The Windy City ThunderBolts are looking to reach the Frontier League postseason for the first time since 2010. With six games remaining in the regular season, the Bolts hold a slim half-game lead over the Washington Wild Things and a game and a half lead over the River City Rascals for the final playoff spot entering Tuesday, August 29th.
The Frontier League postseason consists of two division winners (one from the East and one from the West), and two wild card winners. The wild card is determined by two teams with the best records that are not division winners.
The ThunderBolts (48-42) trail the Evansville Otters by two games for the top wild card spot. If the season ended today, Windy City would hold the fourth overall seed and play Schaumburg in the opening round of the postseason, as the Boomers boast a league best 62-28 record.
Going into the 2017 season, Windy City considered their pitching rotation and bullpen as a catalyst. After about a month and a half into the year, the ThunderBolts sold the contract of right-handed starter Kyle von Ruden to the Chicago White Sox.
One day later, they lost their seventh inning relief pitcher, Kevin Lenik, to the Kansas City Royals. Then, in the same week, the Arizona Diamondbacks bought the contract of left-handed starting pitcher Brady Muller.
In a matter of five days, the ThunderBolts lost 40 percent of their rotation and a reliever who threw in the upper 90’s to major league affiliated clubs. Major league signings of Bolts players concluded on the final day of July when Scott Kuzminsky, the team’s eighth inning reliever, was signed by the Seattle Mariners.
Key players dropped off Windy City’s roster due to unfortunate circumstances as well. Rookie third baseman Riley Krane and veteran closer Brian Loconsole are both out for the season
Manager Ron Biga has done a great job in replenishing talent of positions lost. Biga made a trade to acquire a starter late in the year, while also signing a plethora of bullpen arms who have proved to be valuable.
Rookie reliever Josh Glick has stepped up as the go-to reliever late in the game after all the changes to the ThunderBolts roster. Glick is 5-1 this year with a 2.70 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched. As for the pitching rotation, 27-year-old left-handed starter Jake Fisher has carried his team by himself every fifth day since July 1st. In nine of his last ten outings, Fisher has thrown at least eight innings and allowed no more than three earned runs.
In a season full of variables, the ThunderBolts continue to prove that they are the among the most abnormal teams in professional baseball. Despite owning a -16 run differential, the Bolts still sit in a playoff spot and six games over .500. If they manage to make the postseason with a negative run differential, it would be only the second time in Frontier League history that a team achieved that feat.
They also have not lost back-to-back games since August 9th and 10th. Their last win streak of more than two games came back on July 8th through the 15th, where they won four. However, due to the all-star break, there were four days in between their second and third win of that streak.
This ThunderBolts team cannot be explained. Despite holding the final playoff spot for the entire month of August, they had not held a lead over a game and a half.
The final two regular season series begin this week. Windy City travels to Lake Erie for three games before heading home on the weekend against Schaumburg.
Stay tuned to wxav.com for ThunderBolts updates during a historic playoff run.
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