Indians notebook: Clinging to a 10-game losing streak, Spokane plays Fungo Golf to boost team morale
What does a team riding a 10-game losing streak do to boost team morale?
A Fungo golf tournament was what the Spokane Indians did on Monday before taking batting practice at Avista Stadium. It was a way to remind the players baseball is supposed to be fun, according to Indians’ manager Tim Hulett.
“We just were having a good time,” he said.
Hulett said thinking of a fun activity to boost team morale has been a topic of conversation in the coaches office for the last few days. Hitting coach Kenny Hook was the one who came up with the idea to play Fungo golf.
“[Tim] came out there yesterday before stretch and was like ‘man, we need to have more fun,” Smith said. “The Red Sox hadn’t won a world series in almost a 100 years, and their philosophy was, man we need to have more fun. So Tim kind of took a page out of their book and was like, today we are going to play Fungo golf and do a little team bonding. And we will see if it works tonight.”
The teams split up into four-man teams and set up the competition like a scramble. Four pitchers — Garrett Brummett, Steven Bruce, Scott Sebald and Reid Anderson — were on the winning team.
If you don’t know what Fungo golf or how to play it, here’s a video from the Vanderbilt baseball program that explains it pretty nicely. You can also follow the Spokane Indians on snapchat to see some highlights.
Prescott injury update
Indians second baseman Blaine Prescott is still recovering from hamstring injury, but he’s close to being back in the lineup.
Hulett said the team hoped to have him back on Tuesday or Wednesday, but Thursday appears more likely.
“He’s still got a couple of days,” Hulett said. “He swung at some balls and broke out of the cage. That’s one of the one areas you cannot manage your effort level. He could probably play at 80 percent right now, but when he makes that first swing and has to break out of the box, getting him to break out slowly is really hard. So we have to make sure he’s ready to go.
“I think they want to work him hard for two days, give him rest and then play Thursday.”
Game notes
Last night: The Indians lost an 11-inning game on Sunday to Tri-City, which completed a three-game sweep for the Dust Devils. Spokane has lost its last four series, with three of those being sweeps. The Indians have now lost 15 of their last 16.
Tonight: Spokane takes on Hillsboro to start a five-game with Hillsboro. Follow @joshhorton22 on twitter for live updates.
Quotable:
“We have our spot in the playoffs and we have ample enough time to get it going and the momentum in the right direction. As soon as we hit Everett and play those guys, we will be ready to go” – Smith on picking up momentum.
