Cal League Condensed: 7/25 Review

Modesto 7, Lancaster 4
Recap | Box
W: Rob Scahill (7-5)
L: Patrick Urckfitz (4-6)
HR: Brian Pellegrini (4)
Notes: Lancaster avoids a series sweep... Modesto had three multi-run innings... Lancaster outhit Modesto 11-9... Rob Scahill allowed two runs in seven innings... Jimmy Cesario had three hits including two doubles... Thomas Field walked four times and didn't record an official at bat... Joe Sanders walked three times... Five JetHawks had two hit games, including Federico Hernandez with two doubles... Ashton Mowdy allowed three runs while only recording two outs... Attendance was 803... After a day off, Lancaster hosts Visalia while Modesto starts a road trip at Modesto...

High Desert 8, San Jose 3
Recap | Box
W: Kenn Kasparek (7-2)
L: Oliver Odle (10-5)
HR: High Desert wins the series... Rich Poythress (21) Kyle Seager (8) Johermyn Chavez (24) Francisco Peguero (7)
Notes: Kyle Seager extended his hitting streak to 31 with a three hit game... Johermyn Chavez also had three hits including a home run... High Desert scored five runs in the first two innings... Francisco Peguero had three of San Jose's seven hits... Peguero was also caught stealing twice and had an outfield assist... Kenn Kasparek allowed three runs in eight innings... Oliver Odle allowed six runs in five innings... Attendance was 1,786... After an off day, High Desert heads home to face Inland Empire while San Jose travels south to play Rancho Cucamonga...

Lake Elsinore 4, Bakersfield 2
Recap | Box
W: Eric Gonzalez (3-3)
L: Carlos Pimentel (6-6)
S: Brad Brach (32)
Notes: Lake Elsniore avoids a series sweep... Lake Elsinore had a three run 4th inning... Carlos Pimentel didn't allow any earned runs in five innings but took the loss... Bakersfield pitchers walked nine batters, including four by Trevor Hurley in two innings... Three Lake Elsinore players had two walks each... Each team only had five hits... Eric Gonzalez piggybacked Juan Oramas and pitched three innings to earn the win... Attendance was 2,010... After an off day, Modesto hosts Bakersfield while Lake Elsinore travels north to Stockton...

Stockton 6, Visalia 3
Recap | Box
W: Justin Murray (7-3)
L: Dan Taylor (4-4)
HR: Jermaine Mitchell (7) Stephen Parker (15) Marc Krauss (19)
Notes: Stockton avoids a series sweep... Stockton had a five run 5th including a three run home run by Stephen Parker... Jermaine Mitchell had four hits and was a triple shy of the cycle... Jeremy Barfield had two outfield assists... Justin Murray allowed a run in five innings... Visalia's bullpen struck out six in 4.1 IP of work... Dan Taylor allowed all six Stockton runs, but only two of them were earned... Attendance was 1,289... After an off day, Stockton starts a home stand against Lake Elsinore while Visalia heads to Lancaster...

Inland Empire 7, Rancho Cucamonga 4
Recap | Box
W: Josh Walter (1-5)
L: Ryan Chaffee (4-5)
S: Eric Krebs (1)
Notes: Inland Empire wins the series... Inland Empire scored six in the 4th inning... Only one of Inland Empire's 12 hits went for extra bases... Josh Walter allowed four runs in six innings but also struck out seven and earned his first win in 2010... Travis Denker walked three times and stole two bases... Four 66ers had two hit games... Every player in the Rancho Cucamonga player had at least one hit... Mike Trout struck out four times... Ryan Chaffee allowed six runs on 10 hits in 3.1 IP... Attendance was 2,061... After an off day, Inland Empire plays a series at High Desert while Rancho Cucamonga hosts San Jose...

Cal League Condensed: 7/25 Preview

Lancaster JetHawks v. Modesto Nuts 1:05 PM PT
TBA v. TBA
Notes: Patrick Urckfitz started in this spot last turn in the rotation... Rob Scahill started in this spot last turn in the rotation... Game will be available on 1380 AM in Lancaster and 970 AM in Modesto as well as www.jethawks.com and www.milb.com...

High Desert Mavericks v. San Jose Giants 5:00 PM PT
Kenn Kasparek v. Oliver Odle
Notes: Kenn Kasparek allowed one run in five innings in his first start off the DL... It was just Kasparek's second start of the second half... Oliver Odle has allowed five runs in three consecutive starts... Odle allowed three runs in 5.1 IP against High Desert earlier this year and got the win... Game will be available on 960 AM in High Desert as well as www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com...

Bakersfield Blaze v. Lake Elsinore Storm 5:05 PM PT
Carlos Pimentel v. Juan Oramas
Notes: Carlos Pimentel has walked four and struck out five in consecutive starts... After allowing eight runs in his first July start, Pimentel has only allowed seven in the three starts since... Juan Oramas has a 7.90 second half ERA... Oramas hasn't pitched longer than 2.1 IP in the second half... Game will be available on 92.9 FM in Lake Elsinore as well as www.milb.com...

Stockton Ports v. Visalia Rawhide 6:00 PM PT
Justin Murray v. Dan Taylor
Notes: Justin Murray allowed nine runs over his last two starts but didn't take the loss in either... Murray was on a four game winning streak before being assigned to AA Midland but hasn't won since being returned to the Ports... Dan Taylor is on a personal four decision win streak... Taylor has allowed home runs in seven of his 11 starts with Visalia... Game will be available on 1280 AM in Stockton and 1270 AM in Visalia as well as www.milb.com...

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Inland Empire 66ers 6:05 PM PT
Ryan Chaffee v. Josh Walter
Notes: Ryan Chaffee pitched six shutout innings in his last start, his first win since 5/27... Chaffee has only made two quality starts out of 11 with Rancho Cucamonga... Josh Walter is the only pitcher in the league with nine or more starts and no wins... Walter averages fewer than four innings per start... Game will be available on 1510 AM in Rancho Cucamonga and 1050 AM in Inland Empire as well as www.rcquakes.com, www.kcaaradio.com and www.milb.com...

CAL North
Bakersfield 19-11 .633
Stockton 16-14 .533 3 GB
Modesto 15-15 .500 4 GB
Visalia 15-15 .500 4 GB
*San Jose 12-18 .400 7 GB

CAL South
Rancho Cucamonga 17-13 .567
High Desert 16-14 .533 1 GB
Inland Empire 14-16 .467 3 GB
*Lake Elsinore 14-16 .467 3 GB
Lancaster 12-18 .400 5 GB

Transactions
I'm not going to list all the ones I missed while I was away, they're available here.

Cal League Condensed: 7/24 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

High Desert Mavericks v. San Jose Giants 6:00 PM PT
Jonathan Hesketh v. Justin Fitzgerald

Stockton Ports v. Visalia Rawhide 7:00 PM PT
Ben Hornbeck v. Eric Smith

Bakersfield Blaze v. Lake Elsinore Storm 7:05 PM PT
Wilfredo Boscan v. Anthony Bass

Lancaster JetHawks v. Modesto Nuts 7:05 PM PT
Kyle Greenwalt v. Kenny Durst

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Inland Empire 66ers 7:05 PM PT
Pat Corbin v. Nate Eovaldi

Cal League Condensed: 7/23 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

High Desert Mavericks v. San Jose Giants 7:00 PM PT
Maikel Cleto v. Eric Surkamp

Stockton Ports v. Visalia Rawhide 7:00 PM PT
Shawn Haviland v. Charles Brewer

Bakersfield Blaze v. Lake Elsinore Storm 7:05 PM PT
Robbie Ross v. Jeremy McBryde

Lancaster JetHawks v. Modesto Nuts 7:05 PM PT
Dallas Keuchel v. Ethan Hollingsworth

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Inland Empire 66ers 7:05 PM PT
Orangel Arenas v. Ethan Martin

Cal League Condensed: 7/22 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

Lancaster JetHawks v. Visalia Rawhide 7:00 PM PT
Ross Seaton v. Taylor Sinclair

Stockton Ports v. San Jose Giants 7:00 PM PT
Fabian Williamson v. Kyle Nicholson

Bakersfield Blaze v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7:05 PM PT
Joe Wieland v. Manny Flores

High Desert Mavericks v. Modesto Nuts 7:05 PM PT
Anthony Vasquez v. Dan Houston

Lake Elsiniore Storm v. Inland Empire 66ers 7:05 PM PT
Erik Davis v. Will Savage

Cal League Condensed: 7/21 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

Bakersfield Blaze v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10:35 AM PT
Kennil Gomez v. Matt Shoemaker

Lancaster JetHawks v. Visalia Rawhide 7:00 PM PT
Leandro Cespedes v. Ryan Cook

Stockton Ports v. San Jose Giants 7:00 PM PT
Brett Tomko v. Eric Stolp

High Desert Mavericks v. Modesto Nuts 7:05 PM PT
Andrew Carraway v. Juan Nicasio

Lake Elsinore Storm v. Inland Empire 66ers 7:05 PM PT
Nick Schmidt v. Ethan Martin

Cal League Condensed: 7/20 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

Lancaster JetHawks v. Visalia Rawhide 7:00 PM PT
Patrick Urckfitz v. Dan Taylor

Stockton Ports v. San Jose Giants 7:00 PM PT
Dallas Braden (Justin Murray) v. Oliver Odle

Bakersfield Blaze v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7:05 PM PT
Carlos Pimentel v. Ryan Chaffee

High Desert Mavericks v. Modesto Nuts 7:05 PM PT
Jake Wild v. Rob Scahill

Lake Elsinore Storm v. Inland Empire 66ers 7:05 PM PT
Juan Oramas v. Josh Walter

Cal League Condensed: 7/19 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

San Jose Giants v. Lancaster JetHawks 7:00 PM PT
Justin Fitzgerald v. Kyle Greenwalt

Inland Empire 66ers v. High Desert Mavericks 7:05 PM PT
Nate Eovaldi v. Jonathan Hesketh

Modesto Nuts v. Lake Elsinore Storm 7:05 PM PT
Kenny Durst v. Anthony Bass

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Stockton Ports 7:05 PM PT
Pat Corbin v. Ben Hornbeck

Visalia Rawhide v. Bakersfield Blaze 7:30 PM PT
Eric Smith v. Wilfredo Boscan

Cal League Condensed: 7/18 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

San Jose Giants v. Lancaster JetHawks 5:00 PM PT
Eric Surkamp v. Dallas Keuchel

Inland Empire 66ers v. High Desert Mavericks 5:05 PM PT
Ethan Martin v. Maikel Cleto

Modesto Nuts v. Lake Elsinore Storm 5:05 PM PT
Ethan Hollingsworth v. Jeremy McBryde

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Stockton Ports 6:05 PM PT
Orangel Arenas v. Shawn Haviland

Visalia Rawhide v. Bakersfield Blaze 7:30 PM PT
Charles Brewer v. Robbie Ross

Cal League Condensed: 7/17 Preview

Note: I'm away right now, and I had this post scheduled before I left. The probables may not be accurate since it was made in advance.

San Jose Giants v. Lancaster JetHawks 7:00 PM PT
Kyle Nicholson v. Ross Seaton

Inland Empire 66ers v. High Desert Mavericks 7:05 PM PT
Will Savage v. Anthony Vasquez

Modesto Nuts v. Lake Elsinore Storm 7:05 PM PT
Dan Houston v. Erik Davis

Rancho Cucamogna Quakes v. Stockton Ports 7:05 PM PT
Manny Flores v. Fabian Williamson

Visalia Rawhide v. Bakersfield Blaze 7:30 PM PT
Taylor Sinclair v. Joe Wieland

Cal League Condensed: 7/16 Review

With this, I'll be gone for a week. I'm already looking forward to getting back to work here.

Lancaster 10, Modesto 6
Recap | Box
W: Mike Modica (3-2)
L: Juan Nicasio (8-6)
S: David Berner (10)
HR: Thomas Field (13) Jordan Pacheco (5) Tim Wheeler (9) Ryan Peisel (3) Brandon Barnes (18)
Notes: Lancaster avoids a sweep... Andy Simunic had four hits and scored four times... Brian Pellegrini had three hits and four RBI... Albert Cartwright had three runs... Four JetHawks had two hit games... Juan Nicasio allowed six runs in 5.1 IP... Lee Cruz had three RBI... Only one of Modesto's runs didn't score on a home run... Leandro Cespedes didn't pitch long enough for a win... Lancaster had a five run 6th inning... Attendance was 1,977... Modesto finishes the road trip at Lake Elsinore while Lancaster hosts San Jose...

Lake Elsinore 4, Inland Empire 3 (10)
Recap | Box
W: Brad Brach (5-1)
L: Miguel Sanfler (0-1)
BS: Miguel Sanfler (1)
Notes: Lake Elsinore sweeps the series... Will Venable went 0/2 with two walks... Bo Davis hit a 10th inning walkoff single to score Adam Zornes... Lake Elsinore had tied the game at three in the 9th on a Jesus Lopez single... Nick Schmidt struck out four in two innings... All five Lake Elsinore pitchers threw two innings... Vince Belnome walked three times... Jon Michael Redding allowed one run in five innings... Attendance was 5,866... Inland Empire heads to High Desert while Lake Elsinore finishes the homestand against Modesto...

High Desert 8, San Jose 1
Recap | Box
W: Andrew Carraway (6-5)
L: Eric Stolp (4-8)
HR: Trevor Coleman (4)
Notes: High Desert avoids the sweep... High Desert scored six of their runs in the first three innings, and San Jose scored theirs in the 9th... Andrew Carraway finished after 8.1 IP and only allowed one run... Eric Stolp allowed five runs in 1.1 IP... High Desert stole five bases... Everyone in the High Desert lineup had at least one hit... Matt Klimas drove in San Jose's only run... Attendance was 1,715... San Jose finishes their trip down south at Lancaster while High Desert hosts Inland Empire...

Stockton 7, Visalia 5
Recap | Box
W: Lance Sewell (6-0)
L: Ryan Robowski (1-3)
S: Paul Smyth (15)
BS: Ryan Robowski (4)
HR: Paul Goldschmidt (26) Marc Krauss (17) Stephen Parker (12)
Notes: Stockton sweeps the series... Brett Tomko allowed five runs in five innings of rehab... Stockton scored four 7th inning runs including a three run home run by Stephen Parker... Parker had three hits... Paul Goldschmidt and Marc Krauss have both homered in back to back games... All of Visalia's runs came on those home runs... Stockton's bullpen pitched four perfect innings... Attendance was 3,026... Visalia finshes the road trip at Bakersfield while Stockton hosts Rancho Cucamonga...

Bakersfield 5, Rancho Cucamonga 2
Recap | Box
W: Kennil Gomez (3-7)
L: Matt Shoemaker (7-7)
HR: Luis Jimenez (5) Angel Castillo (12)
Notes: Bakersfield avoids a series sweep... Kennil Gomez made the start for Bakersfield only allowed one run in eight innings... Both of Rancho Cucamonga's runs came on solo home runs... Matt Shoemaker struck out seven in 6.2 IP but allowed all five Bakersfield runs... Bakersfield had a three run 4th inning... No one on Rancho Cucamonga had more than one hit... Three Bakersfield players had two hit games... Attendance was 1,009... Rancho Cucamonga continues their road trip up north in Stockton while Bakersfield plays Visalia at home...

Prospect Tracker 7/16 Edition: Pitchers

I wanted to get this up before I left, so there's something substantial on the site before I'm gone for a week. I haven't done one of these since the first half wrap up, so there have been a lot of starts and decent sample sizes to analyze.

. Name Age Team Org. W L S G GS IP ERA WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 . Wilfredo Boscan 20 BAK TEX 5 9 0 17 17 101 4.1 1.39 10.3 0.6 2.1 6.8 . Wilmer Font 20 BAK TEX 1 2 0 9 9 49 3.86 1.43 7 0.9 5.9 9.6 7 Day DL . Kennil Gomez 22 BAK TEX 2 7 1 16 9 60 6.75 1.87 12.3 0.9 4.5 4.8 . Carlos Pimentel 20 BAK TEX 6 4 0 18 18 99.1 4.89 1.52 9.8 1 3.9 7 . Robbie Ross 21 BAK TEX 0 1 0 1 1 4.1 4.15 1.62 10.4 0 4.2 10.4 . Joe Wieland 20 BAK TEX 1 1 0 3 3 14.1 10.67 2.02 16.3 1.9 1.9 9.4 . Andrew Carraway 23 HD SEA 5 5 0 17 17 87 6 1.51 12 1.6 1.6 8.1 . Maikel Cleto 21 HD SEA 2 4 0 13 11 50 5.58 1.46 10.6 0.4 2.5 8.1 . Kenn Kasparek 24 HD SEA 6 2 0 15 13 90.2 3.18 1.17 8.5 1 2 5 7 Day DL . Brian Moran 21 HD SEA 0 0 0 4 0 5.2 4.76 1.77 14.3 0 1.6 7.9 . Geison Aguasviva 22 IE LA 1 3 0 16 5 43.1 4.78 1.48 9.3 0.4 3.9 7.3 . Nate Eovaldi 20 IE LA 2 5 0 15 13 80 4.39 1.5 10 0.2 3.5 6.2 . Ethan Martin 20 IE LA 9 7 0 17 14 84 4.71 1.46 7.7 0.1 5.5 8.2 . Jon Michael Redding 22 IE LA 3 7 0 18 15 94.2 5.32 1.57 10.4 0.8 3.8 5.1 . Jeremy McBryde 23 LE SD 1 0 0 3 2 10 0.9 0.9 7.2 0 0.9 5.4 . Jorge Reyes 22 LE SD 8 4 0 18 15 77.1 5 1.47 10.8 0.5 2.4 7.6 7 Day DL . Leandro Cespedes 23 LAN HOU 1 3 0 23 5 63.2 5.23 1.48 9.9 0.8 3.4 8.6 . Dallas Keuchel 22 LAN HOU 5 7 0 18 17 114.2 3.3 1.27 9.5 0.8 2 7.2 . Ross Seaton 20 LAN HOU 4 9 0 18 18 95.2 5.74 1.64 11.4 1.1 3.4 5.3

. Dan Houston 23 MOD COL 5 5 0 17 16 91 5.93 1.82 12.7 0.7 3.8 5.5 . Juan Nicasio 23 MOD COL 8 5 0 18 18 111.1 3.48 1.21 9 0.5 1.9 8.6 . Casey Weathers 25 MOD COL 0 0 2 0 0.2 67.5 12 54 0 54 0 . Pat Corbin 20 RC ANA 5 2 0 9 9 50.2 2.66 1.15 7.6 0.9 2.7 9.6 . Chris Scholl 22 RC ANA 1 1 1 26 0 39.2 3.86 1.44 10 0.2 2.9 8.2 . Kyle Nicholson 24 SJ SF 5 7 0 16 16 86.1 6.15 1.45 11.4 1.3 1.3 6.2 . Ari Ronick 24 SJ SF 0 2 0 3 3 8.1 10.8 2.52 15.1 4.3 7.6 6.5 7 Day DL . Jason Stoffel 21 SJ SF 2 4 14 33 0 32.2 5.79 1.47 9.9 0.8 3.3 11.6 . Eric Surkamp 22 SJ SF 4 2 0 16 16 99 3.18 1 7.1 0.5 1.9 9.6 . Ben Hornbeck 22 STO OAK 2 2 0 11 11 57 4.74 1.6 10.4 1.9 3.9 10.4 . Paul Smyth 23 STO OAK 3 3 14 36 0 53.2 1.84 0.86 5.5 0.3 2.2 9.9 . Fabian WIlliamson 21 STO OAK 0 0 0 3 3 9.2 7.45 2.28 11.2 0 9.3 9.3 . Trevor Harden 22 VIS ARI 0 2 0 2 2 9 8 1.56 13 4 1 7 7 Day DL . Eric Smith 21 VIS ARI 0 1 0 1 1 4.2 17.36 2.57 15.4 1.9 7.7 9.6

Hot
Eric Surkamp, SJ: Surkamp has been one of the best starters in the league dating back to the 2009 postseason, and he's on an incredible stretch to start the second half. His first wasn't a quality start, but in his last three, Surkamp only allowed four earned runs over 21 innings. In 27 second half innings, Surkamp has a 37:4 K:BB, and he's probably deserving of a promotion, but he's a key part to San Jose's postseason run.

Dallas Keuchel, LAN: Clear Channel Stadium has eaten up pitcher after pitcher, but Keuchel has battled through it all season. He leads the league in innings pitched, and they've been incredibly effective, especially as of late. He may have 10 home runs allowed on the season, but eight of them have come at home where no one seems to be safe from the longball. He has three complete games on the season, which ties the Lancaster single-season record.

Wilfredo Boscan, BAK: Boscan had a rough first couple months, but his June and July have been much better. Since the All Star break, Boscan has an ERA of 1.55 and 26 strikeouts to just two walks. All of his starts have lasted seven or more innings, and he also struck out a career high 11 in his first start after the break. Batters are hitting almost 100 points lower against him than they did in the first half as well.

Pat Corbin, RC: Rancho Cucamonga's rotation has seen a number of pitchers come and go with hardly anyone performing consistently enough to stick. Corbin, in his first full year of professional baseball, has after a promotion from A Cedar Rapids. Corbin has only allowed one run and eight hits over his last three starts, which have all lasted six innings. The only opponent that might be able to stop him in the second half is an innings limit set by the Angels.

Chris Scholl, RC: There were a lot of worthy candidates for the hot section, but I decided to give the nod to Scholl. The first two months were rough, but he made some adjustments and has been dominant since. Scholl has started the second half by pitching 10.1 scoreless innings and has yielded only 10 baserunners while striking out 12. His BAA is under .200, and he's on a scoreless appearance streak that currently sits at nine.

Not hot
Casey Weathers, MOD: Perhaps it's a little unfair listing Weathers here due to his injury recovery. However, in two appearances, Weathers has only managed to record one out in each of them, and he allowed four batters to reach base in both too. Weathers looked to be on the fast track to Colorado's bullpen, but Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the entire 2009 season and half of 2010.

Andrew Carraway, HD: Carraway was in a great groove in May, but since then he went through some struggles. His last start was better (6 IP 2 ER), but his second half ERA still sits at 9.72. His K:BB ratio is still very good, but his already high BAA went from .310 in the first half to .356 in the second half. He's also barely averaging four innings per start in the second half, which really hurts High Desert who doesn't have a very strong bullpen.

Fabian Williamson, STO: Acquired in the Eric Patterson trade with Boston, Williamson hasn't shown the form he had in 2009 in the South Atlantic League or the first half of 2010 in the Carolina League. He has 10 strikeouts in 9.2 IP which is obviously good, but he also has 10 walks and 12 hits. It's a small sample size, but he's allowing way too many runners and not pitching many innings with Stockton yet.

Joe Wieland, BAK: Wieland is one of many young arms the Texas organization has, and he's gotten a rude wake up call upon his promotion to the Cal League. South Atlantic League hitters were hitting just .251 against him, but in three starts with Bakersfield, Wieland has allowed 26 hits in 14.1 IP for a .382 BAA. His K:BB ratio is still very good, so once he makes adjustments and settles in, he should be fine.

Jon Michael Redding, IE: Redding is finally starting to command his pitches better, but it's led to him being even more hittable. His last start lasted seven innings, but he allowed four runs and hasn't had a quality start in the second half. He never really struck out many batters, but 10 in 23.1 IP is even below his standard. Another problem is the home run; Redding has already allowed five in four second half starts after only allowing three in the entire first half.

Injured
Wilmer Font, BAK: Placed on DL on 7/9...

Kenn Kasparek, HD: Placed on DL on 6/29...

Jorge Reyes, LE: Placed on DL on 7/9 with a shoulder strain...

Moved on
Drew Taylor, RC: Taylor was effective out of the Quakes bullpen and earned a promotion to AA Arkansas...

Michael Schurz, LAN: Schurz struggled from the start with Lancaster and was sent back to A Lexington...

Fautino De Los Santos, STO: De Los Santos proved he was ready for the next level in his rehab after a successful stint with the Ports...

Tyler Chatwood, RC: Chatwood had been one of the league's best starters and needed a new challenge in AA...

Aaron Miller, IE: Despite hardly getting any wins, Miller dominated the league for much of the year and was ready for AA...

Wade Miley, VIS: Miley walked a few too many batters, but he buckled down with runners on base...

Craig Westcott, SJ: After starting for the Cal League in the All Star Game, it was clear he needed a promotion to AA...

Michael Main, BAK: After a promotion to AA, Main was then traded to another team with a Cal League affiliate but he stayed at that level...

Rex Brothers, MOD: Brothers struggled at the start of the year, but he settled in quickly and dominated...

On the radar
Anthony Vasquez, HD
Stephen Penney, HD
Kyle Smit, IE
Anthony Bass, LE
Juan Oramas, LE
Brad Brach, LE
Patrick Urckfitz, LAN
Ethan Hollingsworth, MOD
Kurt Yacko, MOD
Chase Anderson, VIS

Cal League Condensed: 7/16 Preview

I'll be going on vacation tomorrow, so regular updates aren't likely until 7/25 or maybe 7/26. I'm hopeful that internet will be available for at least a little bit, but right now I have my doubts. You can check scores on milb.com, and most team websites write game recaps every night.

Modesto Nuts v. Lancaster JetHawks 7:00 PM PT
Juan Nicasio v. Leandro Cespedes
Notes: Modesto is going for a series sweep... Five of Juan Nicasio's last seven starts lasted seven innings or longer... Nicasio struck out eight in four of his last six starts... Leandro Cespedes got his first win of the season in his last start... Cespedes allowed four runs in 11.1 IP over two starts in his return to the rotation... Game will be available on 970 AM in Modesto and 1380 AM in Lancaster as well as www.jethawks.com and www.milb.com...

Inland Empire 66ers v. Lake Elsinore Storm 7:05 PM PT
Ethan Martin v. Nick Schmidt
Notes: Lake Elsinore is going for a series sweep... Ethan Martin hasn't struck out more than four batters in four straight starts... Martin walked six and allowed three runs in five innings in his last start against Lake Elsinore... Nick Schmidt hasn't pitched five full innings since 6/7... Schmidt has averaged less than three innings per start in the second half... Game will be available on 1050 AM in Inland Empire and 92.9 FM in Lake Elsinore as well as www.kcaaradio.com and www.milb.com...

San Jose Giants v. High Desert Mavericks 7:05 PM PT
Eric Stolp v. Andrew Carraway
Notes: San Jose is going for a series sweep... Eric Stolp hasn't won since 5/27... Stolp has allowed 11 home runs in his last ten starts including two in his last outing... After some recent struggles, Andrew Carraway struck out eight and walked none in six two-run innings in his previous start... Carraway allowed eight runs in five innings in a start against San Jose this year... Game will be available on 960 AM in High Desert as well as www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com...

Visalia Rawhide v. Stockton Ports 7:05 PM PT
Ryan Cook v. Brett Tomko
Notes: Stockton is going for a series sweep... Ryan Cook struck out seven in 7.1 IP in his last start... Cook hasn't lost since 6/1 at the end of a three game losing streak... Brett Tomko is scheduled to make another rehab start... Tomko allowed two runs in 3.1 IP in his last outing against Modesto... Game will be available on 1270 AM in Visalia and 1280 AM in Stockton as well as www.milb.com...

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Bakersfield Blaze 7:30 PM PT
Matt Shoemaker v. Yoon-Hee Nam
Notes: Rancho Cucamonga is going for a series sweep... Matt Shoemaker allowed two runs in seven innings in his last start... Shoemaker will be ending a three start streak against High Desert... Yoon-Hee Nam allowed five runs in five innings in his last spot start... Nam has taken the loss in both starts this season... Game will be available on 1510 AM in Rancho Cucamonga as well as www.rcquakes.com and www.milb.com...

CAL North
Bakersfield 12-9 .571
Modesto 11-10 .524 1 GB
Stockton 11-10 .524 1 GB
Visalia 11-10 .524 1 GB
*San Jose 7-14 .333 5 GB

CAL South
Rancho Cucamonga 13-8 .619
High Desert 11-10 .524 2 GB
*Lake Elsinore 11-10 .524 2 GB
Inland Empire 9-12 .429 4 GB
Lancaster 9-12 .429 4 GB

Transactions
LE: Gary Poynter assigned from R Padres
STO: Dallas Braden assigned from Athletics
LE: Colt Hynes promoted to AA San Antonio
STO: Jose Pina assigned from A Kane County
STO: Ramon Soto assigned to R Athletics

Cal League Condensed: 7/15 Review

Modesto 6, Lancaster 1
Recap | Box
W: Rob Scahill (6-5)
L: Patrick Urckfitz (4-4)
Notes: Rob Scahill struck out seven and allowed one run in a complete game... Modesto scored three runs in the first and three runs between the 8th and 9th innings... Two Nuts scored twice... Barry Butera was thrown out attempting an inside the park home run... Patrick Urckfitz allowed three runs in seven innings of work... Lancaster hit two triples... Attendance was 1,579...

Lake Elsinore 9, Inland Empire 3
Recap | Box
W: Zach Herr (4-0)
L: Robert Boothe (1-1)
BS: Robert Boothe (1)
HR: Allan Dykstra (8)
Notes: Will Venable played RF for Lake Elsinore and went 0/3 with two strikeouts... Lake Elsinore scored four runs in both the 7th and 8th innings... Juan Oramas allowed three runs in two innings, but Jorge Reyes did not piggyback him... Lake Elsinore's bullpen allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings... Josh Walter walked four in six innings but only allowed one run... Allan Dykstra had a three RBI game... Game was delayed for 32 minutes... Attendance was 3,186...

San Jose 7, High Desert 5
Recap | Box
W: Oliver Odle (10-3)
L: Jake Wild (6-4)
S: Jason Stoffel (14)
HR: Johermyn Chavez (21)
Notes: San Jose scored five runs between the 5th and 6th innings... Charlie Culberson had a four hit game... Francisco Peguero had three hits and three runs... Peguero also stole two bases, and San Jose had four total... Drew Biery also had three hits... Oliver Odle struck out eight in 5.2 IP but also allowed five runs... Jake Wild allowed four runs in five innings on ten hits... Attendance was 1,341...

Stockton 10, Visalia 9
Recap | Box
W: Scott Hodsdon (1-1)
L: Billy Spottiswood (4-3)
BS: Billy Spottiswood (2)
HR: Marc Krauss (16) Paul Goldschmidt (25) Josh Ford (11) Jermaine Mitchell (4) Yusuf Carter (4) Mike Spina (17)
Notes: Dallas Braden allowed three runs in four innings on seven hits and one walk while striking out four... Mike Spina hit a walkoff three run home run as part of a four run 9th inning... Visalia had previously scored eight straight runs to erase a 6-1 deficit... Marc Krauss, Josh Ford and Ryan Wheeler all had three hit games... Grant Green made three errors... Yusuf Carter has homered in consecutive games for the second time out of five games with the Ports... Billy Spottiswood allowed four runs while only recording two outs... Attendance was 3,837...

Rancho Cucamonga 7, Bakersfield 4 (10)
Recap | Box
W: Jeremy Berg (1-0)
L: Trevor Hurley (0-1)
S: Eddie McKiernan (18)
BS: Shane Zegarac (2)
HR: Alberto Rosario (3) Eric Oliver (3) Angel Castillo (11) David Paisano (3) Andres James (1)
Notes: Angel Castillo hit a three run home run in the 10th against Trevor Hurley... Castillo had two singles earlier in the game... Rancho Cucamonga scored three between the 7th and 8th innings to tie the game at four... Mike Trout was 0/5 but scored a run... Jacob Kaase had three hits including two doubles... Jose Felix also had a three hit game... Rancho Cucamonga's bullpen threw 4.1 scoreless innings... Attendance was 640...

Cal League Condensed: 7/15 Preview

Modesto Nuts v. Lancaster JetHawks 7:00 PM PT
Rob Scahill v. Leandro Cespedes
Notes: Rob Scahill allowed three earned runs in 5.2 IP in his last start, his shortest outing of the second half... Scahill got a win against Lancaster in June, allowing three runs in six innings... Lancaster's starter is unclear to me because they skipped what I expected to be a Patrick Urckfitz start... Leandro Cespedes got his first win of the season in his last start... Game will be available on 970 AM in Modesto and 1380 AM in Lancaster as well as www.jethawks.com and www.milb.com...

Inland Empire 66ers v. Lake Elsinore Storm 7:05 PM PT
Josh Walter v. Juan Oramas
Notes: Josh Walter walked seven innings in 3.1 IP in his last start... Walter allowed five runs in 3.1 IP in each of his last two starts... Juan Oramas allowed one run in 2.1 IP in his last appearance, which was against Inland Empire... Oramas has a 5.40 ERA in four second half appearances, two starts... Game will be available on 1050 AM in Inland Empire and 92.9 FM in Lake Elsinore as well as www.kcaaradio.com and www.milb.com...

San Jose Giants v. High Desert Mavericks 7:05 PM PT
Oliver Odle v. Jake Wild
Notes: Oliver Odle allowed five runs in five innings in his last start... Odle hasn't walked a batter in three second half starts... Jake Wild allowed six runs in each of is last two starts... Wild has a 7.79 ERA at home this year... Game will be available on 960 AM in High Desert as well as www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com...

Visalia Rawhide v. Stockton Ports 7:05 PM PT
Dan Taylor v. Dallas Braden
Notes: Dan Taylor allowed six runs in five innings in his last start... Taylor has allowed home runs in three consecutive starts... Dallas Braden will be making a rehab start... I think Stockton will just go to their regular bullpen after he's finished... Game will be available on 1270 AM in Visalia and 1280 AM in Stockton as well as www.milb.com...

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Bakersfield Blaze 7:30 PM PT
Ryan Chaffee v. Carlos Pimentel
Notes: Ryan Chaffee has an ERA of 6.00 or greater in four straight starts... Chaffee allowed five home runs over his last two starts... Carlos Pimentel got his first win since May in his last start, allowing one run in seven innings... Seven innings tied Pimentel's longest start of the season... Game will be available on 1510 AM in Rancho Cucamonga as well as www.rcquakes.com and www.milb.com...

CAL North
Bakersfield 12-8 .600
Visalia 11-9 .550 1 GB
Modesto 10-10 .500 2 GB
Stockton 10-10 .500 2 GB
*San Jose 6-14 .300 6 GB

CAL South
Rancho Cucamonga 12-8 .600
High Desert 11-9 .550 1 GB
*Lake Elsinore 10-10 .500 2 GB
Inland Empire 9-11 .450 4 GB
Lancaster 9-11 .450 4 GB

Transactions
LE: Will Venable assigned from Padres
MOD: Tyler Trice assigned to A- Tri-City
LE: Hayden Beard assigned from A Fort Wayne
HD: Kuo Hui Lo assigned from AA West Tenn
STO: Kenny Smalley assigned to A Kane County
RC: Ricky Alvarez assigned to R Orem
VIS: Bryan Woodall assigned to AA Mobile
IE: Clay Calfee placed on DL
STO: Jermaine Mitchell activated from DL
RC: Luis Jimenez activated from temporary inactive list
IE: Steven Caseres activated from DL

Cal League Condensed: 7/14 Review

Lake Elsinore 8, Inland Empire 7
Recap | Box
W: Brad Brach (4-1)
L: Matt Sartor (2-2)
BS: Kyle Smit (6) Matt Sartor (2) Colt Hynes (2) Aaron Breit (5) Brad Brach (3)
Notes: Jesus Lopez hit a walkoff sac fly in the 9th... Will Venable played RF for Lake Elsinore and struck out three times... Lead changed five times in the last four innings... Brad Brach blew his second save in his last three attempts... Jaff Decker and Jesus Lopez had three hit games... Three Lake Elsinore players scored twice... Steven Caseres had three hits in his first game off the DL... Anthony Bass only allowed one run in five innings... Attendance was 2,345...

Modesto 14, Lancaster 11
Recap | Box
W: Kurt Yacko (6-2)
L: Brian Wabick (2-4)
S: Adam Jorgenson (20)
BS: Kurt Yacko (3) Mike Modica (3)
HR: Mike Zuanich 2 (3) Lee Cruz (7) Brian Pellegrini (2) Albert Cartwright (10)
Notes: Mike Zuanich hit a bases clearing double in the 9th to give Modesto their 14-11 lead... Zuanich had four hits and five RBI including two home runs... Lancaster scored seven in the 2nd inning and once held an 8-0 lead... Modesto had a six run 7th... Kenny Durst allowed eight runs in 5.1 IP... Casey Weathers walked three and was charged with three runs while only recording one out... Mike Modica was charged for four runs without recording an out... Only one player between both teams didn't score... David Flores had a four hit game including two doubles... David Christensen had three hits... Attendance was 1,215...

San Jose 10, High Desert 4
Recap | Box
W: Craig Whitaker (1-0)
L: Jonathan Hesketh (0-2)
HR: Charlie Culberson (13) Michael Sandoval (1)
Notes: Only three of San Jose's runs were earned due to four High Desert errors... Jonathan Hesketh gave up seven of them, but only one was earned... Three Giants had two hit games... San Jose had a five run 5th inning... Three Giants scored twice... Every player in High Desert's lineup had at least one hit... Brian Anderson struck out four in two innings of relief... Attendance was 881...

Stockton 15, Visalia 5
Recap | Box
W: Ben Hornbeck (2-2)
L: Eric Smith (0-1)
HR: Alfredo Marte (5) Rossmel Perez (3) Yusuf Carter (3) Todd Johnson (5) Tyler Ladendorf (2) Grant Green (9)
Notes: Stockton had five multi run innings, including two four run innings... Yusuf Carter's grand slam gives him three home runs in four games with the Ports... Jermaine Mitchell had four hits and reached base five times in his first game off the DL... Grant Green and Todd Johnson had three hit games... Six Ports had two runs each... Eric Smith allowed nine runs in 4.2 IP in his Cal League debut... Attendance was 2,154...

Rancho Cucamonga 3, Bakersfield 1
Recap | Box
W: Pat Corbin (5-2)
L: Wilfredo Boscan (5-9)
S: Eddie McKiernan (17)
HR: Clay Fuller (4) Davis Stoneburner (12)
Notes: Mike Trout was 1/4 with a single in his Cal League debut... Bakersfield was held to two hits, one of which was a solo home run... Pat Corbin allowed one run in six innings... Rancho Cucamonga's bullpen pitched three perfect innings... Gabe Jacobo had a three hit game... Andres James made two errors... Wilfredo Boscan allowed two earned runs in seven innings... Attendance was 420...

Starter v. Reliever Splits

To my knowledge, team splits in the minors are not easy to come by if at all, and I wanted to go inside the team pitching stats a little bit. The last two days, I tried to separate teams' starters and relievers stats to see how rotations and bullpens stack up. It wasn't as easy as just looking at as starter/as reliever splits. I tried to account for special circumstances that I'll talk about right now. All stats are prior to the games on 7/14.

A start is defined as:
1. Being the first pitcher of the game for a team
2. Being the first pitcher out of the bullpen following a rehabbing major leaguer, unless that pitcher is typically a reliever

Basically, I wanted to throw out innings thrown by major leaguers that could skew stats. Although I will admit that I made a mistake with High Desert that I couldn't correct. Their reliever stats look a little worse than I should because I threw out Ryan Feierabend's innings from the totals, but his hits, runs, etc. remain. For that I apologize.

. Team W L S IP ERA WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 . Lake Elsinore 36 21 0 437.1 3.97 1.37 9.5 0.6 2.9 7.5 . San Jose 29 23 0 476.1 4.25 1.35 9.5 1 2.7 7 . High Desert 30 21 0 452.2 4.49 1.36 10.1 1 2.1 6.9 . Modesto 31 29 0 491 4.67 1.49 10.5 0.6 2.9 7.4 . Inland Empire 22 39 0 472 4.71 1.48 9.3 0.6 4 7.2 . Visalia 27 28 0 464 4.73 1.47 9.9 0.7 3.3 7.3 . Rancho Cucamonga 32 32 0 489.1 4.82 1.48 10.1 1 3.2 6.9 . Bakersfield 24 31 0 484.1 4.91 1.49 10.1 1 3.3 7.1 . Stockton 22 36 0 443 5.32 1.59 10.9 1.1 3.4 8 . Lancaster 19 37 0 450 5.46 1.57 11.2 0.9 3 6.2

Here is the table of starters sorted by ERA. Lake Elsinore has the best rotation which really isn't a surprise if you look at the overall pitching stats. Their K:BB ratio is one of the best in the league, and compared to some other rotations, they don't give up many hits either. The odd thing about Lake Elsinore's rotation is they're last in starters innings pitched, and that's likely due to them playing it safe with some of their younger arms and limiting innings in the second half.

San Jose and High Desert are in the next tier of very good starting pitching. The Mavericks being that high is surprising due to their home environment. Their key this season has obviously been their control, with a BB/9 far better than anyone else's. Their WHIP is actually better than Lake Elsinore's, and I'd guess that the inflated home run total at their stadium is the cause of their ERA being so much higher. With three All Star starters, San Jose is right where they should be.

The interesting thing is only Lake Elsinore and San Jose are better than the league average ERA, 4.47. It shows how much better the bullpens have been. Modesto leads the league in innings by starters which isn't a surprise since they've had the same five guys all year, and two of them are very good.

. Team W L S IP ERA WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 . Bakersfield 17 17 25 283.1 3.34 1.35 7.8 0.6 4.4 8.4 . Lake Elsinore 19 13 34 354.1 3.43 1.27 8.9 0.5 2.5 7.7 . Rancho Cucamonga 18 7 22 301.2 3.55 1.28 7.7 0.6 3.8 9.6 . San Jose 21 16 25 311.1 3.76 1.28 8 0.7 3.5 8 . Visalia 21 13 24 324.2 3.88 1.51 9.8 0.6 3.7 8.9 . Stockton 18 13 18 341.1 4.17 1.42 8.4 0.7 4.5 8.8 . Modesto 13 14 24 306.1 4.34 1.41 8.8 0.9 3.8 8.9 . Inland Empire 11 12 16 278.2 4.49 1.57 9.9 0.5 4.2 8 . Lancaster 13 20 13 328 4.75 1.49 9.7 1.2 3.7 7.4 . High Desert 18 19 19 308.2 5.92 1.64 12.3 1.2 2.5 7.2

Like I said earlier, High Desert's numbers are inaccurate due to an error by me, but it's still clear that their bullpen has struggled this year. They're not consistently closing games, and it's a shame because the starting pitching has been great and obviously they're always going to score a lot of runs. Inland Empire and Lancaster are the only other two bullpens below the league average.

Bakersfield's bullpen currently leads bullpens in ERA, and that's a bit of a surprise. Their WHIP indicates maybe they shouldn't, but they've still clearly been a very good unit so far. Besides Inland Empire, they're the least worked bullpen in the league. Lake Elsinore has also had a great bullpen, led by saves leader Brad Brach. They get a solid amount of strikeouts, but the big thing is they limit baserunners. Rancho Cucamonga leads relievers in K/9.

Cal League Condensed: 7/14 Preview

Inland Empire 66ers v. Lake Elsinore Storm 11:05 AM PT
Nate Eovaldi v. Anthony Bass
Notes: Inland Empire was swept by Lancaster, and Lake Elsinore swept San Jose... Nate Eovaldi allowed two earned runs in five innings in his previous start, which was against Lake Elsinore... Eovaldi has 1.29 July ERA through two starts... Anthony Bass allowed two earned runs in five innings in each of his last two starts... Bass has pitched five innings in five straight starts... Game will be available on 1050 AM in Inland Empire and 92.9 FM in Lake Elsinore as well as www.kcaaradio.com and www.milb.com...

Modesto Nuts v. Lancaster JetHawks 7:00 PM PT
Kenny Durst v. Patrick Urckfitz
Notes: Modesto lost their series against Stockton, and Lancaster swept Inland Empire... Kenny Durst allowed seven runs in three innings in a previous start against Lancaster... Durst has a 6.61 ERA since the All Star break... Patrick Urckfitz has a 2.76 ERA in three starts this season... Urckfitz hadn't made a professional start before this season... Game will be available on 970 AM in Modesto and 1380 AM in Lancaster as well as www.jethawks.com and www.milb.com...

San Jose Giants v. High Desert Mavericks 7:05 PM PT
Justin Fitzgerald v. Jonathan Hesketh
Notes: San Jose was swept by Lake Elsinore, and High Desert lost their series against Rancho Cucamonga... Justin Fitzgerald allowed three earned runs in five innings in his last start... Fitzgerald has a 4.24 ERA in three second half starts... Jonathan Hesketh has a 4.22 ERA through two Cal League starts... Hesketh gave up two home runs in his last start... Game will be available on 960 AM in High Desert as well as www.sjgiants.com and www.milb.com...

Visalia Rawhide v. Stockton Ports 7:05 PM PT
Eric Smith v. Ben Hornbeck
Notes: Visalia swept Bakersfield, and Stockton won their series against Modesto... Eric Smith will be making his first Cal League start... Smith had a 3.53 ERA in 86.2 IP with A South Bend... Ben Hornbeck received a no decision in four straight starts... His last decision was a loss against Visalia... Game will be available on 1270 AM in Visalia and 1280 AM in Stockton as well as www.milb.com...

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes v. Bakersfield Blaze 7:30 PM PT
Pat Corbin v. Wilfredo Boscan
Notes: Rancho Cucamonga won their series against High Desert, and Bakersfield was swept by Visalia... Pat Corbin hasn't allowed a run in two starts... Corbin only gave up five hits and struck out 16 in 12 innings in those starts... Wilfredo Boscan only allowed three runs over his last three starts... Boscan has 22 strikeouts to one walk in those starts... Game will be available on 1510 AM in Rancho Cucamonga and www.milb.com...

CAL North
Bakersfield 12-7 .632
Visalia 11-8 .579 1 GB
Modesto 9-10 .474 3 GB
Stockton 9-10 .474 3 GB
*San Jose 5-14 .263 7 GB

CAL South
High Desert 11-8 .579
Rancho Cucamonga 11-8 .579
Inland Empire 9-10 .474 2 GB
*Lake Elsinore 9-10 .474 2 GB
Lancaster 9-10 .474 2 GB

Transactions
STO: Mike Madsen released
VIS: Niko Gallego assigned (2010 pick)
STO: Justin Murray assigned from AA Midland
VIS: Eric Smith assigned from A South Bend
VIS: William Harvil assigned from R Missoula
SJ: Francisco Peguero activated from temporary inactive list
RC: Mike Trout assigned from A Cedar Rapids
RC: Beau Brooks assigned to AA Arkansas
SJ: Drew Biery activated from DL
SJ: Michael Ambort placed on DL