Monthly Archives: April 2024

NEWS AND NOTES

HOMESTAND PREVIEW FOR MODESTO NUTS

The Modesto Nuts begin the second week of their two- week homestand tonight at 7:05 PM against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Last time the Nuts faced the Quakes, the Nuts won the 2023 Championship!. Join us for a week filled with fun!

April 30- Together Tuesday- Bring in any two non-perishable items and receive a free ticket to the game presented by Valley First Credit Union

May 1- Silver Sluggers Night presented by Hearing Life

May 2- Pups & Pints Night- Bring your dogs to the park for Free and enjoy 1/2 of regular sized premium draft beer. Presented by Bark and Michelob Ultra

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TOP TWO TEAMS MEET AS RANCHO CUCAMONGA VISITS MODESTO

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and the Modesto Nuts lead their divisions with identical 14-5 records as they kick off a six-game series at John Thurman Field today. Modesto has scored 141 runs and has a run differential of +66. Rancho isn’t far behind with 137 runs for a +43. Here’s the full slate for this week:

LAKE ELSINORE (9-10) at SAN JOSE (9-11)

FRESNO (12-7) at INLAND EMPIRE (4-15)

VISALIA – (10-10) at STOCKTON (5-14)

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (14-5) at MODESTO (14-5)

MICHAEL ARROYO, ELIJAH DALE NAMED PLAYER/PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Modesto’s Michael Arroyo was named California League Player of the Week for April 22-28. Going 8-for-21 over five games against Stockton, Arroyo had a two doubles, a triple and a home run with six walks against just three strikeouts. On Friday Arroyo had a 4-hit game and on Saturday he had a single and drew three walks, scoring three times.

Elijah Dale was nearly perfect over six innings on Saturday for the Nuts. The right-hander didn’t allow a hit and walked just one while striking out eight in Modesto’s 17-2 win over the Ports.

 

JAKE GELOF, DYLAN CARMOUCHE NAMED PLAYER/PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Rancho Cucamonga 3B Jake Gelof was named California League Player of the Week after going 6-for-13 with a double, a home run, three walks and 7 RBIs in four games against Stockton. The Dodgers’ #22 prospect per MLB.com was drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft, 60th overall, and played 30 games at Ranco Cucamonga last season.

San Jose LHP Dylan Carmouche threw four scoreless, hitless innings against Visalia on Wednesday to earn California League Pitcher of the Week honors. the 2023 draft pick out of Tulane walked one and struck out five while throwing 32 strikes out of his 49 pitches.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

After the rains washed away much of the weekend action, we have a full slate of games tonight:

FRESNO (5-2) at STOCKTON (2-5

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (4-3) at INLAND EMPIRE (2-5)

VISALIA (4-4) at LAKE ELSINORE (3-4)

MODESTO (5-2) at SAN JOSE (4-4)

VISALIA’S TORIN, LAKE ELSINORE’S BESHEARS LEADING CAL LEAGUE HITTERS

 

Visalia INF Cristofer Torin and Lake Elsinore 2B Jay Beshears are swinging hot bats to start the 2024 season, both appearing at or near the top of numerous offensive categories on the second weekend of the season:

AVG OBP SLG OPS
Torin .480 (1) .606 (2) .720 (3) 1.326 (1)
Beshears .435 (2) .629 (1) .696 (4) 1.325 (2)

18-year old Torin returned to the Rawhide this season after finishing 2023 with a 23-game stint. After slashing .236/.314/.300 there last season, Torin entered 2024 as the Diamondbacks’ #7 prospect per MLB.com.

In the first eight games this season, Torin has hit safely in all but one, including a 4-hit, 5-RBI game on April 7th.

After signing with the Diamondbacks in 2022, the Venezuelan played in the DSL that year and started 2023 in the ACL before being sent to Visalia.

While Cristofer Torin came into this season as a highly-rated prospect, Jay Beshears has been more under-the-radar. A sixth-round draft choice of the Padres last June, Beshears also went to the ACL, but briefly. After just two games, the 6-4, 215-pound Beshears went to Lake Elsinore for 29 games where he hit .229/.283/.314.

Beshears has hit in all seven games he’s played in this season, with three multi-hit games. He has three doubles, a home run and has drawn 11 walks to lead the California League.

The rain that wrecked the weekend schedule has been the only thing that has been able to slow Torin and Beshears down in the early going.

SAN JOSE SWEEPS DH IN VISALIA

The San Jose Giants won both ends of a double header against the Visalia Rawhide on Friday night to take four of the first five games in the series. Expected bad weather over the weekend pushed the Sunday game up in an effort to get all six games in. Both games were scheduled for seven innings.

The Giants themselves were swept in their season-opening three-game series against Fresno and came into the Visalia series at 0-3. After splitting the first two games against the Rawhide, San Jose has now won three straight.

Game 1 was a 2-1 extra-innings win with the deciding run coming in on a bases-loaded walk. The installed runner advanced to third on an error by Rawhide SS Cristofer Torin. An infield single loaded the bases with no outs.

Visalia’s Sam Knowlton struck out the next two batters but couldn’t get out unscathed. He then walked Guillermo Williamson to force in the eventual winning run.

San Jose starter Cale Lansville went four innings and gave up a run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Cesar Perdomo (W, 1-0) threw three scoreless innings with no hits or walks and three strikeouts. Tommy Kane pitched a clean bottom of the eighth to get his first save of the season.

Cesar Quintas singled in the only other run for the Giants.

GAME TWO

Another well-pitched game went to the Giants as they pushed across two runs in the sixth inning and held off a Visalia rally for a 4-3 win. SS Cole Foster drove in two of the San Jose runs by reaching on an error and drawing a bases-loaded walk.

Joe Whitman started and went four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Shane Rademacher (W, 1-0), finished it off with three IP, giving up a run on two hits with a walk and five Ks.

The Giants drew nine walk in the game with Foster (2) and Jonah Cox (4) combining for six.

Torin went 4-for-8 over the two games and scored two runs for Visalia.

San Jose (4-4) is a half game out in the North division. Visalia (4-4) surrendered first place in the South division to Rancho Cucamonga and now sits a half-game back.

6-GAME SERIES LINEUPS

With the Opening Weekend three-game series concluded, the schedule now shifts to six-game sets for most of the rest of the season. Home openers included among the matchups, which are as follows:

STOCKTON (1-2) at RANCHO CUCAMONGA (1-2)

INLAND EMPIRE (0-3) at FRESNO (3-0)

SAN JOSE (0-3)at VISALIA (3-0)

LAKE ELSINORE (2-1) at MODESTO (2-1)

MODESTO TAKES 2 OF 3 IN STOCKTON TO OPEN 2024

The defending California League champions got off to a hot start to the 2024 season, averaging more than 7 1/2 runs per game in winning two of three from the Stockton Ports at Banner Island Ballpark on opening weekend. With a lineup stacked at the top by four of the Seattle Mariners’ top nine prospects, Modesto’s bats came up big in the two wins.

Colt Emerson – MiLB.com

Game one on Friday went to Modesto, 7-2, with the Nuts pulling away late. Colt Emerson (Mariners #3 prospect) came up with one out in the top of the first and turned one around for a home run to put the Nuts up 1-0. The Ports got even in the fourth when Nate Nankill singled in Luke Mann, who had led off the inning with an infield single.

The Nuts put three runs on the board in the seventh and ninth innings to pull away for the win. DH Charlie Pagliarini hit his first home run of the year in the ninth inning, a two-run shot. RHP Tyler Gough started and went four innings for Modesto, allowing a run on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

Stockton C Cole Conn had three hits and an RBI to lead the offense. RHP Jackson Finley went four innings and allowed just the one run on Emerson’s homerun, with two walks and six strikeouts.

GAME TWO: ROAD TRIP

For Saturday’s game I rode the rails up to Stockton for my first road trip of the season. The Ports came back with a 4-2 victory that saw them keep the potent Modesto bats off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, ultimately surrendering just two runs on five hits.

Nankill was back at it with a two-run double in the first inning to put the Ports up for good. SS Myles Naylor (MLB.com #8 prospect) launched a two-run shot in the fifth inning to cap Stockton’s scoring and give the home team a 4-0 lead.

LHP Will Johnston went 4 2/3 scoreless innings for Stockton and left without having given up a hit. Johnston walked four and struck out eight, throwing 80 pitches, 49 for strikes. RHP Corey Avant got the last out in the fifth and ultimately got the win (1-0) for his 1/3 inning of work.

#6 Mariners prospect Jonny Farmelo launched his first homerun of the season in the top of the sixth to get Modesto on the board and #9 prospect Michael Arroyo did the same in the eighth to cap the scoring for both teams.

Modesto starter Will Schomberg gave up two runs on four hits and three walks over four innings, striking out seven.

Mann made two dazzling plays at 3B for Stockton in big moments, flashing both a great glove and a strong, accurate arm.

The crowd of 3,182 was the biggest of the weekend and the energy in the park was great. As a life-long Californian who should probably be living near the equator, I say it was COLD, and this is indicative of this first portion of baseball season. The games start off with bringing layers for when the sun goes away, then it transitions into my favorite part of the year when it’s blazing hot during the day and it feels great as it gets dark and cools down.

The park entertainment was great, including a pre-game concert on the concourse. The batting cages down the right-field line give fans an amazing look at these guys getting their swings right there amongst the crowd. The grassy areas beyond the outfield and the views of the river make Banner Island Ballpark a wonderful place to take in a game. Down the left-field line there’s a walk-in freezer where you go inside to get your beer and soda and come out the other side to pay. Pretty slick. Not especially on this night, but when it heats up it’ll be a godsend.

NUTS TAKE THE SERIES

Today the Nuts broke out big for 17 hits and six homeruns as they put up a 14-5 win. Stockton scored twice in the bottom of the first to go up 2-0 before Modesto scored in seven of the next eight innings for the game and series win.

Nate Nankill, yet again, came through in the first inning with a two- run shot to give the Ports the early 2-0 lead. The 2023 seventh-round draft pick out of Cal State Fullerton went 5-for-9 with two walks, two doubles, a homerun and six RBIs over the three-game series.

Modesto got even in the top of the second when C Connor Charping tripled in a pair of runs. Charping was 4-for-9 in two games with three RBIs.

Stockton’s Conn doubled in a run to put the Ports back up briefly at 3-2. Besides Nankill, Conn was another hitting star for Stockton over the weekend, going 7-for-11 with a walk and two doubles.

After that, it was bombs-away for Modesto with longballs from Emerson (2), #4 prospect Lazaro Montes (1), #30 prospect Luis Suisbel, Farmelo (2), and two from Aidan Smith (2).

RHP German Fajardo went three scoreless, hitless inning in relief with one walk and three Ks to pick up the win.

The hitting stars were all over the place for Modesto this weekend. Suisbel was 6-for-12, Montes was 5-for-12 and Smith was 4-for-14 with the two homers.

RHP German Fajardo went three scoreless, hitless innings in relief with one walk and three K’s for the win.

So, that’s it for Opening Weekend, we are definitely back. This coming week I will be going to either Visalia or Modesto, maybe both.

2023 CHAMPS MODESTO IN STOCKTON ON OPENING NIGHT

The 2024 California League season opens tonight with all eight teams in action for three-game series to kick things off. The matchups are as follows:

VISALIA at INLAND EMPIRE
RANCHO CUCAMONGA at LAKE ELSINORE
FRESNO at SAN JOSE
MODESTO at STOCKTON

The Modesto Nuts take the field at Banner Island Ballpark tonight as the reigning California League champions for the first time since 2017. The 2023 Nuts got hot at the right time, which was ALL THE TIME in the second half. After going 34-32 and finishing six games out in the first half, Modesto went 43-23 in the second half to narrowly win the North division by one game over Fresno. The blistering second half included at 16-game win streak in August/September and finishing the season with 17 wins in the last 19 games.

The playoffs were more of the same with a pair of two-game sweeps to raise the championship banner.

Tonight we start all over and in minor league baseball the players change quickly, so here’s a hat tip to the incredible season that Modesto put together last year. The banner will fly at John Thurman Field for years to come.