York Revolution vault into first place with 8-game winning streak

The York Revolution have surged into first place in the Atlantic League’s North Division. An eight-game winning streak has brought the Revs from .500 to the top of the standings with a 21-13 record just over a month into the season.

York won its eight straight contests over eight consecutive days, with Memorial Day giving the team a rare Monday game. After taking the final two games of their road series with the Charleston Dirty Birds, the Revs took three in a row against the Long Island Ducks last week, then came back home and swept the Frederick Baseball Club.

The hot streak has York a half-game clear of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the North, and while there’s still a long way to go in the season, a first-half division title and a playoff berth is within the sights of first-year manager Rick Forney and the club.

The Revs still have a negative run differential for the season, giving up 205 runs while scoring 200. But the offense has scored the third-most runs in the 10-team league, and it’s done so with a blend of power, speed and timely hitting. And multiple midseason additions have provided a boost that the team hopes will last.

The highlights: There simply haven’t been many weak links in the York lineup this season. Five different players hold an OPS of at least .800, with five more above .700. First baseman Drew Mendoza boasts a .318 average, with third baseman Alejandro Rivero and Japanese outfielder Tomo Otosaka are both hitting .310 thus far. Shortstop Trent Giambrone shook off a slow start and is slashing .279/.394/.449 with a team-high six homers. York is second in the league in walks and stolen bases.

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Nick Raquet has led the pitching staff all season, going 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in seven starts. Blake Rogers has emerged as a relief ace, saving five games and posting a 2.51 ERA and 0.91 WHIP across 14 appearances.

The Revs made a splashy addition to the bullpen in late May, adding former Texas Rangers pitching star Derek Holland. The left-hander has pitched in 346 MLB games with a 4.62 ERA, most notably pitching into the ninth inning in a 2011 World Series victory. He struck out the side in his Revs debut and has allowed one run in four innings (2.25 ERA) across his first five outings.

“I just don’t want to look back and say, ‘What if?’” the 36-year-old Holland said in a Twitter video recorded from his car on May 22.

The lowlights: The Revs’ pitching has been up and down, with the group posting a 5.21 ERA. Several players have come and gone throughout the early season, and only a handful have provided consistent results.

Five pitchers have started at least five games for York; aside from Raquet, Tom Sutera holds the second-best ERA at 5.14. Jorge Martinez has a 7.13 ERA through seven starts, with Denson Hull at 6.66 and J.T. Hintzen at 7.53 after eight appearances and five starts apiece. Key relievers Victor Capellan and Will Carter enter this week at 6.08 and 6.94, respectively.

Hitting has long been more reliable than pitching at this level of pro baseball, and it shows in the numbers — the best team ERA in the league is High Point’s 3.59, with York’s 5.21 coming in sixth. And it’s still early enough in the season for one bad outing to inflate individual pitchers’ numbers. But consistency on the mound may make the difference as the Revs seek a playoff spot.

The milestones: Forney earned his 900th career managerial victory in York’s 4-2 win at Charleston (W.V.) on May 26. Forney went 887-753 across 17 seasons with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association before coming to York in the fall.

Nellie Rodriguez, one of the few returning players from previous York teams, hit his 200th professional homer on May 20 in a loss at Lancaster. The blast was his third of the spring, and he’s added one in the two-plus weeks since. The 28-year-old lefty slugger is hitting just .226 but getting on base at a .387 clip while slugging .415.

The Revs set a franchise record with nine runs in the ninth inning on May 17, turning a 7-6 deficit at Long Island into a dramatic 15-8 victory. York led 6-1 that night before falling behind and responding with the biggest final frame in team history.

Up next: York will look to extend its winning streak when it welcomes last-place Staten Island (11-21) for a three-game midweek series. After a weekend visit to Long Island (17-17), the Revs will be back home all of next week against Lancaster (12-18) and Long Island.