Monthly Archives: August 2014

RAWHIDE CLINCH WILDCARD SPOT

RawhideThe North division playoff spots are all filled as the Visalia Rawhide clinched the wildcard spot with a 12-3 win over Bakersfield last night. That result, combined with a 10-5 loss for San Jose against High Desert gave the Rawhide a 3-game lead with two to play.

Visalia hosts Stockton on Wednesday in Game 1 of the mini-series. First-half champion Bakersfield will play the winner of that best-of-three series.

Inland Empire is making a push for the South division second-half crown, having won three in a row and leap-frogging Lancaster to take over first place. The 66ers came into the weekend series a game behind the Jethawks, but after two wins at The Hangar, IE is now a game up on both Lancaster and Lake Elsinore. Rancho Cucamonga and High Desert are both eliminated from the second-half race, but HD holds a one-game lead over the Quakes in the wildcard race.

GIANTS INCH CLOSER, SOUTH STILL SCRAMBLED

Playoffs2The final weekend of the regular season launched tonight and the remaining playoff spots didn’t get any clearer. One playoff berth is still available in each division and tonight’s developments mean we won’t have definitive answers until deep into the long weekend, if not tie-breaker territory.

In the North division, the San Jose Giants made up a game on the Visalia Rawhide for the wildcard spot with a 12-3 win over High Desert. The Rawhide gave up a big lead in Bakersfield and lost by a score of 9-8. The Giants moved to within two games of the Rawhide with three to play. The two half champions, Bakersfield (1st half) and Stockton (2nd half) are already in.

In the South division, Inland Empire pulled even with Lancaster in the second-half standings with a 12-8 victory while Rancho Cucamonga pulled even with High Desert for the wildcard spot. Lancaster (1st half champion) and Lake Elsinore (clinched best overall record if not a half-champion) are in. The uncertainty of the 2nd half champion makes the wildcard race a mess.

If you dare, the California League Playoff Procedures.

But one key point is that with Lancaster and Inland Empire tied, and with them playing each other for the remaining three games, there will be no tie for the 2nd half title between them. One will finish ahead of the other. If it is Inland Empire and they win the division, then the equation is solved. Lancaster (1st half), Inland Empire (2nd half) and Lake Elsinore (wildcard). If….

Aaahhhh, check back here tomorrow night.

PLAYOFF POSITIONING

Cal LeagueThe regular season wraps up this holiday weekend, with everybody playing four-game sets from Friday through Monday. The playoff picture in the North is pretty straight-forward, but the South division is wide-open. At the risk of causing head-explosions, here’s a look at the playoff picture.

NORTH DIVISION

The two half-winners have been determined: Bakersfield (1st half) and Stockton (2nd half) are in. What’s still up for grabs is the wildcard spot, and that’s a two-team race between Visalia and San Jose. The Rawhide hold a 3-game lead on the Giants heading into the weekend.

SOUTH DIVISION

What’s clear at this point is that Lancaster is in as the first-half champion and Lake Elsinore is in as they have clinched the best overall record aside from the Jethawks. Therefore, Lake Elsinore is assured of a playoff spot and the fact that Lancaster has actually clinched the best overall record in the division doesn’t matter because they’re already in as a half-champion.

All that having been said, the second half title is still out there and nobody has been eliminated. Lancaster is currently in first place (34-32) with Inland Empire and Lake Elsinore (both 33-33) a game back. Rancho Cucamonga is three games back and High Desert is four games back with four to play.

Soooooo…..here’s the tricky part. From the Cal League Playoff Procedures webpage:

Mini-Series
(1-2 format)

  • Game 1: Wed, Sept. 3: *Second Half Champion (or #2 Seed) at #3 Seed
  • Game 2: Thurs, Sept. 4: #3 Seed at *Second Half Champion (or #2 Seed)
  • Game 3: Fri, Sept. 5: #3 Seed at *Second Half Champion (or #2 Seed)

* #2 Seed if Second-Half Champion is also the First-Half winner

The first-half champ skips the Mini-Series. If there is a repeat winner of both halves (possible in the South with Lancaster), then the team with the next-best overall record gets in. In that scenario, High Desert would join Lancaster and Lake Elsinore.

Also, Lake Elsinore could win the second-half title, which would have the same result of bringing in the next-best record as a wildcard, currently High Desert.

But Lake Elsinore is safe, even if they don’t win the second-half title.

Just like that. And…ummm…there are tie-breakers too.

It will be much easier to explain Monday night after all the slots are filled. But here are the season-ending four-game matchups:

INLAND EMPIRE @ LANCASTER
RANCHO CUCAMONGA @ LAKE ELSINORE
SAN JOSE @ HIGH DESERT
STOCKTON @ MODESTO
VISALIA @ BAKERSFIELD

 

SINNERY, HENRY EARN WEEKLY HONORS

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

PITCHER OF THE WEEK – BRANDON SINNERY, RHP, VISALIA

Sinnery continued his strong second half with a complete game shutout of San Jose on Friday night. The right-hander out of Michigan allowed four hits and no walks to the Giants while improving his record on the season to 13-7. He has now won his last three starts and is 6-1 over  his last 10 games as the Rawhide have surged into the North division wildcard lead.

 

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – JABARI HENRY, HIGH DESERT

Henry launched three more homers last week to jump into second place in the Cal League, behind only Stockton’s Matt Olson. His .375/.483/.917 week included an 8-for-15 stretch with a couple of bombs at Lancaster and Modesto. After 29 games for High Desert in 2013 (.238/.336/.438), the 2012 18th-round draft pick is having the best year of his three minor-league seasons.

POSTSEASON ALL-STARS ANNOUNCED

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Photo: Steve Cummings/CalLeagueHeat.com

The California League recognized an impressive list of players and field staff with today’s announcement of the 2014 Postseason All-Star Team and Field Awards. Not only does the league acknowledge the outstanding players from the season, but they also tip the cap to a manager, coach, turf manager and a clubbie.

The MVP is SS Corey Seager, who excelled at Rancho Cucamonga before being promoted to AA Chatanooga in July. LHP Josh Hader was tabbed as Pitcher of the Year for what he did with Lancaster prior to his promotion to AA Corpus Christi. SS Jose Rondon earned Rookie of the Year honors while playing for Inland Empire, then joining Lake Elsinore after the Huston Street trade July 19th.

Stockton had its manager, Ryan Christenson, recognized as well as coach John Wasdin. Christenson picks up the honor in his first year as manager for the Ports.

Rancho Cucamonga’s Rex Whitney was named the circuit’s best Turf Manager while Lake Elsinore’s clubbie, Terrance Tucker, was also singled out for excellence.

Here’s the full list, as posted on MiLB.com:

2014 CALIFORNIA LEAGUE POSTSEASON ALL-STAR TEAM
NAME POS TEAM MLB ORG
Roberto Pena C Lancaster HOU
Matt Olson 1B Stockton OAK
Tony Kemp 2B Lancaster HOU
Renato Nunez 3B Stockton OAK
Corey Seager* SS Rancho Cucamonga LAD
Marquez Smith UT Bakersfield CIN
Jordy Lara DH High Desert SEA
Alex Glenn OF Visalia ARI
Teoscar Hernandez OF Lancaster HOU
Jabari Henry OF High Desert SEA
Josh Hader LHP Lancaster HOU
Enrique Burgos RHP Visalia ARI
Seth Streich RHP Stockton OAK
Tyler DeLoach LHP Inland Empire ANA
Jose Rondon Rookie Lake Elsinore SD
Ryan Christenson Manager Stockton OAK
John Wasdin Coach Stockton OAK
Rex Whitney Turf Manager Rancho Cucamonga LAD
Terrance Tucker Clubbie Lake Elsinore SD

* Most Valuable Player † Pitcher of the Year

 

VELASQUEZ, JOHNSON EARN WEEKLY HONORS

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

PITCHER OF THE WEEK – VINCENT VELASQUEZ, RHP, LANCASTER

Velasquez shut out the High Desert Mavericks over six innings, striking out 11. Ranked my MLB.com as the #8 prospect in the Astros’ talent-rich system, Velasquez has bounced back from a groin injury that kept him out of action for two months. Over 46 innings pitched for Lancaster, Velasquez has a 6-2 record with a low ERA of 2.54.

Photo:MiLB.com

Photo:MiLB.com

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – SHERMAN JOHNSON, 2B, INLAND EMPIRE

Johnson batted .652/.750/1.087 for the week, going 15-for-23 over six games. The 2012 14th-round draft pick had at least two hits in all six games, including three games with three hits. He also hit his 12th triple of the season, extending his Cal League lead over RC’s Robbie Garvey, who has nine.

ROAD TRIP: STOCKTON

IMG_4890Saturday  night I made it up to Stockton to see the Ports host the Modesto Nuts, a matchup of teams at the opposite ends of the North division standings. The game was a one-sided affair, with the first-place Stockton club swinging hot bats while starter Jake Sanchez went seven strong innings to lead the Ports to a 13-1 win.

It’s always good to see a game at Banner Island Ballpark and on this visit the weather was perfect for a night of California League baseball. The crowd didn’t look to be as big as the announced 3,012, and it was smaller than my previous trips there. But the home team didn’t disappoint as they raced to an easy win.

IMG_4876The Stockton club has Oakland’s top three prospects on its roster, SS Daniel Robertson, 1B Matt Olson and 3B Renato Nunez, as well as #18 (Ryon Healy) and #20 (Jaycob Brugman). It’s a pretty potent offense for the Ports and the club banged out a season-high 20 hits while putting up the 13 runs. The 1-2-3 hitters, Robertson, Healy and Olson, combined to go 10-for-15 with six RBIs and six runs scored.

As if that wasn’t enough, C Beau Taylor went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer and four RBIs. And the bottom of the order came through as well. The No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, 2B Wade Kirkland and CF Zeke DeVoss, went a combined 4-for-8 with five runs scored.

It made for a rough night for Modesto’s pitchers. Starter Ben Alsup went 4 1/3 and allowed 10 hits and six earned runs. The relief corp didn’t fare much better as Shayne Broyles, Alving Mejias and Peter Tago allowed seven more runs to score, six of them earned.

With Stockton’s offense in high gear, starter Jake Sanchez allowed just one earned run while walking one and striking out 12 over seven innings. He pitched out of danger in the first, allowing a single and a walk and throwing two wild pitches before stranding runners at second and third.

Then he allowed a solo homer to the Nuts’ Dean Espy in the second inning that made it a 2-1 ballgame. But the next 11 Modesto batters went down in order and the Ports started pulling away. A three-run fourth inning for Stockton was the beginning of five-straight innings of scoring while the Nuts never again dented the scoreboard.

For the Nuts, the top three hitters in the batting order had one hit apiece in addition to Espy’s homer, and that was it for the offense. Stockton earned its 70th win of the season, overall, while Modesto lost for the 84th time.

**********

IMG_4887A walk around Banner Island Ballpark is as enjoyable as any other Cal League park, with the right-field grass area sitting in front of the beautiful river setting. Stockton’s baseball past is on display with a giant banner on the first-base side showing four recent players who have gone “from Stockton to Oakland.” There is also a listing of all former Stockton players to make the majors in the concourse under the main grandstand.

There looks to be more on the way from this current roster.  Olson (34) and Nunez (29) are the top two homerun hitters in the league while Olson has a .401 OBP and has drawn 101 walks. Robertson took over the position of the organization’s top overall prospect when SS Addison Russell was dealt to the Cubs last month in the trade that brought Jeff Samardzija to the A’s. So there appears to be plenty of talent still in the pipeline.

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All photos: Steve Cummings/CalLeagueHeat.com

HANSON, RABEN EARN WEEKLY HONORS

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

PITCHER OF THE WEEK – RAYMOND HANSON, RHP, INLAND EMPIRE

Hanson got two wins last week, including an 11-strikeout night against Rancho Cucamonga where he didn’t allow a hit until the eighth inning. The 24-year old righty has been quite a find out of the independent Frontier League for the Angels. Over nine starts for IE, Hanson has a mark of 3-3 and a low ERA of 3.11

 

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – DENNIS RABEN, 1B, INLAND EMPIRE

Raben had one of the more impressive weeks of the minor league season with a slash line of .566/.625/1.333 and an incredible six homers and 18 RBIs. He had a pretty solid week already just on Monday, going 4-for-5 with a homer and seven RBIs against Lake Elsinore. But he followed it up with the huge power numbers, homering in four straight games, and while hitting in all seven games over the week, he had five multi-hit games.

FRIDAY NIGHT WRAP

CLA full Wrap tonight as the Cal League heads into the home stretch of the season. The 2nd half has just few weeks left, with the playoff races heating up. There’s been a ton of transaction action in the league recently, some involving big names, but the teams on the field keep grinding. Here are a few items and observations on this Friday night:

FRIDAY NIGHT FINALS

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LAMB, SMITH EARN WEEKLY HONORS

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

PITCHER OF THE WEEK – CHRIS LAMB, LHP, STOCKTON

Lamb threw seven innings of shutout ball against San Jose and also came out of the bullpen for two clean innings against Inland Empire to earn his second Cal League Pitcher of the Week award. Over the eight innings, Lamb allowed four hits, walked two and struck out seven.

 

Photo: MiLB.com

Photo: MiLB.com

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – MARQUEZ SMITH, 1B, BAKERSFIELD

Smith continued his hot hitting against Cal League pitching, posting a .520/.613/1.040 line. Over the week he belted three homers and four doubles and has the highest batting average among active Cal League players at .323, as well as leading the circuit in OPS (1.044).