California League Notebook
ALL-STARS: Blaze leading hitter Kevin Mahar and pitcher Thomas Diamond, who was promoted to Double-A Frisco of the Texas League back in June, have been named to the 2005 California League postseason All-Star team, as voted on by the League's general managers, broadcasters and media members. Diamond was the only Bakersfield player selected to the midseason All-Star team, although he did not represent the Blaze at the game due to his call-up to Frisco. Diamond was 8-0 with a 1.99 ERA and a league-high 101 strikeouts. Mahar, who was plagued with injuries earlier in the season, leads Bakersfield in several offensive categories. In addition to his .321 average, he also had 17 home runs and 60 RBIs through Sunday.
LACKLUSTER OFFENSE: Most likely the biggest reason that the Blaze has struggled to reach the .500 mark in the second half -- as of Monday, they were three games below at 30-33 -- is the fact that they are last in the California League in hitting. While a .272 team average may be solid in other leagues, it's well behind the pace set by the top offensive team in the league, High Desert, which is hitting .299. Bakersfield, however, has had a good month of August at the plate (see below).
HOT AUGUST: The month of August has been a solid one for the Blaze. Bakersfield, which was 11.5 games out of first place in the Northern Division on July 31, has made up five games on first-place Stockton and has climbed within two games of third-place Modesto by going 15-10 in its last 25 games. One reason for the turnaround is Bakersfield's offense. The Blaze are batting .288 during the month.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Mahar leads the Blaze in hitting with a .318 average. Travis Metcalf's 20 home runs and 87 RBIs are team highs. Clint Brannon tops the pitching staff with nine victories, while Christopher Cordeiro has posted 14 saves.
THEY SAID IT: "This sucks. We're at the point where we know we're going to have to win almost all our games. Down the stretch we have to win, so it makes a big impact on us if we lose." -- Bakersfield third baseman Travis Metcalf to the Bakersfield Californian after the Blaze lost to Lancaster, 5-3.
High Desert Mavericks (Kansas City Royals)
ALL BUT WRAPPED UP: It'll take a mighty collapse from the Mavericks over the next week for them not to make the playoffs. With seven games to play, High Desert owned a four-game lead over Lancaster in the Southern Division. As of Sunday, the Mavericks' magic number for clinching stood at four. Rancho Cucamonga, in third place, 6.5 games back, has been all but eliminated.
NO-BRAINER: Former High Desert third-baseman/outfielder Billy Butler, who sparkled offensively from day one as a Maverick, was named the California League's top designated hitter and Rookie of the Year for 2005. Butler, who was promoted to Double-A Wichita of the Texas League in August, hit .348 with 25 home runs and 91 RBIs in 92 games with the Mavericks this season.
POWELL, GRAGG ALSO HONORED: In addition to Butler, infielder Brandon Powell and pitcher John Gragg III were also named to the California League postseason All-Star team. Powell, chosen as the team's utility player, was hitting .293 through Sunday with 17 home runs, 66 RBIs and six stolen bases. Gragg, a left-hander, has been the Mavericks' top pitcher this season with a 12-5 record, a 4.51 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 26 appearances.
OFFENSE KEEPS ROLLING: High Desert, which leads the league in batting and in home runs in 2005, Friday night showed why they're on top in both of those categories. The Mavericks banged out 18 hits, including three each from Angel Sanchez, Chris Lubanski and Bernard Stephens, in an 11-5 victory over Lancaster. The Mavericks had four home runs in the game -- from Alan Moye, Lubanski, Stephens and Adam Donachie.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Pete Maestrales leads the Mavericks in hitting with a .330 average. Lubanski's 20 home runs and 104 RBIs are also team-bests. On the mound, Gragg leads with 12 victories while Brian Steffek has posted three saves.
THEY SAID IT: "The way we hit the ball in this park, we know that no lead is safe. When we were down 11-2, we said that we knew we were going to come back. We were almost laughing about it, because we knew we had done this before." -- Mavericks third baseman Mike Gaffney to the Victory Valley Daily Press after High Desert fell behind by nine runs to Rancho Cucamonga and then lost, 12-11.
Inland Empire Sixers (Seattle Mariners)
LAHAIR RECOGNIZED: Inland Empire first baseman Bryan Lahair was the only 66er chosen to the league's postseason All-Star team. Lahair is second in the league behind Rancho Cucamonga's Brandon Wood with 112 RBIs. Through Sunday, he was hitting .309 with 22 home runs.
NESBIT PROMOTED: The season-ending knee injury to Chris Snelling in Seattle has had a ripple effect throughout the Mariners system, and it has certainly affected Inland Empire. Outfielder Michael Nesbit was recently promoted to Double-A San Antonio of the Texas League to take the roster spot of T.J. Bohn, who was promoted to Triple-A Tacoma to take the roster spot of Jamal Strong, who was promoted to the Mariners. Nesbit hit .284 with one home run and 14 RBIs in 65 games with the Sixers. To fill his spot on the roster, the Mariners promoted Trevor Heid from Lower-A Everett to Inland Empire.
STORMY SEASON SERIES: The Sixers have had plenty of things to shake their heads about this season, and not being able to beat Lake Elsinore on a consistent basis is certainly one of them. The Storm won the 2005 series between the two teams, 19-6. Inland Empire ended it on a winning note, however, beating the Storm, 5-2, on the road at The Diamond last Thursday night.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Sebastien Boucher leads the Sixers in hitting with a .352 average. Lahair leads the team in RBIs, while Wladamir Balentien leads Inland Empire with 23 home runs. Pitching-wise, Jason Mackintosh posted his team-leading 10th victory on Sunday against Visalia. Craig James has recorded eight saves.
Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres)
WELLS TOP PITCHER: Former Lake Elsinore pitcher Jared Wells, who was promoted to Double-A Mobile of the Southern League in late July, was an overwhelming pick as the California League Pitcher of the Year, as chosen by the league's general managers, broadcasters and media members. While with the Storm this season, Wells made 19 starts and was 11-3 with a 3.44 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 120 1/3 innings. Wells walked just 26 batters in those 19 starts.
FIRST TO WORST: The Storm, who won the league's Southern Division first-half championship, may wind up in last place in the second half. As of Monday, Lake Elsinore was 25-36 in the second half, 2.5 games behind fourth-place Inland Empire and a whopping 12 games behind leader High Desert. No matter, however, as the Storm will have home-field advantage when the league playoffs begin in a couple of weeks.
BONEVECHIO, STORM BREAK OUT: Brett Bonvechio had gone 19 at-bats without a roundtripper before homering to help Lake Elsinore get past Rancho Cucamonga last week. The win gave the Storm consecutive wins for the first time since July 25-26 and also allowed them to win their first series in their last 11 tries.
SOME HOPE: Lake Elsinore's depleted pitching staff got a boost last week with the return of Cesar Carrillo. After going 4-0 with a 3.23 ERA and 35 strikeouts in five appearances with Double-A Mobile of the Southern League, Carrillo was returned to Lake Elsinore to help during the playoffs. Carillo is 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA in five starts for the Storm this season.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Adam Bourassa leads the Storm with a .356 batting average. Michael Johnson's 18 home runs and Bonvechio's 71 RBIs are team highs. On the mound, Leonel Rosales has recorded a team-high eight victories out of the bullpen and has 25 saves.
THEY SAID IT: "We try not to think about that 15-game skid. All I know is the guys are coming together quite nicely. I think good things are going to start to happen." -- Lake Elsinore infielder Skip Adams to the North County Times on the Storm trying to put their recent losing streak behind them.
Lancaster JetHawks (Arizona Diamondbacks)
A COUPLE OF RARITIES: Jon Castellanos' seven strong innings of work helped Lancaster beat Bakersfield, 6-4, last Thursday night, and in the process, the JetHawks accomplished two things they haven't done in seven years. For one, they swept the Blaze at Sam Lynn Ballpark for the first time since 1998. Secondly, the victory gave Lancaster a 7-6 season series victory over Bakersfield, their first since '98.
A WAITING GAME: Even though he probably will never get another at-bat in the California League, Lancaster's Miguel Montero is poised to take home the league's batting crown. The JetHawks catcher, who was promoted to Double-A Tennessee of the Southern League in July, is one point ahead of former High Desert slugger Billy Butler, who has also moved on to Double-A. The requirement to be eligible for the batting title is a minimum of 2.7 plate appearances per team game. Montero had 355 at-bats in 85 games with the JetHawks. The next closest active player to Montero's .349 mark is Lancaster's Jeff Cook, who was hitting .322 as of Monday.
MONTERO, MOCK HONORED: Montero won't have to wait to find out if he's been named to the California League's postseason All-Star team. That team was announced last week, and he and teammate Garrett Mock were the only two JetHawks players named to the squad. Montero had 24 home runs and 82 RBIs while with Lancaster in 2005, while Mock, still with the team, is 12-7 with a 4.35 ERA in 26 appearances.
ROSTER STILL AT 24: With the departure of pitcher Kyle Bono, who returned to school last week, Lancaster's roster remained at 24 players and manager Bill Plummer told the Antelope Valley Press that the Arizona organization probably won't fill the 25th spot until the last week of the regular season. Lancaster has been playing with two fewer pitchers in its bullpen than it had for most of the season, but the JetHawks are 4-1 since Bono and Billy Biggs went back to school.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Amongst active players, Cook leads the JetHawks in hitting at .322 and has a team-high 18 home runs. Jay Garthwaite's 92 RBIs are a team best. Mock has 12 victories to lead the Lancaster pitching staff, while Dustin Giant has posted 16 saves.
THEY SAID IT: "It's pretty impressive this late in the season to get three straight starts of at least seven innings. We're playing well as a team right now and hopefully we can keep it going through the playoffs." -- Lancaster pitcher Jon Castellanos, who pitched seven strong innings in a 6-4 victory over Bakersfield, to the Antelope Valley Press.
Modesto Nuts (Colorado Rockies)
STEWART, GAETTI ALL-STARS: Modesto landed a pair of players -- third baseman Ian Stewart and outfielder Joe Gaetti -- on the California League postseason All-Star team. As of Monday, Stewart was hitting .274 with 14 home runs and 77 RBIs in 104 games. Gaetti, the son of former Major Leaguer and now Houston Astros' hitting coach Gary Gaetti, leads the Nuts in all three major offensive categories -- average, home runs and RBIs.
CALLING HIS SHOT: As teammate Joe Gaetti can verify, Christian Colonel indeed predicted his game-winning home run in a 6-5 victory over San Jose last Saturday night. Colonel consulted with Gaetti about what Giants' reliever Justin Hedrick was throwing, then told Gaetti that he would hit one out. "He asked me about what I saw and then he said he was going to deposit one over the scoreboard," Gaetti told the Modesto Bee. "So, I swear, that homer was called by Christian Colonel. He told me he was going to do that." It was Colonel's 10th home run of the season.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY: Gaetti continues to perform at a peak level for the Nuts. Heading into Sunday's game with San Jose, Gaetti had reached base safely in 43 consecutive games, via hit, walk or being hit by a pitch. It's the longest such streak in the league this season. Gaetti is also among the league leaders in on-base percentage with a .409 mark.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Gaetti could end up as the Nuts' Triple Crown winner with a batting average of .313, 76 RBIs and 17 home runs. Stewart leads the team with 77 RBIs. On the mound, Steven Register has a team-high nine victories, while Tomas Santiago and Jason Burch have four saves each.
THEY SAID IT: "For it to come like that, on the Colonel homer after we battled back, really makes it special. This game tonight means a lot for us." -- Modesto manager Stu Cole to the Modesto Bee after Christian Colonel's walk-off homer gave Modesto a 6-5 victory over San Jose last week.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (LAA Angels)
WELL-DESERVING: Rancho Cucamonga shortstop Brandon Wood, who has led the California League in doubles, home runs and RBIs for most of the season, has been named the league's Most Valuable Player by a vote of general managers, broadcasters and media members. Through Sunday, Wood had 41 home runs and 112 RBIs and led the Quakes in hitting with a .322 average.
WOOD FEELING IT: It's amazing to most that Wood hasn't been promoted to Double-A yet because of his gaudy statistics. He continues to plug along in the California League, destroying pitchers in his path. Wood recently became the first player in the California League to hit 40 or more home runs since 1966, when current Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan hit 46 for Modesto. Wood hit his 40th and 41st home runs in a victory over High Desert last week and has done all he can to help the Quakes make the playoffs. But as of Sunday, Rancho was 6.5 games behind High Desert in the league's Southern Division.
KENDRICK ALSO HONORED: Former Quakes second baseman Howie Kendrick, who was promoted to Double-A Arkansas of the Texas League in July, was named the league's top second baseman. Kendrick finished with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs in 63 games and led the league in hitting throughout most of the first half with a .384 average.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: It's all Wood -- 41 home runs, 112 RBIs and a .322 average says it all. Pitching-wise, James Holcomb has a team-high nine victories, while Bob Zimmerman has posted 16 saves.
THEY SAID IT: "I'm very happy for him. He's showing people what he can do. He had a tough stretch with no power, but now he's finishing strong." -- Quakes manager Ty Boykin to the San Bernadino County Sun on the season shortstop Brandon Wood has been having.
San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants)
MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Manager Lenn Sakata, who led the Giants to a first-half Northern Division title, was named the California League's Manager of the Year last week by the league's general managers, broadcasters and media members. It was the second time Sakata has won such an honor. The first came in his first year as a Minor League manager, in 1988, with Medford, which was Oakland's affiliate in the Northwest League. A former infielder with the Baltimore Orioles, Sakata has led San Jose to the league's best overall record. He is the sixth San Jose manager to win the award. The last Giants skipper to be honored was Carlos Lezcano, in 1996.
BROSHIUS OFF TO FRESNO: Giants' right-hander Garrett Broshius got a huge promotion last week when he was sent from San Jose to Triple-A Fresno of the Pacific Coast League. Broshuis posted a 12-9 record while in a Giants uniform with a 4.40 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings.
MARTINEZ-ESTEVE LAUDED: Despite the fact the Giants won the first-half North Division title and are contending for the second-half crown, outfielder Eddy Martinez-Esteve was the only San Jose player chosen to the California League postseason All-Star team. Martinez-Esteve, who has seen several of his teammates promoted to Double-A ball this season, has been a stalwart in the lineup all season long. Through Sunday, in 123 games, he was batting .317 with 16 home runs and a team-high 91 RBIs.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Nate Schuerholtz has taken over the Giants' team lead in hitting with a .318 average. Travis Ishikawa's 20 home runs and Martinez-Esteve's 91 RBIs are also team-bests. On the mound, Jesse Floyd has 11 victories, while Joe Bateman is among the league leaders in saves with 20.
Stockton Ports (Oakland Athletics)
PLAYOFF TICKETS: With the Ports looking better and better for a post-season berth as the season winds down, tickets for the California League playoffs will go on sale September 1 at Banner Island Ballpark. Should Stockton wind up as the Wild Card team, it would host the second-half champion for a game on Wednesday, September 7. If they were to win the second-half championship, the Ports would host San Jose for a game.
ROBNETT UP-AND-DOWN: Richie Robnett has certainly had his peaks and valleys in his first season at Stockton. The Oakland A's first-round pick in the 2004 draft, Robnett has struck out a whopping 130 times this season and is hitting just .249, but he's also shown some power. The Ports left fielder leads Stockton with nine home runs, including four over the past week, and has 72 RBIs.
THEY SAID IT: "When things are going bad, I just try to keep a level mindset, try to stay positive and hope that things well eventually go well. I always want to be a hero out here and take control of the game as much as possible." -- Ports outfielder Richie Robnett, who has had an up-and-down season in 2005.
Visalia Oaks (Tampa Bay Devil Rays)
BACK TO RESPECTABILITY: After languishing near the bottom of the California League throughout a majority of the season in most team offensive categories, the Oaks have shown vast improvement over the past few weeks. They are now sixth in team batting with an average of .284, just .003 behind fourth-place Lake Elsinore. Visalia is still last in the league in home runs with 105, but leads the league in stolen bases with 111.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Francisco Leandro has yet to cool off at the plate, hitting a team-high .370. Aneudi Cuevas has 19 home runs, and Joey Gomes' 77 RBIs lead the Oaks. On the mound, Scott Vandermeer's six victories and David Coggin's four saves are team bests.
THEY SAID IT: "My first innings [of games] since I've gotten here have been shaky for some reason, and I've got to find a way to clean them up." -- Visalia pitcher Kevin Lynn to the Visalia Times-Delta on his struggles in the early innings of games.
Shawn A. Akers is a contributor to MLB.com.
DENIED: Visalia had won five straight series going into a weekend series with struggling Inland Empire last week, and it appeared as if the Oaks had the momentum after rallying to pull out a victory on Saturday night to tie the series. The Sixers, however, scored three times in the sixth inning on Sunday to take a 6-4 lead, then twice in the seventh and once in the eighth to secure a 9-4 victory and take two out of the three. The Oaks will continue in their quest this week to secure their first .500 month. After the weekend, they were 14-12 in August. Visalia ends a 10-game road trip this week with four games at Bakersfield.