By Jerry Del Priore
With six games remaining on the regular-season schedule, the Brooklyn Cyclones’ postseason chances hang in the proverbial balance.
The Cyclones, the short-season Class A affiliate of the New York Mets, are tied with the Aberdeen Ironbirds (Baltimore Orioles) for the 2019 New York-Penn League (NYPL) Wild Card and sit just a game back of first of the Hudson Valley Renegades (Tampa Bay Rays) in the McNamara Division.
So things are getting exciting for Cyclones fans, to say the least.
Brooklyn (39-30) travels to Aberdeen (39-30) tonight for a pivotal three-game stretch.
Then, the Cyclones will host their cross-bridge rivals, the Staten Island Yankees (38-32), in two of the three contests that will end both of their 2019 regular seasons.
The Brooklyn-Yankees series holds just as much importance, as Staten Island is just 1.5 contests out of the Wild Card spot with six tilts left on its regular-season schedule.
Therefore, the Yankees could sneak into the playoffs with a strong end to the regular campaign.
To make matters more interesting, Staten Island hosts the Renegades tonight in the first of a three-game set.
Probable starters for the Cyclone-Aberdeen tilt at 7:05 p.m. are right-handed pitcher Michel Otanez (1-1, 2.49 ERA) vs. Ironbird righty Jake Lyons (2-4, 2.90 ERA).