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
Photo: MiLB.com
Rancho Cucamonga INF Devin Mann has been named the California League’s Uncle Ray’s Player of the Month for June. Mann had a 1.107 OPS for the month with 10 homers and 21 RBI and a .361 OBP. Currently, his 86 hits are fifth in the league and his 52 runs scored are fourth.
Mann was drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round in 2018 and appeared in two games in the AZL and 63 games at Great Lakes of the Midwest League. In 229 ABs with the Loons Mann batted .241/.348/.335 last year and has been with Rancho Cucamonga all of 2019.
Comments Off on QUAKES’ DEVIN MANN NAMED PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Devin Mann, Player of the Month, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes clinched the Cal League South division first-half title on Tuesday night, qualifying for the playoffs for the fifth straight year. A loss by second-place Lancaster officially locked up the first half title for Rancho, who went on to beat Inland Empire, 7-5.
The win gave the Quakes a season-high five-game winning streak and stretched their lead in the division to seven games. Remarkable about Rancho Cucamonga’s 39-24 record is that they did their damage on the road. While their home record sits at 14-14, the Quakes are 25-10 away from LoanMart Field.
The visiting Quakes scored two runs in the top of the ninth as DH Jeren Kendall homered to break a 5-5 tie and C Connor Wong doubled in SS Jeter Downs to make it 7-5. Releiver Max Gamboa (3-1) had come on with one out in the 8th and finished it off to earn the win.
Rancho Cucamonga is the defending Cal League champion and will join the Visalia Rawhide in the playoffs as first-half winners. The rest of the playoff field will be decided by the second-half results.
Comments Off on QUAKES WRAP UP FIRST-HALF TITLE
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Connor Wong, Jeren Kendall, Jeter Downs, Max Gamboa, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Photo: MiLB.com
Rancho Cucamonga INF Devin Mann was named California League Offensive Player of the Week after posting a .423 average with 2 2B, a 3B and a homer last week. Man had a pair of 4-hit games against Lancaster and racked up 11 hits over three games at The Hangar.
Mann was a fifth-round draft pick out of Louisville in last year’s draft. He split 2018 between the AZL club and lo-A Great Lakes over 65 games. This season, Mann is slashing .275/.347/.490 and has 7 HR with 28 RBI.
Comments Off on PLAYER OF THE WEEK: DEVIN MANN
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged California League, Devin Mann, Offensive Player of the Week, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
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
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and Lancaster Jethawks squared off Monday night for the first of a four-game set with Rancho holding a slim one-game lead in the South division. The Quakes got a big night at the plate from 1B Nick Yarnall and won by score of 7-3 at The Hangar in Lancaster to stretch their lead to two games.
Yarnall smacked an RBI triple in the second inning and followed with a two-run homer in the fourth to help Rancho Cucamonga to a 4-0 lead. RHP Gerardo Carrillo (2-2) went six strong innings allowing three runs on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Lefty Wes Helsabeck earned his second save with three shutout innings out of the bullpen, allowing just two hits with no walks while striking out five.
2B Carlos Herrera collected three hits for the Jethawks and DH Luis Castro belted his fifth homer of the season in the loss.
The series continues tonight at The Hangar with Leo Crawford (0-2) going for the Quakes and Ryan Rolison (2-0) starting for Lancaster.
THE OTHER FIRST PLACE BATTLE
In the North division, Visalia has a commanding lead and the Rawhide added to it with a 3-1 won over second-place Modesto Monday night. The win stretched Visalia’s lead to nine games and improved its home record to a ridiculous 15-3. Jeff Bain struck out eight over six innings, allowing just a run on six hits to improve to 4-1 on the season.
Comments Off on ROUND 1 GOES TO QUAKES
Posted in CAL LEAGUE NEWS
Tagged Carlos Herrera, Gerardo Carrillo, http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=660587#/career/R/pitching/2019/ALL, Lancaster Jethawks, Luis Castro, Modesto Nuts, Nick Yarnall, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Visalia Rawhide, Wes Helsabeck
