It wasn’t long ago that the Mankato MoonDogs were a franchise that would win a few games and put a few fans in the stands, but when it came to winning consistently, the team usually fell short.

In the first six seasons under the current management, the MoonDogs had a cumulative record of 182-212, finishing over .500 just twice.

But last season, the MoonDogs finally broke through at 41-26 and won the North Division’s first-half championship to gain the organization’s first Northwoods League playoff berth. Now with just nine games remaining in the first half, the MoonDogs have another excellent chance to win the first half and get to the playoffs.

The MoonDogs were eliminated in the North Division playoffs by Thunder Bay, but the players that are back this summer certainly benefitted from the experience and can pass that on to the current roster.

This season’s team is so strong in pitching that it’s tough to have any extended losing streak. Ryan Demmin leads the league in victories at 4-1 with a 1.13 earned-run average, but James Wise is 1-0 and has yet to allow an earned run in two starts. Tim Griffin is 2-1 with a 1.10 ERA.

The bullpen has been just as good. Jimmy Patterson also has a 0.00 ERA in 61⁄3 innings, and Chris Garrison has four scoreless innings since arriving late from the University of Oregon. Alex Burgos sports a 0.87 ERA, with John Brebbia at 0.96.

If the MoonDogs, who managed only two hits in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss at St. Cloud, can generate any offense, they should have a chance to win every night.

Which has made the product even more attractive to fans, who have been showing up pretty well through 12 home games that have included two suspended games, the “lights-out” opener and a rain game earlier this week. The MoonDogs have averaged 1,134 fans per game, a far cry from the Mankato Mashers’ days, when the parking lot was always available, no matter when fans arrived, and ownership was hoping to sell 400 tickets per game. Now, you’ve got cars parked everywhere in the neighborhood, and the city seems to have found an extra revenue stream by catching the illegal parkers.

This franchise used to be the little, yipping dog that would occasionally bite the ankle of one of the top teams, but the MoonDogs are now the team being chased. And it’s a lot more fun to be at the ballpark.

Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com.