After Chatham’s early loss against Brewster in game one of a day-night doubleheader, the Anglers will take the bus up Route 28 to take on rival Orleans at 7 p.m. Both teams have three games remaining on their schedules, all three against one another over the next three nights.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Eldredge Park, the final regular season road game the A’s will play this season.

The Firebirds are also playing in their second game of a Tuesday doubleheader, after Orleans beat Harwich 8-5 at Whitehouse Field at 2 p.m. Orleans and Chatham both have three games left, and the Firebirds are now just one game and two points behind the A’s in the standings.

Chatham continued its recent slide with a 8-5 loss to the Whitecaps after the Anglers and the Anglers are still two games — either wins or Yarmouth-Dennis losses — from securing the top spot in the 2019 East Division playoffs. 

Hueston Morrill (Oklahoma State) and Charlie Welch (St. John’s River State College) produced most of the offense for Chatham, as Morrill posted two hits and Welch added both a double and three-run home run, his third of the summer. They combined for four of the A’s six hits. But the Whitecaps pushed across eight unanswered runs

Orleans has also clinched its playoff spot and is now playing for seeding. The Firebirds could finish as high as No. 1, or as low as No. 3 in the final standings. 

Probable Pitchers

Riley Boyd (Western Kentucky) is Chatham’s projected starter. Boyd joined the A’s late and has only made one appearance. The right-hander tossed 1.1 innings against Cotuit in the A’s 10-3 loss, allowing two runs. In 12 starts with Jefferson College, Boyd threw 50.2 innings with a 3.02 ERA and 54 Ks.

Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) is the probable starter for Orleans. Shuster was named a Cape League All-Star after he delivered 23 innings and allowed just two runs in his five appearances before the game. In his lone start since, the left-hander allowed three runs in four innings against Harwich.

Player to Watch 

Kaden Polcovich (Oklahoma State) extended his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games with two hits in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader. While fellow All-Stars Ben Ramirez (USC), Jamal O’Guinn (USC) and Brady Smith (Florida) have seen rest, Polcovich has continued to find success at the plate. The switch-hitter is slashing .288/.409/.432 for the season. 

Stat to know — 21-2

In the last four games, the Anglers have been outscored 21-2 in the final four innings of games, culminating in the eight runs Chatham allowed in frames 4-7 against the Whitecaps in game one of the doubleheader. The A’s bullpen had posted a 1.45 ERA in the eight wins in the nine games preceding the losing streak. 

Last time they met

Chatham and Orleans played at Eldredge Park on July 8. Kaden Polcovich (Oklahoma State) hit an two RBI double in the first inning and Parker Scott (Oklahoma State) tossed a scoreless seven-inning start. The A’s won their third-straight game against the Firebirds in 2019, winning 6-1.