California League playoff preview

The Houston Astros have transformed from league doormat to playoff contender this year, so perhaps it's no surprise that the organization's Class A Advanced affiliate has been enjoying success as well.

The Lancaster JetHawks, who earned the Wild Card in the Cal League South Division, will try to capture their second straight championship and third in four years when the playoffs begin Wednesday.

But there are no secrets in the Cal League, where all 10 teams get to know each other well over the course of the season.

Following the three-game mini-series between the second-half winners and Wild Cards, the first-half winners await in the five-game divisional round, which begins Saturday. From there, the last two teams remaining will begin the Cal League Championship Series on Sept. 17.

San Jose Giants (72-67, North Division second-half champion) vs.
Stockton Ports (73-66, North Division Wild Card)

San Jose won the season series, 11-9

Game 1 at San Jose, Sept. 9 at 10:00 p.m ET
Game 2 at Stockton, Sept. 10 at 10:10 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Stockton (if necessary), Sept. 11 at 10:10 p.m. ET

Between injuries to his star players and a few blockbuster trades by the Oakland A's organization, manager Rick Magnante had to do a lot of shuffling with the Stockton Ports this season.

Yet here are the Ports, trying to make a postseason run and win the team's first Cal League championship since 2008. Earlier this week, third baseman Matt Chapman and shortstop Franklin Barreto were named Co-Players of the Year for the Ports. Considering that Chapman and Barreto both have missed more than a month due to injuries, Magnante said he's proud of the way his team grinded its way to the postseason.

"It's been really gratifying," Magnante said. "It's a tribute to the players, and I think it also really speaks to the fact that our people in development are doing a good job of getting these guys prepared."

Oakland also added a couple of quality arms to its staff in Stockton via trade this season. Daniel Mengden, who was acquired in the Scott Kazmir deal with Houston, is slated to start Game 2 against San Jose. Casey Meisner, who was traded to the A's from the Mets in the Tyler Clippard deal, also made a big impact with the Ports, but he's been shut down for the year after throwing a career-high 143 1/3 innings. Even though he'll be on the bench for the playoffs, Meisner said he's looking forward to watching his teammates compete.

"It's not just another normal game of the season," Meisner said. "Every win counts, every loss counts and the energy is high. It's really awesome when the intensity is different and every pitch matters."

Barreto was activated from the disabled list Saturday just in time for the postseason, but his extended absence also opened the door for Yairo Munoz, who handled shortstop well in Barreto's absence. Munoz's production and the addition of catcher Jacob Nottingham, who was acquired with Mengden, have given the lineup a big boost for the stretch run of the season.

Looking ahead to the matchup with the rival Giants, Magnante stressed the importance of getting early runs since San Jose boasts the lowest team ERA in the circuit at 3.46.

"They just pitch very well," Magnante said. "That's their forte. They pitch well as starters and have a solid bullpen -- big arms with good secondary pitches also. I think the problem you run into with San Jose: if you can't beat their starter, once you get to the seventh inning, it's going to be an uphill climb to get back in the ballgame."

The winner of the series plays the Visalia Rawhde, the North Division first-half champion.

High Desert Mavericks (77-62, South Division second-half champion) vs.
Lancaster JetHawks (75-64, South Division Wild Card)

Lancaster won the season series, 14-12

Game 1 at Lancaster, Sept. 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 2 at High Desert, Sept. 10 at TBD
Game 3 at High Desert (if necessary), Sept. 11 at TBD

Alex Bregman has had quite a summer. He was drafted No. 2 overall by the Houston Astros, became a millionaire and is about to embark on his second postseason run.

The shortstop has quickly become a big part of the Lancaster lineup since arriving in late July. Through 37 games, Bregman totes a .319/.364/.475 slash line with three homers, 21 RBIs and eight stolen bases. It doesn't look like there has been much of a learning curve for the 21-year-old, who said he's enjoyed devoting 100 percent of his time to playing baseball as a pro.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity," Bregman said. "This is what I've dreamed about my whole life."

Just weeks before he joined the JetHawks, Bregman was helping powerhouse LSU reach the College World Series. He said he feels fortunate to have been picked by the Astros and that he loves the direction the franchise is heading.

"I've been lucky," Bregman said. "We made a deep run at LSU, and we have a great group of guys here, too. I'm looking forward to going out there and competing with my team and going to chase the championship."

Lancaster has lost Cal League Player of the Year A.J. Reed due to a promotion to Double-A but still has plenty of pop in the lineup. Headlining the offense, which leads the Cal League with a .291 team average and 6.36 runs per game, are third baseman J.D. Davis (.289, 26 homers, 101 RBIs) and first baseman Chase McDonald (.277, 29 homers, 79 RBIs).

The Mavericks clinched a second-half title in the South on Saturday and will look to maintain that momentum as they give the ball to Reed Garrett in Game 1. The High Desert offense is led by Royce Bolinger, who finished first in the team with a .315 batting average and 16 home runs.

The winner of the series plays the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the South Division first-half champion.

In brief

Triple-digit club: The Cal League featured a pair of batters to reach the 100-RBI plateau for one team in 2015. J.D. Davis, who has a .289/.370/.520 slash line with 26 homers and 101 RBIs, accomplished the feat on Aug. 30 by driving home six runs. Rancho Cucamonga slugger Cody Bellinger, who's batting .264/.335/.539 with 30 homers and 103 runs driven in, recorded his 100th RBI on Friday before taking the league lead with three more on Sunday.

ERA king: The Modesto Nuts won't be playing in the playoffs, so ace Antonio Senzatela's sensational season has come to an end. The Cal League Pitcher of the Year suffered a loss Saturday to Stockton but finished with a 2.51 ERA, considerably lower than the next best pitcher, Anthony Banda (3.32). Senatela (9-9) threw a career-high 154 innings over 26 starts for the Nuts, striking out 143 while walking 33.

Top closer: With another save Saturday, Visalia's Nickolas Sarianides pushed his season save total to a Cal League-best 28. The 26-year-old has a 2.11 ERA in 55 1/3 innings, recording 91 strikeouts while walking just 16 batters.