So you’re saying there’s a chance.

Nashua Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino, from Connectcut, is a Yankees fan and like most Yankee fans – including yours truly – bristles when manager Aaron Boone says “It’s all there right in front of us.”

But he told his players after Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the talented Worcester Bravehearts at Holman Stadium pretty close to those exact words. The teams the Knights are chasing for the final playoff spots, Norwich and New Britain, both lost on Sunday as well. Nashua begins the final week of the season going to New Britain, trailing the Bees by a game and a half.

“It’s there,” Guarino said. “It’s right there. Just win a game.”

But that’s the thing, the Silver Knights simply can’t seem to do it. They walked out of Holman Stadium back on July 13 with a 7-5 win over New Britain to move to 22-19. Everything seemed to be going as planned on Ship Guarino’s maiden managerial voyage.

Thud.

They haven’t won a game at Holman Stadium since. Incredible.

They returned 48 hours later and laid an egg in a 10-1 loss to Norwich. Then the next night, which we maintain is what got the ship sinking, was Vermont’s Shaun Bleeping McMillan’s three run bomb with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth with Nashua clinging to a 1-0 lead. The Silver Knights really haven’t been the same since.

The weeks that followed included a nightmarish 10-game losing streak. Now they’ve lost three in a row. They’ve won just one game in their last 14 to fall to 23-32. It’s been unreal.

Morale has been tough. There was an exodus of players due to injury, school shutdowns or, well, personal shutdowns. Out with the old, in with the new. But it’s hurt the team’s depth, especially in the bullpen, as we saw in Sunday’s loss.

If you look for a common theme, we say it’s the offense. Nashua simply isn’t hitting, as a crowd of 1800-plus saw Saturday night when last place Westfield nearly no-hit the Knights, ending up with a one-hitter. It was nine up nine down to start yesterday’s game before the bats came alive, but Nashua still had just four hits. But the Knights did hit the ball hard, stinging it, but Braveheart outfielders tracked it down. Yet anything was better than the popups and rollovers we saw on Saturday night. For crying out loud, take the ball the other way, Guarino was preaching. Too pull happy.

“I threw BP today and I threw them all outside,” Guarino said. “Every single pitch, I threw them all outer half, and I didn’t tell them until after the first round of each group. Maybe we should stay on it a little longer.”

Youths gather with the Silver Knights during player intros Sunday as part of the pagentry involving the Princess In The Park program at Holman Stadium before Sunday’s game with Worcester. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Credit to the Silver Knight fans, because the losses haven’t hurt the gate. The weekend drew a combined 3500-plus fans, and Nashua is averaging 1,641 per game with three home games left. Who knew Princess in the Park was that popular?

You feel for Guarino, in his rookie season as a manger. He had a plan and it was working. Now he’s learning some hard lessons on the fly, having to be in crisis mode without really showing it.

“I appreciate the guys that stayed the whole year, that have stuck this out through the bad,” Guarino said. “I appreciate the guys that have come in and played or haven’t played at all, but keep showing up. Have some pride.

“You win a game Tuesday you’re a half game out if Vermont beats (New Britain, which the Lake Monsters did yesterday, 8-6). They play Norwich twice. You have things that could happen. We’re definitely still in it, as crazy as it sounds.

“Still there. Win a baseball game.”

For the Silver Knights, easier said than done these days.

But yes, we’re saying there’s a chance.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X @Telegraph _TomK.