Only a colossal collapse would keep the Chattanooga Lookouts from winning the North Division first-half championship in the Southern League, and they're not showing any signs of faltering.
The Lookouts completed a 10-2 road trip Monday afternoon by polishing off the Birmingham Barons 4-1. Chattanooga improved to a season-best 15 games over .500 at 39-24 and can win the North with a single victory in its upcoming five-game series against Jacksonville at AT&T Field or a single loss by the second-place Tennessee Smokies against Mississippi.
"It's definitely exciting," Lookouts outfielder Adam Walker said on his way back to Chattanooga. "We had a 12-day road trip, and we knew that if we took care of business that we had a chance of closing this first half out. We still have one more series, and we just want to keep playing our game.
"We had a bit of a rough start this season, and it was the first time in Double-A for a lot of our guys. It took a little time to get going, but I think we have a very talented team."
Chattanooga would have clinched the North with a Tennessee loss Monday night, but the Smokies stayed alive by improving to 35-29 with a 5-1 win in Jacksonville.
Walker has played a prominent role in Chattanooga's first-half success, collecting two doubles and two singles in Monday's win. The 6-foot-4, 223-pounder from Milwaukee leads the league in home runs (17), RBIs (54) and total bases (134).
"There have been some ups and downs and some things I need to work on, but getting four hits in a day is always nice," he said.
Walker opened the second inning Monday with a single to left field and scored the game's first run on Stuart Turner's one-out single to center. The Lookouts extended their advantage to 2-0 in the fourth inning when Walker's one-out double to left scored Max Kepler.
Chattanooga maintained a 2-0 lead until the eighth inning, when Miguel Sano led off with a home run to left.
The Lookouts, who are off today before Wednesday night's 7:15 series opener against the Suns, have not won a first-half championship since going 44-26 in 2006, when they were managed by Jayhawk Owens and affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. That is the only first-half title Chattanooga has won since moving to AT&T Field before the 2000 season.
Brett Lee (0-1, 6.35) is scheduled to start the series opener for the Lookouts.
Wednesday's game will be "Newspaper Night" at AT&T Field, as fans who bring a copy of Wednesday's Times Free Press will receive a free general admission ticket with a purchase of a ticket of equal value. The deal is good for Wednesday's contest only and will be based on availability.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.