The action resumed last night after a California League win in All-Star competition earlier this week. Tonight saw close wins for the Rawhide against the Giants (5-3) and for Lancaster at Lake Elsinore (3-2). Elsewhere, a couple of teams won by wide margins, as Rancho Cucamonga beat Inland Empire 8-1 and High Desert got five late runs for a 7-0 win at Modesto.
While all that was going on, Stockton topped Bakersfield by a score of 9-5.
The second half of the California League season begins tonight with a full slate of games. Four-game series run through Sunday in five Cal League cities. There were a number of roster moves over the All-Star break and the AA Pensacola Wahoos got several of the players that led the Bakersfield Blaze to the first half North division title.
Jesse Winker, Marquez Smith, Kyle Waldrop, Seth Mejias-Brean, Carlos Gonzalez, Ben Lively and Ryan Wright all got the call to AA. In turn, Bakersfield welcomes Sean Buckley, Julio Morillo, Mikey O’Brien, Jeff Gelalich and Ismael Guillon to the roster. LHP Guillon is the Reds’ #9 prospect according to MLB.com.
Lake Elsinore saw OF Hunter Renfroe and closer Trevor Gott called up to AA San Antonio. Renfroe made his AA debut last night and went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Here are the matchups for the Thursday-Sunday four-game series that start tonight:
SAN JOSE @ VISALIA
BAKERSFIELD @ STOCKTON
HIGH DESERT @ MODESTO
INLAND EMPIRE @ RANCHO CUCAMONGA
LANCASTER @ LAKE ELSINORE
Comments Off on BACK IN BUSINESS
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Bakersfield Blaze, Ben Lively, Hunter Renfroe, Jesse Winker, Kyle Waldrop, Lancaster Jethawks, Marquez Smith, Seth Mejias-Brean
Bakersfield OF Kyle Waldrop singled and homered, driving in all three runs in the California League’s 3-2 victory over the Carolina League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Wilmington, DE. Blaze right-hander Ben Lively tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win and San Jose closer Steven Okert worked out of a two-on, no-out jam to preserve the win.
The second half of the California League season will kick off on Thursday and the Blaze roster will feature some changes as Waldrop, Lively and a few others have gotten the call to AA Pensacola.
Here are some links on the All-Star Game, three from the California League page and one from DelawareOnline.com:
BLAZE DUO LEADS CAL LEAGUE OVER CAROLINA
SAN JOSE’S OKERT SHUTS DOOR FOR CAL LEAGUE
DAMON’S DIAMOND EFFORTS HONORED
BOX SCORE
Comments Off on WALDROP LEADS CAL LEAGUE TO ALL-STAR WIN
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Bakersfield Blaze, Ben Lively, California Carolina League All Star Game, Kyle Waldrop, San Jose Giants, Steven Okert
Bakersfield’s Jesse Winker won the Home Run Derby portion of the skills contests in Wilmington, DE Monday as festivities got underway for the California/Carolina League All-Star Game. Winker hit five homers while Visalia’s Brandon Drury came in second with four.
The fan-friendly contest had a twist on the usual format as the participants took their swings from CF near the warning track, aiming to send balls into the crowd that gathered in the grandstand area between the dugouts. For it to count, the longball had to land in this area, nothing could be pulled.
Also taking place was a “Hitting Challenge” with participants from both leagues trying to hit various targets in a timed exercise with some mascots in the way. The California League squad won this competition, with Bakersfield OF Kyle Waldrop leading the way in points.
The All-Star Game itself is tonight at 7:05PM EDT/4:05PM PDT
Comments Off on WINKER EDGES DRURY IN ALL-STAR HOMERUN DERBY
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Jesse Winker, Kyle Waldrop
Photo: MiLB.com
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – RHP ANDREW KITTREDGE, HIGH DESERT
Kittredge had two clean outings from the Mavericks’ bullpen last week, going three innings against Lake Elsinore both times. Over six innings pitched, Kittredge gave up just one hit and walked two while striking out 10. In 18 appearances with High Desert, the right-hander is 3-0 and has logged 38 1/3 innings with nine walks and 46 strikeouts.
Photo: MiLB.com
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – OF JUAN SILVA, BAKERSFIELD
Silva finished the first half on a tear, with three hits in each of the last three games and a .417/.571/.583 line over his last 10 games played. The 2009 eighth-round pick has been an on-base machine this season (.417 OBP, sixth in the Cal League) and he drew four walks last week without being struck out once. With the 10-for-17 showing, Silva came around to score 10 times for the first-half champion Blaze.
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Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Andrew Kittredge, Bakersfield Blaze, California League, High Desert Mavericks, Juan Silva
Brief wrap tonight. The first half races were decided heading into tonight’s action, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t the usual intrigue on the field. Two games were low-scoring nailbiters (Stockton 3 – San Jose 1, Inland Empire 3 – Visalia 1) and three games were more traditional offensive contests (Lancaster 7 – Rancho Cucamonga 4, High Desert 10 – Lake Elsinore 9, Modesto 8 – Bakersfield 5).
High Desert’s 10-9 win over Lake Elsinore was a walkoff, with the Mavericks coming back from the dead. The Storm held a commanding lead of 8-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, but High Desert struck for four runs, then four more in the bottom of the ninth (Lake Elsinore scored once in the top of the ninth) to end the game. Burt Reynolds capped the comeback with a two-run shot to send the fans home happy.
In San Bernardino, Inland Empire rose up from a 1-0 deficit with an Andrew Ray 2-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. The 66ers tacked on one more run in the inning to finish the scoring.
Despite the loss, Rawhide RHP Braden Shipley dealt with authority until the fateful 7th inning. Over his 6 2/3 innings, the Diamondbacks’ #2 prospect (MLB.com’s #64 prospect) was impressive with his fastball, slider and changeup:
@steve_wendt 97-99 fastball and 88-90 slider if you want the velocities.
— Ron (@Rontrarian) June 14, 2014
Braden Shipley’s changeup, by the way, is big-league quality. Hard to describe how filthy it is. His curveball’s very good too. #Dbacks
— Donny Baarns (@DonnyBaarns) June 14, 2014
At the end of the day, Shipley gave up the homer that decided the game, and Ray and the 66ers got the job done. But Shipley caused a buzz among learned observers tonight with his skillset and it was fun to watch the real-time commentary on Twitter.
I’ll be posting more on the first half of the California League season in the next day or two, if all goes to form. The races and playoff implications are always intriguing and the individual performances are the focus of so much commentary. A lot has happened since Opening Day and currently we have high-profile pitchers Trevor Cahill and Mark Appel on Cal League rosters. I’ll be talking about some of my points of interest as we break for the California/Carolina League All-Star Game.
What stood out for you over the first half of the season? Send any thoughts for discussion through email or Twitter.
Comments Off on FRIDAY NIGHT WRAP
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Andrew Ray, Braden Shipley, High Desert Mavericks, inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Visalia Rawhide
The Lancaster Jethawks powered up for four home runs Wednesday night, including a Rio Ruiz grand slam, to rout Rancho Cucamonga 16-3 and secure the South division first-half title. The Jethawks also got homers from DH Jack Mayfield, 1B Conrad Gregor and C Roberto Pena.
With the win, Lancaster improved to 43-24 and maintained their lead in the South division at four games over Lake Elsinore, who beat High Desert. (This is a correction. I originally said LE lost to HD, they didn’t). The first half ends Saturday.
Bakersfield claimed the North division title on Saturday.
While Ruiz paced a 19-hit attack, the club also got solid pitching from starter RHP Chris Devenski (4-5) and two relievers to hold the Quakes to three runs. Devenski went six innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits and no walks while striking out seven. RHP Matt Heidenreich pitched two clean innings in relief and RHP Daniel Minor allowed a run on three hits in the ninth.
Cal League teams play tonight and Saturday before starting the All-Star Break. The California/Carolina League All-Star Game is on Tuesday, June 17th, with League action resuming on Thursday, June 19th, all teams starting over at 0-0.
Comments Off on JETHAWKS CLINCH FIRST-HALF TITLE
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Chris Devenski, Conrad Gregor, Daniel Minor, Jack Mayfield, Lancaster Jethawks, Matt Heidenreich, Rio Ruiz, Roberto Pena
Photo: MiLB.com
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – RHP BRETT SHANKIN, HIGH DESERT
The Mavericks’ right-hander had a pair of long-relief outings last week and was an out machine. Going a total of 7IP against San Jose and Stockton, Shankin didn’t allow a run and gave up just one hit while walking three and striking out 10. He struck out seven in 3 1/3 innings against San Jose while earning his third win of the season (3-1) against Stockton.
Photo: MiLB.com
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – OF AARON MILLER, RANCHO CUCAMONGA
A converted pitcher, Miller had a huge week a the plate for the Quakes, hitting .407/.467/.852 and blasting three homers. Over a three-game stretch vs. Visalia and Bakersfield, Miller went 8-for-12 with the three bombs and nine RBI. Drafted in the first round in 2009, Miller previously won Pitcher of the Week while in the Midwest League that season..
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Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Aaron Miller, Brett Shankin, California League, High Desert Mavericks, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
In tonight’s Docking With The Ports post-game feature, Stockton’s 5-1 win over the High Desert Mavericks is broken down. In the mix is the scary backswing injury suffered by starting catcher Bruce Maxwell, and the recovery by his replacement Ryan Gorton. Always a good source of Ports info, check out tonight’s recap:
The Bakersfield Blaze outlasted the Quakes tonight, surviving a 9th-inning rally to win 8-7 in Rancho Cucamonga. The victory clinched the first-half title in the North division and a berth in the Division Series with the first two games at home. (The Cal League playoff procedures might be a tough read, but they make sense and are weighted toward the first-half winners). With a record of 41-23, the Blaze have opened up an eight-game lead on the Stockton Ports and Visalia Rawhide. The first half ends on Saturday, June 14th.
The Blaze have been led by ace Ben Lively (10-1, 2.28 ERA) who will start the California League/Carolina League All-Star Game on June 17th. The right-hander out of Central Florida has thrown 74 innings in the potent California League and allowed just 16 earned runs while walking 13 and striking out 86.
On the offensive side, the Blaze have two more all-stars, outfielders Kyle Waldrop and Jesse Winker. Waldrop is slashing .349/.401/.485 while Winker checks in at .311/.406/.544 with 10 homers and 41 RBI.
It’s been a great run for manager Pat Kelly and the Blaze in the first half as they have been up at the top of the North division behind these great individual performances as well as a solid team dynamic. The minor leagues are transient in nature, and surely some of these key players will be moving on before the season is out, but this club has come together and the results are impressive.
Stay tuned for the first-half winner in the South division. After tonight’s action, Lancaster holds a three-game lead on Lake Elsinore, with everyone else eliminated.
Comments Off on BLAZE WRAP UP FIRST-HALF TITLE
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Bakersfield Blaze, Ben Lively, California League, Jesse Winker, Kyle Waldrop
