Northwest League playoff preview

Both the North and South Division postseason matchups remained unsettled until the final weekend, when wins by the Boise Hawks and Vancouver Canadians finalized the playoff picture.

The Canadians' second-half North title earned them a shot at a fourth consecutive Northwest League championship. In the South, the Hawks secured a Wild Card berth with the division's second-best overall record after the Hillsboro Hops clinched both halves of the 2014 season.

First-half North champion Spokane enters the playoffs from a very different direction as the Hops. The Indians finished in last place in the second half after winning 25 games for the first-half pennant. 

Hillsboro Hops (48-28, South Division first-half champion) vs.
Boise Hawks (41-35, South Division Wild Card)

Hillsboro won the season series, 7-5

Game 1 at Boise, Sept. 2 at 8:45 p.m. ET
Game 2 at Hillsboro, Sept. 3 at 10:05 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Hillsboro (if necessary), Sept. 4 at 10:05 p.m. ET

Having defeated Salem-Keizer, 9-8, on Aug. 30 in the opener of their season-ending three-game series, the Boise Hawks solidified a postseason matchup against Hillsboro, a team they outscored, 58-49, despite dropping the season series.

That task will not be an easy one as the Hops, fresh off their sweep of the first- and second-half titles, hold the best record in the Northwest League at 48-28, just one year after their inaugural campaign in 2013.

Hillsboro is particularly hot entering the playoffs. The Hops posted an 18-9 record in 27 games in August, including a franchise-high eight-game winning streak from Aug. 15 to Aug. 23. Despite their recent stretch of success and their unmatched record, Hillsboro manager J.R. House is not taking his opponent lightly. 

"It's definitely not going to be easy. We've battled them many times and know most of their players. There is definitely mutual respect between the teams, and we'll be giving it everything we've got," House said.

Hillsboro's success hasn't come from the offensive end, since the Hops rank fifth in the eight-team league in runs scored with 369. Because of that, it has been the pitching and defense that have gotten the job done.

"Being in the ballpark that we're in, it's very difficult to score runs," House said. "It's just maintaining our ability to hold the runners down and not let them score as much as possible and try to come out at the end."

That success is in part thanks to the left arm of Zac Curtis, the Hops' closer this season. Coming in as a sixth-round Draft pick in 2014, Curtis converted from starter to reliever at the professional ranks. He has thrived in the Hillsboro bullpen, notching an ERA of 1.00 and a 42-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings pitched.

"As soon as I throw that last pitch in the bullpen, I tell myself it's time to close the door," Curtis said. "I have the confidence that I'm going to go out there and shut the door 1-2-3 every time I step on the mound."

That confidence has been particularly evident against Boise this season against whom Curtis is 2-0 with a save and six strikeouts in five innings.

While House and company prepare for Boise, they are still focused on the ultimate goal of development.

"Our goal has been to develop our players the best we can so that one day they can get to the big leagues. The biggest thing is making sure they are taking care of the things they need to get done to further their careers," House said.

But while developing players is the top priority at Ron Tonkin Field, winning is also welcomed.

"Being a part of a championship team, whether it's Rookie ball or Triple-A, is special," House said. "A lot of these kids might not ever get this opportunity again, so we want to try and take advantage and make the most of it."

Spokane Indians (40-36), North Division first-half champion vs.
Vancouver Canadians (46-30, second-half champion)

Spokane won the season series, 7-6

Game 1 at Vancouver, Sept. 2 at 10:05 p.m. ET
Game 2 at Spokane, Sept. 3 at 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Spokane (if necessary), Sept. 4 at 9:30 p.m. ET

The Spokane Indians are limping into the playoffs following a hot start to the 2014 season. Eager to play the Indians are the Vancouver Canadians, who've won the Northwest League title in each of the past three seasons.

After winning just seven of the first 17 games in the second half of the season, Vancouver stormed back to capture first place in the North Division after going 7-1 from Aug. 23 through Aug. 31. A balanced attack led the way to the postseason for the three-time defending champions, who outscored opponents, 40-19, during that eight-game streak.

Paving the way to the quest for four is 19-year-old shortstop Franklin Barreto. Through the month of August, Barreto led the Northwest League in games played (73) and RBIs (61). He is hitting .311 with 23 doubles, four triples, six homers and 29 stolen bases.

"He was a guy we expected big things from out of Spring Training, and I think he's almost exceeded our expectations," Canadians manager John Schneider said of Barreto earlier this season.

Despite all of his individualized success this season, Barreto is focused on one thing: bringing the fourth consecutive Northwest League trophy across the border.

"I want to win. I feel like our team has the players to make a championship team once again in Vancouver," Barreto said.

Not only does Vancouver have the added motivation of continuing its championship tradition, but the Canadians also inherit a favorable matchup against a reeling Spokane team that finished last in the North in second half at 15-23.

Since starting the season 13-2, the Indians have struggled their way to a 28-33 record. Spokane dropped six games in a row from Aug. 17 through Aug. 22, being outscored 43-22 during that skid.

The Indians' strength remains its offense, ranking first in the Northwest League in batting average (.276) and second in runs scored (398) and slugging percentage (.391).

Eduard Pinto (.336) and Seth Spivey (.335) top the league in average, while Luke Tendler, a 20th-round selection in 2014, is tied for first in the league with 11 home runs. 

In brief

Putting the 'K' in Zac: Having pitched to the tune of a 1.00 ERA in 27 innings relief innings this season, Hillsboro closer Zac Curtis has displayed his swing-and-miss arsenal more frequently of late. The Tennessee native has notched 14 strikeouts in his previous eight innings pitched. During that span, Curtis has also struck out three in an appearance four times.

Rich get richer: The Hillsboro Hops may already have the best record in the Northwest League, and a league-best 3.65 ERA, but that hasn't stopped them from getting even better. Transferred to Hillsboro earlier this week, Brad Keller allowed just one hit in six innings while striking out seven. That winning performance was nothing new to Keller, who went 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA in his previous stint in the Arizona League.