Hollis Brookline alum Brandon Hsu has pitched well lately in middle relief for the Nashua Silver Knights. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Sometimes the numbers do lie.

The Futures Collegiate Baseball League team pitching statistics will show the Nashua Silver Knights as fifth with a team earned run average of 5.23.

But right now, the Knights appear to have one of the best starting staffs in the league thanks to some later arrivals.

“If a starter can go four or five and keep it to a one-or two run ball game, our bats will come alive,” Silver Knights manger Kyle Jackson said. “We’re getting hits and we’re playing great defense.”

And, during the team’s four-game winning streak, getting great pitching. Jonah Wachter, since arriving from Tulane, has set a tone at 1-0, 2.00 in three starts. Liam Doyle certainly made an impression with five no-hit innings in his first Silver Knights appearance on Sunday. Aiven Cabral, who pitched lights out in relief last week, is expected to make his first start tonight vs. Westfield at Holman Stadium when the Knights began a stretch of seven home games in their next nine (and 10 in next 14) , which had an ace in Brayden Clark, until a kidney stone threw him off his game last week.

The return of Josh Roberge (1-0, 1.80) has already paid dividends and he takes the mound at Holman on Wednesday vs. Norwich. Brock Pare (0-2, 4.84) goes Thursday at Pittsfield while Wachter goes on Friday at home vs. Vermont.

“And we’re waiting to see about Clark,” Jackson said. “When he pitched last Tuesday, he had a kidney stone; he went to the hospital the next day and they said he had a kidney stone. That’s tough. I’ve had four. At once.”

Ouch. Meanwhile, what had been hurting Nashua at times had been the bullpen, but it looked fine on Sunday thanks in part to local product Brandon Hsu, a Hollis Brookline alum who will be a sophomore this fall at the University of Rhode Island.

Hsu pitched three scoreless innings of relief on Sunday, lowering his ERA to 3.52.

“Hsu’s thrown well,” Jackson said. “The bullpen is putting zeroes up.”

“I came in trying to bridge the game, from the early innings to the late innings,” he said. “It felt good out there.”

MUCH-NEEDED DAY OFF

Usually, when a team is on a winning streak, a day off is the last thing they want.

But the Knights welcomed having Monday off.

“They need it,” Jackson said. “There were some tired legs out there (Sunday).”

POWER SHOW

In the last eight days, Nashua has hit six home runs, tops in the FCBL, and the Knights have eight homers on the year, tied for fourth. The arrival of Chris Katz, a Raleigh, N.C. native who will be a sophomore at Wake Forest has helped, as he homered twice. He’s hitting .292 with four doubles as well. Kyle Wolff also has a pair of homers.

And that power should be increased with the expected activation today of Pace University slugger Mitch McCabe, who had 11 homers and 31 RBIs this past season. McCabe had been struggling with a shoulder issue. He also had nine doubles and two triples for a whopping OPS of 1.191…

Wednesday night’s game will be broadcast on Nashua ETV….

The key for Nashua during the recent winning streak? “Just getting a win, playing good baseball every day, whether you win or lose,” Jackson said.