Capitals manager Patrick Scalabrini will rely on his best starter, Panamanian Abdiel Saldana, for the fifth and final game of the Frontier Baseball League finals against the Otters this Sunday in Evansville.
“I love confrontation,” Scalabrini admitted on Saturday evening after his team’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat in the fourth game. We’re pitting our ace, who has four days’ rest as usual, potentially against his pitcher, who played in Game 2 on Wednesday, or even his fourth starter, who only had three days’ rest. This face-to-face conversation on the Hill clearly benefits us.”
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Last season, Saldana excelled with a 7-2 record and a 1.72 ERA. In the playoffs, Saldana saw rain shorten his first appearance to four innings in the opening game against the New Jersey Jackals in the semifinals. He then allowed two runs in six innings in the first game of the final against the Otters last Tuesday in Quebec in a 7-6 win.
“Abdiel is an excellent pitcher, I put him ahead of any other pitcher in the league no matter who he’s facing,” said reliever Frank Moscatiello. We have confidence in him and in all the other players on our team.
With relief of the year
In addition to Saldana, the Capitals can count on Moscatiello, the Frontier League’s reliever of the year, who did not pitch in two games in Evansville, Friday and Saturday, for the crucial matchup.
“I’m ready to go, I was ready when I was needed on Saturday and I’ll be ready again tomorrow (Sunday),” the aide noted. Every time I step on the mound I have to do the work. If it’s the ninth inning, I have three outs. The idea is to do my job like any other player on the field.
“It’s cool, we have to play a game that will decide the fate of our entire season,” concluded Moscatiello. Funnily enough, I would like to point out that we get paid on a different day. It’s a weird way to look at it, but the idea is to stay positive.”