I-5 Run Rally

I Moved

2011-04-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

A couple nights ago, my site was mentioned on the Modesto radio broadcast (as always, thanks to Greg Young for doing this. He does a great job calling games, and you can follow him on Twitter @gregyoungjr) and I realized I never pointed out on here where I'm writing at now! I mentioned it on Twitter, but I forgot that my last post here was saying that I may not be writing here anymore, but nothing was confirmed yet.

So if you want Cal League coverage this year, follow me @5runrally or check out www.busleaguesbaseball.com. My coverage is a little different this year, and I write about some other things too. However, you can still definitely get the latest Cal League news there or on Twitter. It's a great site with a great staff, and I think you'll enjoy reading what you see there.

Again, thanks to Greg Young for the publicity, and if you found your way here after listening to the Modesto game, please check out www.busleaguesbaseball.com.

Goodbye, for now?

2011-02-22T17:30:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to not have to write this entry, but I think I have to.

Last season, I really had nothing going on in my life. I wasn't able to get a job, I haven't graduated college yet, but I wasn't taking classes either. That sounds pretty boring to most, and really it was, but it gave me time to do a lot of things. As I'm sure everyone in the real world knows with a job and responsibilities, some things have to get cut out. There just isn't enough time for everything. During this year, I did have time for those things that a lot of people wouldn't.

One of those things is running this blog. There were at least two entries per day, and even though it wasn't a lot of intense writing, there was work involved. Every day, I would wake up, read the team websites and newspapers for game recaps and other news to see if there was anything to update readers on or give me a new perspective on the games from the previous night. When the games were being played, I would start working on the game previews for the next day, preparing the pitching probables and notes. After the games, I would look at the box scores and post the recap notes. Sure, sometimes it got tedious. The season is very long. However, it was fun.

I've tried writing blogs before, but I never really stuck with it. I love writing, but I would always get bored and eventually stop updating. This blog was the first time I was able to stick with it, and I felt like I accomplished something by covering the whole season. I felt like I offered something to the online community that was a little different from what was already out there. I don't think day to day updates and information about the Cal League is out there in many places.

Tomorrow, I'll be starting a temporary 40 hour per week position that will evaporate much of my free time. I'm sure most really don't care what I'll be doing, but the reality is I don't think I'll be able to keep up the workload I had last year. The primary difficulty is the time zone difference. Living on the east coast, these games start sometimes as late as 10:30 PM for me, and I'd be working until 2 AM. That wasn't a big deal to me because I enjoyed it, but if I have to get up early in the morning every day, I need more sleep than that, and I can't stay up listening to these games and providing the same updates I did last year.

So something will have to change. Without the daily updates, I have to offer something else that I didn't last year. I'm going to try to continue to follow the league and know what's going on because it's fun to me, so we'll see what happens. I have to decrease my workload, but I want to continue writing.

Thanks to my readers and followers who added to the enjoyment of this season. When I started out in March, I didn't know what would happen. I wasn't sure if anyone would ever notice what was going on here, but that was obviously not the case. I hope I was able to write some informative and helpful things, and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. I plan to remain on Twitter, and I look forward to continue to interact with the Twitter community, and I thank everyone that stopped by here during the 2010 season.

AFL Championship Recap

2010-11-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

Scottsdale 3, Javelinas 2

Barnes 0/3 1 K
Tenbrink 0/1

Greenwalt 3 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 K

Field 0/0
Culberson 0/4 2 K
Belt 0/2 1 BB 1 K
Krauss 1/3 1 R 1 BB 1 K
Pacheco 0/2 1 K

Paterson 1 IP 2 BB 3 K

AFL Recap 11/18

2010-11-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

Another day where all of the games only go seven innings. Tomorrow is the last day of the regular season, and on Saturday, the Championship will be played at noon PT on MLB Network. Fans of Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Mariners and Astros will be able to see their prospects compete.

CORRECTION: Today was the last day of the regular season.

Phoenix 3, Surprise 3

Parker 0/2 1 BB
Green 1/3 1 R

Stoneburner 0/4 1 K
Bolden 0/3 1 K

Javelinas 1, Scottsdale 0

Belt 0/3 1 K
Pacheco 0/3
Krauss 0/2 1 BB 1 K

Reynolds 3 IP 2 H 1 R (0 ER) 1 BB 3 K (L 1-5)

Tenbrink 1/2 1 R 1 2B
Barnes 0/2

Saguaros 3, Mesa 1

Figueroa 1/2 1 RBI

Davis 1 IP 2 H 0 R 4 BB 3 K (L 1-3)
Hynes .2 IP 1 R (o ER) 1 BB
Brach 1.1 IP 2 H (S 1)

Smit 1 IP 1 K

AFL Recap 11/17

2010-11-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

Phoenix 10, Javelinas 4

Barnes 1/5 2 K
Tenbrink 1/3 1 R 1 2B 1 BB 2 K

Cleto 2.1 IP 8 H 6 ER 1 K (L 2-1)

Parker 3/5 2 R 1 2B 2 RBI
Wallach 2/2 1 2B 1 RBI 2 BB

Surprise 13, Saguaros 3

Bolden 1/5 1 R 1 RBI 3 K

Flores 1 IP 1 H

Scottsdale 6, Mesa 0

Geltz 1 IP 1 BB 2 K

Culberson 0/3 1 RBI 1 K
Belt 1/4 2 K
Field 1/3 1 2B 1 RBI 1 BB

Collmenter 4 IP 1 H 0 R 9 K (W 4-0)
Brothers 1 IP 1 H 3 K
Jorgenson 1 IP 1 BB

AFL Recap 11/16

2010-11-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Javelinas 15, Saguaros 2 (7)

Barnes 1/3 1 R 1 HR 4 RBI 1 K

Urckfitz 1 IP

Phoenix 2, Scottsdale 1

Krauss 1/2 1 R 1 HR 1 RBI 1 BB 1 K

Verdugo 3 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K
Paterson 1 IP 1 BB 1 K

Parker 1/3 1 2B 1 K
Green 0/2

Surprise 7, Mesa 2

Fish 1 IP 2 K

Felix 2/3 1 R
Stoneburner 0/2 2 R 1 BB

Young 1 IP 2 H 2 ER

AFL Recap 11/15

2010-11-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

Phoenix 5, Mesa 5

Parker 1/4 1 BB
Green 2/4 1 R

McKiernan 1 IP 1 H 1 R (0 ER) 1 K

Surprise 2, Javelinas 1

Tenbrink 0/2 1 BB 1 K

Felix 0/2

Scottsdale 9, Saguaros 4

Belt 3/4 2 R 1 2B 1 3B 1 RBI 1 BB 1 K
Krauss 1/5 1 R 1 RBI 2 K
Culberson 1/5 1 R 1 RBI 3 K
Field 0/4 1 K

Hynes 1 IP 6 H 5 ER 1 BB (L 1-1) (BS 2)

AFL Recap 11/13

2010-11-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Javelinas 8, Mesa 7

Smit 1 IP 1 BB
Geltz 1.1 IP 3 K

Tenbrink 1/4 2 R 1 2B 2 RBI 1 K
Barnes 0/3 1 RBI 1 BB

Carpenter 1 IP 3 H 2 K

Surprise 4, Scottsdale 3

Pacheco 0/4 2 K
Field 0/3 1 K

Reynolds 4 IP 8 H 3 R (1 ER) 3 K (L 1-4)
Stoffel 1 IP 2 H 1 ER

Stoneburner 0/3

Castillo 1 IP 1 K

Phoenix 8, Saguaros 1 (8)

Hynes 1 IP 1 K
Brach 1 IP 3 H 4 R (2 ER) 1 BB

Parker 2/3 1 R 1 2B 1 HR 3 RBI
Wallach 1/2 1 R 1 2B 1 RBI 1 BB 1 K
Green 0/2

AFL Recap 11/12

2010-11-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

Javelinas 10, Surprise 3

Felix 1/4

Flores 1.2 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 3 K

Tenbrink 1/3 1 R 1 RBI 2 BB
Perez 2/4 1 R 1 2B 2 RBI 1 BB 1 K

Urckfitz 1 IP 3 H 2 ER 1 K

Scottsdale 6, Saguaros 4

Davis 4 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 2 K

Culberson 2/4 1 R 1 2B 1 RBI
Belt 2/4 1 R 1 3B 1 RBI 1 K
Krauss 2/3 1 R 1 HR 2 RBI 1 BB

Collmenter 4 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 5 K
Jorgenson 1 IP 1 H

Mesa 2, Phoenix 2

Parker 2/3 1 R 1 BB

AFL Recap 11/11

2010-11-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

Javelinas 9, Saguaros 4

Barnes 1/4 1 R 1 2B 1 BB 1 K

Cleto 3.2 IP 7 H 3 R (2 ER) 3 BB 1 K (W 2-0)

Scottsdale 5, Phoenix 1

Parker 1/4 1 2B
Wallach 1/4 2 K
Green 1/4 1 K

Sewell 2 IP 5 H 3 ER

Belt 0/4 2 K
Pacheco 0/2 1 R 1 BB 1 K
Krauss 4/4 2 R

Verdugo 4 IP 2 H 0 R 3 BB 9 K (W 4-1)
Brothers 2 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB

Surprise 6, Mesa 5

Fish 1.2 IP 3 H 2 ER 1 BB 1 K (L 0-2) (BS 1)

Young 2 IP 2 H 1 BB 2 K

AFL Recap 11/10

2010-11-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

Javelinas 8, Surprise 5

Barnes 0/5 1 K

Carpenter 1 IP 2 H 1 ER 3 K

Stoneburner 1/4 1 K

Scottsdale 11, Saguaros 1

Culberson 0/5 1 R 1 BB 1 K
Belt 3/4 2 R 1 2B 1 3B 2 RBI 2 BB
Krauss 1/4 1 2B 1 BB
Field 2/3 1 RBI 1 BB 1 K

Brach 1 IP

Phoenix 9, Mesa 6

Parker 2/4 1 R 1 BB 1 K
Wallach 1/4 1 R 1 HR 1 RBI 1 BB 2 K

McKiernan 1.1 IP 1 BB
Smit 1.1 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 K (L 3-2)
Geltz 1 IP 1 H 2 BB 1 K

AFL Recap 11/9

2010-11-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

Mesa 7, Surprise 5

Stoneburner 0/4 1 R 1 BB
Felix 2/3

Flores 1 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K
Castillo 0 IP 2 H 2 ER

Phoenix 7, Scottsdale 4

Pacheco 0/3 1 BB 1 K
Field 1/3 1 2B

Stoffel 2.1 IP 1 H 2 K

Parker 2/4 1 R 1 RBI 1 K

Saguaros 6, Javelinas 4

Hynes 2 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 K

Tenbrink 1/4 2 K
Perez 0/4 3 K

Greenwalt 2 IP 1 H 1 K
Urckfitz 1.2 IP 3 H 1 ER 2 BB 2 K

AFL Recap 11/8

2010-11-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

Javelinas 16, Phoenix 8

Parker 2/3 2 R 2 2B

Tenbrink 3/4 4 R 2 2B 1 HR 3 RBI 1 BB
Barnes 1/4 2 R 1 HR 3 RBi 1 BB 1 K

Surprise 6, Saguaros 5

Scottsdale 8, Mesa 3

Belt 2/5 1 R 1 2B 2 RBI 1 K
Pacheco 3/3 1 R 2 2B 1 3B 3 RBI 1 BB
Krauss 1/5 1 R 1 RBI 1 K
Culberson 1/4 1 BB 3 K

Reynolds 5 IP 4 H 0 R 3 BB 4 K (W 1-3)
Jorgenson 1 IP 1 H 1 K

Fish 1 IP 1 K

AFL Recap 11/6

2010-11-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

AFL West 3, AFL East 2

Culberson 1/3 1 K
Belt 0/2 1 R 3 BB 1 K
Krauss 1/2 1 2B

Brothers 1 IP 1 BB

Brach 1 IP 2 K
Castillo 1 IP 1 H
Urckfitz .2 IP 1 K
Hynes .1 IP 1 H 1 BB

I posted some thoughts on the game on Twitter, so check out @5runrally if you want to see or just look at the box on the right.

AFL Recap 11/5

2010-11-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Mesa 13, Surprise 5

McKiernan 1 IP
Geltz .2 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K
Fish .1 IP 1 K

Feliz 1/4 1 RBI 1 K

Young 1 IP

Javelinas 13, Saguaros 5

Davis 2 IP 10 H 7 ER 1 K

Barnes 2/5 2 RBI 1 K

Carpenter 2 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 K

Scottsdale 10, Phoenix 0

Culberson 2/6 1 R 1 RBI 2 K
Belt 1/3 1 3B 1 RBI 2 BB 2 K
Krauss 1/4 1 RBI 1 BB 2 K

Collmenter 5 IP 2 H 8 K
Paterson 1 IP 2 K

Parker 0/3 2 K

AFL Recap 11/4

2010-11-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mesa 7, Javelinas 4

Tenbrink 1/4

Cleto 4 IP 5 H 4 ER 3 BB 3 K
Urckfitz 1 IP

Smit 1 IP 3 H 1 ER (W 3-1) (BS 1)

Saguaros 14, Phoenix 5

Parker 1/3 1 BB 1 K

Figueroa 2/4 1 R 1 BB

Hynes 1 IP 1 BB

Scottsdale 9, Surprise 5

Stoneburner 3/5 2 R 1 2B 1 RBI 1 K

Castillo 1 IP 1 K

Culberson 3/4 2 R 2 2B 3 RBI
Pacheco 1/4 1 R 1 2B 1 RBI 1 K
Field 2/4 2 R 1 HR 2 RBI 2 K

Verdugo 3 IP 6 H 2 ER 5 BB (W 3-1)
Stoffel 2 IP 2 BB 1 K
Brothers 1 IP 1 H 1 K

AFL Recap 11/3

2010-11-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

Javelinas 11, Mesa 2

Tenbrink 2/3 1 R 3 RBI 2 BB
Barnes 0/5 3 K

Saguaros 8, Phoenix 0

Brach 1 IP

Parker 0/3 1 BB 1 K

Scottsdale 9, Surprise 3

Krauss 3/5 1 R 1 2B
Field 0/3 1 BB

Jorgenson 1 IP 1 H 1 BB

AFL Recap 11/2

2010-11-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

Saguaros 13, Mesa 8

Fish .1 IP 5 H 6 ER 1 BB
McKiernan .2 IP 5 H 5 R (3 ER) (BS 1) (L 0-1)
Geltz 1 IP 2 H 2 K

Hynes 1 IP 1 H

Surprise 2, Phoenix 2 (11)

Felix 1/4

Young 1.1 IP 1 H 1 BB 1 K

Parker 2/4 1 2B 1 BB

Javelinas 7, Scottsdale 4

Barnes 2/4 2 R 1 3B 1 K

Greenwalt 3.1 IP 4 H 2 R (1 ER) 2 BB 2 K (W 3-0)

Culberson 0/4 1 K
Belt 2/3 3 R 1 HR 1 RBI 1 BB
Pacheco 1/4 1 K

Stoffel .2 IP

AFL Rising Stars Rosters Announced

2010-11-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

For the last few years, the Arizona Fall League has played the Rising Stars Game which features some of the best prospects participating in the league. Last season, over 50% of the participants in the game went on to get some major league time in 2010, including players such as Buster Posey. The game will be shown on MLB Network starting at 5 PM PT on Saturday, and there are a number of 2010 Cal Leaguers that could see some action. All stats are prior to the 11/2 games.

West Division

Brad Brach, Lake Elsinore/San Diego
1-1, 2.16 ERA 8.1 IP 3 H 2 BB 4 K

Brach hadn't been scored upon until his last outing on 10/30 when he allowed two runs in an inning. His strikeouts are a bit low, but he's certainly holding his own against some good hitters.

Fabio Castillo, Bakersfield/Texas
0-0 2 SV 1.17 ERA 7.2 IP 5 H 3 BB 4 K

Texas prospects are leaving the Cal League, but for now I'll continue to cover them. Like Brach, the strikeouts haven't been there, but Castillo has improved his walk rate in a small number of innings so far.

Colt Hynes, Lake Elsinore/San Diego
0-0 4.50 ERA 8 IP 6 H 2 BB 2 K

Hynes has been a bit unlucky so far since his peripheral stats look pretty good compared to the ERA. He's been effective against lefties which will help him reach the majors in the future.

Patrick Urckfitz, Lancaster/Houston
1-0 2.57 ERA 7 IP 4 H 2 BB 5 K

Urckfitz is one of the best stories in the AFL, going from an undrafted free agent to a pitcher that has ML potential. He's back in the bullpen for the Javelinas and continuing the momentum he gained with Lancaster in 2010.

East Division

Rex Brothers, Modesto/Colorado
1-0 5.14 ERA 7 IP 11 H 2 BB 12 K

Brothers struggled with his control at times during the regular season, but that hasn't been an issue in the AFL. The problem has been a BAA that's over twice as high as it was between Modesto and Tulsa combined.

Eddie McKiernan, Rancho Cucamonga/Anaheim
0-0 1 SV 4.26 ERA 6.1 IP 5 H 5 BB 8 K

McKiernan's control wasn't a problem with the Quakes in 2010, but he's walking a lot of guys so far in the AFL. He hasn't been consistent at all, allowing runs in half of his appearances.

Brandon Belt, San Jose/San Francisco
.346 BA .382 OBP .481 SLG 7 R 0 HR 8 RBI 1/3 SB

The buzz is that Belt could be major league ready as soon as Opening Day 2011. It'll be interesting to see if the Giants re-sign Aubrey Huff as they go for a repeat next season.

Charlie Culberson, San Jose/San Francisco
.431 BA .459 OBP .741 SLG 15 R 2 HR 9 RBI 1/3 SB

Culberson may have gone 0/5 yesterday, but prior to that it seemed impossible to get him out in the AFL. The reports on him have been very good, and 2010 has been a huge breakout year for the former 1st rounder.

Marc Krauss, Visalia/Arizona
.220 BA .350 OBP .440 SLG 13 R 2 HR 17 RBI

The batting average is low, but Krauss is showing improved patience at the plate. His power has also been there, and if the hits start dropping in, the overall line will start looking better.

AFL Recap 11/1

2010-11-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

Surprise 3, Phoenix 2

Parker 0/4

Stoneburner 1/3 1 R 1 RBI 2 K

Castillo 1 IP 2 H 1 BB 1 K (S 2)

Javelinas 7, Scottsdale 4

Culberson 0/5 1 K
Belt 3/5 1 2B 1 RBI 1 K
Pacheco 1/3 1 R 1 2B 1 RBI 1 BB
Krauss 0/4 1 R 1 BB 2 K

Reynolds 2 IP 5 H 5 ER 1 BB 2 K (L 0-3)
Brothers 1 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 K

Barnes 1/5 1 R 1 HR 1 RBI 3 K
Tenbrink 0/4 2 K

Mesa 15, Saguaros 1

AFL Recap 10/30

2010-10-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Phoenix 12, Mesa 6

Parker 1/5 2 R 1 BB 3 K

Geltz .2 IP 3 H 4 ER 1 BB
Smit 1.2 IP 1 H 1 BB 1 K

Surprise 8, Javelinas 7

Tenbrink 0/3 1 RBI 1 BB 2 K
Austin 1/5 1 RBI 1 K

Scottsdale 13, Saguaros 9

Figueroa 1/4 1 R 1 BB

Davis 3 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 BB 2 K
Hynes 1 IP 2 H 3 R (2 ER) 1 BB (BS 1)
Brach 1 IP 2 H 2 ER 3 K (L 1-1)

Culberson 2/4 4 R 1 2B 1 3B 3 RBI 1 BB
Belt 3/5 3 R 1 2B 1 3B 2 RBI
Pacheco 3/5 1 R 1 2B 2 RBI 1 K
Krauss 1/5 1 3B 2 RBI 1 K

Collmenter 3.2 IP 8 H 6 R (5 ER) 2 BB 2 K
Woodall 1.1 IP 3 H 1 ER 1 K
Stoffel 2 IP 3 H 1 ER 2 K

AFL Recap 10/29

2010-10-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

Javelinas 11, Phoenix 4

Barnes 3/5 2 R 1 3B 1 HR 6 RBI
Tenbrink 1/4 1 BB 2 K
Perez 0/5 2 K

Urckfitz 1 IP 1 BB

Parker 2/4 1 R 1 2B 2 K

Surprise 12, Saguaros 5

Felix 1/4 2 R 1 BB 1 K
Stoneburner 2/5 1 R 1 HR 4 RBI
Beltre 3/4 1 R 1 RBI 1 BB

Castillo 1 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K

Scottsdale 9, Mesa 1

McKiernan 1 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 K

Belt 2/5 1 R 1 RBI
Krauss 1/3 2 R 1 HR 1 RBI 2 BB 2 K
Culberson 2/5 1 R 1 2B 2 K

Verdugo 4 IP 2 H 1 BB 5 K
Paterson 1 IP 2 K
Jorgenson 1 IP 1 BB 1 K

AFL Recap 10/28

2010-10-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Saguaros 15, Phoenix 1 (7.5- Ended due to forfeit)

Parker 1/4 1 R 1 2B
Wallach 0/1

Scottsdale 9, San Jose 5

Beltre 0/5 2 K

Flores .2 IP

Krauss 1/4 1 2B 1 K
Pacheco 2/3 2 R 1 BB

Brothers 1 IP 2 BB 1 K

Javelinas 6, Mesa 4

Tenbrink 1/5 1 RBI 1 SB
Austin 1/4 1 K

Fish 1 IP 2 K

AFL Recap 10/27

2010-10-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Javelinas 5, Phoenix 4

Parker 2/4 1 K
Wallach 1/3 1 R 1 BB 1 K

Barnes 1/5 1 K
Austin 1/3 1 RBI 1 BB 1 K 1 SB

Greenwalt 4 IP 3 H 0 R 3 K (W 1-0)
Carpenter 1 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 BB 1 K

Surprise 7, Saguaros 0

Brach 1 IP 1 BB

Mesa 7, Scottsdale 6

Belt 0/4
Culberson 2/4 1 R 1 3B 1 K

Woodall 1 IP 1 H 1 K
Stoffel 1 IP 5 H 4 ER 2 K

Smit 1 IP

AFL Recap 10/26

2010-10-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Mesa 18, Saguaros 9

McKiernan 1.1 IP 1 H 1 K
Geltz 1 IP 2 H

Figueroa 1/2 1 R 1 K

Surprise 5, Phoenix 3 (10)

Beltre 0/5
Stoneburner 0/4 1 K
Felix 2/4 1 R 1 2B

Young 1 IP 1 H

Javelinas 7, Scottsdale 4

Tenbrink 1/4 1 R 1 HR 2 RBI 1 K
Barnes 2/4 2 R 1 2B 1 SB

Cleto 3 IP 1 H 4 BB 4 K (W 1-0)

Culberson 1/5 1 K
Belt 1/5 3 K
Pacheco 0/2 2 BB
Krauss 0/3 1 R 2 BB 1 K
Field 1/4 2 K

Reynolds 3 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 BB 5 K (L 0-2)
Jorgenson .1 IP 2 H 2 ER 2 BB
Paterson 1 IP 1 BB 1 K

AFL Recap 10/25

2010-10-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

I missed the Saturday update, so hopefully you were able to check the scores on mlb.com.

Phoenix 8, Mesa 6

Fish 1 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 K

Parker 0/3 1 BB 1 K

Saguaros 5, Scottsdale 4

Pacheco 1/4 1 R 1 3B 1 K
Culberson 1/4 1 R 1 2B
Field 1/4 1 R 2 K

Collmenter 4 IP 5 H 1 ER 3 K

Brach 1.1 IP (W 1-0)

Javelinas 9, Surprise 9

Barnes 0/2 1 K
Tenbrink 1/5 1 R 1 BB
Austin 1/4 1 R 2 BB 1 K

Urckfitz 2 IP 2 K

Beltre 4/6 2 R 1 2B 1 HR 3 RBI 1 K 2 SB

Flores 1.1 IP 2 H 2 BB 1 K
Castillo 1.1 IP 1 BB

AFL Recap 10/22

2010-10-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

Saguaros 6, Mesa 2

McKiernan 1 IP 1 H 2 BB 2 K

Hynes 2 IP 2 H

Surprise 7, Phoenix 6

Stoneburner 0/5 1 R 2 K
Felix 1/5

Young .1 IP 2 H

Wallach 0/0

Scottsdale 12, Javelinas 4

Tenbrink 2/4 1 R 1 RBI 1 K (two outfield assists)
Barnes 1/4 1 R 1 RBI 1 K
Austin 0/3

Belt 0/1 1 K
Pacheco 2/4 3 R 1 RBI 1 K
Krauss 2/5 2 R 1 2B 1 HR 7 RBI
Culberson 3/5 1 R 2 RBI

Woodall 1.1 IP 1 K (W 1-0)
Paterson 1 IP 1 K
Jorgenson 1 IP 1 H

AFL Recap 10/21

2010-10-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Mesa 4, Scottsdale 2

Field 0/4 2 K
Belt 1/4 1 K
Culberson 4/4 1 R 2 2B

Fish 1 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K

Phoenix 4, Javelinas 3

Parker 0/4
Green 0/4 3 K
Wallach 0/3 1 K

Tenbrink 1/3 1 R
Barnes 2/2 1 BB

Greenwalt 4 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 K
Urckfitz 1 IP

Surprise 11, Saguaros 4

Figueroa 1/4 1 RBI 1 K

Beltre 0/5 1 K
Stoneburner 1/2 1 3B 1 RBI 1 K

Flores 2 IP 3 H 1 ER

AFL Recap 10/20

2010-10-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Javelinas 9, Phoenix 5

Austin 1/5 1 RBI 2 K

Cleto 3.2 IP 6 H 4 ER 2 BB 4 K
Carpenter 1 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB

Green 1/4 1 K

Surprise 9, Saguaros 2

Castillo 1 IP 1 K

Figueroa 1/4 1 2B 1 K

Hynes 1 IP

Scottsdale 6, Mesa 3

Smit 1.1 IP 2 H 2 ER 4 BB (L 1-1)

Pacheco 2/4 1 R 1 RBI
Krauss 1/3 1 R 1 RBI 1 BB 1 K
Culberson 1/3 1 2B 1 BB

Reynolds 4 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 K
Stoffel 1.2 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 2 K (W 1-0)
Brothers 1 IP 2 H 2 K

AFL Recap 10/19

2010-10-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Mesa 6, Javelinas 5

McKiernan 1 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 2 K (S 1)

Tenbrink 2/4 1 RBI
Austin 0/3 2 RBI 1 BB

Phoenix 7, Saguaros 3

Figueroa 2/2

Davis 3 IP 4 H 4 R (0 ER) 1 BB 2 K (L 0-2)

Parker 1/3 1 R 1 2B 1 BB
Wallach 0/4
Green 1/3 1 R 1 BB 1 K

Scottsdale 5, Surprise 4

Beltre 1/4 1 R 1 BB
Stoneburner 1/2 1 R 1 2B 2 RBI 1 BB
Felix 1/4

Young 1 IP

Belt 1/4 1 R 2 K
Krauss 0/4 1 RBI 1 K

Collmenter 3 IP 2 H 1 ER 3 BB 2 K (W 2-0)

AFL Recap 10/18

2010-10-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Javelinas 4, Mesa 2 (10)

Tenbrink 3/4 1 R 1 2B 1 BB

Geltz 1 IP 1 H 1 R (0 ER) 1 K (BS 1)
Fish 1 IP 2 H 2 ER 2 BB (L 0-1)

Saguaros 6, Phoenix 3

Parker 1/4 1 R 1 3B 1 RBI 2 K

Brach 1 IP 1 H 1 BB
Hynes 1 IP 2 H 2 ER 1 BB 1 K

Surprise 6, Scottsdale 4

Belt 0/2 2 BB 2 K
Pacheco 0/2 1 R 2 BB 1 K
Culberson 3/4 1 R 1 HR 1 RBI

Verdugo 2 IP 2 H 3 R (1 ER) 4 BB 1 K
Woodall 1 IP 4 H 2 ER
Jorgenson 1 IP 1 H

Beltre 1/3 1 R 1 BB

AFL Recap 10/16

2010-10-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Surprise 10, Phoenix 4

Parker 3/3 1 RBI 2 BB
Wallach 0/3 1 RBI 1 BB

Beltre 1/3 1 R 2 RBI 1 BB 1 K
Stoneburner 3/4 3 R 1 3B 1 K

Young 1 IP
Flores .2 IP 1 H 1 ER 3 BB

Scottsdale 6, Javelinas 4

Belt 1/4 1 R 1 RBI 1 BB 2 K
Krauss 2/5 1 R 1 RBI 1 K
Pacheco 1/4 2 RBI 2 K

Brothers 1 IP 3 H 2 ER 2 K
Paterson 1 IP 1 K

Barnes 1/4 1 R
Austin 1/4 1 K
Tenbrink 1/4 1 R 1 2B

Carpenter 1 IP 1 BB 2 K

Mesa 10, Saguaros 1

Figueroa 0/0 1 BB

Smit 2 IP 1 H 1 K (W 1-0)
McKiernan 1 IP 1 BB 1 K

AFL Recap 10/15

2010-10-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

Mesa 8, Surprise 7 (11)

Beltre 2/6 1 R 1 2B 1 3B 1 RBI 1 K
Stoneburner 0/0

Gutierrez 1 IP 1 H 1 BB 1 K
Castillo 2.1 IP 1 H 1 K

Fish 1 IP
Geltz 2 IP 1 H 3 K

Javelinas 13, Saguaros 5

Austin 1/2 1 R 2 BB CS

Greenwalt 2 IP 4 H 2 ER 1 BB 1 K
Urckfitz 2 IP 4 H 2 ER 1 BB 2 K (W 1-0)

Scottsdale 11, Phoenix 4

Culberson 1/5 2 R 1 RBI 1 BB 2 K
Belt 3/5 1 R 2 2B 3 RBI 1 K
Krauss 1/4 1 R 2 RBI 1 BB 2 K

Jorgenson 1 IP 2 H

Green 0/4 1 RBI 2 K

AFL Recap 10/14

2010-10-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Mesa 11, Surprise 6

McKiernan 1 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K

Felix 0/4

Javelinas 4, Saguaros 4

Tenbrink 1/4 1 2B 1 K
Austin 0/4 1 K

Cleto 2.2 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K

Figueroa 0/1 2 BB

Hynes 2 IP 1 K
Brach 2 IP

Phoenix 5, Scottsdale 1

Parker 2/5
Green 2/4 1 R 1 3B 1 RBI 1 K

Belt 2/4 1 2B

Reynolds 3 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 1 K (L 0-1)
Brothers 1 IP 3 H 1 ER 1 K
Woodall 2 IP 1 H 2 R (1 ER) 1 BB 1 K

AFL Recap 10/13

2010-10-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Peoria Javelinas 7, Surprise 4

Tenbrink 0/3
Austin 1/3 1 R 2 RBI 1 BB 1/2 SB

Beltre 0/4 1 BB 1/1 SB
Stoneburner 0/4 3 K

Flores 1.1 IP 1 H 1 BB 1 K

Scottsdale 9, Peoria Saguaros 1

Culberson 2/6 2 R 1 2B 1 HR 1 RBI 2 K
Krauss 0/4 2 R 1 BB 1 K

Collmenter 3 IP 2 H 1 BB 1 K (W 1-0)
Paterson 2 IP 2 H 4 K
Stoffel 2 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB

Figueroa 0/1 1 K

Phoenix 6, Mesa 3

Green 0/4 1 RBI 1 BB
Wallach 1/4 1 K

Smit 2 IP 1 BB 3 K

AFL Recap 10/12

2010-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everybody. The AFL started today, so I'll do a daily statistical recap of 2010 Cal Leaguers every day. If I miss someone, please let me know because it's certainly possible. If the format needs to be changed, make a recommendation. I'm not locked into doing it like this every day.

Surprise 8, Peoria Javelinas 6

Beltre 1/5 2 R
Stoneburner 1 R
Felix 2/4 1 2B 1 RBI 1 K

Castillo 1 IP (S 1)

Tenbrink 0/4

Urckfitz 1 IP 1 K

Mesa 8, Phoenix 3

Fish 1 IP 1 H 1 K
Geltz 1 IP

Green 0/2 1 K
Parker 0/4 1 K

Scottsdale 4, Peoria Saguaros 3

Figueroa 0/1

Belt 1/4 1 K
Krauss 1/2 1 R 2 BB
Field 0/3 1 BB
Culberson 3/4 1 R 1 2B 1 RBI 1 K

Verdugo 3 IP 3 H 2 ER 4 K
Jorgenson 1 IP 1 H 2 K (S 1)

Reds Sign Bakersfield to Two-Year PDC

2010-10-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

There was one Major League team left in need of a High A affiliate, and one High A team left in need of a parent club. Today, it became official as the Cincinnati Reds and Bakersfield agreed to a player development contract through 2012. The Reds were previously partnered with Lynchburg in the Carolina League for one season.

Bakersfield had been partnered with Texas for the last six years. That may not seem very long, but it's the longest they've been affiliated with one team since they were a Dodgers affiliate from 1984-94. In the six years Bakersfield and Texas were partnered, the Blaze went just 387-453 with one playoff appearance, coming in the 2009 season. They were below .500 in every year except 2009, and it would be hard to call this six year run anything but unsuccessful in terms of on field results.

In those six years, 27 Blaze players have gone on to make appearances in the majors. That includes a number of players on the Rangers' 2010 AL West championship team including Mitch Moreland, Michael Kirkman, Julio Borbon, Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter, Elvis Andrus and C.J. Wilson. Armando Galarraga, author of the (near) perfect game also pitched for Bakersfield as a Rangers prospect. Prospect and Rangers fans likely remember the DVD combo of Thomas Diamond, Edinson Volquez and John Danks. With Diamond debuting with the Cubs in 2010, the entire trio has finally pitched in the majors. All three are now in different organizations.

Those are the guys that Texas did assign to Bakersfield at one point, but another part of the story is the guys they didn't send. I couldn't check everyone in the Rangers organization, but I did come across a handful of players that skipped Bakersfield: Neftali Feliz, Ian Kinsler, Justin Smoak, Tanner Scheppers and Martin Perez. Those were all very highly touted prospects, and I'm sure the Rangers had their reasons for having them skip a level, and I'm also sure some of it had to do with Bakersfield.

“We are very excited to enter into an agreement with the Reds”, said Blaze owner D.G Elmore.
“We are confident they will be a productive partner on and off the field and we look forward to
this new chapter of Bakersfield Blaze baseball.”

“The Reds look forward to returning to the Cal League and beginning a relationship with
Bakersfield”, said Terry Reynolds, Senior Director of Player Development and Global Scouting.
“Player Development is a key component for the Reds and we will do our best to give the fans
of Bakersfield a team to be proud of."

The quote above indicates the Reds are fine with Bakersfield, but I bet their private reactions to when they found out their High A affiliate was headed to the California League wasn't quite as positive. By now, everyone knows that Bakersfield is less than desirable destination for prospects. Sam Lynn Ballpark is extremely old and not the greatest facility around. The franchise is in desperate need of a new stadium, but that could be difficult to come by. The Blaze don't receive great fan support, and it's fair to say the mood towards this team is indifferent or apathetic at best. The future of the Blaze is very much in doubt.

The Blaze hope to gain something from an affiliation with a new parent club. Maybe a new organization will re-energize the fanbase and get some new fans out to the stadium. It remains to be seen, but perhaps the Reds will see Bakersfield as an integral part of their development process, even for their most talented prospects. Where they assign top pick Yasmani Grandal in 2011 could be an indication. Cincinnati's Low A team is Dayton in the Midwest League, so that's where a majority of their players will come from.

To me, a number of dominoes fell that resulted in Cincinnati ending up in Bakersfield. In late 2007, Sarasota, Florida voters rejected a referendum that would've helped fund renovations to Ed Smith Stadium, the home of Reds spring training since 1998. Without a guarantee that the facilities would be improved, Cincinnati began looking for a new spring training home. They stayed in Sarasota through 2009, and they now train at Goodyear Park with the Cleveland Indians in Arizona.

In addition to Reds' spring training, their High A affiliate, the Sarasota Reds, occupied Ed Smith Stadium. Like a lot of Florida State League teams, Sarasota was owned by their parent club which makes a lot of sense. Most FSL teams play at their parent club's spring training stadium and use their facilities, so that's a great situation for both the major league team and the prospects. When the Major League Reds left Sarasota, they sold the Sarasota Reds franchise to the Pirates. They moved the team to Bradenton where the Pirates train, and the Reds took over the previous High A affiliate of Pittsburgh, the Lynchburg Hillcats in the Carolina League. This happened in the middle of a two year PDC set to go through 2010, but the Reds and Lynchburg never reached an extension.

Meanwhile in Texas, an ownership change was taking place. A group led by Chuck Greenberg and former Rangers great Nolan Ryan bought the Rangers in early August, and that's significant because Greenberg also owns a number of minor league teams. One of those is the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, another Carolina League team. Their PDC was also set to expire after 2010, and it quickly became apparent that the Braves would not be signing an extension.

Once minor league teams were able to negotiate with new parent clubs, sort of a franchise free agency, the Rangers and Pelicans became affiliated as expected. At this point, there weren't many options left. Lynchburg and Kinston were the two Carolina League teams free, and three 2010 Carolina League parent clubs were looking for teams: Cincinnati, Cleveland and now Atlanta. Kinston and Cleveland re-signed with each other, and the Braves were able to get a deal with Lynchburg.

That left Cincinnati with no choice but to move west. Three teams were available in the Cal League, Bakersfield, Inland Empire and Rancho Cucamonga. As was widely speculated for awhile, the Angels and Dodgers swapped Rancho Cucamonga and Inland Empire, and that left Cincinnati and Bakersfield. It's not an ideal situation for them, and it's possible that they look for a new High A affiliate after the 2012 season. For now, they're part of a somewhat different looking Cal League, and fans will have the opportunity to see a new organization for a couple years.

Angels Sign Inland Empire to Two-Year PDC

2010-09-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

In possibly the least surprising news of the year, earlier it was announced that Anaheim signed Inland Empire to a player development contract through 2012. The Angels were previously partnered with Rancho Cucamonga from 2001-2010.

Inland Empire had been affiliated with Los Angeles for the last four years. It was the second time these two have paired up, a six year stint from 1995-2000. In the more recent four year relationship, the 66ers went 249-311 with two playoff appearances. It wasn't quite as memorable as their first partnership that was bookended by championships plus another finals appearance in the middle. In 2009 and 2010, the on-field product did not produce a great record, and the total of 109 wins is the fewest of any two year stretch since the franchise moved to San Bernardino.

Over the past four years, 13 66ers have eventually reached the majors. Some of the bigger names, such as Blake DeWitt, Carlos Santana and Josh Bell now play in other organizations, but the Dodgers have developed some bullpen arms that are still around, particularly 2010 66er Kenley Jansen. That number will surely rise in a few years when more guys have an opportunity to rise through the system and reach the majors, but what the 66ers have become notable for lately are their major league rehab appearances. Manny Ramirez has appeared with Inland Empire in both 2009 and 2010, and the oft-injured Jason Schmidt has also made quite a few starts.

"We are very proud to be a part of such an outstanding organization with well known management and an excellent record. We know our fans will appreciate this great opportunity," said David Elmore, Owner of the Inland Empire 66ers.

"The Angel organization is excited to begin our relationship with the Inland Empire 66ers,' said Angels Director of Player Development Abe Flores. "They have a first rate ballpark and front office as well as passionate fans that continually support the club. It is our hope to cultivate a relationship with the City of San Bernardino and embrace fans throughout the Inland Empire."

I don't think either team wanted this situation, but it is what it is, and it's probably still favorable for both. The stadium is slightly farther away, but it's not like Angels' staff has to fly across the country to see their players play. It's still easy access for the team, and the training complex and AAA team are in the region in case transactions are necessary. It's a slightly less desirable location, but the 66ers have good fan support.

As an outside observer, my assumption is that the Dodgers brand might be more attractive to people. As I mentioned in the previous entry though, where the prospects come from probably doesn't affect the casual fan's desire to see a team. Ultimately, I think switching from the Dodgers to the Angels will be a wash for the 66ers, especially since the teams are so close to each other. Both franchises are in the vicinity of their parent clubs, and the local support is always helpful.

That leaves Cincinnati and Bakersfield. I'll write about it when it becomes official, but neither team has a choice at this point. We now know how the Cal League will look for the next two seasons.

Dodgers Sign Rancho Cucamonga To Two-Year PDC

2010-09-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Earlier today it was announced that Los Angeles signed Rancho Cucamonga to a player development contract through 2012. The Dodgers were previously partnered with Inland Empire from 2007-2010.

Rancho Cucamonga had been affiliated with Anaheim for the last 10 years. It was great stability for the franchise that has been affiliated with 14 different teams since 1946. The 10 years with the Angels were the longest the franchise has ever been with a parent club even though the partnership almost ended after the first two seasons. The Quakes went 658-742 in those 10 years with four playoff appearances. They made the postseason in their last two years with the Angels, including a thrilling championship series loss to San Jose in 2010. They did not win a championship as an Anaheim affiliate.

A number of Angels have made the majors after passing through Rancho Cucamonga. About 48 players have made appearances with the Quakes before beginning their major league careers including Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis, Bobby Jenks, Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Kendry Morales and Jered Weaver. That includes a lot of players that only got a cup of coffee in the big leagues, but that's still an impressive number. The Angels have leaned on their farm system throughout the years, and it's led to consistent success over the past decade. The Quakes have also hosted some rehab appearances over the years including Torii Hunter, Scott Kazmir, Vlad Guerrero and Garret Anderson.

"The Dodgers are one of the most prestigious teams in all of sports and we are excited to begin our partnership with them in Rancho Cucamonga," said Quakes Managing Partner Bobby Brett.

"We feel like the move to Rancho Cucamonga not only brings our High-A partner closer to Dodger Stadium, but is a strong fit for our organizational goals," said Dodger Assistant General Manager De Jon Watson. "We're excited to partner with Brett Sports and look forward to a long-lasting relationship."

There's been buzz that this would happen lately, and today it became official. As De Jon Watson said, the Dodgers have something to gain from this change. The Epicenter is a little closer to Dodger Stadium, so it's pretty easy for the Dodgers' staff to travel and monitor players. It'll keep major leaguers in the area to rehab like they have with Inland Empire recently, and it's a very convenient situation for Los Angeles. Although Inland Empire's Arrowhead Credit Union Park was built later than Rancho Cucamonga's Epicenter, the Epicenter is generally considered to be a more desirable location.

The Quakes hope to benefit from the parent club switch too. As I talked about in an earlier post, attendance for Rancho Cucamonga has been down lately. According to Future Angels, the new ownership group changed how attendance is counted which has led to the decreased numbers. However, they still decided they needed a spark, and they hope the Dodgers affiliation will help. The effect this will have is debatable and remains to be seen, but they hope that local fans will be interested in seeing Los Angeles prospects.

This leaves two parent clubs needing High A affiliates and two Cal League teams with openings: Bakersfield and Inland Empire. It seems likely that Anaheim will sign on with the 66ers to complete an affiliate swap with Los Angeles. That means Cincinnati and Bakersfield will end up being paired together. This should all wrap up in the next few days, and we'll have a clear picture of what the Cal League will look like in 2011 and 2012.

Thank You Readers

2010-09-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a great (and long) season, but now that it's over, it's time to take a bit of a break. I probably won't do anything for the site for a couple weeks except cover PDC news when it comes, which should be very soon. Besides that, I want to have a little time off after spending nearly six months writing previews, reviews, listening to games and generally trying to be productive.

When I feel like updating more regularly again, it probably still won't be as frequent as during the season, but I still have a few plans. I think I'll write a 2010 review of every team and update the prospect tracker one last time early on this fall. I want to cover the winter leagues, especially the AFL since it's easier to find information on that. If I ever have time and just feel like writing, I'll start up the "Cal League Class of..." series again that I neglected the final 80% of the season. Hopefully that can sustain this site until the end of March 2011 when it's time to start thinking about the upcoming season.

Thanks to the readers who came here and found the site informative and interesting. There probably aren't many out there, but I know there are some, so thanks. In addition, thanks to Greg Young, Donny Baarns, Alex Freedman, Mike Lindskog for supplying me with info during the season and helping me be as informative and factual as possible. The rest of the league's PBP guys also do a good job, and I'm glad they make the games accessible to fans thousands of miles away and help make this site possible.

I don't want this to become similar to an awards speech, but thanks to the players and coaches for a great season and ultimately being the ones responsible for entertaining baseball. I'm sure some players and coaches will be back in this league for 2011, but a lot will be moving on.

I know there are parents, friends, family and even former coaches that use this blog for updates to keep tabs on their sons, friends, relatives and former players, and I hope I was helpful this season. Good luck to everyone in 2011, hopefully in AA and on their way to the majors.

So it's going to be a bit inactive here for a little bit, but there will be occasional updates in the offseason. I'll always be on Twitter, but I doubt I'll have much to say without games being played. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to ask on there.

San Jose Giants Win 2010 Championship

2010-09-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

For the past decade or so, the San Jose Giants have made it look easy in the Cal League. From 1998 to 2009, the team won five championships, made the playoffs nine times and only finished below .500 three times. They won over 82 games five times in that span, culminating in a 93 win season in 2009. For the first half of 2010, it looked effortless for the Giants again. Of course the roster for a minor league team changes year to year, and the coaching staff isn't always the same either. However, the San Francisco organization always seems to have talent at this level, and the fans respond by coming to games year after year.

This time it wasn't easy though; Rancho Cucamonga fought hard in the five game series and almost won it themselves. It took until the 10th inning of game five for a champion to be decided, and it was the Giants winning their second straight championship for the first time in team history. Jason Stoffel earned the win, pitching his longest and perhaps most effective outing of the season. With one out in the 8th inning, Rancho Cucamonga just tied the game with two runs and had the bases loaded again. Stoffel got Luis Jimenez to strike out and Gabe Jacobo to pop up to get out of the jam.

Both teams had opportunities in the 9th, but neither could come through. The Giants had two runners in scoring position with one out after an Ehire Adrianza sac bunt, but Eddie McKiernan made a tough play on a roller down the first base line to record an out at home and then struck out James Simmons to end the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Matt Long stole second base, his second steal of the game. However, with two outs and Jon Townsend at the plate, Long was caught stealing 3rd to end the inning. Who knows if Townsend would've delivered the winning hit, but the Quakes didn't get a chance to find out.

In the 10th, Juan Perez hit a check swing triple down the first base line with one out. It wasn't his best swing of the game, but baseball is a funny game. On this day, the Giants were the beneficiaries. Charlie Culberson hit a sac fly to bring the run in, and Jason Stoffel recorded three more outs to win the championship but not without a little drama. With two outs, Stoffel hit Mike Trout, and he stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. However, Darwin Perez struck out to end the season.

That was how the game ended, but the first seven and a half innings were a battle as well. The game was started by a couple guys no one would've expected to be starting a game five a year ago. Neither starter was great, but they both gave their team a chance to win considering the circumstances. Justin Fitzgerald, who prior to April 2010 hadn't started a game since high school, started on short rest. He finished with 164.2 IP this season counting the playoffs, which is more than twice as many as the rest of his pro career. He was opposed by Kyle Hurst, another pitcher who was used to pitching out of the bullpen. He was moved to the rotation at the end of the season, and despite not pitching in 17 days, gave the Quakes four solid innings.

Rancho Cucamonga took a quick lead in the first on a Gabe Jacobo sac fly. Fitzgerald wasn't sharp early, and the Quakes took advantage of a pitcher that could've been a bit tired at this point in the season. In the top of the second, fans got a taste of how back and forth this game would be when San Jose took a 2-1 lead on Brandon Crawford's second home run of the series. Of course the game would soon be tied again after Luis Jimenez hit an RBI triple in the 3rd. This was the nature of the game; Giants scored two in the 5th, the Quakes responded with one in the bottom half. The same thing happened in the 7th inning, and then Rancho Cucamonga's final comeback in 2010 began in the 8th.

No one ever wants this to be the case, but umpires were a part of the story Tuesday night. A number of controversial calls took place during the game, but one good thing is they huddled up and discussed the calls to try and get them right. This one didn't come back to hurt the Giants because they scored on a walk anyway, but a pitch thrown inside by Chris Scholl went to the backstop. Johnny Monell scored from third, but it was ruled the pitch was a dead ball. However, they did not award the batter Brandon Crawford first, and Monell had to return to 3rd.

First base umpire Tom Woodring might've had the worst night. Two of his calls were reversed after some discussion, but ultimately the correct calls were made. In the 5th, Darwin Perez hit a ground ball to first base with a runner on third. The runner scored and would have no matter what, but it was initially ruled that Drew Biery didn't tag Perez running to first. They changed the call, and it potentially changed the complexion of the inning as Rancho Cucamonga had two more runners reach. In the next inning, a Brandon Crawford throw pulled Biery off the bag, but Woodring ruled he held onto the base for the out. That was also reversed, and no damage was done.

Johnny Monell was named series MVP. Partway through the series, it appeared Francisco Peguero could win his second straight championship MVP, but his performance tailed off in the last couple games. Monell was solid through the series and deserved the award. He had at least one hit in every game in the series, including three home runs in the first two games. He scored six runs, drove in four more and posted a 1.202 OPS. His defense behind the plate wasn't always sharp, but his big hits contributed a lot to the championship and picked up for some teammates that were struggling.

Game five was certainly memorable, but the entire series was one to remember. The Giants won running away in game one behind another great playoff start by Justin Fitzgerald. He pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine while walking none. The game was close for six and a half innings, but the Giants got to the Quakes' bullpen, scoring five in the 7th and three in the 8th. The Giants had a balanced attack, getting hits from everyone in the starting lineup. Ehire Adrianza had two hits and scored three times, and four different San Jose players had two RBI games.

Rancho Cucamonga turned the tables in game two and got their own great pitching performance. Garrett Richards pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one run and striking out eight. A night after scoring eight runs in their final two at bats, San Jose was limited to just two runs and three hits. Both runs came on Johnny Monell solo home runs, so the Giants certainly didn't get the balance they did from their lineup in game one. Kelvin Marte made a solid start for San Jose, but it wasn't enough with the lack of offensive support. Jon Townsend had three hits, including a solo home run, and two RBI.

Game three may have finished with a five run margin, but prior to game five, it was probably one of, if not the most wild game of the season. Rancho Cucamonga took an early lead, but San Jose eventually tied it up. After the Quakes' bullpen let the game get out of hand to waste a good start by Ryan Chaffee, Rancho Cucamonga fought back in the bottom of the 9th again. Jon Townsend led off the inning by reaching on a wild pitch for strike three (sound familiar?) and it was downhill from there for San Jose. Jason Stoffel struck out Matt Long, but then a walk, two hits and sloppy play eventually led to the Quakes tying the game on a sac bunt. San Jose recovered to win in 11 with a five run inning, highlighted by Brandon Crawford's grand slam.

Momentum swung back in Rancho Cucamonga's favor in a must win game four. Manny Flores was making his third playoff start, and he stepped up when it matters most. San Jose was shut out, and it was thanks to Flores' eight scoreless innings. Baserunners were scarce for both teams, but Flores did a great job and didn't allow a hit w/ RISP. Oliver Odle was solid despite having two and a half weeks of rest, and Flores was just better. Mike Trout and Luis Jimenez each had two hits to lead the Quakes offense to force game five.

At the All Star break, it wouldn't be a surprise that the Giants would win another championship. Lake Elsinore had the better half, but San Jose wasn't far behind. Their offense was one of the best in the league despite not hitting many home runs. They put the ball in play and stole a lot of bases, and their lineup was pretty deep. Brandon Belt dominated this league's pitching from the start, and Juan Perez joined him in the All Star game. Jose Flores was making a somewhat surprising contribution, and Charlie Culberson was starting to realize his potential.

Their pitching also set the standard in the league for the first half. They were led by a trio of All Stars, Craig Westcott, Eric Surkamp and Justin Fitzgerald. Westcott got the All Star game start after posting a tremendous ERA. Surkamp and Fitzgerald both posted great halves, and the rest of the six man rotation was delivering too. It was another great first half for the Giants, who have made a habit out of clinching a playoff spot at the 70 game mark. It was their 6th straight first half championship.

The second half didn't go quite as well. After winning 45 games in the first 70 games, the Giants finished last in the division with only 31 wins. They still hung on to finish with the best overall record in the division, but they probably expected to finish with more than 76 wins after the great first half. Brandon Belt was promoted, and obviously it's very difficult to replace a player like that. A number of key players such as Juan Perez, Jose Flores and Charlie Culberson saw their numbers drop in the second half, and that contributed to the team's struggles.

Their pitching wasn't quite the same either. Like Belt, Craig Westcott was quickly promoted to AA Richmond after the break, and it wasn't the first loss the rotation would suffer. About a month later, Eric Surkamp had to be removed from a start with a hip injury and didn't return. Fellow prospect Kyle Nicholson also went down with an injury, and San Jose's projected starters at the beginning of the season continued to dwindle. Justin Fitzgerald was able to be the anchor and stay in the rotation the entire season.

At the end of the second half, the Giants seemed to start playing better and build some momentum. They had almost a full week off between the end of the regular season and their playoff schedule thanks to their first half championship, but sometimes this can hurt teams. San Jose shrugged it off and remained hot against Modesto. At the time, the Nuts seemed unbeatable, riding an eight game winning streak into the playoffs and past Stockton. That momentum suddenly stopped against the Giants who averaged seven runs per game to sweep Modesto and advance to another championship.

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes deserve credit too. They didn't win a championship which is surely disappointing for the team and fans, but it was still one of the best seasons in franchise history. They survived a lot of promotions and roster turnover and played some of the most consistent baseball in the league, and they were very close to coming out on top. They were right with San Jose the entire series, and they proved to be a great competitor.

That's the story of the 2010 San Jose Giants. It's not well organized, but I tried to cover as much as I could. Before the playoffs, I wasn't sure about their chances because of their second half struggles, but they quickly proved that they could still get hot and win. Congratulations to the Giants players, coaches, front office, fans and anyone involved in the win. It was another great season for San Jose baseball, and it doesn't seem like anybody can stop them. It'll mostly be a new roster next year, but the player development staff does a great job at this level and always has players prepared to compete. Repeats in the minors don't happen often, and the Giants deserve credit for having top talent year after year.

Cal League Condensed: Championship Game Five Review

2010-09-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

Giants repeat in back and forth extra innings game
San Jose 7, Rancho Cucamonga 6 (10)
Recap | Box
W: Jason Stoffel (2-0)
L: Eddie McKiernan (0-1)
BS: Ryan Verdugo (1)
HR: Brandon Crawford (2)
Player of the game: Jason Stoffel
Notes: San Jose wins their 6th championship and second straight... No team has won back to back championships since San Bernardino, now Inland Empire, in 1999-2000... Johnny Monell won championship MVP... Charlie Culberson's 10th inning sac fly to score Juan Perez proved to be the winning run... Rancho Cucamonga scored two runs on an Alberto Rosario single in the 8th to the the game at six... Jason Stoffel recorded two outs with the bases loaded in the 8th and finished the game to earn the win... Charlie Culberson and Brandon Crawford each had two hits and two RBI... Crawford also scored twice... Justin Fitzgerald allowed three runs in 4.2 IP... Jose Casilla allowed three runs in one inning... Kyle Hurst struck out five and allowed two runs in four innings... Rancho Cucamonga pitchers walked nine batters... Matt Long had three hits... Mike Trout had two hits and scored twice... Both Long and Trout had two steals... Long was caught stealing third for the third out in the bottom of the 9th as the winning run... Attendance was 2,099...

Cal League Condensed: Championship Game Five

2010-09-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

Fitzgerald goes on short rest in deciding game
San Jose Giants v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7:05 PM PT
Game Five (Series tied 2-2)
Justin Fitzgerald v. Kyle Hurst
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), www.rcquakes.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com
TV Broadcast: CHN (San Jose)

Fitzgerald v. Rancho Cucamonga:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Fitzgerald	9/16	W	W	0.00	0.86	7	6	0	0	0	9
.		7/29	L	L	7.20	1.80	5	8	4	4	1	3
.		5/30	ND	L	3.18	1.59	5.2	6	2	2	3	5
.			1-1	1-2	3.06	1.36	17.2	20	6	6	4	17

Hurst v. San Jose:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Hurst	6/1	L	L	54.00	6.75	1.1	8	8	8	1	2
.			0-1	0-1	54.00	6.75	1.1	8	8	8	1	2

Notes: The Championship series last went five games in 2007 when San Jose defeated Lake Elsinore... This is the first playoff series in 2010 to play the maximum amount of games... Justin Fitzgerald has a .64 ERA and .79 WHIP in 14 innings over two previous playoff starts, including the first game of this series... Fitzgerald will be the only starter this postseason to pitch twice in one series... Johnny Monell had a 1.303 OPS in 17 Championship series at bats... Juan Perez has just five hits in 31 playoff at bats... Kyle Hurst's start against San Jose earlier this year was by far his worst appearance of the season... Hurst hasn't pitched in the postseason and hasn't appeared in a game since 9/3... Gabe Jacobo and Dillon Baird have combined to go 5/29 against San Jose and neither had a hit in game four... Mike Trout is 7/18 in the championship with a 1.199 OPS...

Cal League Condensed: 9/19 Review

2010-09-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Flores dominates as Quakes blank Giants
Rancho Cucamonga 4, San Jose 0
Recap | Box
W: Manny Flores (1-0)
L: Oliver Odle (0-1)
Player of the game: Manny Flores
Notes: Manny Flores allowed five hits and struck out four in eight scoreless innings... Nick Pugliese pitched the last inning to complete the shutout... Rancho Cucamonga scored two runs in both the 6th and 7th innings... Each team had six hits... Mike Trout and Luis Jimenez each had two hit games... All four of Rancho Cucamonga's runs were scored by different players... Oliver Odle allowed two runs in 5.2 IP... Ben Wilshire had to leave the game without recording an out due to injury... Charlie Culberson and Ehire Adrianza had two hits each... Juan Perez was picked off by Manny Flores twice... Francisco Peguero's hitting streak ended with an 0/4 night... Attendance was 1,328...

Cal League Condensed: 9/19 Preview

2010-09-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Flores gets third playoff start in must win game
San Jose Giants v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5:05 PM PT
Game Four (SJ leads 2-1)
Oliver Odle v. Manny Flores
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), www.rcquakes.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com
TV Broadcast: CHN (San Jose)

Odle v. Rancho Cucamonga:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Odle	5/31	L	L	4.50	1.33	6	8	3	3	0	2
.			0-1	0-1	4.50	1.33	6	8	3	3	0	2

Flores v. San Jose:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Flores	7/28	ND	W	7.50	2.00	6	11	5	5	1	5
.			0-0	1-0	7.50	2.00	6	11	5	5	1	5

Notes: Oliver Odle hasn't pitched since 9/2, a quality start against Inland Empire... Odle had a 6.07 ERA in 96.1 IP as a starter and allowed 131 hits... Closer Jason Stoffel had a 3.56 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 30.1 road IP... Juan Perez hasn't had a multi hit game since 9/4, the third to last game of the regular season... Manny Flores has a 6.75 ERA over 9.1 IP in two playoff starts... Flores will be the only starter to appear three times in the playoffs this year... Rancho Cucamonga has had two three-run innings this postseason started by a wild pitch on strike three... Dillon Baird is batting .182 in the series against San Jose...

Cal League Condensed: 9/18 Review

2010-09-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Crawford's 11th inning grand slam caps wild game three
San Jose 12, Rancho Cucamonga 7 (11)
Recap | Box
W: Wilmin Rodriguez (1-0)
L: Jose Perez (0-1)
BS: Jason Stoffel (1) Matt Oye (1)
HR: Wendell Fairley (1) James Simmons (1) Brandon Crawford (1) Mike Trout 2 (2)
Player of the game: Mike Trout
Notes: Francisco Peguero scored the eventual winning run on a Jose Flores triple after reaching on a strike three wild pitch... Brandon Crawford his a grand slam to make the lead 12-7... Rancho Cucamonga scored three runs in the 9th to tie the game at seven... Jon Townsend led off the inning reaching on a strike three wild pitch... Mike Trout hit an RBI single, and San Jose committed two errors allowing another run to score... Quakes tied the game on a safety squeeze bunt... Francisco Peguero had a four hit game... Johnny Monell scored three times... James Simmons hit a three run home run... Ryan Chaffee allowed one earned run in six innings... Rancho Cucamonga's bullpen allowed nine runs in six innings... Mike Trout had four hits, two home runs, three RBI and four runs... San Jose committed four errors... Attendance was 2,376...

Cal League Condensed: 9/18 Preview

2010-09-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

Series shifts to Epicenter for pivotal game three
San Jose Giants v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7:05 PM PT
Game Three (Series tied 1-1)
Kyle Woodruff v. Ryan Chaffee
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), www.rcquakes.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com
TV Broadcast: CHN (San Jose)

Woodruff v. Rancho Cucamonga:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Woodruff	7/27	ND	L	3.00	1.00	6	4	2	2	2	3
.		*5/31	ND	L	6.00	1.33	3	4	2	2	0	3
.			0-0	0-2	4.00	1.11	9	8	4	4	2	6

Notes: Kyle Woodruff allowed two unearned runs in five innings in his first playoff start... All four of Woodruff's quality starts in the regular season came on the road... Johnny Monell hit a two home run game at Rancho Cucamonga in the regular season... Drew Biery's road OPS was 81 points higher this season... Ryan Chaffee allowed one run in seven innings in his first playoff start... Chaffee has four straight quality starts going back to the regular season... Rancho Cucamonga swept a series against San Jose at home in July... Darwin Perez only has hits in two postseason games...

Cal League Condensed: 9/17 Review

2010-09-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Richards dominates as Quakes even series
Rancho Cucamonga 4, San Jose 2
Recap | Box
W: Garrett Richards (1-1)
L: Kelvin Marte (0-1)
S: Eddie McKiernan (1)
HR: Jon Townsend (1) Johnny Monell 2 (3)
Player of the game: Garrett Richards
Notes: Garrett Richards struck out nine and allowed only two hits and one run in seven innings... Jose Perez and Eddie McKiernan each struck out two in one inning of relief apiece... Both of San Jose's runs came on Johnny Monell solo home runs... Francisco Peguero had the only other San Jose hit... Jon Townsend had three hits and was a triple shy of the cycle... Townsend drove in two runs... Kelvin Marte allowed two runs and struck out five in five innings... Eddie McKiernan was the first reliever to earn a save this postseason... Attendance was 3,008...

Cal League Condensed: 9/17 Preview

2010-09-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

San Jose looks for 2-0 lead in final home game of 2010
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. San Jose Giants 7:00 PM PT
Game Two (SJ leads 2-0)
Garrett Richards v. Kelvin Marte
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), www.rcquakes.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com

Neither starter has pitched against the other team in the regular season.

Notes: Garrett Richards walked a season high four in his first playoff start against Lake Elsinore... Garrett Richards has a 6.75 home ERA with Rancho Cucamonga despite a 20:2 K:BB ratio in 16 innings... Luis Jimenez had hits in all seven games against San Jose so far... Sngel Castillo's OPS on the road was 168 points higher than at home during the regular season... Kelvin Marte allowed three runs in 4.2 IP in his first playoff start against Modesto... Francisco Peguero was the 2009 California League Championship Series MVP... Juan Perez had a four hit game against Rancho Cucamonga during the regular season...

Cal League Condensed: 9/16 Review

2010-09-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Fitzgerald dominates in Giants rout
San Jose 10, Rancho Cucamonga 0
Recap | Box
W: Justin Fitzgerald (2-0)
L: Orangel Arenas (1-1)
HR: Johnny Monell (1)
Player of the game: Justin Fitzgerald
Notes: Justin Fitzgerald struck out nine in seven scoreless innings... Jose Casilla and Brian Anderson each pitched an inning to complete the shutout... Everyone in the San Jose starting lineup had at least one hit... Four Giants had two hit games, and four had two RBI games... Francisco Peguero had two hits and two RBI to continue his hitting streak... Ehire Adrianza had two hits and scored three times... Gabe Jacobo and Dillon Baird combined to go 1/7... All seven of Rancho Cucamonga's hits were singles... Orangel Arenas allowed six runs in 6.2 IP but only two were earned... Chris Scholl allowed three earned runs in 1.1 IP of relief...

Cal League Condensed: 9/16 Preview

2010-09-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

Quakes and Giants kick off 1998 Championship rematch
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. San Jose Giants 7:00 PM PT
Game One (Series tied 0-0)
Orangel Arenas v. Justin Fitzgerald
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), www.rcquakes.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com

Arenas v. San Jose:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Arenas	7/29	W	W	4.50	1.17	6	5	3	3	2	4
.		5/30	ND	W	11.25	2.25	4	5	6	5	4	1
.			1-0	2-0	7.20	1.60	10	10	9	8	6	5

Fitzgerald v. Rancho Cucamonga:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Fitzgerald	7/29	L	L	7.20	1.80	5	8	4	4	1	3
.		5/30	ND	L	3.18	1.59	5.2	6	2	2	3	5
.			0-1	0-2	5.06	1.69	10.2	14	6	6	4	8

Notes: San Jose beat Rancho Cucamonga in the 1998 Championship, Rancho Cucamonga's last appearance... San Jose reached back to back championships in 1998-99... Orangel Arenas allowed one run in five innings in his first playoff start against High Desert... Arenas' 7/29 start against San Jose started a personal four start quality start streak... Dillon Baird leads the postseason with seven extra base hits and has a 1.519 OPS... Gabe Jacobo leads the team with eight postseason runs... Justin Fitzgerald allowed one run in seven innings in his first playoff start... Fitzgerald won back to back starts twice in the regular season... Francisco Peguero continued his hitting streak against Modesto with six hits in 15 at bats... Charlie Culberson went 3/11 against Modesto and led the team in RBI with three...

San Jose Giants v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Championship Preview

2010-09-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

I noticed in one of my previous previews that the bold doesn't always work like I want it to on the head to head chart. Just know that Rancho Cucamonga won four out of six meetings this year.

The postseason finally had a series that wasn't a sweep as Lake Elsinore took Rancho Cucamonga to a 4th game. Unfortunately for the Modesto Nuts, San Jose was not taken to a 4th game, and they're back in their second straight championship. This will be a best of five series like the previous round, and it's a rematch of the 1998 series which San Jose won. The Giants reached back to back championships in 1998-99 but lost the second one.

Game One: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Arenas) v. San Jose Giants (Fitzgerald) Thursday 9/16 7:00 PM PT
Game Two: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Richards) v. San Jose Giants (Marte) Friday 9/17 7:00 PM PT
Game Three: San Jose Giants (Woodruff) v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Chaffee) Saturday 9/18 7:05 PM PT
Game Four (if necessary): San Jose Giants (Odle) v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Flores) Sunday 5:05 PM PT
Game Five (if necessary): San Jose Giants (TBA) v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (TBA) Monday 7:05 PM PT

Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), www.rcquakes.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com
TV Broadcast: TV Broadcast: CHN (San Jose, game 3 and games 4-5, if necessary)

San Jose easily shook off a subpar second half and swept Modesto to advance to another championship. Justin Fitzgerald set the tone in game one with a great start, and San Jose didn't trail in the series until the first inning of game one. Eventually, the Giants pulled away and won in convincing fashion, and they seemed to be one step ahead of Modesto the entire series. They got contributions from all parts of the lineup and pounded out a lot of hits that eventually led to plenty of runs. Kyle Woodruff also made a good start in game three, and the bullpen was solid despite allowing runs in two of the three games.

Rancho Cucamonga defeated regular season champion Lake Elsinore in four games in the last round. They split the first two games in Lake Elsinore and took care of business at home, winning both games at The Epicenter. They did it with the help of one ringer in Joel Pineiro, game two's starter, but their regular starters did very well too. In game one, they made a ridiculous seven errors and shot themselves in the foot, but they settled in and played a little better the rest of the series. In shocking walkoff fashion, Angel Castillo hit a two run double with two outs against Brad Brach to send Lake Elsinore home.


.	San Jose	Season	Rancho Cucamonga
.	76-64	Overall	78-62
.	45-25	1st Half	39-31
.	31-39	2nd Half	39-31
.	.289	Average	.278
.	.353	OBP	.338
.	.437	SLG	.426
.	739	Runs Scored	738
.	4.27	ERA	4.26
.	1025	Strikeouts	1116
.	673	Runs Against	657


.	San Jose	September	Rancho Cucamonga
.	7-2	Record	9-3
.	56	Runs Scored	87
.	4.11	Team ERA	4.81
.	3.86	SP ERA	5.75
.	4.38	RP ERA	3.63

Here's a table of head to head results. The two rows at the bottom cover home and away splits for the matchup.


.	Date	Bold	=	Win	Score
.	7/29	SJ	@	RC	5-3
.	7/28	SJ	@	RC	6-5
.	7/27	SJ	@	RC	4-3
.	6/1	SJ	v	RC	10-7
.	5/30	SJ	v	RC	5-3
.	5/29	SJ	v	RC	7-6
.	Tot.	SJ	v	RC	2-1
.		SJ	@	RC	3-0

Here are tables that show batting stats against the other team in the regular season.


.	Name	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BA
.	Peguero	12	3	0	1	0	0.250
.	Perez	27	9	1	4	5	0.333
.	Flores	17	4	0	5	3	0.235
.	Monell	25	6	2	5	4	0.240
.	Culberson	11	5	0	1	3	0.455
.	Adrianza	25	7	0	2	5	0.280
.	Biery	18	2	1	3	1	0.111
.	Fairley	16	6	0	0	3	0.375
.	Simmons	13	2	1	4	3	0.154
.	Sandoval	9	4	0	1	2	0.444
.	Weeks	10	4	0	1	1	0.400


.	Name	AB	H	HR	RBI	R	BA
.	Trout	10	1	0	0	2	0.100
.	Rosario	2	0	0	0	0	0.000
.	Jimenez	23	9	1	3	5	0.391
.	Jacobo	23	8	1	4	4	0.348
.	Baird	14	3	0	3	0	0.214
.	Castillo	19	6	1	6	5	0.316
.	Townsend	14	2	0	0	1	0.143
.	Perez	19	3	0	1	2	0.158
.	Oliver	4	1	0	0	1	0.250
.	Ramos	3	2	0	2	1	0.667

Continuing to get production from all parts of the lineup will certainly help. As I mentioned in the Modesto/San Jose series review, the Giants hit the Nuts' staff pretty hard, and the top of the lineup was responsible for it. Francisco Peguero and Jose Flores, the first and third hitters in the lineup, combined to go 14/28 and scored seven of the team's 21 runs. On an individual level, Peguero will want to continue his hitting streak, and the leadoff hitter reaching base obviously always helps. Brandon Crawford, a ringer in his own right although he's not a major leaguer, has hit well in the five hole, and Michel Sandoval was a big part of San Jose's eight run outburst in game three against Modesto.

The bullpen will need to lock down leads late. Jason Stoffel's overall season numbers don't look that good, but I think, like a lot of relievers obviously but moreso with him, his numbers were inflated due to a few bad outings instead of consistently giving up a run or two. San Jose's bullpen only has two scoreless appearances in September, but that's partly because they've had to work a lot of innings. Rancho Cucamonga has been relentless lately, and they've made some late comebacks and also shown a knack for tacking on runs to leads. San Jose cannot waste good efforts from their starters.

How will Rancho Cucamonga win?

The Quakes can't afford to give San Jose extra outs or make mistakes on the bases. Both teams play fundamental baseball, and the Giants will likely take advantage of the extra chances given to them by the Quakes that Lake Elsinore couldn't. Seven errors in a game was obviously an anomaly, but they have to get back to their generally mistake free baseball that they played all year until the Lake Elsinore series. In addition to the errors in the field, the Quakes didn't run the bases very well, particularly in game four. Angel Castillo getting a bad read and Darwin Perez getting picked off both took run scoring opportunities off the board.

Joel Pineiro won't be back for this series, so the starters are going to have to step up without a major leaguer pitching solid innings. The SP ERA posted earlier is pretty ugly, but generally I'd still say these starters have been pitching okay lately. Orangel Arenas pitched well in his first playoff start, but matching up against Justin Fitzgerald can always be difficult. Garrett Richards walked four in his playoff start, but that appears to be an aberration since his control has otherwise been good with the Quakes. Ryan Chaffee has been very good lately, but Manny Flores hasn't been very sharp in two postseason starts so far.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Lake Elsinore Storm Review

2010-09-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Rancho Cucamonga wins the series 3-1
Series MVP: Gabe Jacobo

Game One: Quakes commit seven errors in shutout loss

Chris Young made a rehab start for Lake Elsinore, and he combined for a shutout with regular starter Anthony Bass. The Storm won 5-0, but they only had two more hits than the Quakes. However, Rancho Cucamonga committed an astounding seven errors which led to four unearned runs. It was very uncharacteristic for the Quakes who set numerous league records for fielding stats. Lake Elsinore drew eight walks, and Anthony Bass earned a save pitching the final 3.1 IP of the game.

Game Two: Pineiro solid as Quakes even series

In game two, Rancho Cucamonga answered with their own ringer in Angels' starter Joel Pineiro. He wasn't quite as good as Chris Young, but he no hit Lake Elsinore through five innings and finished with six solid innings pitched. The Quakes offense banged out 14 hits, and their three insurance runs in the top of the 9th were huge. In the bottom of the 9th, former Padres' first rounder Allan Dykstra hit a three run home run off closer Eddie McKiernan to cut the lead to 7-5, but the Storm couldn't get any closer.

Game Three: Chaffee, Quakes staff limit Lake Elsinore

For the second straight game, a Quakes started pitched a very good game, but this time it was a regular Cal League pitcher. Ryan Chaffee continued a string of strong starts and struck out five over seven one-run innings. He walked four, but overall Lake Elsinore was limited to three hits, only one of which went for extra bases. The majority of the game was close, but Rancho Cucamonga got four late runs against the Storm bullpen to cruise to their second straight win. Jeremy McBryde pitched very well, but the offense didn't support him.

Game Four: Brach's blown save sends Quakes to championship

This game could end up being the most memorable of the 2010 playoffs. The Quakes committed two more errors to bring their series total to 11, and a baserunning mistake also took a run off the board. The big Matt Lollis struck out seven in a very good Cal League debut, and it would be up to the bullpen to get the last 11 outs. Rancho Cucamonga chipped away but looked to be in trouble down two with no one on base in the 9th against super closer Brad Brach. However, the Quakes loaded the bases, and Angel Castillo hit a walkoff double to send the Quakes to their first Cal League Championship since 2008.

Starting the series against Chris Young was a tall task, and he dominated as a lot of Major League rehabbers do on their assignments in the lower levels of the minors. They rebounded in game two with their own ringer, and teams that start the series on the road always want to split the road games and take care of business at home. That's obviously what they did, and it's not surprising considering they had success at Lake Elsinore this year. Despite the numerous gaffes throughout the series, they maintained their momentum with good pitching and timely hitting and defeated a very good Storm team.

In the first game, Lake Elsinore drew eight walks, which was pretty par for the course for their hitters. In games two and three, Rancho Cucamonga continued to walk a few more batters than they would've liked with three in three innings (not counting Joel Pineiro's work) in game two and five in game three. The difference in those games was their staff didn't allow many hits, so the walks didn't have as big of an impact. Ryan Chaffee had four of the five game three walks, but he was able to work around them like he has been in his last few starts. Manny Flores settled things down in game four with only one walk, and oddly enough it became the highest scoring game of the series for Lake Elsinore.

Lake Elsinore really didn't take advantage of their opportunities that were few and far between. They were just 8/39 with runners in scoring position and left 28 runners on base in the four game series. Admittedly, those numbers look a little better when game one's ridiculous 1/18 and 13 LOB are taken out, but the point is the lineup struggled. Among players that played more than one game in the series, only three players, Vince Belnome, Allan Dykstra and Jesus Lopez had an OPS over the league average for the series, and that's just not good enough. The game four additions of Chris Tremblay and Rico Noel to the lineup were too little, too late.

Overall, I'd say Lake Elsinore's starters were good enough to win. Juan Oramas allowed three runs in five innings which doesn't live up to the Oramas standard, but in the Cal League with a solid bullpen, that should still be good enough to give them a chance to win. Jeremy McBryde was a tough luck loser in game three, and they couldn't have asked anything more of Matt Lollis in his Cal League debut. Again, overall they did a good job, but I still wonder if things would've been different had Anthony Bass gotten a start. The bullpen caused some problems late in games, and I don't think anyone expected Brad Brach to blow a save.

Cal League Condensed: 9/14 Review

2010-09-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Brach's blown save sends Quakes to championship
Rancho Cucamonga 6, Lake Elsinore 5
Recap | Box
W: Matt Oye (1-0)
L: Brad Brach (0-1)
BS: Brad Brach (1)
Player of the game: Angel Castillo
Notes: Angel Castillo hit a two run walkoff double with two outs in the 9th... Castillo had three hits and three RBI... Brad Brach struck out three in one inning but allowed four hits and three runs in the blown save... Matt Lollis struck out seven and allowed one run in 5.1 IP in his Cal League debut... Gabe Jacobo scored three times... Dillon Baird hit two doubles... Manny Flores allowed three earned runs in six innings... Chris Tremblay had three hits, two RBI and two runs in his first game of the series... Jesus Lopez scored twice... Attendance was 1,254...

Modesto Nuts v. San Jose Giants Review

2010-09-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

San Jose wins the series 3-0
Series MVP: Jose Flores

Game One: Giants win playoff opener behind Fitzgerald

The Giants struggled in most of the second half, but they started to play okay in September. That momentum carried over despite an opening round bye, and San Jose scored a first run inning. The difference in starting pitching this game was evident; Justin Fitzgerald cruised through seven innings, only allowing one run, and Josh Sullivan struggled with his control and allowed five runs in 4.1 IP. San Jose scored three more in the 3rd and added a couple runs against Modesto's bullpen late and won this one comfortably.

Game Two: Giants take 2-0 series lead on wild pitch

San Jose took another early lead in game two, but Modesto was able to battle back. The Nuts never led, but they never fell too far behind and stayed in the game. Neither starter was very good, but Ethan Hollingsworth hung in there for six innings and gave the Nuts a chance to even the series. Each team had 12 hits, and San Jose leadoff hitter Francisco Peguero extended his hitting streak with another multi-hit game. Sloppy play by Modesto reliever Casey Weathers in the 9th led to a San Jose walkoff win. Weathers committed an error and later threw a wild pitch that allowed Peguero to score the winning run.

Game Three: Five run 5th propels San Jose to second straight championship

Modesto finally took their first lead of the series in the 1st inning on a Jimmy Cesario triple that scored two unearned runs. Unfortunately for the Nuts, that would be the last time they would score this season. Kenny Durst, making his return to the rotation after nearly two months in the bullpen, started off well but run into trouble in the 5th. San Jose scored five in the inning, and they were well on their way to another championship berth. The Giants scored individual runs in the 6th through 8th innings and swept the Nuts out of the playoffs.

The Giants showed no rust despite having nearly a whole week off. They scored a run right off the bat in the first inning Saturday and finished with seven in game one. San Jose averaged seven runs per game in the series, and they had plenty of baserunners too. They had 36 hits in the three game series, and the pressure was on Modesto's pitching staff all series long. The onslaught was led by mainly three players. Francisco Peguero, in the midst of a long hitting streak, had a couple multi hit games, and Jose Flores completed an eight hit series with four singles in the clincher. The rehabbing Brandon Crawford picked up where he left off after a dominant stint with San Jose last year.

In two of the three games, San Jose's starter gave the team what they needed and more. Justin Fitzgerald did what he's done all year and easily secured a win in the series opener. Fitzgerald was the lone starter standing from the team's rotation to start the season after Craig Westcott was promoted and Eric Surkamp and Kyle Nicholson recently went down with injuries. Alfredo Marte struggled again, but Kyle Woodruff continued his successful transition from relieving to starting. Oliver Odle didn't get a chance to pitch, but the team obviously played well enough they didn't need a 4th starter this series.

The Nuts weren't able keep up the momentum they had in San Jose. After having success at Municipal Stadium during the regular season, they went cold in the playoffs and obviously didn't win a game there. Pretty much every team struggles against the Giants in most seasons, and this year was no exception as Modesto was the only team up North with a winning record against them. In addition, the Nuts weren't able to continue their overall momentum, riding a season long eight game winning streak into this series. they went cold at the wrong time, and San Jose had no problem sending them home quickly.

I had concerns about Josh Sullivan and Kenny Durst's spots in the rotation. It turns out, Ethan Hollingsworth wasn't as sharp as usual too, and their starting pitching just wasn't good enough to win this series. Sullivan's control issues continued with four walks in 4.1 IP, and Kenny Durst wasn't able to finish effectively through five innings in his return to the rotation. In games one and two, San Jose got early leads and were able to hold on to win both times. Modesto showed the ability to battle with their backs against the wall this season, but it became too much to do it time after time against the Giants this series.

Mariners Extend High Desert Through 2012

2010-09-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Earlier today it was announced that that Seattle extended High Desert's player development contract through 2012. It was one of four remaining Cal League PDC's still set to expire after this season.

High Desert has been Seattle's Cal League affiliate since 2007. Before the Mariners picked them up, the Mavericks have been affiliated with six different parent clubs since the franchise started in 1988 in Riverside. By the time this extension ends, Seattle will be the team High Desert has been affiliated with the longest in franchise history. In the four seasons these two have teamed up, the Mavericks are 270-290. They've made the postseason in two straight years, losing in the league championship to San Jose last year and Rancho Cucamonga in the first round this season.

Three Mavericks have reached the majors since their partnership with Seattle began. This number doesn't seem very good, but since they've only been together since 2007, and their players need time to develop. Those players are catcher Adam Moore, outfielder Michael Sanders and reliever Shawn Kelley. The Mariners are hoping these young players can be part of a core for the future, but they all have some work to do to prove they can stick in the majors. With a renewed focus on homegrown talent and player development, more future Mariners should be passing through High Desert.

"The relationship we have developed with the High Desert organization has been a very positive one for all those involved," said Pedro Grifol, Mariners Director of Player Development. "Our players will continue to be in an environment where they can succeed personally and collectively."

It's somewhat surprising that this extension was taken care of so soon. It's no secret that the High Desert franchise is kind of in limbo right now. The ownership situation has been cloudy for a couple years now, but as I mentioned a couple weeks ago, they're apparently close to finding an owner. Even if they successfully sell the team, there are still questions about whether or not they'll remain in Adelanto. The stadium isn't great, and fan support has been dwindling in recent years. Like the article said, they'll be in Adelanto for now, but for how long? It's definitely possible this team is playing somewhere else soon. There was some speculation that Seattle would try to get back together with Inland Empire, but perhaps they found out that it wasn't very likely.

Now that High Desert is out of play, there are three teams left whose PDC's are set to expire after this year: Bakersfield, Inland Empire and Rancho Cucamonga. At this point, I believe Texas will be leaving Bakersfield and hooking up with Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League. The Los Angeles area parent clubs will split Inland Empire and Rancho Cucamonga.

Cal League Condensed: 9/14 Preview

2010-09-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Flores makes second playoff start with chance to win series
Lake Elsinore Storm v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7:05 PM PT
Game Four (RC leads 2-1)
Matt Lollis v. Manny Flores
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), 92.9 FM (Lake Elsinore), www.rcquakes.com, www.stormbaseball.com and www.milb.com

Flores v. Lake Elsinore:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Flores	8/10	W	W	0	0.86	7	4	0	0	2	5
.		8/3	L	L	3	1.17	6	3	2	2	4	1
.		7/1	ND	W	1.69	1.69	5.1	6	3	1	3	1
.		6/26	W	W	2.57	1.14	7	6	2	2	2	1
.			2-1	3-1	1.78	1.18	25.1	19	7	5	11	8

Notes: Matt Lollis will be making his Cal League debut... Lollis had a 1.66 ERA in 54.1 IP with Fort Wayne this year... Lollis threw six scoreless innings in a Midwest League playoff game... Allan Dykstra is just 3/32 at the Epicenter this season... Manny Flores allowed four runs in 3.1 IP in a first round playoff start against High Desert... Flores' last win this season was that 8/10 start against Lake Elsinore... Quakes closer Eddie McKiernan gave up runs in all four home appearances against Lake Elsinore this year... Luis Jimenez hit three doubles and drove in three runs on 8/22 against the Storm...

Cal League Condensed: 9/13 Review

2010-09-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Chaffee, Quakes staff limit Lake Elsinore
Rancho Cucamonga 6, Lake Elsinore 1
Recap | Box
W: Ryan Chaffee (1-0)
L: Jeremy McBryde (0-1)
HR: Gabe Jacobo (2) Dillon Baird (3)
Player of the game: Ryan Chaffee
Notes: Ryan Chaffee allowed one run in seven innings on just two hits and four walks while striking out five... Jose Perez struck out the side in one inning of relief... Three Quakes had two hit games... Gabe Jacobo and Dillon Baird each hit a hope run and drove in two runs... Lake Elsinore was held to just three hits, all by different players... Cody Decker's double was his first hit of the series... Vince Belnome walked three times... Jeremy McBryde struck out seven in six innings and allowed two runs... Attendance was 1,080...

Five run 5th propels San Jose to second straight championship
San Jose 8, Modesto 2
Recap | Box
W: Kyle Woodruff (1-0)
L: Kenny Durst (0-1)
HR: Ehire Adrianza (1) Michael Sandoval (1)
Player of the game: Michael Sandoval
Notes: San Jose sweeps the series... San Jose is going to their second straight championship... Modesto scored both unearned runs in the 1st inning... San Jose scored five in the 5th... Modesto was outhit 15-7... Jose Flores hit four singles... Francisco Peguero was 1/5 to continue his hitting streak... Michael Sandoval had three hits, including a home run, scored twice and drove in two runs... Kyle Woodruff struck out five and didn't allow an earned run in five innings... San Jose's bullpen pitched four scoreless innings... Kenny Durst allowed five runs in 4.1 IP... No player for Modesto had more than one hit... Jimmy Cesario had two RBI... Attendance was 1,406...

Cal League Condensed: 9/13 Preview

2010-09-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

Chaffee looks to continue success in game three
Lake Elsinore Storm v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7:05 PM PT
Game Three (Series tied 1-1)
Jeremy McBryde v. Ryan Chaffee
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), 92.9 FM (Lake Elsinore), www.rcquakes.com, www.stormbaseball.com and www.milb.com

Jeremy McBryde v. Rancho Cucamonga:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	McBryde	8/3	W	W	1.29	0.57	7	4	1	1	0	5
.			1-0	1-0	1.29	0.57	7	4	1	1	0	5

Ryan Chaffee v. Lake Elsinore:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Chaffee	8/23	W	W	3	0.67	6	2	2	2	2	5
.		8/12	ND	L	9	2	5	5	5	5	5	5
.		6/24	L	L	6	2.33	3	3	2	2	4	2
.			1-1	1-2	5.79	1.5	14	10	9	9	11	12

Notes: Jeremy McBryde allowed 12 runs in nine innings over his last two starts, posting an 0-1 record... All four of McBryde's wins came on the road, including his one start against Rancho Cucamonga... Cody Decker is 0/9 with five strikeouts this series... No player for Lake Elsinore has more than two postseason hits yet... Ryan Chaffee finished the season with three straight quality starts... Chaffee had 16 strikeouts and three walks in 20.1 IP in those starts... Dillon Baird leads the Quakes in postseason hits with eight, four of which went for extra bases... Baird's postseason OBP is .500 and he's slugging .941...

Durst returns to rotation in must win game three
San Jose Giants v. Modesto Nuts 7:05 PM PT
Game Three (SJ leads 2-0)
Kyle Woodruff v. Kenny Durst
Radio Broadcast: 970 AM (Modesto), www.modestonuts.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com

Woodruff v. Modesto:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Woodruff	*8/13	L	L	3.00	.67	6	4	2	2	0	3
.		*6/27	ND	W	0.00	1.00	2	1	0	0	1	3
.		*6/24	ND	L	0.00	1.50	2	3	1	0	0	1
.		*6/8	ND	L	9.00	1.50	2	2	2	2	1	1
.		*5/21	ND	L	2.45	1.09	3.2	4	1	1	0	3
.		*=RP	0-1	1-4	2.87	1.02	15.2	14	6	5	2	11

Durst v. San Jose:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Durst	*8/14	W	W	0.00	.56	3.2	2	2	0	0	2
.		6/7	W	W	3.86	1.57	7	11	3	3	0	3
.		5/21	W	W	0.00	.50	6	3	1	0	0	1
.		4/11	L	L	40.5	6.75	1.1	5	6	6	4	1
.		*=RP	3-1	3-1	4.50	1.39	18	21	12	9	4	7

Notes: None of Kyle Woodruff's appearances against Modesto were starts... Woodruff had a 3.32 ERA in 43.1 IP over eight starts at the end of the season after being moved into the rotation... Francisco Peguero has five hits and three runs in this series... Brandon Crawford is 4/7 with two walks, two steals and two RBI... Kenny Durst hasn't made a start since 7/19, a win against Lake Elsinore... Durst had a 2.96 ERA between August and September combined, all out of the bullpen... 13 different players have batted for Modesto this postseason... Leadoff hitter Erik Wetzel is just 2/15 in the postseason...

Cal League Condensed: 9/12 Review

2010-09-12T20:03:00.001-07:00

Giants take 2-0 series lead on wild pitch
San Jose 6, Modesto 5
Recap | Box
W: Jason Stoffel (1-0)
L: Casey Weathers (0-1)
BS: Brian Anderson (1)
HR: Mike Zuanich (2) Joe Sanders (1)
Player of the game: Francisco Peguero
Notes: Francisco Peguero scored a walkoff run on a Casey Weathers wild pitch... Modesto tied the game twice but never led... Three of San Jose's runs were unearned due to three Modesto errors, including two by Joe Sanders... Francisco Peguero had three hits to continue his hitting streak and also scored three times... Brandon Crawford had a three hit game... Ethan Hollingsworth allowed four earned runs in six innings... Kelvin Marte was charged with three runs in 4.2 IP... Wilman Rodriguez struck out the side in one inning of relief... Ben Paulsen and Jimmy Cesario each had three hit games... Attendance was 2,112...

Pineiro solid as Quakes even series
Rancho Cucamonga 7, Lake Elsinore 5
Recap | Box
W: Joel Pineiro
L: Juan Oramas (0-1)
HR: Darwin Perez (1) Allan Dykstra (1)
Player of the game: Darwin Perez
Notes: Joel Pineiro allowed two runs on three hits and one walk in six innings while striking out three... Rancho Cucamonga had two three-run innings... Rancho Cucamonga outhit Lake Elsinore 14-6... Seven of Rancho Cucamonga's hits went for extra bases... Mike Trout and Darwin Perez each had three hits... Perez his a solo home run in the 9th to provide insurance... Dillon Baird hit two doubles... Rancho Cucamonga turned three double plays and committed two errors... Juan Oramas allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings... Vince Belnome committed two errors... Allan Dykstra's three run home run in the 9th against Eddie McKiernan cut the lead to 7-5... Attendance was 3,223...

Cal League Condensed: 9/12 Preview

2010-09-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Hollingsworth tries to even series at one
Modesto Nuts v. San Jose Giants 5:00 PM PT
Game Two (SJ leads 1-0)
Ethan Hollingsworth v. Kelvin Marte
Radio Broadcast: 970 AM (Modesto), www.modestonuts.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com
TV Broadcast: CHN (San Jose)

Hollingsworth v. San Jose


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Hollingsworth	6/27	L	L	11.81	1.88	5.1	9	8	7	1	7
.		6/10	ND	W	2.57	1.71	7	7	3	2	5	6
.		5/24	L	L	3	1.67	6	9	6	2	1	7
.		5/1	ND	W	4.05	.90	6.2	4	3	3	2	10
.		4/9	L	L	3.60	1.40	5	7	3	2	0	5
.			0-3	2-3	4.80	1.50	30	36	23	16	9	35

Marte has not pitched against Modesto this year.

Notes: Ethan Hollingsworth won five straight starts to finish the regular season, all of which were quality starts... Hollingsworth didn't walk more than nine in any month this season... Tim Wheeler had hits in 10 of his 13 games at Municipal Stadium... Jimmy Cesario only had two multi hit games against San Jose this year... Kelvin Marte pitched 3.2 scoreless innings against Colorado's A affiliate Asheville in August... Marte allowed six runs in 3.2 IP against Visalia in his only previous Cal League start... Juan Perez had a .792 OPS at home this year... Jose Flores went 0/7 in a game against Modesto in June...

Quakes counter with their own ringer in Joel Pineiro
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Lake Elsinore Storm 5:05 PM PT
Game Two (LE leads 1-0)
Joel Pineiro v. TBA
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), 92.9 FM (Lake Elsinore), www.rcquakes.com, www.stormbaseball.com and www.milb.com

Oramas (my predicted starter) v. Rancho Cucamonga:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Oramas	8/22	ND	L	0	1.13	2.2	2	0	0	1	3
.		8/11	L	L	9	1	2	2	3	2	0	3
.		8/5	ND	W	0	1.5	2	1	0	0	2	2
.		6/24	ND	W	0	0.5	2	0	0	0	1	2
.		6/14	W	W	3.6	1	5	4	2	2	1	5
.		5/7	ND	W	6.23	2.31	4.1	6	5	3	4	2
.			1-1	4-2	3.5	1.33	18	15	10	7	9	17

Notes: Joel Pineiro is expected to throw 65-70 pitches for Rancho Cucamonga... My speculation is that Kyle Hurst will piggyback him and not Ryan Chaffee since Hurst came out of the bullpen most of the season... Gabe Jacobo had 15 RBI in his last 10 games in the regular season... Angel Castillo had four multi hit games at The Diamond this season... Juan Oramas pitched five innings in his last two starts of the regular season... Jeremy McBryde could also make this start... Dan Robertson scored 12 runs against Rancho Cucamonga this season... Vince Belnome posted a .976 OPS in the last 10 games of the regular season...

Cal League Condensed: 9/11 Review

2010-09-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Giants win playoff opener behind Fitzgerald
San Jose 7, Modesto 3
Recap | Box
W: Justin Fitzgerald (1-0)
L: Josh Sullivan (0-1)
HR: Mike Zuanich (1) Tim Wheeler (1)
Player of the game: Justin Fitzgerald
Notes: San Jose scored the first five runs of this game including a three run 3rd inning... Justin Fitzgerald allowed one run in seven innings... Francisco Peguero had two hits, including a leadoff double, and extended his hitting streak... Jose Flores had three hits and scored twice... Brandon Crawford's 8th inning two run double extended San Jose's lead to 7-3... Tim Wheeler had two of Modesto's six hits and drove in two runs... Josh Sullivan allowed five runs on six hits and four walks in 4.1 IP... Sullivan threw three wild pitches... Attendance was 2,084...

Quakes commit seven errors in shutout loss
Lake Elsinore 5, Rancho Cucamonga 0
Recap | Box
W: Chris Young
L: Garrett Richards (0-1)
S: Anthony Bass (1)
Player of the game: Chris Young
Notes: Chris Young struck out seven and allowed three hits and one walk in 5.2 scoreless innings... Anthony Bass struck out three in the final 3.1 IP to earn the save and preserve the shutout... Darwin perez and Alberto Rosario were each charged with two of Rancho Cucamonga's seven errors... Teams combined for only 10 hits and two doubles... Vince Belnome had two RBI and was the only player with more than one hit... Dan Robertson scored three times... Garrett Richards allowed one earned run and walked four in five innings... Attendance was 4,204...

Cal League Condensed: 9/11 Preview

2010-09-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out the previews and reviews below this entry.

Giants send ace Fitzgerald to hill to start postseason
Modesto Nuts v. San Jose Giants 6:00 PM PT
Game One (Series tied 0-0)
Josh Sullivan v. Justin Fitzgerald
Radio Broadcast: www.modestonuts.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com
TV Broadcast: CHN (San Jose)

Sullivan v. San Jose:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Sullivan	8/14	ND	W	10.80	2.40	3.1	7	4	4	1	2
.			0-0	1-0	10.80	2.40	3.1	7	4	4	1	2

Fitzgerald v. Modesto:


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Fitzgerald	8/15	L	L	3.18	0.71	5.2	4	3	2	0	5
.		5/24	W	W	2.57	1.14	7	7	2	2	1	5
.		4/30	W	W	1.50	0.83	6	4	1	1	1	5
.		4/11	ND	W	0	2.50	2	4	2	0	1	1
.			2-1	3-1	2.18	1.06	20.2	19	8	5	3	16

Notes: Josh Sullivan has six walks and two strikeouts since he struck out a season high seven on 8/25 against Stockton... Sullivan hasn't pitched this many innings (49.1 total) since 2007 with A Asheville... Modesto's bullpen only allowed one unearned run in seven innings of work against Stockton... Mike Zuanich and Ben Paulsen each had four hits in the first round... All of San Jose's wins in Justin Fitzgerald starts against Modesto came in the first half... Fitzgerald only allowed one earned run over his last two regular season starts... None of Francisco Peguero's 16 triples this year came against Modesto... Charlie Culberson has a .303 OPS in his last 10 games...

Quakes face tall test in Padres' rehabbing Young
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Lake Elsinore Storm 7:05 PM PT
Game One (Series tied 0-0)
Garrett Richards v. Chris Young
Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), 92.9 FM (Lake Elsinore), www.rcquakes.com, www.stormbaseball.com and www.milb.com

Richards v. Lake Elsinore


.		Date	Dec.	Team	ERA	WHIP	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
.	Richards	8/21	W	W	0	0.8	5	3	0	0	1	5
.			1-0	1-0	0	0.8	5	3	0	0	1	5

Notes: Garrett Richards is 3-0 in his last four starts and hasn't lost since 8/14 against Stockton... Richards allowed three earned runs in seven innings on four hits and four walks against San Diego's A affiliate Fort Wayne in July... Rancho Cucamonga's top two hitters, Mike Trout and Alberto Rosario, combined for eight hits against High Desert... Dillon Baird was the only player in the first round to hit two home runs... Chris Young allowed one run over 6.1 IP in two rehab starts with AAA Portland... Young last rehabbed with Lake Elsinore in 2008... Cole Figueroa is hitting .297 at home against Rancho Cucamonga this season... Cody Decker hit .476 with three home runs in six September games...

Transactions
LE: Eric Gonzalez assigned from AAA Portland
LE: Jon Berger assigned from AAA Portland
LE: Rico Noel assigned from A- Eugene
MOD: Ethan Hollingsworth assigned from A- Tri City
LE: Chris Young assigned from Padres
MOD: Parker Frazier placed on DL
LE: Nick Schumaker placed on DL
LE: Rymer Liriano placed on DL

Modesto Nuts v. San Jose Giants Preview

2010-09-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

After the first round was completed with two sweeps, Friday was an off day for the league. Modesto is coming off a defeat of Stockton, while San Jose has had a few days off thanks to their first half championship. The winner of this five game series will advance to the Cal League Championship series to play the winner of the South division's series.

Game One: Modesto Nuts (Sullivan) v. San Jose Giants (Fitzgerald) Saturday 9/11 6:00 PM PT
Game Two: Modesto Nuts (Hollingsworth) v. San Jose Giants (Marte) Sunday 9/12 5:00 PM PT
Game Three: San Jose Giants (Woodruff) v. Modesto Nuts (Durst) Monday 9/13 7:05 PM PT
Game Four (if necessary): San Jose Giants (Odle) v. Modesto Nuts (Scahill) Tuesday 9/14 7:05 PM PT
Game Five (if necessary): Modesto Nuts (Nicasio) v. San Jose Giants (TBA) Wednesday 9/15 7:00 PM PT

Radio Broadcast: 970 AM (Modesto, games 2-5), www.modestonuts.com, www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com
TV Broadcast: CHN (San Jose, games 1-2 and 5, if necessary)

Modesto's pitching dominated Stockton as the Nuts easily advanced to this round to face the Giants. They'll compete on the field for the next few days, but without San Jose, Modesto might not have been in the playoffs in the first place. The Giants won three games out of four in a series with Visalia to finish the year, and that along with Modesto's late rally propelled the Nuts into the postseason. The day off didn't affect Modesto's momentum, and their eight game winning streak has them in a position to advance to the Cal League Championship for the first time since 2004.

San Jose's great record in the first half put them in this position, but the second half was a different story. The Giants were 14 games worse in the second half, and their 31-39 record was tied for second worst in the league. They've righted the ship recently, but they're still not the dangerous team they were before the break. Francisco Peguero ended the season on a 20 game hitting streak, the longest of any San Jose player this season. His bat and speed at the top of the lineup has been key in the Giants' turnaround late in the half, and obviously that will need to continue to beat Modesto.


.	Modesto	Season	San Jose
.	73-67	Overall	76-64
.	37-33	1st Half	45-25
.	36-34	2nd Half	31-39
.	.270	Average	.289
.	.342	OBP	.353
.	.402	SLG	.437
.	714	Runs Scored	739
.	4.50	ERA	4.27
.	1130	Strikeouts	1025
.	720	Runs Against	673

This next table includes Modesto's two playoff games.


.	Modesto	Last 21 Games	San Jose
.	13-8	Record	11-10
.	111	Runs Scored	109
.	3.22	Team ERA	4.84
.	2.94	SP ERA	5.42
.	3.88	RP ERA	4.21

Here's a table of head to head results. The two rows at the bottom cover home and away splits for the matchup.


.	Date	Bold	=	Win	Score
.	8/15	MOD	@	SJ	3-2
.	8/14	MOD	@	SJ	6-4
.	8/13	MOD	@	SJ	6-1
.	6/27	MOD	@	SJ	6-5
.	6/26	MOD	@	SJ	5-4
.	6/25	MOD	@	SJ	3-2
.	6/24	MOD	@	SJ	7-2
.	6/10	MOD	@	SJ	5-4
.	6/9	MOD	@	SJ	4-3
.	6/8	MOD	@	SJ	7-4
.	6/7	MOD	@	SJ	12-6
.	5/24	MOD	v	SJ	10-2
.	5/23	MOD	v	SJ	7-5
.	5/22	MOD	v	SJ	3-2
.	5/21	MOD	v	SJ	4-1
.	5/2	MOD	@	SJ	8-1
.	5/1	MOD	@	SJ	4-3
.	4/30	MOD	@	SJ	8-1
.	4/29	MOD	@	SJ	5-1


.	4/11	MOD	v	SJ	13-3
.	4/10	MOD	v	SJ	3-1
.	4/9	MOD	v	SJ	4-3
.	4/8	MOD	v	SJ	4-2
.	Tot.	MOD	v	SJ	6-2
.		MOD	@	SJ	11-4

How will Modesto win?

The head to head chart says it all. For whatever reason, Modesto has just done a good job against San Jose this year. Also for whatever reason, there was a pretty large discrepancy between home games between Municipal Stadium and John Thurman Field, but that's neither here nor there. Modesto is not only 6-1 against San Jose in the second half and 11-4 against them in San Jose. Of course the Giants were 6-2 in Modesto, but those games were all early in the season. The Nuts were the only North division team to have a winning record against the Giants this year.

The Nuts' starting staff also has to keep pitching well. They did a great job against Stockton last round, but Rob Scahill and Juan Nicasio aren't scheduled to pitch until games four and five if the series even gets that far. At this point, Ethan Hollingsworth in game two is the least of their concerns, but I think games one and three are questions. Josh Sullivan has been inconsistent, and his control hasn't been great lately. His one start against San Jose this year was one of his worst appearances with Modesto in 2010. Kenny Durst will be making his first start since 7/19 in game three, and he pitched his most effective innings out of the bullpen.

How will San Jose win?

The Giants' lineup needs to keep hitting well. They've scored five or more runs in eight of their last 10 games and won six games in that span. They have not had that success against Modesto in their seven second half meetings, averaging only three runs per game. As I mentioned earlier, the catalyst recently has been Francisco Peguero. His approach at the plate is still almost as if he's trying to not walk, but the ball is in play and finding holes. Peguero has four three-hit games in September and five multi hit games total. Juan Perez is also returning to first half form after struggling in July.

The rotation has to be a lot better. Over the last 21 games, their rotation has an ERA of 5.42, and even if the rehab start by Chris Ray is taken out, it's still not good. Justin Fitzgerald has been a rock in the rotation, but his fellow All-Stars Craig Westcott and Eric Surkamp are gone. A number of pitchers have tried, but the Giants haven't been able to replace those two yet. Kyle Woodruff has been solid since moving from the bullpen to the rotation but another former reliever, Oliver Odle, has gotten hit hard in the second half. Someone needs to step up because Fitzgerald can't pitch all five games.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Lake Elsinore Storm Preview

2010-09-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

After the first round was completed with two sweeps, Friday was an off day for the league. Rancho Cucamonga is coming off a defeat of High Desert, while Lake Elsinore has had a few days off thanks to their first half championship. The winner of this five game series will advance to the Cal League Championship series to play the winner of the North division's series.

Game One: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Richards) v. Lake Elsinore Storm (Chris Young) Saturday 9/11 7:05 PM PT
Game Two: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (TBA) v. Lake Elsinore Storm (TBA) Sunday 9/12 5:05 PM PT
Game Three: Lake Elsinore Storm (TBA) v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (TBA) Monday 9/13 7:05 PM PT
Game Four (if necessary): Lake Elsinore Storm (TBA) v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (TBA) Tuesday 9/14 7:05 PM PT
Game Five (if necessary): Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (TBA) v. Lake Elsinore Storm (TBA) Wednesday 9/15 6:05 PM PT

Radio Broadcast: 1510 AM (Rancho Cucamonga), 92.9 FM (Lake Elsinore), www.rcquakes.com, www.stormbaseball.com and www.milb.com

Rancho Cucamonga easily defeated High Desert in the first round, winning both games by a combined 13 runs. They bashed seven total home runs, Dillon Baird hitting two of them. The Quakes' relentless attack was a continuation of the regular season, and teams have had a lot of trouble keeping them off the scoreboard. Their bullpen dominated, allowing only one run in 9.2 IP of work. Perhaps more importantly, the sweep allowed Garrett Richards to start this series instead of game three against High Desert. The order of their starters is unknown at the moment, but Ryan Chaffee figures to start early in this series.

Lake Elsinore had a bye through the first round due to their great first half. The Storm finished with the best overall record in the league, but at times in the second half they were less than impressive. Due to some injuries and promotions, they're not the same team that they were when they won 46 games before the All-Star break, but they're certainly still a formidable opponent. With the rehabbing Padres starter Chris Young starting Saturday, the Storm feature a deep and talented rotation. Their lineup is just a little off the pace from the first half, but they're still very capable of scoring.


.	Rancho Cucamonga	Season	Lake Elsinore
.	78-62	Overall	81-59
.	39-31	1st Half	46-24
.	39-31	2nd Half	35-35
.	.278	Average	.266
.	.338	OBP	.360
.	.426	SLG	.422
.	738	Runs Scored	760
.	4.26	ERA	3.83
.	1116	Strikeouts	1086
.	657	Runs Against	640

This next table include's Rancho Cucamonga's two playoff games.


.	Rancho Cucamonga	Last 21 Games	Lake Elsinore
.	16-5	Record	9-12
.	138	Runs Scored	115
.	4.02	Team ERA	4.50
.	4.29	SP ERA	4.11
.	3.62	RP ERA	4.98

Here's a table of head to head results. The two rows at the bottom cover home and away splits for the matchup.


.	Date	Bold	=	Win	Score
.	8/23	RC	@	LE	3-2
.	8/22	RC	@	LE	10-6
.	8/21	RC	@	LE	2-0
.	8/12	RC	@	LE	6-5
.	8/11	RC	@	LE	7-1
.	8/10	RC	@	LE	8-0
.	8/5	RC	v	LE	3-0
.	8/4	RC	v	LE	5-4
.	8/3	RC	v	LE	7-3
.	7/3	RC	v	LE	3-2
.	7/2	RC	v	LE	15-4
.	7/1	RC	v	LE	6-5
.	6/27	RC	@	LE	5-1
.	6/26	RC	@	LE	6-2
.	6/25	RC	@	LE	7-3
.	6/24	RC	@	LE	3-1
.	6/16	RC	v	LE	3-1
.	6/15	RC	v	LE	10-7
.	6/14	RC	v	LE	5-4


.	5/10	RC	v	LE	4-0
.	5/9	RC	v	LE	6-3
.	5/8	RC	v	LE	5-3
.	5/7	RC	v	LE	12-5
.	4/21	RC	@	LE	8-1
.	4/20	RC	@	LE	8-5
.	4/19	RC	@	LE	5-4
.	Tot.	RC	v	LE	8-5
.		RC	@	LE	9-4

How will Rancho Cucamonga win?

Keep up the momentum at Lake Elsinore. I mean this in a couple different ways. First of all, they've had a lot of success at The Diamond this season, going 9-4 total. In late August, they swept the Storm and have five wins in their last six games at Lake Elsinore. Their pitching has shut out Lake Elsinore twice in those six games, and they've allowed two or fewer runs in another two of them. In addition, the Quakes have been hot in general over the past few weeks. They're 6-2 in September, and they've only lost seven times since the last off day of the season on 8/16.

The Quakes also have to continue to throw strikes and keep the walks down. Lake Elsinore's hitters led the league in walks by far, but the Quakes' pitching hasn't yielded many this season. However, a couple starters are occasionally prone to control issues, and that can't happen. Ryan Chaffee had 46 walks in 104.2 IP this season, but he's been walking fewer batters in his last handful of starts. Orangel Arenas is always good for a few walks although he may not get a chance to start this series. Rancho Cucamonga only walked five batters in the two games against High Desert.

How will Lake Elsinore win?

They need to take advantage of their opportunities at the plate. They're not scoring as many runs per game, but they're not as far off their first half pace as I thought they were. They're somewhat inconsistent, but the potential to score runs is still there. Cody Decker is hitting .455 with five home runs in his last 10 games, and Allan Dykstra hasn't been bad either. One of the reasons their run scoring is inconsistent might be a large decrease in batting average. The team average dropped 20 points over the course of the second half, and of course they had the 10 inning no hitter thrown against them in August.

The starting pitchers also need to continue to stretch out. For most of the second half, pitchers like Anthony Bass and Juan Oramas were pitching two to three innings, and the rest was left to the bullpen. I think that wore them down a little bit. What was one of the league's deepest and most reliable bullpens over the course of the year struggled down the stretch, but they might improve again if they're leaned on less. One interesting factor in how this series goes is how long Chris Young pitches Saturday. If he pitches long enough, his last two starts in the PCL combining for 6.1 IP, they might not need to use Anthony Bass and have a chance to push everyone back a day.

High Desert Mavericks v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Review

2010-09-10T22:01:00.001-07:00

Rancho Cucamonga wins the series 2-0
Series MVP: Dillon Baird

Game One: Castillo grand slam keys Quakes' offensive outburst

Stater Bros. Stadium has been known for slugfests over the years, and game one lived up to that reputation. The teams combined for 17 runs, 25 hits and six home runs, but unfortunately for High Desert, the majority of those belonged to the Quakes. The key play might not have been a hit or even a home run though. With two outs in the 3rd, Kenn Kasparek threw a wild pitch on a third strike, and the inning continued. The Quakes went on to score five runs that inning including a grand slam by Angel Castillo. High Desert pulled within one, but a Mike Trout inside the park home run turned momentum back to Rancho Cucamonga for good.

Game Two: Quakes coast to second win, second round

Back at home, Rancho Cucamonga once again had a multi run 3rd inning that put them up for good. The Quakes slugged three more home runs, including a two run shot by Luis Jimenez in the pivotal 3rd inning. Gabe Jacobo and Dillon Baird later hit home runs to provide some insurance, and it was more than enough for Orangel Arenas and the Quakes' bullpen. Arenas allowed one run in five innings, and Jose Perez struck out four in two innings of relief to lead the relief effort. Rich Poythress had an at bat with the bases loaded early in the game, but the threat ended with a groundout.

The Quakes scored plenty of runs in two games, but they didn't do it with a single steal like I thought they might. Instead, they decided to bring their home run bats to the series and hit eight home runs over both games. Dillon Baird hit two and Richard Cates, who didn't hit a home run in the entire regular season, even went deep. Rancho Cucamonga scored their runs in bunches. When High Desert got within one run of the Quakes in game one, Mike Trout's inside the park home run completely shifted momentum and allowed the Quakes to pile on some more runs.

When Manny Flores was taken out of game one early as High Desert made a comeback, the outcome was still in doubt. Chris Scholl left two inherited runners on base, and pitched 2.2 IP while only allowing one run. That would be the last run the Rancho Cucamonga bullpen would allow. Nick Pugliese and Eddie McKiernan combined to throw three hitless innings to finish the first game, and McKiernan pitched the 9th in another non save situation the next night. If the Quakes can continue to use a number of different relievers to toss scoreless frames, they can survive a starter getting knocked out early.

High Desert certainly didn't hit well away from home, but in a series in which they got dominated, it's still hard to point to that as the reason they didn't win. However, the difference in offensive performance was still noticeable. After scoring five runs in game one and knocking Quakes starter Manny Flores out of the game early, the Mavericks really only had one good opportunity in game two. When Orangel Arenas got Rich Poythress to ground out with the bases loaded, High Desert missed their best chance. Poythress without a single RBI and only one hit.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, Kenn Kasparek continued to pitch the way he did down the stretch and not like the pitcher Rancho Cucamonga saw all season. He walked two batters in three innings, and his wild pitch on strike three might've been the biggest moment in the series. It was a very uncharacteristic end to the season for Kasparek who had had been great for the first half of the year and appeared to conquer High Desert. After an injury that caused him to miss a few starts, his control was never the same, and he wasn't the same pitcher. Andrew Carraway didn't appear in the series.

Modesto Nuts v. Stockton Ports Review

2010-09-10T21:26:00.001-07:00

Modesto wins the series 2-0
Series MVP: Rob Scahill

Game One: Scahill stymies Ports in complete game

Pitching was the story in game one as Rob Scahill and Shawn Haviland went toe to toe for most of the game. Stockton struck first, but their 3rd inning run would be their last. Modesto was opportunistic, scoring a run on Tim Wheeler's sac fly and scoring another on a wild pitch. Hits were hard to come by, only 11 between both teams, but strikeouts were not. Two Stockton pitched combined for nine, and Scahill struck out his career high 11th in the 9th inning on the way to a complete game.

Game Two: Modesto survives late rally, advances to next round

Once again, a Nuts starter dominated, but this time they also provided some early offensive support. Modesto took advantage of a hit by pitch and error to score four runs with two outs in the second inning. Stockton scored one in the 4th, but Ryan Peisel's two run home run the next half inning put the game out of reach. Juan Nicasio cruised through six innings, allowing one run and striking out eight. Stockton mounted a rally late and got the tying run to the plate in the 9th, but Grant Green lined out on a great catch by Ryan Peisel to end the game and series.

Modesto certainly proved that their hot streak at the end of the season was no fluke and not a product of playing a weak Inland Empire team. Counting these two playoff wins, the Nuts finished with a four game winning streak against Stockton. They only scored three runs in game one, but they took advantage of the few opportunities they had. It was how they scored runs all season, and they'll continue to score those runs under Jerry Weinstein. In game two, they jumped on the Ports early and finished with six runs which became the norm for them down the stretch of the regular season.

It's safe to say the good Juan Nicasio came to pitch on Thursday. He didn't throw a complete game like Rob Scahill, but I'm sure Modesto was satisfied with eight strikeouts and only one run in six innings. Nicasio struggled against Stockton for most of the season, but in the end he pitched like he has all year. He showed his trademark great control and earned strikeouts using a variety of pitches. All of Modesto's pitchers did a great job in this series, and it was a continuation of the last three weeks. Game two got a little hairy at the end, but the bullpen got out of it like they did all season.

I said in the preview that Modesto's pitchers matched up well with Stockton's lineup, and that proved to be correct. Stockton was held to just three runs combined, and three runs isn't good enough to win most Cal League games, let alone two of them. They had 13 hits in game two but left a lot of runners on base. They didn't have all those hits in the series opener, and their offensive surge late in the year came to a sudden halt. Stephen Parker and Mike Spina combined to hit 3 for 16, and catcher Yusuf Carter didn't have any hits. Tyler Ladendorf hit the team's only home runs, and without hitting the ball over the fence, they weren't productive.

Shawn Haviland certainly did his job and was a tough luck loser in game one. He proved why he was chosen for the league's postseason All-Star team, but the Ports came up short. Justin Murray followed him with a start in game two and pitched about as well as he did all year. The ERA turned out okay, but he allowed a lot of hits and baserunners and unearned runs came back to bite Stockton. The bullpen pitched great and didn't allow a run even though they got extended work in the second game. As for Paul Smyth returning to form? Stockton obviously didn't have any save opportunities, and he didn't appear in either game.

Cal League Condensed: 9/9 Review

2010-09-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

Quakes coast to second win, second round
Rancho Cucamonga 7, High Desert 1
Recap | Box
W: Orangel Arenas (1-0)
L: Jon Hesketh (0-1)
HR: Luis Jimenez (1) Gabe Jacobo (1) Dillon Baird (2)
Player of the game: Luis Jimenez
Notes: Rancho Cucamonga advances to the next round to face Lake Elsinore... Rancho Cucamonga had three multi run innings... Orangel Arenas allowed one run in five innings... Jose Perez struck out four in two scoreless innings of relief... Luis Jimenez and Dillon Baird each hit two run home runs... Three balks were called... Jon Hesketh allowed four earned runs in 5.2 IP... Denny Almonte scored High Desert's only run... High Desert didn't have a hit w/ RISP... Rich Poythress grounded out with the bases loaded in the 5th... Attendance was 1,041...

Modesto survives late rally, advances to next round
Modesto 6, Stockton 2
Recap | Box
W: Juan Nicasio (1-0)
L: Justin Murray (0-1)
HR: Ryan Peisel (1)
Player of the game: Ryan Peisel
Notes: Modesto advances to the next round to face San Jose... Modesto scored four runs in the second inning... Justin Murray allowed six runs, two earned, in 4.2 IP... Stockton's bullpen pitched 4.1 scoreless innings... Juan Nicasio struck out eight and allowed one run in six innings... Mike Zuanich and Ben Paulsen had three hit games... Ryan Peisel hit a two run home run, walked twice and made the game winning catch in the bottom of the 9th... Grant Green lined out to Peisel with two outs and the bases loaded to end the game... Green had three hits and scored twice... Stockton outhit Modesto 13-12... Kent Walton struck out four times... Attendance was 1,197...