One constant for the Midland RockHounds during the first half of their 2022 season was the injury bug.
The team had high expectations coming into the campaign as a balanced mix of returners and newcomers were set to make their mark at Momentum Bank Ballpark.
Some of those returners have moved up in the Oakland Athletics’ organization, while others have remained in the Permian Basin as leaders for the Midland franchise.
With the second half of the season near, manager Bobby Crosby is looking forward to seeing his team put things together to get over the .500 mark.
“It’s been a little tough road this first half,” Crosby said. “We played okay, we battled through it but I expect guys to just step up.”
Despite having a wide range of newcomers at this point in the year, Crosby expects his players to work well with the situation they’ve been dealt.
Before the third game of their series Thursday against the Tulsa Drillers, the RockHounds were fourth in the Texas League South, one game behind the Amarillo Sod Poodles and one game ahead of the Corpus Christi Hooks.
In some of their recent matchups, the RockHounds have shown that pitching isn’t an issue affecting the team as much as struggling to find timely hitting.
Against the Drillers Thursday, the RockHounds had six hits, but recorded 11 strikeouts, in a 4-1 loss.
“Compared to last year, it’s a similar situation, last year was kind of the same way,” Crosby said. “We just need to play a little bit better and lock it in the second half.”
Later in the season, minor league teams also have to deal with players getting called up and figuring out how to get their replacements up to speed in the middle of a series.
One example of that was third baseman Jonah Bride, who was assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators on May 25 then saw himself called up to the Athletics on June 14.
The RockHounds have gotten some quick contributions from newcomers like infielder Sahid Valenzuela, who went 2-for-3 and hit a two-run homer, against Tulsa Wednesday.
Crosby said the new additions follow the lead of the players that were already in the locker room.
“We have a good core group of guys, so when someone gets brought up here they almost have to follow what the guys are doing,” Crosby said. “The guys here really care about each other and it’s a close-knit group, so they have to kind of fall in line and do what those guys are doing.
“So far, everyone has been doing that.”
Crosby knows that it’s important for his team to focus on the opponents they’re facing instead of getting distracted by the standings.
While overall wins and losses could play a role in how things shake out at the end of the year, having a solid showing in the second half could help the RockHounds get momentum on their side.
“It’s just getting these guys in the right mindset, the first half we didn’t play our best but the second half is still ahead of us,” Crosby said. “We’ve got to be the best out of the three other teams and we’re right there behind those teams.”
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