Space Cowboys struggling with division-leading Dodgers

By Landan Kuhlmann LKUHLMANN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

As the Sugar Land Space Cowboys returned home to Constellation Field last week for a tussle with the division-leading Oklahoma City Dodgers last week, it was a tough homecoming as they tangled with the best that the PCL has to offer to open up the second half of the season.

Sugar Land managed to win the first game of the series, however the Space Cowboys would struggle for the rest of the week in losing the next four games. The Space Cowboys were slated to finish up their series with the Dodgers on Monday night before embarking on a road-trip to Round Rock Tuesday through Sunday before a four-day hiatus for the All Star Break. Sugar Land’s 1-4 mark to open the second half of the season has them tied for fourth place in the PCL’s East division after finishing in third place (3342) in the first half of the season.

It had been a tough series overall on all fronts entering Monday’s game, with Sugar Land having scored just 12 runs in five games while allowing 35 runs of their own to Oklahoma City, but there still remained some bright spots despite the struggles.

On the offensive side, infielder Shay Whitcomb continued his strong play by going 5 for 17 through the series’ first five games and scoring three runs. Whitcomb currently sports a .304 batting average and .919 OPS since his promotion to Triple-A on June 6, leading all Space Cowboys regulars in both categories during that span. Pedro Leon was also in the midst of a solid series – going 4 for 15 with his team-leading 12th home run on the season through Monday night – as he continued a torrid stretch that has seen the Astros’ No. 6 overall prospect hit .312 with a 1.041 OPS and six home runs in 21 games since the beginning of June.

Meanwhile, former Astros top prospect Jon Singleton – re-signed to a minor league deal late last month – went 4 for 14 with a home run while reaching base six times in the series’ first five games.

And despite the rough overall lines, there were still a few standout pitching performances on the mound for Sugar Land last week. McGowin picked up his second victory of the season with four scoreless innings of relief in the Space Cowboys’ 4-3 win on June 28, striking out four batters against one walk and allowing just one hit. Blake Taylor hurled three shutout innings over two outings last week, while Jimmy Endersby struck out two batters in 2.2 scoreless innings and Enoli Paredes had four strikeouts in two innings of work.