Mitchell said. "I was in the same boat as a player. I always wanted to play, play, play. But toward the end of the season, you have to give them a rest, and keep them a little fresh for the last 15 games. It is one day here, and one day there."
"It is a matter of combining the off days, so hopefully you don't diminish the offense too much," Mitchell said.
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Contact Sean Miller at seanmillertrentontimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheProdigalSean