The Lake Elsinore Storm had another big offensive night in Visalia on Wednesday as they slugged their way to an 11-5 win over the Rawhide. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes kept pace in the South division and the Rancho Fresno Grizzlies also moved to 2-0 to take over the top spot in the North.
SCOREBOARD:
LAKE ELSINORE – 11
VISALIA – 5
Box
FRESNO – 10
SAN JOSE – 4
Box
STOCKTON – 8
MODESTO – 3
Box
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 12
INLAND EMPIRE – 6
Box
Comments Off on STORM, QUAKES, GRIZZLIES MOVE TO 2-0
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Fresno Grizzlies, inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Low-A West, Modesto Nuts, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports, Visalia Rahwide
The Fresno Grizzlies splashed down in the Low-A West with a 5-3 road win over the San Jose Giants as minor league baseball returned for the first time since 2019. Lefty Breiling Eusebio went five innings for the win while Ezequiel Tovar rapped three hits including two doubles.
SCOREBOARD
FRESNO – 5
SAN JOSE – 3
Box
LAKE ELSINORE – 8
VISALIA – 7
Box
Storm go ahead to stay in the top of the 8th on a two-run homer by Matthew Acosta
MODESTO – 3
STOCKTON – 0
Box
Five Nuts pitchers combine for the shutout and Matt Sheffler blasts a two-run homer
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 3
INLAND EMPIRE – 1, Bottom 9
Box
Five Quakes pitchers hold the 66ers to one run on four hits
Comments Off on GRIZZLIES OPEN LOW-A WEST PLAY WITH A WIN
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Breiling Eusebio, Ezequiel Tovar, Fresno Grizzlies, inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Matt Sheffler, Matthew Acosta, Modesto Nuts, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports, Visalia Rahwide
Graphic: MiLB.com
Tuesday is the day, an Opening Day like no other. What was called the California League will shake off a one-year hiatus and get back to business as the Low-A West following MLB’s takeover/shakeup of MiLB. It’s still an eight-team league but things are quite different.
The Lancaster Jethawks are no more, victims of MLBs decision to trim 40 teams and drop down to 120 total. In their place are the Fresno Grizzlies, now a Colorado Rockies affiliate, who had been in AAA since the team’s inception in 1998.
And the Grizzlies aren’t alone in dropping levels as the league as a whole has been moved from the old Hi-A to the new Low-A West.
There are some new experimental rules in play for the 2021 season, with Low-A West being the testing ground for limiting the number of times a pitcher can step off the rubber or try a pickoff to two per plate appearance. That’s right, two. I’m curious to see how this plays out. There will also be a timer for limiting time between pitches, innings and pitching changes.
These are all things we’ll have to get used to and we certainly will. The ballpark experience is going to be a little different at the start with teams limiting the number of fans and other pandemic-conscious precautions in place.
But professional baseball is back in the ballparks and in the communities, just a few days from now, and the fans are ready. The Visalia Rawhide held a season ticket pickup event this past Monday and drew a large crowd of enthusiastic fans. The rest of the league’s cities undoubtedly have this same energy as the season approaches and teams prepare to take the field for the first time since 2019.
Speaking of the Rawhide, they appear to have the title of Reigning California League Champions for eternity.
So, here we are. No more trips to The Hangar in Lancaster but the Grizzlies will join the fray and, while they will have several rivals close to home, the Low-A West folks will have a chance to get a taste of some of their genius marketing events.
The rosters are being released and on Tuesday it’s go time. I’m in Visalia for their first series against Lake Elsinore, not all six games but I’ll hit a few. Then the following week the Rawhide are in Fresno so I’ll be on board for some of that series. Then I’ll be looking to head out into the great wide-open of the Low-A West. I’ll wear a mask, I’ll wear a space suit, I’ll sit on top of the light tower, whatever the rules are, I’ll be in a minor league ballpark this week. It’s time.
Comments Off on OPENING DAY 2021
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Fresno Grizzlies, inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Modesto Nuts, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports, Visalia Rawhide
After a season that didn’t happen and an endless stream of rumors, the California League has finally gotten some official news regarding 2021 and beyond. MLB, having completed its process of evaluating all things minor league, sent out invites to 119 clubs today for major league affiliation. Here’s the bottom line:
Seven of the existing eight Cal League cities will keep their major league affiliation well into the future. The eighth club was ultimately revealed to be the Fresno Grizzlies, who will replace Lancaster as the Rockies’ affiliate.
And the entire bunch will move from advanced-A ball to lo-A.
There’s a lot to digest here. Looking at last year’s North division, Modesto (Mariners), San Jose (Giants), Stockton (A’s) and Visalia (Diamondbacks) are all intact. The South division, Lake Elsinore (Padres), Inland Empire (Angels) and Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers) return with Lancaster no longer in the league.
With Fresno becoming the Rockies’ lo-A affiliate, there is a question of divisional alignment as Fresno clearly fits in the North but the South only has three remaining teams. With the seismic shifting that has gone on between MLB and MiLB this past year, today’s outcome makes the alignment issue rather insignificant.
The California League itself survived this shakeup quite well, aside from the devastating loss in Lancaster. Dropping from advanced-A to lo-A isn’t ideal, but it’s not the type of demotion Fresno is coping with.
The Grizzlies, for that matter, didn’t take the demotion lying down. But with their affiliation with the Nationals over with and amidst MLB’s heavy-handed move to remake the MLB-MiLB relationship, they came out of this ok. Not what they were hoping for, but ok.
On the plus side for Fresno is the immediate regional rivalries, specifically with Visalia. The Rawhide are the closest team, about a 45-minute drive away, and the Grizzlies share Highway 99 with the Modesto Nuts and the Stockton Ports. A ton of people in the greater Fresno area make these drives from time to time already and they now have one more reason to make a reasonable road trip.
The travel for the team itself will no longer send them to the far-flung cities and states of the Pacific Coast League. I would expect that to be easier on the players and definitely easier on the team employee who has to plan all that travel. The games are all in the same time zone now so it’s easier for fans to hear road games online or on the radio.
The drop down multiple rungs of the ladder? Fresno is justified to be unhappy about that. But if it was a choice between lo-A ball and unaffiliated or no baseball at all (it was), lo-A is going to work just fine. Is the team rooted in the community? Did the locals show up at the park regularly, and not just when an MLBer or top-ranked prospect was playing here? If the answers are yes, then the team will do well in the California League.
And the top-ranked prospects are still coming. Anyone who follows the draft will be happy to see the Nolan Arenado’s of the Rockies’ minor league world come through Fresno just as Arenado himself went through Modesto when they were a Rockies affiliate. Not all of them make every stop on the way up but there will be plenty.
All in all, today was a day to exhale. Not for Lancaster, of course. Here’s hoping they find another team such as one in the wooden bat league that MLB is launching. But the eight-team California League marches on, largely intact. No more wondering, hoping or dreading. We’ve still got all MLB West division teams as parent clubs, we still have the Dodgers-Giants rivalry with Rancho and San Jose and now we have Visalia-Fresno. Collectively, for everyone who loves the California League, it could have been a whole lot worse. Roll with us Grizzlies, you’re gonna like it here.
Comments Off on THE NEW CAL LEAGUE
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged California League, Fresno Grizzlies, inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Modesto Nuts, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports, Visalia Rawhide
Friday night in Lake Elsinore the Storm came back from a 2-0 deficit with an onslaught that ran from the fourth inning through the seventh to notch a 9-5 victory. C Luis Camupsano and SS Eguy Rosario both had three hits and two RBI while CF Aldemar Burgos contributed an inside-the-park two-run homer as the Storm raced to victory.
The Rawhide posted single runs in the second and third innings and starter Shumpei Yoshikawa was cruising along through three innings but a two-run uprising for the Storm in the fourth inning started an onslaught that ended with nine runs and 14 hits.
Over the next four innings the Storm notched all nine of their runs and at the end of the night they had tallied four doubles, a triple and Burgos’ inside-the-park homer. RHP Gabe Mosser (2-0) came on in the fourth inning and went 4 1/3 IP allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk with one K to earn the win. Yoshikawa (3-6) took the loss with 4 2/3 IP where he allowed five runs on nine hits with no walks against three strikeouts.
The Storm evened its record in the second-half standing at 16-16 while Visalia held on to first place in the North despite dropping to 18-14.
SCORES
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 0
STOCKTON – 11
COMBINED NO HITTER
MODESTO – 6
INLAND EMPIRE – 4
LANCASTER – 7
SAN JOSE – 2
Comments Off on STORM BATS OVERCOME RAWHIDE
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Aledmar Burgos, Eguay Rosario, Gabe Mosser, Lake Elsinore Storm, Luis Campusano, Shumpei Yoshikawa, Visalia Rawhide
The first- and second-place teams in each division faced each other tonight and, believe it or not…….NO RAIN! With time running out on the first half, the Visalia Rawhide looked to strengthen its commanding lead over the surging San Jose Giants while the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes had the Lancaster Jethawks in their rear-view mirror with three-game sets on tap for the weekend.
The Rawhide won late with an 8th-inning run pushed across by an Anfernee Grier sac fly to break a 4-4 deadlock. Reliever West Tunnell came on to close it out in the top of the 9th and allowed the tying run to reach base when San Jose’s Randy Norris led off with a single. A passed ball put Norris at second with no outs but Tunnell struck out the next three batters to seal the 5-4 win.
RHP Kyler Stout (2-0) picked up the win with a scoreless inning in the 8th and Tunnell notched his sixth save while lowering his ERA to 1.69.
Grier homered earlier, his third, and knocked in three runs while 1B L.T. Tolbert had three hits for the Rawhide, who stretched their North division lead to 10 games.
In the South division Rancho Cucamonga traveled to Lancaster to try to protect a three-game lead over the Jethawks. The back-and-forth contest arrived in the bottom of the eighth with the Quakes holding a 6-4 lead, but Lancaster put four runs on the board to take an 8-4 lead to the top of the ninth. Salvador Justo closed it out with a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts, for his sixth save. RHP Austin Moore (3-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to pick up the win.
Three different Jethawks had three hits apiece as the home team belted out 14 hits including 2B Taylor Snyder’s third homer of the season.
They’ll square off again Saturday and Sunday.
OTHER SCORES
STOCKTON – 4
INLAND EMPIRE – 1
INLAND EMPIRE – 2
STOCKTON – 3
(Both games seven innings)
LAKE ELSINORE – 8
MODESTO – 2
MacKenzie Gore improves to 4-1, 1.15 ERA with 5IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Comments Off on FRIDAY NIGHT: RAWHIDE EXTEND LEAD, QUAKES DROP A GAME
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Anfernee Grier, Austin Moore, inland Empire 66ers, Kyler Stout, L.T. Tolbert, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lancaster Jethawks, MacKenzie Gore, Modesto Nuts, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Salador Justo, San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports, Taylor Snyder, Visalia Rawhide, West Tunnell
The four-game weekday series are complete, with a couple of Thursday doubleheaders required due to rain, and the first-place clubs both added a game to their division leads.
The Visalia Rawhide took three of four from second-place Modesto to open up a 10-game lead in the North division while Rancho Cucamonga won three of four at The Hangar in Lancaster to go up by three games in the South.
There were six Cal League games played on Thursday with doubleheaders in Stockton and San Jose. Lake Elsinore took a pair from the Ports, 6-0 and 2-1, while The Giants swept the Inland Empire 66ers, 7-1 and 3-2.
In Visalia’s 1-0 win on Thursday, three Rawhide pitchers combined to shutout the Modesto Nuts with starter Shumpei Yoshikawa going five innings and allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out eight. Cole Bartlett struck out five over three clean innings. Breckin Williams (2-0) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth and LF Mark Karaviotis sent everyone home with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the inning.
The Rawhide’s Cal League-best record is now 28-13 with a 17-4 home record.
Meanwhile, the Quakes scored six late runs to overcome a 2-1 deficit and defeat Lancaster by a score of 7-2. Rancho starter Josiah Gray struck out nine Jethawks over five innings while Ryan Moseley (2-2) followed him with two scoreless innings to earn the win. A four-run seventh inning chased Lancaster reliever Nick Kennedy and LF Donovan Casey launched his fourth homer of the season, a two-run shot, in the eighth for insurance.
WEEKEND MATCHUPS
LAKE ELSINORE at SAN JOSE
LANCASTER at VISALIA
MODESTO at RANCHO CUCAMONGA
INLAND EMPIRE at STOCKTON
Comments Off on RAWHIDE, QUAKES EXTEND THEIR LEADS
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Breckin Williams, Cole Bartlett, Donovan Casey, inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lancaster Jethawks, Mark Karaviotis, Modesto Nuts, Nick Kennedy, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Ryan Moseley, Shumpei Yoshikawa, Stockton Ports San Jose Giants, Visalia Rawhide
Photo: MiLB
Lake Elsinore Storm 2b Esteury Ruiz has been named California League Offensive Player of the Week after slashing .389/.450/.722 over six games. For the week Ruiz went 7-for-18 with two homers (4) and seven RBI (17).
On Sunday Ruiz went 2-for-3 against San Jose with a homer and three RBI. The 20-year old out of the Dominican Republic played at lo-A Ft. Wayne last year after a successful 2017 in the AZL.
Comments Off on PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ESTEURY RUIZ
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged California League, Esteury Ruiz, Lake Elsinore Storm, Offensive Player of the Week
All four games have gone final with the race in the Cal League South tightening up while Visalia stretched its already big lead in the North. The Rawhide got a stand-out pitching performance from Josh Green with six strong innings as he protected a four-run first inning lead withoug much drama. Here are the finals from tonight’s action:
VISALIA – 7
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 2
W – Josh Green (4-1), L – Michael Grove (0-1)
LANCASTER – 5
MODESTO – 4
W – Nate Harris (1-2), L – Scott Boches (1-3), S – Salvador Justo (3)
HR – Joe Rizzo (2)
STOCKTON – 2
INLAND EMPIRE – 7
W – Andrew Wantz (3-2), L – Pat Krall (0-2)
SAN JOSE – 4
LAKE ELSINORE – 6
W – Steven Wilson (2-0), L – Carlos Sano (0-1), S – Evan Miller (4)
HR – Esteury Ruiz (3)
The Rawhide now enjoy an eight game lead over Modesto in the North while Rancho Cucamonga has Lancaster just a game behind them with all four series continuing through Sunday. The Modesto Nuts send April Cal League Pitcher of the Month Ljay Newsome to the hill against Lancaster. See other matchups HERE.
Comments Off on WEEKEND ACTION
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged California League, inland Empire 66ers, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lancaster Jethawks, Modesto Nuts, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, San Jose Giants, Stockton Ports, Visalia Rahwide
Photo: MiLB.com
OF Taylor Kohlwey finished off his stay in A ball with Player of the Week honors. Kohlwey slashed .609/.667/.783 for the Lake Elsinore Storm and earned a promotion to the Padres’ AA club in Amarillo.
Kohlwey played for the Storm in 2017 and briefly in 2018 and got off to a .387/.444/.532 start this season.
Comments Off on PLAYER OF THE WEEK: TAYLOR KOHLWEY
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged California League, Lake Elsinore Storm, Player of the Week, Taylor Kohlwey
