Last spot up for grabs

Try-outs for season nine of "American Idol" are already underway around the country, but Sunday nights at All Seasons RV Stadium have proved to be quite the auditioning ground for Gold Sox pitchers.

While the frontside of the starting rotation has been solid with Trent Evins, Corey Chaffins and Cris Rogers, Yuba-Sutter's pitching staff has yet to establish a consistent fourth starter.

Six different pitchers have started on Sundays for manager Jack Johnson this season and only one of them has come away with a victory.

Gold Sox starters are 1-3 on Sundays with three no-decisions and a 4.62 earned run average.

Establishing consistency in that last spot of the rotation has become more difficult due to the fact that many of the Gold Sox pitchers are nursing injuries.

Right-hander Jordan Goldschmidt is done for the summer with an inflamed ulnar collateral ligament (elbow) and Tommy Strickland is suffering from a sore arm.

Staff ace Trent Evins left last week's start with a sore arm as well.

Johnson said he will need to be cautious with how he manages his pitchers this weekend to keep players healthy.

"Hopefully my starters can go a little deeper," Johnson said. "Our bullpen needs to come in and be effective so we don't have to face long-relief situations."

Although Strickland, an all-conference pitcher, started 13 games at Butte College this past spring, he has only started one game for Yuba-Sutter.

He pitched a team-high 80 innings for the Roadrunners, which may have led to fatigue according to Johnson.

With Goldschmidt on the shelf, that leaves only three candidates to take the fourth spot in the rotation as their own.

Andy Hebrard, Brett Shankin and Chris Shea are all plausible candidates, but none of them have established consistency for the Gold Sox.

Shea sports a team-high 4.56 ERA in 252⁄3 innings, Hebrard separated his shoulder earlier this summer and has only started one game and Shankin has yet to win a decision in nine appearances (five starts).

For Johnson to get the four quality games in one weekend he's been looking for, he said he'll need an outstanding effort from his pitching staff.

"We took a step back on Sunday, but we're trying to get better on the mound," Johnson said. "I'd like to see consistency on the mound and defensively. If we can put four good games together I'll be happy."

As a first baseman/outfielder/pitcher, Hebrard was Johnson's only two-way player to begin the summer, but after recovering from his shoulder injury he has been relegated to the mound.

The right-hander out of Missouri Western State, via Feather River College, went five innings in a start on opening weekend, but received a no-decision after allowing one unearned run.

Since battling back from his injury Hebrard has strictly pitched from the bullpen, but is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and five strikeouts in 62⁄3 innings.

Hebrard has no pain in his arm now and said if his name is called by Johnson on Sunday he'll do whatever he can to save the bullpen.

"That Sunday spot is tough because the guy who starts is pretty much whoever didn't get banged up in relief (earlier in the weekend)," Hebrard said. "We're in the clear now as far as my health goes. I'm more than happy to start."

Hebrard started eight games for the Griffons during the 2009 season, including three complete games and believes the pitching staff's arm issues may be because of the strenuous schedule of playing four games in four days every week.

With the San Jose Seals coming in for a three-game series, Yuba-Sutter will need a strong effort from the staff on all three nights if they hope to stay relevant in the division race.

Currently the Gold Sox are two games behind the division lead. The San Luis Obispo Blues and Seattle Studs are tied for first place.

"We're getting to the part of our schedule where we're starting to play the upper-tier teams," Hebrard said. "You got to come out here with your best stuff every night."

The Gold Sox kick off the weekend tonight with a single game against the Sacramento Legends, who they swept last weekend in two games.

Corey Chaffins gets the ball tonight after striking out seven last Friday in six innings. Evins will go tomorrow night and Rogers gets his usual Saturday start, looking to improve to 7-0.

But, like so many Sundays before, the fourth starter has yet to be determined.

Shea said he's struggling trying to juggle the dual role of reliever and starter. Mentally, he is having to adjust every time he takes the mound.

"I haven't been mentally ready this summer," Shea said. "I haven't really showed up in my two starts this season. When I don't know when I'm going in it's hard to get ready and that's something I need to work on."

Hebrard, Shea and Shankin could each throw three innings, or one of them could throw a complete game, but each righty is trying to show Johnson they are the missing piece of the puzzle.

With less than a month remaining this season, one of these pitchers will need to step up if the Gold Sox hope to claim the Horizon Air Summer Series title.

"We have to be ready to throw every day," Shea said. "I want to be that go-to guy."