Chukars’ mid-season turnaround has been led by Leerssen and the rotation

IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Chukars’ recent run of success — last weekend’s offensive eruption notwithstanding — has been predicated on the emergence of its pitching staff.

Idaho Falls’ history-making offense was potent in the first half, averaging 9.6 runs per game. But all that offensive firepower produced just 15 wins, to go with 33 losses. Through the first two weeks of the second half, the Chukars (8-4, 23-37) have upped that run production to 12.8 per game, with that number skewed by Saturday’s 40-run explosion.

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But, even after a weekend that saw two high-powered offenses score 137 combined runs (45.7 per game), Chukars pitchers have shaved more than a full run off their average runs allowed per game from the first half to the start of the second — from 11.8 to 10.7.

At the center of that turnaround, which has led to the Chukars forcing themselves back into the postseason discussion, has been ace Josh Leerssen.

Leerssen’s first start of the second half came on July 17, in the hitter’s haven that is Lindquist Field in Ogden, Utah. The 23-year-old Alabama native was the king of the hill that day, tossing the first complete game shutout since the Chukars went independent in 2021.

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He needed just 106 pitches to hold a Raptors team that has long been a thorn in the Chukars’ collective side to seven hits, all while striking out seven and walking just one.

Leerssen said he does put high expectations on himself, as the staff ace and knowing what he is capable of. But he never expects to throw a shutout, especially in the PBL, which is known much more for offense than defense or pitching. Instead, he allows the PBL, with its high run totals, and the game situation dictate what a good performance is on a given day.

“I do want to go out there and have success,” he said. “What that looks like in this league might be a little different than some other places — the ball flies, pitches don’t move as much. It’s hard to pitch here.”

That is why he considered his second start of the second half, on Friday, another successful outing.

Sure, he gave four walks, three homers and eight runs in his 6 innings, but he didn’t let a rough fourth, in which he yielded six of those eight runs, completely knock him and his team off-course.

“I had a little blip on the radar there in the fourth, but I walked back in (to the dugout) and (manager) Bob (Milacki) was like, ‘You’re going to keep going, just give us a couple more good innings.’ Then, sure enough, in the fifth, they drop a 10-spot, and I go back out there with an eight-run lead,” Leerssen said.

Since Milacki was named interim manager on June 26, tasked with finishing the season in the position, the pitching staff has refocused on new goals. According to Leerssen, Milacki, a former Major League pitcher, has been impressing upon his starters that keeping this Chukar offense within striking distance into the sixth inning is a recipe for success.

“Bob’s been saying this for weeks now: If we can get 6 innings out of our starter, and give it to our bullpen, we can have a lot of success … we can win a lot of baseball games,” Leerssen said.

Through the first 12 games of the second half, Chukars starters have pitched into the sixth eight times. The Chukars have won five of those games for a winning percentage of 62.5%. Maintaining that clip over the final 36 games of the season would give the Chukars 31 second-half wins — which would likely be good enough to earn a playoff spot.

So what has led to this resurgence by the rotation?

There are several factors:

For starters, the addition of Sean Kelby and Mason Pennington has added both depth and punch to the rotation.

In five starts, Kelby is 3-0 with a 5.29 ERA. In his five starts, Pennington is 1-1 with a 9.45 ERA — which, again, is not terrible when graded on the Pioneer League curve.

Also, Julian Berenti’s move from the bullpen to the rotation has given Idaho Falls a six-man rotation, replacing the five-man rotation it had used for most of the first half.

Now, using Leerssen as the example, he pitches every Friday, rather than every fifth game. That means he has a full week between starts.

“What is nice is having that extra day for your arm to recover from the previous start,” he said.

With the new schedule, he has an extra day built into his routine, which now includes one day — the day after his start — when he lightly throws with a focus on mobility and range of motion.

And all of the starters being able to do that leads to another factor, the ability to leech momentum and scouting reports off the men in front of them in the rotation.

When asked what has been the biggest factor in his staff’s turnaround, Leerssen said: “Watching other guys go out and have success.”

“It showed in Ogden, our starting rotation was fantastic, and the bullpen was really good, too,” Leerssen said. “Seeing other guys go out and have success, and getting a good plan for how to attack that offense, it helps a lot.”

Finally, the confidence of knowing that as long as they can battle through adversity and keep the game within reach, they have a chance to win is a big boost for the pitchers. Leerssen called it “a good feeling” being on the mound, knowing that as long as he holds the opposition to 10 runs, his offense is capable of picking him up.

“We can pretty much bank on the offense scoring 10-plus, it’s really nice,” he said.

Having a healthy bullpen with defined roles, including Ryan Inouye as the set-up man for Hunter Hargett, helps as well, he added.

With just six weeks left in the regular season, Leerssen and his fellow starters have just six starts apiece to help the Chukars seek out a second consecutive playoff appearance. They will return to Melaleuca and Idaho Falls for six games against the Boise Hawks next Tuesday.

The Chukars open a six-game set in Billings, Mont., against the Mustangs, Tuesday night.