Canberra Cavalry manager Michael Collins believes second baseman Christian Lopes can take
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After a slow start in his first season with the Cavalry, the 22-year-old has exploded in this weekend's series with Melbourne Aces at the Melbourne Ballpark.
Lopes went 2-4 with a two-run home-run and three RBIs in game one, cleared the fence twice on 3-4 hitting in game two and had a three-run home run in Saturday night's 9-8 loss.
A seventh-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2011 draft, Lopes hit .243 last season in the US with the Dunedin Blue Jays in the Florida State League, alongside former Cavalry imports Shane Opitz and Marcus Knecht.
Collins said while Lopes may not have been getting results when he first joined the Cavalry, it was only a matter of time before his hard work paid off.
"He had really good quality at bats and he always looked like he was a chance to do some damage," Collins said.
"For us, he's been playing some short stop, which adds some versatility for him."
Cavalry starting pitcher Tim Atherton improved to a perfect 6-0 record in Friday night's 9-6 win.
Atherton gave up four runs and seven hits before being replaced after throwing five innings.
"He probably wasn't as sharp as he has been in the past, but again proved that he's got such great stuff that he's definitely one of the best pitchers in the league," Collins said.
"Definitely very pleased to see him battle through.
"He had a couple of rough innings where he threw a lot of pitches, but he was still able to get through his five innings."
That game also marked the long-awaited comeback of left-handed reliever Steve Kent, who threw two-thirds of an inning in his first game in 14 months after Tommy John surgery.
"It looked like he got tired pretty quick," Collins said. "The first couple of hitters he faced were pretty good, but it's definitely great to see him back and he will help us out as an Australian in the bullpen."
The Cavalry take on the Aces on Sunday at 2pm.