What's behind the Cougars' second-half surge?

Days off were becoming a nuisance for the Kane County Cougars.

"Every time we were on a little streak it seemed like it was a day off," Cougars manager Mark Grudzielanek said.

Three times in the first half of the season, the Cougars put together win steaks, had a day off, and then lost their next game back.

The Cougars had a five-game winning streak before the Midwest League All-Star Game break and saw it snapped in their first game back against the Peoria Chiefs.

But they didn't panic. The Cougars just started a new streak, winning 10 straight games.

It's part of an incredible start to the second half of the season. Through Thursday's games, the Cougars were 23-5 in the Midwest League second half. Overall, the club has won 28 of its last 33 games.

"It starts with the starting pitching," Grudzielanek said. "You get some quality starts out there (and) you've got a chance. You go into our defense, taking care of the baseball and we've been doing a pretty good job of that. Then you throw in some timely hits - it's a great combination to pull off a winning streak like we did."

The team's focus since the start of the season has been working on fundamentals and improving every day.

"From day one it was preaching always expect to win," Grudzielanek said. "We're going out there to win each and every game, and understand that."

The players are enjoying the ride.

"We're really happy, because everything is coming out like we expected (and) that's thanks to the work we put in," Cougars infielder Ildemaro Vargas said. "We don't think about continuing to win and win, but rather working and playing hard."

The players believe that staying calm has helped to extend the winning streak.

"You try to control what you can control, whether you're winning or losing, and show up with the same attitude everyday," infielder Cody Regis said. "With that being said, it's fun, when you're winning."

The Cougars insist some of the pressure is alleviated because of how much they are enjoying the experience.

"It makes everything better, you feel more confident out there on the mound," relief pitcher Nick Baker said. "The biggest thing too, besides winning, is making sure that we're all getting better and working hard."

But there's something the players keep in the back of their mind that's also pushing them on this streak.

"I think that the desire to win and get to a final and be a champion, I think we're all thinking about that and that's helped us a lot," pitcher Jency Solis said.

Key stats during Kane County's hot streak

Here is a look at some of the key stats for the Kane County Cougars, who have a nice lead in the Midwest League's Western Division. All stats are through Thursday's games.

Potent offense: The Cougars have relied on timely hitting to propel their winning streak. In the last 33 games, the Cougars are hitting .292 with 141 RBI. They also are hitting .277 (97-350) with runners in scoring position.

Strong staff: The pitching staff has been tremendous for the Cougars, who are on a 23-5 run in the second half of their Midwest League season. In 294 innings, the staff holds a 2.11 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and strike out an average of 7 hitters per nine innings.

Don't blame the pitchers: In losses during this winning streak, the team ERA raises only a little, to 2.50. The team WHIP dips to an even 1.00 in losses. The offense, however, has struggled in their five losses, hitting just .238 (46-193). With runners in scoring position, they have hit just .147 (10-68) in their losses. In wins, the team batting average moves is .303 and they hit .309 with runners in scoring position.

- Andres Martinez