Quakes’ Mount still sidelined

Third baseman Ryan Mount of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes won’t be back in the lineup any time soon.

Mount, a graduate of Ayala High School, has been out since May 28 with a frayed tendon in his foot, the same one he had surgically repaired in 2011.

Mount saw his doctor on Tuesday. The injury is getting better but he’s probably another three weeks away from resuming baseball activity. He is trying to get back by the end of the season but that will probably be tough.

Mount, who turns 27 next month, was having a career year, hitting .342 in 42 games when he was sidelined.

He says he hopes to play winter ball to make up for the lost months.

Quakes’ Gould promoted to Double-A

Right-handed pitcher Garrett Gould has been promoted by the Dodgers from High-A Rancho Cucamonga to Double-A Chattanooga of the Southern League.

Gould was just 2-7 with a 7.04 ERA in 15 starts this season. Given that record the promotion is a little hard to comprehend. Gould was also with the Quakes last year with only moderately better success – 5-10 with a 5.75 ERA.

Maybe the Dodgers feel a change of scenery and a different mentor will help. A move to the bullpen is also a possibility. That seems to be a common move when a pitcher is struggling.

Gould was a second round draft choice in 2009 and was ranked as the organization’s No. 11 prospect in 2012 according to Baseball American. Maybe the Dodgers feel it’s time to sink or swim.

His place on the roster will be taken by Bobby Coyle, who has bounced back and forth between Rancho and Chattanooga this season.

 

Baserunning blunders costly for Quakes in 4-3 loss to 66ers

66ers held on to defeat the Quakes 4-3 on Monday night but not without help from some bad Quakes baserunning you may never see in a game again.

There were six players thrown out on the bases Monday night, but two plays in particular stand out.

  • In the second inning, the Quakes had runners on first and second with one out. Casio Grider strayed off of first and catcher Abel Baker threw down to first to pick him off. Scott Wingo on second decided to take off for third and was thrown out at third to end the inning. A 2-3-5 double play without a pitching being thrown
  • But the doozie came in the seventh inning. With the Quakes trailing 4-2 Webster Rivas on first, Bladimir Franco belted a double to right-center. Rivas was in the process of scoring easily as the relay throw to the plate was wide. But Scott Wingo, the on-deck hitter, was standing on the third-base side of home plate and got in catcher Baker’s way as he tried to go after the ball. Rivas was called out on Wingo’s interference. I believe it is a violation of MLB Rule 7.09 (D) that states: “It is interference by a batter or a runner when — Any member or members of the offensive team stand or gather around any base to which a runner is advancing, to confuse, hinder or add to the difficulty of the fielders. Such runner shall be declared out for the interference of his teammate or teammates.”
  • The other baserunners thrown out were more normal. Darnell Sweeney thrown out trying to steal second in the first inning. Scott Schebler thrown out (1-6) trying to steal second without a pitching being thrown in the sixth inning. The next batter, Sweeney, was easily thrown out at third trying to stretch a double to a triple.

Quakes down Lancaster on walk-off grand slam, 6-3

Thanks to sportscenetv.net for the above video

It was a game that ended with Scott Schebler’s walk-off grand slam a thrilling moment for the Quakes to win their first game this season when trailing after eight innings. Now only Lake Elsinore and San Jose are winless in those situations.

But this was a game with plenty of nuances:

  • If Lancaster manager Rodney Linares doesn’t take Telvin Nash out of the game after he was hit by a pitch (and yapping with Quakes starter Gustavo Gomez) in the sixth innings, then Carlos Perdomo isn’t playing third and might not be making the error that started the bottom of the ninth.
  • Lancaster was 2 for 13 with runner in scoring position. They also had a runner thrown out in each of the last three innings at home or in a rundown between third and home.
  • Each team had a strikeout/wild pitch that either scored a run or kept an inning alive to allow a run to score later.
  • What impact did it have bringing in Lancaster closer Travis Ballew in the eighth inning trying to get a four-out save?
  • If Scott Wingo, who has good speed and bunts well, doesn’t get that bunt down with 2 on and 0 outs in the ninth, do the Quakes win? The bunt was thrown away, allowing a run to score and putting the winning run in scoring position.
  • The Quakes did not get a single runner into scoring position in any of the first six innings, yet won.
  • Scott Schebler’s grand slam was the Quakes’ second this season (the other was by Darnell Sweeney) and first in the league since June 16, the longest gap without one this season.

 

JetHawk named Player of Week

Designated hitter M.P. Cokinos of Lancaster is this week’s California League Offensive Player of the Week. He hit .545 (6 for 11) with two doubles, a hone run, five RBI and seven runs scored in a four-game sweep of Rancho Cucamonga.

Cokinos, 23, has played 47 games and its hitting .339 with 16 doubles, six home runs and 43 RBI.

Pitcher of the Week honors went to Shane Dyer of Bakersfield. He held High Desert to four hits and went seven innings in his only start of the week. He didn’t walk a hitter and struck out five.

Dyer, 25, is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four starts for the Blaze, a Reds affiliate.

Cal League team loses big

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It wasn’t a good day for the California League All-Stars. They were walloped 12-2 by the Carolina League team in All-Star play on Tuesday at San Jose Municipal Stadium.

San Jose’s Edwin Escobar didn’t benefit from the home cooking. The Carolina League batted around against the Giants southpaw, a feat it duplicated an inning later.

Braves prospect Robby Hefflinger followed his Home Run Derby win by earning All-Star MVP honors. He started the fourth-inning rally against Escobar with a double and finished 3-for-5 with a pair of two-baggers and a run scored.

Player from the local teams didn’t factor into the outcome. Inland Empire second baseman Alex Yarbrough started and went 0-for-2. Rancho Cucamonga outfielder Noel Cuevas also went 0-for-2.

Sixers pitcher Kramer Sneed went the fifth inning and was victimized by a bad defense. He gave up four hits and five runs but all the runs were unearned.

Indians top prospect Francisco Lindor delivered a two-run double and walked, while David Rohm (Braves) and Rangers No. 3 prospect Luis Sardinas both contributed pinch two-run single in the fifth for the Carolina League.

Lake Elsinore Storm catcher Robert Kral was named California League MVP after blasting a solo homer in the third and drawing a walk in the fifth.

With the win, the Carolina League took the lead in the all-time series 8-7-2.

Quakes outfielder honored

Jon Garcia has already eclipsed his 2012 Cal League home run total.

Outfielder Jonathan Garcia of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes has been named California League Player of the Week for June 10-16.

Garcia, 21, hit .560 (14 for 25) in six games with two doubles, two triples, three home runs, 11 RBI and three stolen bases..

After batting just .220 in May, Garcia is running wild in June with seven homers, 21 RBI and a .443 average in 15 games. He had back-to-back four hits games, with one of those consisting of two home runs and five RBI.

On the season Garcia, who also played with the Quakes last year, is hitting .304 with 13 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs and 43 RBI.

Right-hander Daniel Winkler of Modesto was the Pitcher of the Week. Winkler, 23, had two starts (14 innings) and went 1-0 with just four hits and one earned run allowed and 16 strikeouts.

It’s All-Star time for Quakes, Sixers

Most of the Quakes and Sixers will have a few days to regroup and prepare for the last 70 games of the season. But a handful are heading to San Jose for Carolina-California League festivities to be hosted by the San Jose Giants on Tuesday.

The Sixers (37-33), an affiliate of the Angels, have four players named to the team. They are pitchers Mark Sappington and Kramer Sneed, infielder Alex Yarbrough and outfielder Zach Borenstein. Sappington and Borenstein will not play. Borenstein, who originally planned to take part in the Homerun Derby, injured his knee legging out a double in Saturday’s game at High Desert.

The Quakes (31-39), the Dodgers affiliate, will be represented by outfielder Noel Cuevas and third baseman Ryan Mount, although mount is also injured and won’t take part.

The Carolina League won last year’s game 9-1. It was held at Winston-Salem.

This will be the 17th meeting between the two. The series is deadlocked at 7-7-2.

The second half of the season gets underway on Thursday. The Quakes will start out at Lancaster while the Sixers will host Lake Elsinore.

California League rosters announced

Mark Sappington is 5-0 with a 2.05 ERA in nine starts for the 66ers.

The California League All-Star team that will take on one from the Carolina League on June 18 in San Jose has been announced. Both local teams are represented.

CALIFORNIA LEAGUE

Pitchers

Jake Barrett, Visalia Rawhide; Ty Blach, San Jose Giants; Carlos Contreras, Bakersfield Blaze; Edwin Escobar, San Jose Giants; Drew Grenier, Stockton Ports; Chris Jensen, Modesto Nuts; *El’Hajj Muhammed, Bakersfield Blaze; Josh Osich, San Jose Giants; Brady Rodgers, Lancaster JetHawks; Mark Sappington, Inland Empire 66ers; *Hunter Strickland, San Jose Giants; Dan Winkler, Modesto Nuts.

Catchers

Jeff Arnold, San Jose Giants; Robert Kral, Lake Elsinore Storm.

Infielders

*Ryan Cavan, San Jose Giants; *JiMan Choi, High Desert Mavericks; Matt Duffy, Lancaster JetHawks; *Jake Lamb, Visalia Rawhide; Geson Montilla, Visalia Rawhide; *Ryan Mount, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes; Max Muncey, Stockton Ports; *Cory Spangenberg, Lake Elsinore Storm; Chris Taylor, High Desert Mavericks; Angela Villalona, San Jose Giants; Alex Yarbrough, Inland Empire 66ers.

Outfielders

Andrew Aplin, Lancaster JetHawks; Jabari Blash, High Desert Mavericks; Zach Borenstein, Inland Empire 66ers; Noel Cuevas, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes;Preston Tucker, Lancaster JetHawks.

Field staff (All San Jose)

Andy Skeets, Manager; Mike Couchee, pitching coach; Lipso Nava, hitting coach; Dave Getsoff, trainer; Dustin Brooks, strength and conditioning.

* Denotes player who will not play due to promotion or injury