California League playoff preview

Lancaster has shown no signs of slowing down in its pursuit of a second straight California League crown, while San Jose enters the playoffs with ambitions of adding a third championship in five years. As winners of the first half in their respective divisions, both have the benefit of a first-round bye.

The JetHawks will face the winner of the best-of-3 series between Inland Empire and Rancho Cucamonga, while the Giants await the outcome of the Modesto-Visalia mini-series.

Lancaster (82-58) followed its first-half South Division title with an even better record in the second half to complete the sweep. As impressive as the JetHawks were, however, the Giants (83-57) finished with the most wins in the league.

Modesto Nuts (75-65, North Division second-half champion) vs.
Visalia Rawhide (77-63, North Division Wild Card)

Modesto won the season series, 13-9 

Game 1 at Visalia, Sept. 4, 10:05 ET
Game 2 at Modesto, Sept. 5, 10:05 ET
Game 3 at Modesto (if necessary), Sept. 6, 10:05 ET

The Modesto Nuts enjoyed an impressive run to take the second-half North championship, going 15-3 to close out August. Since Fred Nelson replaced Lenn Sakata as manager in July, the Nuts posted a 32-20 record.

"In the early part of the season, we weren't doing as good a job of getting leadoff runners on base and driving in runs," said Nelson, who's been involved with professional and college baseball for more than 40 years. "We are in a position to play really well in the playoffs."

Game 1 starter Tyler Anderson, who missed time with a shoulder injury, is 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA since returning in early August. Tyler Gagnon and Ben Alsup have each won 12 games for Modesto, with Alsup winning all nine of his second-half decisions.

Trevor Story, Colorado's supplemental first-round selection in 2011 (45th overall), has shown steady improvement this season. Ranked seventh among Colorado prospects, Story batted .150 in April but hit .286 in August and has been successful on 22-of-23 stolen base attempts. Catcher Ryan Casteel and first baseman Harold Riggins have each hit 22 home runs for Modesto.

Visalia has reached the postseason for the first time since 2007. The Rawhide have been boosted by David Peralta, who joined the team after the Arizona Diamondbacks purchased his contract from Laredo of the independent American Association. Peralta has batted .346 and has eight home runs in 51 games.

Jake Lamb, who was on the disabled list in June and July, returned to drive in 23 runs in August and post a 1.067 OPS for the month. He also made enough of an impression to move from No. 18 to No. 11 among MLB.com's top Arizona prospects during the season.

Inland Empire 66ers (69-71, South Division Wild Card) vs.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (65-75, South Division second-half second place)

Inland Empire won the season series, 16-8

Game 1 at Rancho Cucamonga, Sept. 4, 10:05 EDT
Game 2 at Inland Empire, Sept. 5, 10:05 EDT
Game 3 at Inland Empire (if necessary), Sept. 6, 10:05 EDT

Lancaster won both halves and rolled to an overall record of 82-58 to finish as the only South Division team above .500. By the time the calendar turned to August, there was little mystery around which team would have the best overall mark.

Inland Empire clinched the Wild Card with a 69-71 mark, and the battle for the other playoff spot, which went to the second place team in the second half, was settled Sunday. Rancho Cucamonga won two straight extra-inning games against Lake Elsinore over the weekend, eliminating the Storm on Saturday and the High Desert Mavericks on Sunday.

This series will feature the three California League leaders in home runs. Zach Borenstein of Inland Empire topped Scott Schebler of Rancho Cucamonga with his 28th homer on the season's final day, one ahead of Schebler's 27. Michael Snyder of the 66ers hit 25 round-trippers to tie for third.

"It's been like a playoff atmosphere for the last two weeks," said Zach Borenstein, the Inland Empire outfielder who led the league with an OPS of 1.034 and a .337 batting average. Borenstein's performance was good enough to merit 2013 California League MVP honors.

Inland Empire manager Bill Haselman isn't expecting an easy time with Rancho Cucamonga.

"We had some close games with the Quakes, and they have a lot of talent," said Haselman, who plans to start Drew Rucinski in Game 1. "I'm really looking forward to this series."

Rancho manager Carlos Subero hasn't named a Game 1 starter, but a likely choice would be Jon Michael Redding, a right-hander from LSU, who last started Friday. Lindsey Caughel has a string of six quality starts and should be ready for Game 2 after pitching seven innings Sunday.

Schebler leads the Quakes in RBIs (91) and OPS (.941). Shortstop Darnell Sweeney led the league with 16 triples and had 48 stolen bases. O'Koyea Dickson also added 88 RBIs thanks in part to a .314 average with runners in scoring position. Bobby Coyle has hit 15 home runs in 56 games with Rancho Cucamonga.

In brief

Joy for Noel: Speed is a big part of the Rancho Cucamonga offense. The Quakes are second in stolen bases and lead the California League in triples. Three players have 10 or more triples, and three have 29 or more steals. Noel Cuevas, an outfielder from Puerto Rico, is on both lists with 10 triples and 38 stolen bases.

Mac is back: Visalia has been helped by two players from the independent American Association. In addition to slugger Peralta, right-hander Eddie McKiernan, who had 28 saves in 2010 for Rancho Cucamonga, has done well as a starter for the Rawhide. Since the Diamondbacks purchased McKiernan's contract from the Lincoln (Neb.) Salt Dogs, McKiernan has an 8-3 record and a 3.51 ERA.

Take the week off: Lancaster and San Jose will get to rest and the managers wait to decide their starters for the Division Series. Barring rainouts or other postponements, both best-of-5 semifinal series will begin Sept. 7.