California League Notebook

Bakersfield Blaze (Texas Rangers)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Lost the finale of a four-game series against Rancho Cucamonga, resulting in a split of the series. Were off Monday, then won two of three games at Lake Elsinore. Dropped the first two games of a weekend series against Visalia. Overall: 2-4.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Jorge Quintero made his Blaze debut Friday, after a promotion from the Arizona Rookie League, and allowed one run on one hit over four innings. ... SS Elvis Andrus is batting .324 over his last nine games. ... OF Ben Harrison finally showed signs of life, batting .400 over his last five games. ... LHP Michael Ballard has struck out 16 batters in the last 13 1/3 innings and allowed six runs over his last two starts, both victories.

WHO'S NOT: RHP Mike Bumstead, who spent the first five years of his pro career with the Padres organization, including parts of four seasons with the Storm, didn't make it out of the third inning against Lake Elsinore on Wednesday night as he was charged with nine runs -- eight earned. ... IF Thomas Berkery is batting .219 over his last nine games.

NEWS AND NOTES: 3B Chris Davis, who was promoted to Double-A Frisco about a week after his league-tying record 35-game hitting streak, was named to the postseason All-Star Team in a tie vote with Lake Elsinore's David Freese. ... Davis set a Cal League record with six grand slams before getting called up. ... As part of "Fan Appreciation Weekend," the Blaze gave away nine 20-inch color televisions -- one for each inning -- at Saturday's game. ... SS Matt Smith connected for his first home run of the season Friday.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "That's enough, you need to get better. You still messed up." -- Blaze manager Carlos Subero, to home plate umpire Hal Gibson upon getting ejected from Saturday's game, as quoted by The Bakersfield Californian.

High Desert Mavericks (Seattle Mariners)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Dropped last Sunday's finale of a four-game series at Lancaster, resulting in a sweep. Snapped a six-game losing streak by winning Tuesday at Inland Empire, and winning two of three in that series. Lost the first two this weekend at Modesto. Overall: 2-4.

WHO'S HOT: C/1B Adam Moore extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a sixth-inning single Friday, and although it ended with an 0-for-3 performance on Saturday, he's batting .333 over his last eight games ... C/1B Travis Scott is batting .345 over his last nine games with three home runs and seven RBIs. ... RHP Roman Martinez, the most consistent reliever in a bullpen that's really struggled this year, has allowed one run in his last seven innings, striking out eight and walking one.

WHO'S NOT: 3B Matt Mangini, who was the 52nd overall selection in this year's draft, was 6-for-32 after his first nine games in the league following a promotion from Class A Short-Season Everett. ... SS Carlos Triunfel committed three of the Mavs' five errors in Friday's game, a night after the team made six errors. ... OF Eddy Hernandez is mired in a 3-for-28 slump. ... 1B/OF Johan Limonta is batting .139 over his last nine games. ... OF Casey Craig is 7-for-41 in his last 11 games.

NEWS AND NOTES: The Mavs have the worst overall record in the Cal League, but they garnered three selections on the postseason All-Star Team in C Adam Moore, OF Michael Saunders (who has been promoted to Double-A West Tenn) and utility player Jesus Guzman. ... Guzman leads the league in RBIs with 105, while Moore is second with 100. ... The Mavs were blanked, 9-0, on Friday by Modesto, the fifth time they've been shutout this year. ... The Mavs have set new Cal League records for most home runs allowed (189) and hit batsman (119).

Inland Empire 66ers (Los Angeles Dodgers)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Won last Sunday against Lake Elsinore, taking three of four in that series. Following the off day Monday, lost two of three games at High Desert. Split the first two games this weekend at home against Lake Elsinore. Overall: 3-3.

WHO'S HOT: SS Ivan DeJesus Jr. is 9-for-18 in his last five games, and batting .371 over his last 10 games. ... OF Adam Godwin is batting .424 over his last eight games with seven RBIs. ... INF Russell Mitchell has three home runs, eight RBIs and a .381 average to show for his last 10 games.

WHO'S NOT: Before his departure, 2B Travis Denker was batting .185 over his last seven games. ... OF Ryan Rogowski is fighting through a 2-for-20 slump. ... RHP Javy Guerra has given up 14 runs via 16 hits and five walks, in his last two starts covering seven innings. ... RHP Jesus Castillo has given up nine runs on 14 hits in his last 10 1/3 innings.

NEWS AND NOTES: IF Travis Denker was sent to the Giants organization, as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Mark Sweeney to the Dodgers. ... Replacing Denker on the roster will be IF Adolfo Gonzalez, who was batting .295 with five home runs and 29 RBIs in 82 games for Class A Great Lakes. ... C Michael Rivera announced his retirement. ... OF Bridger Hunt was added to the roster from Ogden. ... Hunt swapped places with C Esteban Lopez. ... The Sixers didn't leave a single player on base in Friday's 2-1 loss, and the final 13 were retired in order.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I'm definitely excited to be a Giant. The Dodgers have been good to me, but anything can happen. I'm blessed to have the opportunity. I'm hoping to face the Dodgers and beat them." -- 2B Travis Denker, to The San Bernardino Sun, on the trade that sent him to the Giants. He'll report to San Jose and help the Li'l Giants try to win the Cal League championship.

Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Lost the series finale last Sunday to Inland Empire. Dropped two of three games at home against Bakersfield. Split two games at Inland Empire to begin this weekend. Overall: 2-4.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Stephen Faris allowed two hits and one run in six innings to win his second straight game since a promotion from Class A Fort Wayne. ... 1B Craig Cooper is batting .378 over his last 10 games. ... OF Mike Maxter is batting .333 over his last 10 games. ... OF Josh Alley has driven in 10 runs in his last 10 games, scored seven runs, and hitting .300 in that span.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Steve Garrison has allowed eight runs in his last 10 innings over two starts. ... RHP Richie Daigle allowed five runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings this week. ... LHP Nathan Culp gave up a whopping 18 hits in nine innings in his last two starts, but limited the damage to five runs.

NEWS AND NOTES: 1B/DH Kyle Blanks was named to the Cal League postseason All-Star Team, along with teammates 3B David Freese, RHP Matt Buschmann and RHP Manny Ayala (who was sent to Double-A over a month ago). ... Buschmann was sent to the bullpen for the rest of the regular season to conserve his arm, making his second relief appearance and worked a scoreless inning in Friday's 2-1 win. ... C Aeden McQueary was sent to Class A Short-Season Eugene after Friday's game and will be replaced by Mitch Canham, who was batting .304 with Eugene. ... IF Juan Ciriaco was activated from the disabled list before Wednesday's game, and LHP Orlando Lara joined the team from Diablos Rojos de Mexico in the Mexican League. ... To make room on the roster, IF Jon Schemmel was sent to Triple-A Portland and LHP Brent Carter was placed on the disabled list.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "A lot of those games we came back in and just fell short. It's not like we've blown leads." -- Storm manager Carlos Lezcano, to The North County Times, on the Storm's 11-22 record in one-run games, including 3-16 on the road.

Lancaster JetHawks (Boston Red Sox)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Completed a four-game sweep over High Desert last Sunday at home. Won two of three games at Rancho Cucamonga this week, after Monday's day off. Split the first two games at home against Stockton. Overall: 4-2.

WHO'S HOT: OF Brad Correll just continues to hit and hit and hit, smashing three more home runs, driving in 15 runs and batting .350 over his last 10 games. He now has 23 home runs and 74 RBIs in 51 games. ... OF Michael Hall is batting .345 in his last nine games. ... 3B Zach Daeges is batting a whopping .500 (17-for-34) over his last nine games, and he now has 51 doubles on the season, a Cal League record.

WHO'S NOT: 3B Scott White is batting just .103 over his last 10 games. ... RHP Travis Beazley has allowed eight runs on 16 hits in nine innings. ... RHP T.J. Nall allowed 12 runs on 13 hits in his last two starts, but didn't get a loss in either because of the JetHawks' potent offense.

NEWS AND NOTES: The JetHawks dominated the postseason awards as OF Bubba Bell was named the league's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. ... Bell was leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBIs at the time of his promotion to Double-A Portland in early July. ... Chad Epperson was named the Manager of the Year. ... 1B Aaron Bates was named to the postseason roster, along with OF Zach Daeges and Bell. ... 1B Lars Anderson was added to the roster from Class A Greenville.

Modesto Nuts (Colorado Rockies)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Won the series finale Sunday to take three of four games from San Jose. Off Monday, then lost two of three games at Stockton. Beat High Desert on Friday to clinch a playoff berth, and shut out High Desert a second straight night Saturday. Overall: 4-2

WHO'S HOT: LHP Xavier Cedeno pitched six scoreless innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters Friday, pitching the Nuts to a 9-0 win over High Desert and into the Cal League playoffs. ... 1B Jeff Kindel went 2-for-5 in Friday's game, and through Saturday's competition has reached base in 48 straight games to tie the longest mark in the Minors this year. ... RHP Alan Johnson allowed two hits in eight scoreless innings Saturday night in a 4-0 win over High Desert, striking out eight without a walk while facing just one batter over the minimum. ... RHP Andrew Johnston is back on track after a two-month slump, going 5 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits.

WHO'S NOT: RF Daniel Carte is fighting through a 2-for-21 slump, including nine strikeouts in his last five games. ... LHP Brandon Durden has gotten off to a great start in each of his last starts, but ran into trouble in the middle innings, and the totals are eight runs on 12 hits in 10 1/3 innings. ... C Neil Wilson is batting .182 over his last eight games.

NEWS AND NOTES: Three Nuts were selected to the postseason All-Star Team, including RHP Brandon Hynick as the California League Pitcher of the Year. ... Last year, Hynick was named the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year. ... Hynick became the first Modesto pitcher to ever win the award, and the league office said it was a unanimous vote. ... 2B Eric Young Jr. and SS Chris Nelson were selected as All-Stars at their respective positions. ... OF Lino Garcia returned to the Nuts from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday night. ... C Kyle Blumenthal was placed on the inactive list to make room on the roster. ... OF Cole Garner homered from both sides of the plate in Wednesday's loss at Stockton. ... SS Chris Nelson has 11 RBIs in his last five games, giving him 96 on the season to tie a Modesto record for a shortstop, originally set in 1956 by Ray Dieppa of the Modesto Reds.

NUTS CLINCH BERTH: It took three potential clinchers, but the Nuts became the first team to clinch a playoff berth in the second half on Friday night when they combined a 9-0 victory over High Desert and a Stockton loss. The Nuts return to the postseason after a one-year absence. Still to be decided is the second-half North Division title. The Nuts ended the week with a half-game lead over Visalia.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "This is my fourth year playing with a lot of these guys, and this will be our first trip to the playoffs. It's great to share this moment with them. We still have a lot to play for, like the home-field advantage, but this is a special thing." -- 2B Eric Young Jr., to The Modesto Bee, on the Nuts reaching the playoffs.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (LA Angels of Anaheim)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Won at Bakersfield last Sunday to split a four-game series. Were off Monday, and then lost two of three games against Lancaster. Won the first two games this weekend at San Jose. Overall: 4-2.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Tim Schoeninger allowed two runs -- one earned -- in 6 1/3 innings Friday to earn his sixth win with the Quakes and 15th overall this year. ... RHP Anthony Ortega was a little better, pitching a complete-game victory Saturday afternoon, giving up two runs -- one earned -- and struck out five. ... OF Aaron Peel, a recent addition, is batting .367 with a home run in the last eight games. ... 3B Jeff Larue is hitting .371 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his last 10 games.

WHO'S NOT: RF Jordan Renz is battling a 2-for-18 slump. ... 2B Nate Sutton is even deeper into his slump, going 5-for-40 over his last 10 games. ... C Flint Wipke is 2-for-19 in his last seven games, and the Quakes are hitting just .249 as a team in their last 10 games.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I worry about how they perceive me. I don't want them to think I was a flash in the pan. I don't go looking for fights. I'm a quiet guy. I felt I was being bullied. I don't feel bad for what I did, but I feel bad for how it might have affected my career." -- Quakes outfielder Aaron Peel, to The Daily Bulletin, on a fight with former teammate Aaron Pullin, who was razzing him during a prolonged slump.

San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Lost the series finale last Sunday at Modesto, and dropped three of four games in that series. Didn't play Monday, and then won two of three games at home against Visalia. Lost the first two games this weekend against Rancho Cucamonga. Overall: 2-4.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Sergio Romo struck out two more in the ninth inning Thursday while recording his seventh save -- and he's whiffed nine in 5 2/3 scoreless innings without allowing a walk. ... 2B Mark Minicozzi, back from Double-A Connecticut, is batting .367 with a home run and 10 RBIs in his last eight games. ... C/1B Pablo Sandoval is batting .344 over his last nine games. ... OF Eddy Martinez-Esteve, back in San Jose to rehab a knee injury, is batting .345 over his last eight games.

WHO'S NOT: C Adam Witter cooled off, batting .172 over his last nine games. ... INF/OF Anthony Contreras is batting .167 over his last eight games. ... SS Brian Bocock is hitting .194 in his last nine games.

NEWS AND NOTES: RHP Taylor Wilding, a midseason All-Star who was sent to Double-A Connecticut and then returned to San Jose a couple weeks ago, was named the relief pitcher on the Cal League postseason All-Star Team. ... RHP Ryan Paul made a spot start for San Jose on Saturday night. ... LHP Jesse English made a spot start, working on a pitch count, and extended his scoreless run to 4 2/3 innings with two frames . ... INF Travis Denker, acquired in a trade from the Dodgers as the player to be named later in the Mark Sweeney deal, was expected to report to San Jose on Sunday.

Stockton Ports (Oakland Athletics)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Dropped the series finale against Visalia last Sunday. Were off Monday, then won two of three games at home against Modesto, denying the Nuts a potential playoff clincher in the final two games. Split the first two games at Lancaster this weekend. Overall: 2-4.

WHO'S HOT: IF/OF Lloyd Turner is 6-for-17 in his last four games. ... 1B Tommy Everidge continues a strong second half, batting .297 with two home runs and six RBIs in his last 10 games. ... RHP Andrew Bailey was dominant Thursday night, allowing two runs on three hits in eight innings, striking out nine and walking none. ... The night before, LHP Brad Davis was nearly as good, allowing three runs in seven innings, also walking none, while striking out eight.

WHO'S NOT: OF Jose Pineda is among the Cal League leaders in RBIs this month, but is batting just .105 in his last 10 games. ... INF Darryl Lawhorn is batting .158 in his last seven games. ... C Raul Padron has two home runs in his last nine games, but just four other hits and that translates to a .200 average.

NEWS AND NOTES: IF Brian Stavisky, the Cal League's Most Valuable Player two years ago, was placed on the roster early in the week. ... Stavisky went 3-for-10 with a triple, home run and four RBIs and was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento. ... Then he was sent back to Stockton again over the weekend and hit a home run at Lancaster. ... 2B Justin Sellers was sent to Double-A Midland after Wednesday's game, after hitting .274 with a .350 on-base percentage, four home runs and 37 RBIs. ... All three of Lloyd Turner's home runs have come against Modesto, where he played in 2004 on the championship team. ... That includes a game-tying home run to tie Thursday's game, and the go-ahead single in a 5-2 win.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It's been a rough year. But I look at it like I got an opportunity others don't have, and I'm always going to make the best of it. I look at it like a learning experience. ... I might be a manager one day. But I come out here and my dream, my goal, my ambition and my desire is to make it to the big leagues. I'm going to push for it until they take it away from me and then I'll still keep pushing." -- Ports IF/OF Lloyd Turner, to The Stockton Record, on a season that has seen him bounce between Triple-A Sacramento and Stockton, hitting below .200 at each place.

Visalia Oaks (Arizona Diamondbacks)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Defeated Stockton last Sunday in the finale of a four-game series, which put the final nail in the Ports' coffin. Lost two of three games at Stockton. Won the first two games this weekend at Bakersfield. Overall: 4-2.

WHO'S HOT: C John Hester is finishing strong this year, batting .333 over his last nine game with a home run and five RBIs. ... RHP Matthew Torra has continued a remarkable second-half turnaround, winning two more starts, striking out 17 in 14 2/3 innings, and allowing just three runs in the last two trips through the rotation. ... RHP Adam Howard allowed one run in six innings in his start this week, striking out six.

WHO'S NOT: INF Derek Bruce is batting .205 in his last 10 games. ... SS Pedro Ciricaco is hitting .207 in his last eight games. ... OF Greg Thomson has dropped off this month, as he's hitting .250 over his last 10 games.

NEWS AND NOTES: Going into Sunday's games, The Oaks and Nuts have been separated by a half-game in the standings for 12 straight days and 14 of the last 15 days. ... RHP Barry Enright, promoted to the Oaks earlier in the week from Class A South Bend, recorded the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over Bakersfield.