Playoffs within reach

With about a month to go, the chances of the Charleston RiverDogs' winning the second half are slim. But, playoffs are not out of the question yet.

Charleston entered Saturday's games 6 1/2 games behind the Augusta GreenJackets and in seventh place in the South Atlantic League Southern Division. It's a lot of ground to have to make up with 30 games to go. It could be done, but it would be asking a team that's been foundering around the .500 mark to win more than 20 games in the final month. But manager Torre Tyson has a more optimistic view of the playoff race.

"We're only 2 1/2 to three games out. That's the way I'm looking at it," he said.

If the same team wins both halves of the season, the second playoff team will be the one with the best overall record. The RiverDogs helped themselves out in the first half with a 45-25 mark that was second best in the entire league and 3 1/2 games better than Augusta.

Tyson is depending on first-half champion Asheville to catch the GreenJackets down the stretch and take over first place. Once that happens, the only team in a position to ruin Charleston's postseason dreams is Augusta. Tyson pointed out that Augusta might weaken as the GreenJackets go through a round of promotions, most notably ace starting pitcher Daryl Maday, who was 9-4 with a 1.55 ERA.

"I think we're definitely not out of it. The way we play, we're streaky. Twelve of the next 16 games we play are at places where our hitters will feel real comfortable," he said.

There are several other factors playing in Charleston's favor. First baseman Wady Rufino is due back any day now. He was one of the strongest hitters in the lineup before he suffered a broken hand in May. He had five homers and 20 RBIs in 26 games. Adding another power threat to the mix would dramatically change the lineup and it would finally resemble the offensive juggernaut that helped the team get off to a 20-6 start.

Tyson also has been able to make some needed adjustments to the lineup by moving Abraham Almonte from the leadoff spot to No. 8, and bumping Justin Snyder to the top. Almonte's batting has been in a downward spiral since returning from the disabled list in June. And while his skills project out as a dangerous leadoff hitter with a good mix of speed and power, the Yankees finally had to call an end to the experiment as his average dipped below .230. In his first game at the eighth spot, Almonte ripped a pair of triples and scored two runs against Asheville on Tuesday. In the four games, he was 4-for-10 with three walks, getting on base the way the team had hoped he would as a leadoff threat.

Snyder's hitting .291 for the season and leads the team with 28 doubles with an on-base percentage of .360.

There are a few areas of concern. Charleston's bullpen is not a source of comfort. Chace Vacek, who was nearly untouchable in the first two months of the season, seems as likely to give up a big inning as he is to shut someone down. Promotions have thinned out Tyson's bullpen options. Three pitchers who started the year as quality middle relievers have been promoted to the starting rotation and other than Craig Heyer (4-0, 1.95 ERA), comparable replacements haven't been found.

To think that Rufino will pick up where he left off might be too optimistic. Nearly everyone else who went on the DL this year needed at least two weeks to get back into form. Time is getting short.

The other problem is there appear to be no more easy games on the schedule for anyone. The Southern Division is incredibly competitive — Charleston is seventh and can still think about playoffs — so getting off to a good winning streak will be tricky.

The worst problem is Charleston is done playing Augusta. Even a two-game series would be nice opportunity for the RiverDogs to pull even on their own without help from other teams.

Reach Bill Henley at bhenley@postandcourier.com.