Despite his team closing out the Southern League first half with 17 wins in 25 games, Chattanooga Lookouts manager Doug Mientkiewicz was not promising a carryover effect before Thursday night’s second-half opener against Jackson at AT&T Field.
“Teams change so fast in the minor leagues that it’s tough to gauge how good or bad you are,” Mientkiewicz said. “Obviously we finished strong and did well, but we’ve already got some roster moves and some new guys pitching. They’re talented, but it’s their first time in Double-A.
“These next 10 games are huge for us. We run into Jackson right out of the chute, and then we get Pensacola, so we get two playoff teams right away. We need to survive these 10 games and get in the flow a little bit. I’m hoping we can pick up where we left off, but that may be a pipe dream.”
So far, so dreamy.
The Lookouts resumed their winning ways with a 6-5 triumph over the Generals, who won the North Division first-half race by 10 games over Chattanooga. The Lookouts broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth inning, when they loaded the bases on walks before Travis Harrison was hit by a Matt Anderson pitch.