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![\"BROOK](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4445383_web1_BJ-20260731WPGGoldeyesMANMosquitoesVsLincolnSaltdogs03.jpg\")
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BROOK JONES \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Manitoba Mosquitoes starting pitcher Ryo Kohigashi was staked to an early lead against the Lincoln Saltdogs on Friday night.<\/p>\n
Unlike the notorious insects, however, the Goldeyes don\u2019t suck.<\/p>\n
The Fish entered their meeting with the Lincoln Saltdogs riding a season-high five-game winning streak, climbing above the .500 mark for the first time this year. They were fresh off a three-game sweep in Kansas City against the top team in their division.<\/p>\n
And they kept the good times rolling with a dominant 11-4 victory in front of 5,390 fans on Friday, improving to 33-31 overall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s just newfound aggression,\u201d said Strobel. \u201cWe definitely all came together on this last road trip. We\u2019re just collectively looking at this stretch like, \u2018Hey, it\u2019s time to go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The offence, which has been clicking for most of the campaign, has found another explosive gear. And the pitching has started to round into form after plenty of struggles that led to many long nights at the ballpark.<\/p>\n
A recipe for success in any league.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is picking it up at the right time,\u201d said outfielder Keshawn Lynch. \u201cJust collectively as a group it\u2019s just really good baseball and really good vibes right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lynch has been leading by example. He\u2019s been swinging a hot bat and sat fourth in American Association hitting with a .332 average prior to first pitch Friday. He just had a three-game stretch in which he pounded out nine hits while driving in six runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just trusting in my abilities. I\u2019ve had trouble in the past not believing in myself,\u201d said Lynch. \u201cNow that I trust in myself, everything has been going pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldeyes manager Logan Watkins had repeatedly preached patience after his team dropped its first four contests of the 100-game campaign and then essentially remained in that hole the past two months. A win or two would quickly be followed by a loss or two or three, with the club stuck in neutral.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the beginning, it was tough. You\u2019ve got some new guys, some returning guys, everybody is trying to get used to the league and each other,\u201d said Lynch. \u201cNow that we\u2019ve gotten over the hump, we just have to keep trusting in each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prior to Friday\u2019s game, Winnipeg ranked third in batting average and fifth in runs scored in the 12-team loop. The Goldeyes have also climbed to eighth-best (or, if you prefer, fifth-worst) in earned-run-average. That may not seem like much, but the club had been languishing at or near the bottom through the first half.<\/p>\n
A big reason for the improvement on the mound is everyone settling into their roles. Friday\u2019s starter, Ryo Kohigashi, began the year in the bullpen before three losses from the projected five-man rotation pressed him into starting duty. He\u2019s relished in the new role and is arguably the team\u2019s ace.<\/p>\n
A similar move happened for Kevin Vaupel, and he\u2019s been a solid complementary piece to regular hurlers Luke Boyd, Mitch Lambson and James Bradwell, who has really started to turn his season around.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s could be more good news on the horizon, with former ace Landen Bourassa expected to return to the club at some point in August after heading to Mexico earlier this summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a good staff. A lot of new guys, a lot of new faces. It takes time getting into this league, seeing different hitters,\u201d said Lynch. \u201cThis is a great league, a lot of great players. It\u2019s tough for some of the guys when they first come here. As you start seeing guys a few times, now they know how to pitch them. That really helps a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the bullpen, two rookies signing last week made immediate impressions in Kansas City, with Sage Ferguson and Aidan Newton having scoreless debuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all wondering how it was going to play with the brand new pro guys but they didn\u2019t miss a beat,\u201d said Strobel, a reliever who has also made some spot starts this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s stressful on a bullpen when you have to take bullpen arms to make starts. But now that we\u2019ve got some bona fide starters, our bullpen kind of gets to catch our breath.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t The Goldeyes haven\u2019t won a championship since 2017, coming close in 2024 \u2014 the first year under Watkins \u2014 but losing in the final. Last year represented a significant step back, with an ugly 41-58 record.<\/p>\n Now? Hope springs eternal and a sizzling summer has the Goldeyes thinking about what could be come fall. The top four teams in both the West and East Divisions make the playoffs, and Winnipeg entered play Friday with a 3 1\/2 game cushion and 37 games remaining on the schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cI would definitely put us up against anyone right now with the way we\u2019re playing,\u201d said Strobel.<\/p>\n The Goldeyes will host the Saltdogs tonight and Sunday afternoon, then welcome the last-place Chicago Dogs for four games starting Tuesday, including a double-header that evening. <\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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