Quakes holding tryouts for National Anthem singers

Interested in singing the National Anthem at a Quakes game this season? Come audition on March 7th! 

66ers close in on playoff spot

The second-worst team in the California League needs just 1 win in its final two games to make the playoffs.

That’s all the 66ers need Sunday or Monday at Lancaster to guarantee at least a tie for the South Division second half title. And a tie would not require a one-game playoff, but send the Sixers to the best-of-3 first round against Lake Elsinore.

The Quakes have a much longer road. Not only do they need the Sixers to lose their final two games, but they need to make up a one-game deficit to High Desert.

While the Sixers’ second half record is only 35-33, it would be remarkable to make the playoffs after going 25-45 in the first half, and losing their best position player, shortstop Jose Rondon, to Lake Elsinore in a trade.

Cal League South Division scenario update with 3 games left

After Friday’s games, the three-team race for the final South Division playoff spot has gotten tighter with 3 games left.

The 66ers beat Lancaster 12-8, the Quakes beat Lake Elsinore 9-0 and San Jose beat High Desert 12-3.

The 66ers and Lancaster are tied for 1st in the second half race. It’s as simple as this for the 66ers: If they win 2 of the final 3 games against Lancaster, they are in the playoffs. They could still tie for the second half title with LE, but as stated in a previous post, that would be enough to get the Sixers in. There would be no 1-game playoff.

Should the Sixers lose at least 2 of the next 3 games, the last spot would go to High Desert or the Quakes. After Friday’s games, those teams are tied for the last spot.

They COULD have a 1-game playoff. And it would be at High Desert on Tuesday, because HD won the season series, 13-11.

California League playoff scenarios with 4 games left

I just had an exchange of e-mails with Matt Blaney from the California League office to clear up the potentially confusing playoff scenario in the Cal League’s South Division w.

So far, Lancaster and Lake Elsinore are in the playoffs, but the 66ers, Quakes and High Desert are still in the running for the division’s last playoff spot, with 4 games remaining, including tonight.

Here’s how it breaks down.

  • The 66ers (tied for 2nd with LE, 1 game back of Lancaster), need to win the 2nd half to make the playoffs. BUT, they only need to tie for the 2nd half title. Matt said that if the 66ers tie with Lake Elsinore (they can’t tie with Lancaster, because they are playing Lancaster), for the 2nd half title, there would be NO 1-game playoff, because Lake Elsinore is already in the playoffs. The 66ers would get in and play Lake Elsinore in the first round.
  • The Quakes and High Desert can only get in if the 66ers are not involved in the 2nd half title. They WOULD have a 1-game playoff if the 66ers aren’t involved and if the Quakes and HD are tied. HD leads the Quakes by 1 game, with 4 left.
  • Here’s who plays who: 66ers at Lancaster, Quakes at Lake Elsinore, San Jose at High Desert.
  • In the North Division, it’s between Visalia and San Jose for the last playoff spot, with Visalia leading by 3 games. Bakersfield and Stockton are already in.

66ers manager Denny Hocking enjoys all-star experience

It was last week  that 66ers manager Denny Hocking managed the California League all-stars to a win over the Carolina League and he enjoyed the event.
“You never know when you’re going to be able to coach one of these again,” said Hocking. “It might’ve been different if I didn’t get to see my family all the time, but I really enjoyed it.”

Hocking managed the team and his coaching staff was his all-star staff) because the 66ers won the league title last year, even though Hocking wasn’t the manager. He is from Southern California and as a result is able to see his family all the time, so the all-star game didn’t keep him from seeing his family for one of the few times all season.

Hocking really liked the camaraderie the team showed.

“The guys really came together. It wasn’t like, a group of Lancaster players over here, Lake Elsinore players over there. They all came together as a team,” he said. “And i got a chance to learn a little bit more about some of the guys in the league.”

Garey graduate named Cal League Pitcher of Week

Garey High School graduate Vincent Velasquez of the Lancaster JetHawks is the first California League Pitcher of the Week of the new season.

Velasquez, 21, appeared in three games. In 13 innings he gave up just three hits and one earned run while striking out 16.

He spent most of 2013 in the Houston Astros Low-A affiliate but earned a promotion late in the season to Lancaster.

Velasquez appeared in three games for the JetHawks late last season, going 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA.

He has obviously learned well.

His numbers this season are even more noteworthy, given that two of those three appearances came in hitter friendly Lancaster.

Velasquez, 6-foot-3, right-hander, is the Astros No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America.

Quakes, 66ers lose a day after 14-inning marathon

On Wednesday, the Quakes and 66ers played an epic 14-inning game, finally won by the Sixers despite needing to pitch the final three innings with two different position players: infielder Brian Hernandez and outfielder Andrew Ray.

A day later, in the 66ers first home game of the season and the Quakes’ first road game, both teams lost.

The Sixers (2-6)  loss was 8-3 to High Desert (6-2) as the Mavericks pounded out 18 hits and the Sixers committed three errors and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Wade Hinkle was 2-for-2 with a home run, a double and two walks. Jordy Lara had four hits, finishing a double short of the cycle for the Mavericks.

The Quakes lost in more excruciating fashion. Playing at Modesto (1-7), they carried a 5-4 lead to the bottom of the ninth against Luis Meza (0-1).

With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth, Wilson Soriano singled and stole second. After a walk, a fielding error by Quakes first baseman Chris Jacobs allowed the tying run to score and put runners on second and third. Sean Dwyer’s single to center scored the game-winning run.

For the Quakes (3-5) , Pratt Maynard hit two doubles and drove in two runs.

Inland Empire 66ers 2014 Opening Day Roster

Here is the 66ers roster Opening Day Roster for 2014 opener is Thursday Apr. 3 at High Desert
Manager: 7 Denny Hocking
Pitching coach: 38 Matt Wise
Hitting coach: 18 Brenton Del Chairo
Bullpen coach: 35 Steve Hernandez
Athletic Trainer: Omar Uribe
Strength and Conditioning coach: Sergio Rojas
Pitchers
21 Austin Adams right-handed relief pitcher
37 Cameron Bedrosian RRP (No. 10 prospect)
19 Jake Boyd RRP
26 Ryan Crowley LSP
29 Tyler DeLoach LSP
17 Jairo Diaz RRP
22 Grant Gordon RRP
24 Alex Keudell RSP
12 Kyle McGowin RSP (No. 29)
23 Chris O’Grady RRP
25 Danny Reynolds RRP
15 Nate Smith LSP
20 Kurt Spomer RRP
Hitters bats/throws
Catchers
9 Abel Baker L/R
13 Cal Towey L/R (No. 19)
5 Zach Wright R/R
Infielders
4 Alex Allbritton R/R 2B-SS-3B
14 Brian Hernandez R/R 1B-3B
16 Wade Hinkle L/L 1B
10 Sherman Johnson L/R 2B
27 Jose Rondon R/R SS (No. 12)
Outfielders
2 Chevy Clarke S/R RF/CF
1 Rolando Gomez L/R CF/RF
8 Brennan Gowens L/R RF/CF

6 Andrew Ray R/R LF (No. 28)

 

 

Hocking, Wise expected to join 66ers staff

The Angels haven’t made the official announcement yet, but the word is that Denny Hocking will manage the 66ers in 2013.

He is expected to be joined by hitting coach Brent Del Chiaro, and pitching coach Matt Wise and bullpen coach Steve Hernandez. Del Chiaro and Hernandez were part of the 66ers’ 2013 California League championship team.

Hocking, 43, was the Angels manager in the rookie-level Arizona League last year, leading the Angels to a 30-26 record. He was a big-league infielder from 1993-2005, primarily with the Minnesota Twins but also briefly with the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals. He batted .251 with 25 home runs and 226 RBIs in his career. He went to West Torrance High School and El Camino College.

His pitching coach in the Arizona League last year was Wise, a Bonita High graduate was a big-league pitcher from 2000-2008 with the Angels, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets.

After the 66ers won the title, manager Bill Haselman and pitching coach Brandon Emmanuel were let go by the Angels.

Elmore back in charge of Bakersfield Cal League affiliate

D.G. Elmore is back in control of the Bakersfield Blaze of the California League, reclaiming ownership of the franchise he operated for seven years after a bid by new local ownership to build a new ballpark for the club crumbled last week.

New owners Chad Voiland and Gene Hathaway bought the Blaze from Elmore for an undisclosed price in March 2012, with the intention of building a new stadium to replace 72-year-old Sam Lynn Ballpark. The pair managed to raise just $18 million of the $30 million they said they needed for the project, however, and called off the project last week.

Elmore said the new owners failed to make a loan payment that was due Oct. 1, reverting control of the franchise back to him. Voiland and Hathaway said they simply exercised an option in the purchase contract to sell the team back to Elmore at the original sales price if they could not secure a new home for the team. Either way, the team is back under Elmore’s control, with its future in the city looking doubtful.

“I had every hope that Gene and Chad would build a great new ballpark for the Bakersfield community,” Elmore said in a press release.

Where the franchise goes from here is uncertain. Continuing at Sam Lynn Ballpark is not an option, California League president Charlie Blaney has said, as the stadium no longer meets Minor League Baseball facility standards. Blaney told the Bakersfield Californian that he will search for other markets within the league footprint, but a shortage of public money to use for local construction projects in California makes finding a location a challenge.

Last week, Blaney said the league has not considered revisiting a previous plan to shift to franchises to the high Class A Carolina League.