“We raked all spring training and then we come out here and now we start pressing a little bit,” he said. “But the tension is starting to go away, and we’re starting to have fun.”
The Dragons will be hard pressed to have more fun or be able to release more tension than they did Wednesday. Rogers hit a grand slam, Mat Nelson hit two home runs and the Dragons pounded Lake County 17-8 at Day Air Ballpark.
“They’re all in this together, they struggle together and they show up every day and it’s a new day,” LaHair said. “It’s a matter of time before these guys get going.”
The Dragons (7-10) split their previous four games scoring seven, four, eight and five runs for their most consistent stretch this season. Twice they had 11 hits in those four games, and on Wednesday they had a season-high 15.
“You can’t press, and I think that our guys are kind of pressing a little bit two and a half weeks in,” Rogers said. “And I think that we’re going more towards an approach now of being on time, looking for the fastball and just eliminating everything else.”
Rogers did that in the third inning. The Captains (10-6), leaders of the East Division, took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Carson Rudd. After Tyler Callihan doubled in the Dragons’ first run, Rogers made it 5-0 with the Dragons’ second grand slam this season. Callihan hit the first one.
“I’ve been trying to be a little bit more aggressive in the zone, and I knew that he threw a breaking ball away,” Rogers said. “I was just trying to put some good wood on it and be aggressive right there in the zone.”
The Captains tied the score 5-5 in the third, but the Dragons were just getting warmed up on another chilly night. Austin Callahan hit a two-run homer and Nelson hit his first in a three-run third inning for an 8-5 lead.
Callahan hit an RBI double and Callihan hit a two-run triple to key a five-run fourth for a 13-5 lead. Michael Trautwein added a two-run single in the sixth and Nelson led off the eighth with his fifth homer. The 17 runs are the most since the Dragons scored 17 on June 5, 2015, in Clinton, Iowa.
“Last night we had multiple chances to get guys in and that’s what we talked about today,” Rogers said of Tuesday’s 6-5 loss. “It was just trying to realize the situation. Don’t let the environment get too big on you.”
Nelson is batting below .200 but leads the team in home runs and RBIs with 12.
“He’s been having good at bats,” LaHair said of Nelson, who led the nation in home runs with 23 at Florida State in 2021. “His average isn’t there, but his at-bats have been consistent. It’s a matter of time before he puts it more together, too.”
The Reds drafted Rogers in the ninth round in 2021 out of Sam Houston State. He played most of last season in Daytona and batted .285 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs before being promoted to Dayton. But he batted .097 in 21 games with only two extra-base hits. He’s hitting .200 this season with two homers and nine RBIs.
“This is a lot better start than I had last year,” he said. “I’m just trying to come out here and have fun. It’s just eliminating pressing and just going out there and play for your team.”
Ex-Dragon update: Infielder Matt McLain isn’t the only hot hitter at Triple-A Louisville, but he is the most talked about when promotion to the big leagues is discussed. He hit his team-leading sixth homer Tuesday night. Through Tuesday, he was batting .310 with a .449 on-base percentage and 1.083 OPS. He also leads the Bats with 18 RBIs and has five doubles.
About the Author