Worst to first: Isotopes open second half with optimism and a win

A glass half-full? The Albuquerque Isotopes certainly hope so.

After spending three forgettable months at the bottom of the Pacific Coast League Standings, the Isotopes got a much-needed reset this week. The PCL’s second half got underway Tuesday night.

In the minor leagues, teams can make the postseason by winning either the first half or the second half of the season. That means Albuquerque was effectively 0-0 going into Tuesday’s night’s game with a chance to get the truly bitter flavor of the season’s first half out of its collective mouth.

How sour was it?

Albuquerque started the first half by losing 12 of its first 14 games and never recovered. The ‘Topes went 26-49 and finished 23 games behind first-half champ Sugar Land.

Worse than that, Albuquerque finished five games behind ninth-place El Paso and tied Double-A Chattanooga for the most losses among all 120 Minor League clubs. It was the worst first-half in Isotopes history, one game worse than last season’s 27-48 mark.

“Yeah, it was rough,” infielder Hunter Stovall said.

Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez agreed.

“Things just didn’t happen for us in the first half,” he said. “Our pitching was inconsistent and too many times we couldn’t get the big hit.”

Nonetheless, Albuquerque went into Tuesday’s second-half opener tied for first place. The ‘Topes stayed there with a solid 8-4 win over visiting Salt Lake in the opener of a six-game series.

Drew Romo and Grant Lavigne smacked first-inning homers as Albuquerque grabbed a 5-0 lead. The Bees trimmed it to 5-4 after seven innings, but the ‘Topes put up three runs with two outs in the eighth and used solid relief pitching to lock down the win.

It’s certainly fair to say no team needed a fresh start more than the Isotopes, but is there any reason to expect a better second half?

Turns out, there are a few.

First, history is on their side. After last season’s dismal first half, the ‘Topes turned things around and went 41-34 after the midway point. They stayed in the hunt for a PCL playoff spot until the final week of the season.

“Yeah, we’ve got that down,” Lopez said with a chuckle. “Actually, we just need to keep playing like we have the last couple weeks.”

Indeed, Albuquerque’s awful first half did end on a high note. The Isotopes won back-to-back series over El Paso and Oklahoma City — their first two series victories of the season. It did nothing to help their position in the standings, but it did send the ‘Topes into the second half with some momentum.

“We’re definitely feeling better about ourselves, more confident,” Stovall said. “The culture in the locker room was not great, but we confronted that and we’ve cut down on the negativity. Now guys come in with an expectation to win a game instead of kind of expecting to lose.”

Still, Lopez conceded there’s more to a turnaround than just a positive attitude. After all, the Isotopes have largely the same cast of characters that struggled through the season’s first three months. And like Albuquerque, nine other PCL teams will be focused on putting together astrong second half.

“No doubt, guys need to step up,” Lopez said.

But Albuquerque’s second-year manager believes enough quality pieces are available.

“Definitely,” he said. “We’ve got guys who can be leaders. Schunky (infielder Aaron Schunk) is a quiet leader and a top prospect like Drew Romo’s can step up and lead, too. I feel like finishing the first half the way we did was huge. Now we just have to build on that. We’ve got a clean slate. Time to take advantage of it.”

Photos: Albuquerque Isotopes vs. Salt Lake Bees