Chatham, Mass. — The Anglers enter tonight’s contest with the Brewster Whitecaps facing a crucial point in their season. Trailing the Whitecaps by five points for the final playoff spot in the East Division, Chatham squares off twice with Brewster in the next four days as the season’s end rapidly approaches. Two losses would put the Anglers four and a half games out of fourth place while a pair of wins would mean that just a tie would separate the two teams.

Chatham comes into the game without a win in eight straight contests. They are currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak and look to stem that trend tonight.

Arriving at Veterans Field for the third and final time this season, the Whitecaps have taken three of four contests against Chatham this season. In its last four outings, Brewster has gone 2-1-1 with its most recent win coming against the Wareham Gatemen on July 16.

Chatham’s run at the final playoff spot continues tonight at 7 p.m. at Veterans Field.

At the Plate: Jeremy Vasquez enters tonight’s game fresh off of a 1-for-3 performance against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Sunday night. The Florida product reached base three times on a single and two walks and also accounted for two of Chatham’s nine runs.

In his last four games for the Anglers, Vasquez has put together a .333 batting average on the back of four hits in 12 at-bats. In that span Vasquez has driven in three runs – second behind only Stuart Fairchild.

On the season the sophomore first baseman is hitting .189, but enters the game with hits in four of his last six games.

Georgia Tech outfielder Kel Johnson rides into Veterans Field on a hot streak for the Whitecaps. In his last eleven plate appearances, Johnson has exploded by reaching base eight times on four hits and driving in four runs. The sophomore has also scored two runs en route to compiling a .571 batting average over his last three games.

On the Rubber: Lincoln Henzman (1-2) will look to return to form tonight after giving up five earned runs over six innings in his last start. In that outing against the Bourne Braves, Henzman took the loss after losing his control across his final three innings. It was the second of four appearances where Henzman has given up five runs.

However, Henzman has also shown stretches of dominance this summer, striking out nineteen batters in fourteen and a third innings. Last time out, the Louisville right-hander sat down four Braves on strikes before giving up his first run.

Zacary Lowther (2-1) of Xavier gets the start today for Brewster. Appearing in eight games this season, Lowther has started once – a no-decision against the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox back on July 12. In that contest, the lefty tossed five and a third innings while giving up three earned runs and striking out nine of the 23 batters he faced.    

Lowther, a sophomore from Brooklyn Heights, Ohio, has recorded multiple strikeouts in all but two games he’s appeared in this summer – most notably back on June 17 when he struck out nine of 12 Anglers in Chatham’s 4-2 loss to Brewster in extra innings. The six-foot-two southpaw also pitched two and two-thirds innings and recorded a save against the Anglers on July 8 when the Whitecaps slipped past Chatham, 2-1.

Down the Road: The Anglers play three straight contests following today’s game, beginning first with a home battle with the Cotuit Kettleers Wednesday at 7 p.m. Afterwards, Chatham embarks on a two-game road trip with contests at Wareham on Thursday and Brewster on Friday.

Broadcast Information

Make sure to tune in at 6:40 p.m. today for the Anglers Extra Pregame Show on the Cape Cod Baseball Network. Evan Stockton will introduce you to his Catch of the Day while Jake Eisenberg sits down with manager John Schiffner.

The full broadcast of today’s game is available online and over the phone at 1-800-846-4700, code 3481. Visit Broadcast Central for more details.