Photo courtesy Christine Baker / PennLive

Twenty games into the young season and the Harrisburg Senators already find themselves at a crossroads. Recent games have been inundated with mental and physical errors. So much so that manager Matt LeCroy had a closed door team meeting after the game to address the issues.

“If you don’t come ready to play you’re going to get embarrassed. This is big boy baseball,” the skipper said, “You’re one step away from the big leagues and if you’re not up to it you’ll get exposed. If you’re not ready and prepared you’re going to get left behind.”

Things started out rough for the Senators right away as third baseman Justin Bloxom couldn’t handle a ball hit right at him and Ricky Hague let the next one go through his legs. LeCroy noted the lack of preparedness, “You have to be ready for the first pitch of the ballgame…We weren’t and they beat us. We battled and all that but if you don’t come ready the first inning you’re going to get beat.”

That wasn’t the end of the Senators’ miscues and troubles for the night either. LeCroy called it very sloppy and realized his team’s mistakes weren’t always on the scoreboard, “I mean we only had three errors but we probably could of had seven. When you look at the mental errors: we got picked off of second, Sandy’s play there at the end (running when a popup ruled as an infield fly was uncaught)…The way this game is if you’re not ready mentally, then physically you’re not going to be there either. You come up one run short.”

LeCroy made no bones about the passion and urgency he has with this talented team, “I challenged the kids to enjoy their day off and look at themselves in the mirror. It’s time to go. If you ain’t up for the challenge this game will eat you up. If you’re up for it and you go to war with each other and battle every night and be ready, it’s going to turn out pretty positive.”

Player of the Game: Aaron Barrett

From the Windup

• The back-to-back home runs by Jerad Head and Justin Bloxom in the 4th inning was the first time it was accomplished by the Senators since last September 3rd when Anthony Rendon and Bloxom produced the feat.

• Eric Fox and LeCroy were both ejected from the game by third base umpire Joe Born after a dreadful fair/foul call.

• Steven Souza and Rob Wort are both without timetables for their return from the disabled list.