Previewing Bowling Green at Fort Wayne

After a 5-2 home stand, the Bowling Green Hot Rods will try to get some road momentum. It’s another lengthy road test for the Bowling Green Hot Rods who will begin an 11 day, 10 game road trip tonight in Fort Wayne (Ind.). In a bit of a scheduling quirk, the first leg of the road trip will also be the last as BG will return to Fort Wayne after a three game series at Great Lakes (Mich.)
After starting 5-2 on the road, the Hot Rods are 3-8. Bowling Green has only won one series away from BG Ballpark.
With Lansing (Mich.) opening up a sizable lead for the Eastern Division title, BG will have to play well to stay in second place and earn the second playoff spot. The Hot Rods currently lead Great Lakes and South Bend (Ind.) by one game. Lake County is 1 1/2 back.

Here is a look at the matchup with Fort Wayne

Bowling Green (23-19) at Fort Wayne (19-23)
Saturday 6:05 CDT, Sunday 2:05 CDT, Monday 6:05 CDT

Bowling Green (23-19, 15-9 home, 8-10 road, streak lost 1)
Probable Starters
Saturday Parker Markel (1-1, 4.95)
Sunday Ryan Carpenter (5-2, 4.43)
Monday Roberto Gomez (3-1, 3.46)

Team offense
Average: .260 (second in Midwest League)
Runs: 174 (ninth in Midwest League)
Total bases: 532 (fourth in Midwest League)

Team pitching
ERA: 3.32 (fifth in Midwest League)
hits allowed: 334 (eighth in Midwest League)
strikeouts: 298 (tied for 10th in Midwest League)

Who’s hot
*Outfielder Josh Sale has five homers and 12 RBIs in 33 at-bats with the Hot Rods.
*Outfielder Drew Vettleson has a 10 game hitting streak, hitting .316 in that span.
*first baseman Jeff Malm hitting .304 with two homers and seven RBIs in the month of May.

Who’s not
*Relief pitcher Thomas Stayton has allowed a run in seven straight appearances.
*Third baseman Taylor Motter is hitting .162 in the month of May.
*catcher Alejandro Segovia has one hit in last eight at-bats.

Fort Wayne (19-23, 9-10 home, 10-13 road, streak lost 2)
Probable Starters
Saturday Frank Garces (1-2, 2.44)
Sunday Andy Portillo (3-1, 1.22)
Monday Colin Rea (0-3, 4.81)

Team offense
Average: .236 (12th in Midwest League)
Runs: 181 (sixth in Midwest League)
Total bases: 494 (ninth in Midwest League)

Team pitching
ERA: 3.18 (third in Midwest League)
hits allowed: 310 (first in Midwest League)
strikeouts: 345 (second in Midwest League)

Who’s hot
*Shortstop Jace Peterson is hitting .333 in the month of May.
*second baseman Tyler Stubblefield is hitting .304 in seven games since joining the TinCaps.
*starting pitcher Adys Portillo hasn’t allowed a run in his last three starts, spanning 20 innings.

Who’s not
*Outfielder Corey Adamson has two hits in his last 28 at-bats.
*first baseman Clark Murphy hitting .179 in May.
*Pitcher Colin Rea has allowed four runs on eight hits in four innings in his only two starts.

Hot Rods end home stand on sloppy note

The Bowling Green Hot Rods let a sweep slip away with a 3-2 loss to the Dayton Dragons on Friday at Bowling Green Ballpark. For the third time this season the Hot Rods had a chance to finish off a home sweep, but came up short. This time it was an error by third baseman Tyler Goeddel that allowed two runs to score in the seventh.
Goeddel had a rough night in the field with two errors, leading to all three runs.
Bowling Green still sits alone in second place, one game in front of South Bend (Ind.) and Great Lakes (Mich). That will be tested over the next 11 days when the Hot Rods hit the road for a 10-game trip. Bowling Green starts with three in Fort Wayne (Ind.) will take Tuesday off before playing three in Great Lakes. BG then returns to Fort Wayne for a four game set.
Here are post game comments from manager Brady Williams and Goeddel

Williams
“That wasn’t the prettiest game, but we still had a chance to win the game. I think if you hit that ball to Ty 50 times, he makes the play 49 times. Tonight he didn’t make it, so we’ll live with it and move on.”

On Jake Partridge’s start
“(Partridge) was very sharp. He did exactly what he was supposed to do. He came in and threw strikes. In a spot start, he did a nice job.”

On Sale’s homer and Dayton’s decision to pitch around him in the ninth
“He’s kind of earned that. He’s had some good at-bats and he was almost the hero again. We make a play in the following inning and he his the hero. You have to tip your hat to him. He’s swinging the ball well.

On the unique road trip, with two stops in Fort Wayne
“It’s a strange road trip. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a road trip like this. It’s a quick turnaround. The guys have got to let this one go and get after Fort Wayne (tonight).”

On what he hopes his team learned on the 2-7 road trip earlier this season that they can use on the 10 game road trip coming up
“It’s a little different routine then when you are here at home. I think some of the young guys have to get used to that. I think early on in the season everyone was fresh, then we had our second road and they weren’t quite sure how to handle it. We didn’t play our best baseball last time. Hopefully that will change with the weather. It’s warmed up a bit and guys have some confidence. Hopefully we can go up there and compete and get after somebody.”

Goeddel
“It was definitely a tough game for us. A lot of things didn’t go our way. We didn’t swing the bats well. We made a couple of costly mistakes in the field. It’s a tough loss, but we’ll get over it and start winning again.”

On the seventh inning error
“The ball took me straight to the bag. I touched the bag and then I didn’t have my feet set under me on the throw. I rushed the throw at first and wasn’t able to get enough on it.”

On the momentum they can take from a 5-2 home stand
“It definitely felt good being back at home. We played better. Hopefully we can take this with us on the road trip and play well the next 11 days. We just have to keep battling, working hard, and staying focused.

On playing Fort Wayne seven out of the next 10 games
“Tomorrow will be the first time we will play them (this year). The more we play them, the more familiar we’ll get with them. When we come back the second time (to play them) it will feel just home for us.”

Patience and big flys, or how Bowling Green won its fourth straight

It was another home win for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who improved to 5-1 on the current seven game home stand with a 5-4 win over the Dayton Dragons on Thursday.
Outfielder Josh Sale continues to shine since joining the Hot Rods on May 5. He hit his fourth home run Thursday, a three-run shot that gave BG the lead for good. Sale is tied for the team lead in homers, despite 30 at-bats and 11 games played. Sale does have five strikeouts, but has continued to show patience working seven walks. His homer Thursday came on an eight pitch at-bat where he worked the count full before turning on a change-up for a mammoth shot out of the ballpark.
The series and home stand concludes Friday before BG sets out on a 10 game road trip.
Here are postgame comments from Brady Williams

Williams
On Sale’s home run
“That was an awesome at-bat. He battled that whole at-bat, fouled some pitches off, then got a pitch he could handle 3-2. He did a nice job putting a good swing on that ball.”

On Sale’s continued patience at the plate
“He’s using his hands really well. He’s using the whole field. He’s attacking his pitch, which is good to see. He’s bringing some energy and enthusiasm and he’s definitely picked our team up.”

On the battles of his pitching staff, which held Dayton to 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position
“Stayton Thomas did a nice job. So did (Jason) McEachern. They both give up one run apiece, but they made pitches when they had to. It was good to see those guys battle and compete and get those outs.”

On Jake Floethe’s start, allowing two runs – one earned – with three strikeouts and a walk in five innings
“He wasn’t his best today, but I think we’ll take what he did. He kind of shot himself in the foot there with the pick-off play, but he pitched well. The fast ball command wasn’t there today, but he competed.”

On McEachern earning his first pro save
“He’s done a nice job and he’s earned it. He’s pitching well. He’s pitching with some confidence. It’s fun to watch him go out there and do what he’s doing right now because he’s got good enough stuff to get guys out when he is attacking hitters.”

Home sweet home for Bowling Green Hot Rods

The home cooking continued for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who improved to 7-0 in series openers at home with a 4-1 victory over the Dayton Dragons on Wednesday at Bowling Green Ballpark. Bowling Green has now won three straight for the first time since Apr. 18-20. It’s also the fifth win in the last six games after dropping to .500 last week in Lansing (Mich.)
The pitching was impressive tonight with starter Roberto Gomez and reliever Andrew Bellatti both allowing a lead off triple in one inning, only to leave the runner stranded at third base. The offense pounded out 12 hits, including four straight in a three-run sixth inning that allowed Gomez to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Here are post game comments from manager Brady Williams and first baseman Cameron Seitzer, who had two hits – including a two-run double that gave the Hot Rods the lead for good.

Williams
“We’ve been playing well. Everyone is having good at-bats and guys on the field are staying focused, but it all starts with our pitching. Our pitching has been back on track. They are throwing better, with more conviction on their pitches, and keeping us in games. They are giving us a chance to win.”

On Gomez and Bellatti both working out of an inning without allowing a run in which they allowed a lead off triple
“These are the biggest innings for us defensively, leaving those guys at third base with no one out. If they allow those guys to score it is a different ball game. Those guys made quality pitches. It’s a testament to Gomez and Bellatti.”

On Gomez’s strong start, allowing one unearned run and equaled a season high with six strikeouts
“He was very sharp. That is back to back good games by him. He’s throwing the ball well. His command of the fast ball is outstanding right now. He’s keeping hitters off balance. That one inning he pretty much gave them a run.”

On Thursday’s starter Jake Floethe, who is 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA at home in five starts and hasn’t allowed a run in 11 straight innings.
“He’s doing a nice job and I expect nothing less than what he’s been doing. We know he is going to give us a chance to win the game.”

Seitzer
“It was great for us, stringing those hits together and putting good at-bats together. Our pitchers did a great job tonight – kept the ball down in the zone. We were lucky enough to get those runs on the board.”

On jumping on Dayton reliever Mike Dennhardt for four straight hits and three runs in the sixth
“With a guy out of the bullpen we figured he was going to attack us with fast balls. That is what everybody’s mind set was. He left a few balls over the plate and we put them in play.”

On hitting .440 with runners in scoring position
“I’m just taking the same approach, runners on or no runners on. I’m staying up the middle, staying the other way, and just trying to put a good quality at-bat together. It just so happens it is with runners in scoring position.”

On current mood of team having won five out of six
“Everybody is getting along great. Everybody is up in the clubhouse and having fun. It’s a great team to be a part of. We’re just going out and playing our best.”

Previewing BG Hot Rods vs. Dayton

After winning a series for the first time in nearly a month, the Bowling Green Hot Rods will look to continue the momentum when it begins a three game series with Dayton tonight at 6:35 p.m.
Bowling Green finished a seven game stretch facing the teams it is chasing in the standings with a respectable 4-3 record to pull into a tie with South Bend (Ind.) for a tie for second place. The Hot Rods will now begin a stretch where they will play sub .500 teams in 10 of the next 13 games, giving them a chance to perhaps solidify the postseason resume.

Here is a look at the matchup with Dayton

Dayton (14-25) at Bowling Green (21-17)
Wednesday and Thursday 6:35 p.m. Friday 7:05 p.m.

Bowling Green (21-18, 13-7 home, 8-10 road, streak won 2)
Probable Starters
Wednesday Roberto Gomez (2-1, 4.04)
Thursday Jake Floethe (5-1, 3.27)
Friday To Be Determined

Team offense
Average: .259 (second in Midwest League)
Runs: 163 (ninth in Midwest League)
Total bases: 495 (third in Midwest League)

Team pitching
ERA: 3.48 (seventh in Midwest League)
hits allowed: 314 (ninth in Midwest League)
strikeouts: 270 (tied for 11th in Midwest League)

Who’s hot
*Outfielder Josh Sale has seven hits, three homers, in his first 22 at-bats with the Hot Rods.
*Outfielder Drew Vettleson has an eight game hitting streak.
*Starting pitcher Jake Floethe hasn’t allowed an earned run in 11 straight innings, spanning two starts.

Who’s not
*Relief pitcher Thomas Stayton has allowed three runs in his last three appearances, spanning 4 1/3 innings.
*Catcher Matt Rice has four hits in his last 22 at-bats.
*Shortstop Juniel Querecuto has five hits in his last 25 at-bats.

Dayton (14-25, 7-16 home, 7-9 road, streak lost 4)
Probable Starters
Wednesday Stalin Gerson (1-3, 4.66)
Thursday To be determined
Friday Dan Jensen (1-3, 2.28)

Team offense
Average: .227 (15th in Midwest League)
Runs: 126 (15th in Midwest League)
Total bases: 416 (15th in Midwest League)

Team pitching
ERA: 3.43 (fifth in Midwest League)
hits allowed: 329 (15th in Midwest League)
strikeouts: 287 (tied for fifth in Midwest League)

Who’s hot
*Third baseman Josef Terry is 5-for-14 since joining the Dragons.
*relief pitcher Kyle McMyne hasn’t allowed a run in his last five appearances. McMyne has allowed three earned runs total with 20 strikeouts in 14 appearances.

Who’s not
*third baseman Sean Buckley is hitting .139 in May.
*Outfielder Jefry Sierra has two hits in 15 at-bats this month.
*first baseman Nick O’Shea has three hits in 32 at-bats in May.

Bowling Green wins series, pulls even for now

The Bowling Green Hot Rods won a series for the first time in almost a month, beating South Bend (Ind.) 5-4 on Tuesday. The win is Bowling Green’s fourth in the last five games and allowed the Hot Rods to pull even with the Silver Hawks for second place in the Midwest League Eastern Division.
It was a complete effort for Bowling Green, with Ryan Carpenter settling in nicely after a shaky first two batters and the bats showing some pop with home runs from Josh Sale and Drew Vettleson and a pair of doubles from Jake Hager. Austin Hubbard also had a nice outing working out of a bases loaded jam in the eighth before tossing a 1-2-3 ninth.
Here are post game comments from Hubbard and manager Brady Williams following the victory.

Williams
“Two-out RBIs were the difference in the game. It was good to see Carpenter bounce back after his last outing. He kept us in the game and got a win. And then (reliever Justin Woodall) had his best appearance of the year, even though the third inning wasn’t his best. He pitched well and he pitched to contact.”

on the four two-out RBIs
“That’s what good teams do – they pick up their teammates. There were some good at-bats early in the game that allowed us to win the game.”

on Ryan Carpenter’s strong start after allowing two runs, two batters into the game
“I think it was determination on his part. His game plan changed a little bit. He was throwing more fast balls and attacking guys. He was pitching in more and keeping hitters off balance.

On Hager’s two hits and his recent offensive surge that has seen his batting average steadily rise
“There is no reason why he shouldn’t have confidence at the plate. He’s a good player, good hitter. He’s had some tough luck early on here, but he’s staying after it. He’s working hard in the cage and it’s paying off for him in the game.”

On Hubbard working out of the eighth inning jam
“He’s been there before. He knows the pitches he has to make and he made them tonight to good hitters. (Gerson) Montilla has been killing us, but he made some good pitches to him to get him out. He limited the damage and got us out of the inning with a lead.”

Hubbard
Getting out of the eighth inning
“That’s what it is all about – one pitch at a time, staying focused on that one pitch. I just tried to not over do anything or think about too many things at once. Yeah the bases were loaded, but I still have to make that pitch.”

On what this series does for the team from a confidence stand point
“This is huge. Winning at home is huge. It’s always good to beat a team that is in front of you in the standings. The pitching and hitting is coming together. This was three big wins for us.”

On going 4-3 in a seven game stretch against the two teams they are chasing in the standings
“That’s what we are here for. That’s what we sign up for. Obviously it would have been nice to go 7-0, but we’ll take 4-3 for right now and see what happens tomorrow with Dayton coming in.”

Bowling Green Hot Rods tread water with double header split

Pitching was the big story in Monday’s doubleheader between the Bowling Green Hot Rods and South Bend (Ind.) Silver Hawks. South Bend one-hit the Hot Rods in the opener. Bowling Green turned the tables in game two by two-hitting the Silver Hawks.
Ryan Brett was the big star in game two – single-handily manufacturing the tying run with a walk and two steals before knocking in the eventual game-winner in the fifth.
Bowling Green is in position to win the series with the Silver Hawks and pull even for second place in the Midwest League Eastern Division if they can win the finale on Tuesday.
Here are post game comments from manager Brady Williams and Brett.

Williams
“Both games were well played games. Obviously the first game we didn’t really hit. You have to tip your hat to (South Bend starter Archie) Bradley. He was on and he was making pitches. It the second game we still didn’t have a lot of hits, but we made the most of our opportunities.”

On Brett’s ability to manufacture a run in the third
“That is the aggressiveness we’ve been talking to him about. It’s good to see him come out of his shell that inning and then a good read on that ball in the dirt to tie the game up.”

Brett’s RBI single after Tyler Goeddel failed to get the runner over
“That’s what good teams do. We try to get the job done, practice it and work on it, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. When it doesn’t happen other guys have step up and pick their teammates up and that’s what happened.”

On Rivero’s work in game one
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad luck, sometimes it’s just baseball. Sometimes you have to pitch a shutout to win. He’s pitching really well right now. If he keeps pitching the way he’s been, he’ll be fine once the season is over. We just ran into a guy that was on his game and we struggled offensively.”

On the pitching in game two from Trevor Shull, Jake Partridge and Charlie Cononie
“It wasn’t (Trevor’s) best game, but he limited the damage. He made pitches when he had to. Partridge with another outstanding job in the middle innings and Cononie comes in and shut it down and made pitches.”

On Tuesday’s starter Ryan Carpenter looking to bounce back after a rough outing in Lansing
“I know he’s looking forward to getting back out there after his last outing. I look forward to watching him pitch. I know he is going to go out there and compete and give us a chance to win.”

Brett
“I just tried to get something going for me team. Once I walked I focused on getting in scoring position and stole second. Then I thought, ‘Why not get three?’ I stole third and ended up scoring on the wild pitch. It makes me feel good to help my team out. After I stole the two bags the energy picked up. It makes me feel good to come back to the dugout after that.”

on his game winning hit
“I didn’t try to do too much. I just tried to look for a good pitch, square it up and hit it hard somewhere. I ended up getting nice line drive the other way to score (Juniel Querecuto).”

on trying to win series from South Bend
“It would be huge, especially with the momentum we have right now. It would be good to get another win here against South Bend because we’re behind them. If we can close the distance by winning the game tomorrow then I think we’ll be in good shape going into the series against the (Dayton) Dragons.”

Brady Williams and Josh Sale talk about a ‘winning streak’

With an assist from mother nature, the Bowling Green Hot Rods were able to do something it hadn’t done in nearly a month – win back-to-back games.
Bowling Green used another strong start from Jake Floethe and rode the momentum of a mammoth three-run homer from Josh Sale to take the opener of a four game set with South Bend (Ind.) 4-3 in a game that was called after six innings due to rain.
The Hot Rods moved within a game of the Silver Hawks and Great Lakes for second place in the Midwest League East Division and now sit 5 1/2 games back of division leader Lansing (Mich.) with 34 games now left in the first half.

Here are post game comments from Brady Williams and Sale following the victory.

Williams
These last three games we’ve played well as far as defensively and offensively. Obviously Sale with the big hit today. Floethe was really sharp. He pitched a really nice game.

More on Floethe’s start
“He got ahead of hitters today. He got a couple of easy outs. He was definitely locating well today. I think his fast ball command was the reason why he had a lot of success. He was keeping hitters honest and his off speed was sharp enough to get them out.”

On Floethe getting a double play after allowing a lead off walk and a single in the first
“That was a big play for him. It was a tough first inning there, but (third baseman Tyler) Goeddel makes a nice play and a big pick by (Cameron) Seitzer at first to calm that inning there.

On Sale’s homer
“That was a good piece of hitting. It was a change-up and he stayed on it. It was obviously one of our biggest hits of the year.”

On Sale coming in and contributing right away
“He’s doing a nice job. He has some confidence right now. He looks like he can really do some damage at the plate because he’s having really good at-bats every time up. He just needs to continue doing that and staying positive.”

On Sunday’s pitching match-up, Felipe Rivero vs. Archie Bradley
“It’s two good pitchers tomorrow. If this rain holds off, hopefully we can get this in because those are two guys you enjoy watching pitch. It’s going to be a good game with two good teams going at each other.”

Sale
On his home run
“The guy was trying to bust me with change-ups. He was staying away, away then come in and nibble on the inside corner. His change-up would bite back a bit and it kind of caught me off guard in my first at-bat. I was a little out in front of it, but I was looking for it considering I had just missed the fast ball on a big hack. I figured he’d seen that big hack, so he was going to try and get me out on my front foot. I just stayed back and was looking for it. I just happened to barrel it up the way I wanted to.”

The importance of taking the series opener
“It was a big. As a team we are working really well right now. I’ve only been up here about a week, but our pitchers are working their (butts) off. Our hitters are trying to get their hits here and there. We’re just doing the little things we need to be doing day in and day out. I feel like it’s going to start coming together real well and we’re going to be where we need to be.”

On his fast start with the Hot Rods
“I’m going to have to give some credit to the guys down in extended (spring training). They sent me up here with a lot of good things in mind. They helped me make little tweaks here and there so they could get me prepared for a long season. The pitching is pretty much the same. They just spot up better and are more around the zone. You just have to be patient and sit in your zone and make sure you don’t deviate from your approach. That’s something I’ve learned through this organization.”

Previewing the Hot Rods series with South Bend

The Bowling Green Hot Rods are officially through the first half of the first half, or the quarter pole, of 2012. So far it’s been an extended up with an extended down. After starting the year 13-6, Bowling Green dipped all the way to 17-17 before taking the final game at Lansing (Mich.) on Friday. Bowling Green hasn’t won back-to-back games since winning three straight April 18-20 and haven’t won a series against an opponent since taking two of three from Quad Cities April 22-24.
With the next seven games at home Bowling Green will look to get back on the right track. Despite the recent funk, Bowling Green is only two games back of the wild card co-leaders – South Bend and Great Lakes – and 5.5 back of a Lansing team they still play six more times in the first half.
The Hot Rods get the chance to make up ground with one of these teams the next four days, trying to beat a Silver Hawks team that has split six games with Bowling Green this season.

Here is a look at the matchup with South Bend

Bowling Green (18-17) at Lansing (20-15)
Saturday 7:05 p.m., Sunday 2:05 p.m., Monday and Tuesday 6:35 p.m.
Season series: Tied 3-3

Bowling Green (18-17, 10-6 home, 8-10 road, streak won 1)
Probable Starters
Saturday Jake Floethe (4-1, 3.72)
Sunday Felipe Rivero (2-2, 1.50)
Monday Trevor Shull (0-1, 4.84)
Tuesday Ryan Carpenter (4-2, 4.54)

Team offense
Average: .261 (tied for first in Midwest League)
Runs: 151 (seventh in Midwest League)
Total bases: 451 (third in Midwest League)

Team pitching
ERA: 3.57 (ninth in Midwest League)
hits allowed: 298 (tied for 12th in Midwest League)
strikeouts: 243 (tied for 12th in Midwest League)

Who’s hot
*Outfielder Josh Sale has five hits in 15 at-bats with the Hot Rods.
*Outfielder Todd Glaesmann has six hits in his last eight at-bats.
*Starting pitcher Jake Floethe is 2-0 in four home starts, allowing three earned runs in 22 innings. Is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA in month of May.

Who’s not
*Shortstop Jake Hager has three hits in his last 24 at-bats.
*First baseman Cameron Seitzer is hitting .167 in the month of May.

South Bend (20-15, 12-8 home, 8-7 road, streak won 2)
Probable Starters
Saturday J.R. Bradley (2-2, 4.78)
Sunday Archie Bradley (4-1, 2.57)
Monday Jeffrey Shields (0-4, 3.89)
Tuesday John Pedrotty (1-2, 5.80)

Team offense
Average: .239 (12th in Midwest League)
Runs: 146 (10th in Midwest League)
Total bases: 411 (10th in Midwest League)

Team pitching
ERA: 3.61 (11th in Midwest League)
hits allowed: 271 (tied for fifth in Midwest League)
strikeouts: 247 (11th in Midwest League)

Who’s hot
*outfielder Ender Inciarte has 10 hits in last 33 at-bats.
*second baseman Gerson Montilla is hitting .340 with 10 RBIs in the month of May.
*starting pitcher Archie Bradley is 4-0 in last six starts, since an opening night loss to the Hot Rods.

Who’s not
*starting pitcher John Pedrotty has allowed eight runs, seven earned, and 12 hits in two May starts.
*shortstop Josh Parr has one hit in his last 31 at-bats.
*outfielder Bobby Stone has four hits in last 32 at-bats.

Nothing distressful about these ‘Damsels’

I’ve always had a bit of admiration for writer/director Whit Stillman. Way back in the 1990′s still made a trio of films – “Barcelona,” “Metropolis,” and “The Last Days of Disco” that featured an elitist and sardonic tone with a razor sharp screenplay that just jumped off the screen.
Fourteen years after “Disco” (the best of his previous three films) Stillman finally returns to the big screen with “Damsels in Distress.” It’s as if Stillman never left, with “Damsels” capturing the same self-absorbed upper class characters who think they know best, even when most of the times they don’t.
Greta Gerwig stars as Violet, the leader of a group of female students in a fictional northeastern college who believe their sole purpose is change the school environment for the better. Violet and her group, which includes Heather (Carrie MacLemore) and Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke), believe they have the answer for students who suffer from severe depression and know exactly what it takes to prevent unhappiness. Violet runs the campus suicide prevention center, with her idea of therapy being to teach the depressed tap dance.
Violet also believes she has all the answers to romance and dating, theorizing that women should date less desirable men because it will lessen the chance they are dumped.
Her theories and ideas are put to the test though when a transfer student named Lily (Analeigh Tipton) joins the group and challenges Violet’s unorthodox views on life and relationships. More problems arise when the men that Violet and her friends have targeted because of their shallowness, prove just as capable of breaking hearts as the men they’ve tried to avoid.
Some might see this as glib and superficial, but Stillman has a way for making the mundane fascinating – with a script full of dry wit and rich dialogue that you don’t see often enough. This is essentially “Mean Girls: The College Years” with a spin that only a writer as talented as Stillman can pull off.
The female cast makes the most of this sizzling script, especially Gerwig – playing a character who thinks she is the smartest person in the room with all the answers, even when it is obvious she isn’t. Her observations, as pointed and warped as they are, provide many of the film’s best moments.
Tipton’s character is the perfect balance, the one person who sees Violet for what she is, but is still willing to be a part of her group.
I do wish the male characters (which include Adam Brody, Zack Woods, and Ryan Metcalf) would have been a little more developed, but I can’t complain when Stillman has given the female cast so much to work with. It’s also tough to be too critical of a film that manages to wedge in a couple of whimsical musical numbers and it not really feel forced.
This is a film that takes is self-aware about its own elitist attitude and manages to be in on the joke with the audience.
I can only hope Stillman doesn’t wait another 14 years before his next project.

Grade: A-