Cyclones All-Star Almonte dominates Yankees

Right-Hander Big Game Gaby Comes Through In 7-0 Victory

August 11, 2015 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn All Star right hander Gaby Almonte baffled the Staten Island Yankees Monday night as the Cyclones moved closer to first place in the tightly packed McNamara Division. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Cyclones

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Two days after being named a New York-Penn League All-Star, Brooklyn Cyclones right-hander Gaby Almonte pitched up to the midseason accolade, dominating the Staten Island Yankees Monday night en route to a 7-0 victory at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

“He is a great competitor,” second-year Brooklyn manager Tom Gamboa said of his undisputed staff ace after Almonte improved to 6-3 while lowering his ERA to 3.22.

“Pitching has been our strong suit,” Gamboa added. “From day one, right through now, pitching is what it’s been about.”

And Almonte, along with All-Star closer Alex Palsha, has been at the forefront of Brooklyn’s mound mastery, helping to lead the club to an NY-Penn-best 2.85 ERA, offsetting the team’s league-worst .220 batting average.

On Monday, Almonte, Palsha and Cyclones second baseman Vinny Siena were named to the Southern Team for the Aug. 18 NY-Penn All-Star Game, which will be played in Aberdeen.

Almonte, a 22-year-old Dominican, didn’t blink at the pressure of facing first-place Staten Island before a home crowd of 2,127 fans, despite yielding six earned runs on eight hits over five innings against the Yanks in his first start of the season on June 20 at MCU Park.

He yielded just two hits while striking out seven and walking two during a season-high eight-plus innings as the Cyclones (25-24) drew within a half-game of the first-place Yankees (25-23) in the McNamara Division standings with their second straight win over S.I.

Brooklyn, which bested the Yanks 2-1 in 11 innings on Sunday, had an opportunity to move back into the top spot in the tightly packed division Wednesday night back in Coney Island after going 3-5 on a season-high eight-game road trip.

Almonte’s gem provided the Cyclones with their 100th victory against the Yanks since moving into our fair borough.

It was also backed by a rare showing of Brooklyn’s offensive prowess.

Siena went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI to boost his team-leading batting average to .294, and David Thompson and Jeff Diehl drove in two runs apiece for Brooklyn, which pounded out 11 hits to Staten Island’s three.

The Cyclones, who opened the season with a 14-5 burst, have gone just 11-19 since, but remain in a dogfight with the Yanks and third-place Aberdeen (24-25) for what will likely be the lone playoff spot to come out of the McNamara.

Almonte, who has yielded two earned runs or fewer in all but two of his 10 starts this summer, has posted a dazzling 1.18 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched), and is a candidate to start next week’s All-Star Game.

A 14th-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Connecticut, Siena boasted a .405 batting average in his first month of pro baseball. He has cooled off considerably since, but still hasn’t gone more than two games without registering a hit this season.

The second baseman has had 13 multi-hit games, scored 23 runs and is hitting .389 with runners in scoring position. Siena has notched at least one hit in 34 of 44 games while maintaining a .367 on-base percentage.

Palsha has been nothing short of perfect this year, appearing in 16 games without allowing a single earned run and notching a league-high 11 saves. The 23-year-old righty out of Sacramento State is limiting batters to a .136 batting average while posting a minuscule .064 WHIP.

This, That and the Other Thing: Palsha has worked 18 2/3 innings thus far this summer, yielding only eight hits and four walks while striking out 23. … OF Tucker Tharp also had two hits, two walks and two runs scored in Monday night’s big win at Staten Island. … After finishing up with the Yankees on Tuesday, the Cyclones will kick off a three-game series with State College at MCU Park on Wednesday, beginning a stretch in which they will play six of seven games on home turf, where they have a 13-9 record this summer. … Also on Wednesday, the Cyclones and Nickelodeon will join forces for the 90s Nickelodeon Night, celebrating Guts, the extreme sports competition that dominated the decade. So grab your slap bracelets and Furby, put the Crystal Pepsi on ice and get ready to go back in time! As part of this special Wayback Wednesday, fans will be able to purchase a limited-edition Extreme Arena package, which will include a game ticket and your very own Aggro Crag. For just $25, you will be able to bring Nickelodeon’s version of the Stanley Cup home with you, without ever having to rock a yellow helmet and elbow pads. The Cyclones will also include a special brown-bag lunch, complete with Gushers, Capri Sun and Handi Snax. The tickets are on sale now at BrooklynCyclones.com