Quakes outfielder Anderson Rosario was suffering through an epic skid when he started in right field for the Quakes on Wednesday.
Rosario was 0-for-30 on the season. No hits, more than a month into the season. Mike Saeger, broadcaster of the 66ers, predicted that Rosario would get a hit when he saw the lineup on Wednesday.
He hit a clean line drive single to left in his first at bat, for hit No. 1. Teammates got the ball, several of them signed it, and wrote something in Spanish, apparently commemorating the occasion of his first hit. A single hit isn't usually reason to celebrate, but when you've gone 0-for-30, it certainly is.
They built a little shrine for the ball with tape and cardboard and mounted the ball on top of the railing in front of the Quakes' dugout at the Epicenter. It was still there long after the game, but was gone Thursday.
After getting the hit, Rosario struck out in his other two at bats Wednesday. He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on Thursday and has now struck out 18 times in 36 at bats.
Rosario will apparently be playing more since the Quakes have only four outfielders after Drew Toussaint was promoted to Double-A Arkansas because of an injury.
He strikes out a lot, and he's got five consecutive strikeouts heading into Friday's game at High Desert. The league record is 10.
On Sunday, the 66ers had a great event at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.
A 1 carat diamond, supplied by Redlands Jewelers was buried in the infield and found by one lucky fan after the 66ers win over the San Jose Giants. Cost to participate was $5 and participants received a pink shovel to dig. Proceeds went to Susan G. Komen for the Cure Inland Empire affiliate. Great benefit.
The posters around the park promoting the event I found amusing. On the poster was a picture of a diamond roughly the size of a clenched fist. Underneath was the caveat, "not actual size." No, the Hope Diamond was not buried in the infield. If it was, I think it would've taken more than $5 to dig for it. I guess there are some people who would've expected a diamond that size if the poster didn't say otherwise, but it was still amusing.
SAN BERNARDINO -Pitching, hitting and defense? The 66ers have not frequently done all three well in the same game, but on Saturday they did.
Eduardo Perez drove in three runs, the Sixers played error-free ball and three pitchers combined to allow one run in a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Giants before 2,682 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park on Saturday.
It was particularly impressive because the victory by the Sixers (10-20) came against a Giants (19-11) team with the second-best record in the league.
Josh Wall (2-1) allowed five hits and the one run in five innings, while walking two and striking out three. It was the second straight impressive outing from Wall since allowing 10 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings at Visalia April 23.
Relievers Javy Guerra and Jordan Pratt followed and didn't exhibit any of the wildness that has plagued them at times in their careers. Guerra pitched two shutout innings, allowing only two hits, while Pratt (first career save) pitched two perfect innings, striking out the final four batters he faced.
The Sixers got on the board quickly, when Bridger Hunt led off the first inning by reaching on an error and Trayvon Robinson walked. With out, Eduardo Perez's hit-and-run double scored both runners for a 2-0 lead.
They added to the lead in the third inning when Robinson singled with one out and Josh Bell doubled him to third. Perez's sacrifice fly made it 3-0.
San Jose got on the board in the fourth, but it could've been more.
Pablo Sandoval and Andy D'Alessio led off with singles. Bobby Felmy put down a bunt, but the Giants thought it was foul. Plate umpire Masaki Nonaka ruled the bunt fair, and the Sixers turned a 2-5-3 double play.
That proved big because Mike Mooney followed with a single to center that scored D'Alessio, but that was the only run the Giants would score.
Matt Berezay led off with a triple in the fourth inning and Gabriel Gutierrez's single made it 4-1.
The Sixers left three runners in scoring position in their final four at-bats but it didn't make a difference. The Sixers pinned the loss on San Jose starter Jesse English (3-2), who entered the game with a 2.70 ERA.
LANCASTER 10, QUAKES 3
Mark Trumbo (sixth) and Anthony Norman (fourth) each homered, but Lancaster (13-17) pounded out 15 hits in a rout of the Quakes (10-20) before 5,618 at the Epicenter on Saturday.
Jon Still had three hits, including his eighth home run of the season to lead the JetHawks.
Quakes starter Amalio Diaz (1-3) allowed four earned runs on nine hits in five innings and was pinned with the loss. The Quakes also made three errors that led to four unearned runs.
SAN BERNARDINO - The final boxscore indicated only two 66er errors.
But if you watched the game, you several more mistakes.
And against the top hitting and pitching team in the league, that's not going to produce many wins.
San Jose pounded out 18 hits and routed the Sixers 11-3 before 3,520 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park on Friday night. It was the most hits the Sixers allowed in a nine-inning game this season and tied for the most runs allowed.
San Jose (19-10) has defeated the Sixers (9-20) four times in five games this season, outscoring the Sixers 35-10 in those five games.
The first error was a sure double play ball hit by Brett Pill in the third inning that went through the legs of Sixers second baseman Jaime Pedroza for an error.
Later in the inning with runners on first and third with one out, San Jose stole a run. Pill took off for second base and Sixers catcher Carlos Santana didn't look Pablo Sandoval back to third and instead threw to second. Sandoval scored easily before Pill was eventually tagged out.
In the sixth inning with a runner on first, Sharlon Schoop hit a pop fly that first baseman Drew Locke misplayed and it dropped in. Locke didn't get an error because the runner on first was thrown out at second. The umpires never granted time and Schoop took second base before Sixers pitcher Garrett White got back to the mound.
The second error helped San Jose score the game's final run in the ninth inning. That doesn't include three wild pitches from Sixers starter Alberto Bastardo (0-2), who allowed five runs (four earned) in five innings.
Eduardo Perez had three hits to lead the Sixers attack.
Lancaster 9, Quakes 3
Jorge Jimenez had three hits and drove in four runs as the JetHawks (12-17) won the opener of a three-game series before 4,295 at the Epicenter. The victory comes a day after the Quakes (10-19) completed a three-game sweep in Lancaster.
Jason Place and Josh Reddick also had three hits apiece for Lancaster.
Brian Walker and Anthony Norman each hit their third home runs of the season for the Quakes. Norman and Mark Trumbo were the only two Quakes with two hits.
The loss went to Tommy Mendoza (1-3), who allowed six earned runs on nine hits in three innings.
By Pete Marshall
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Wins for the 66ers have been precious so far this season, so any victory - pretty or ugly - is appreciated.
The Sixers took a three-run lead to the ninth inning on Thursday then held on for an 8-7 victory over the Lake Elsinore Storm before 1,272 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. It was just the second win in the last 10 games for the Sixers (9-19), while the first-place Storm dropped to 15-13.
The Storm trailed 8-5 entering the ninth, when Tom King and Eric Sogard led off with walks against Francisco Felix (1-2).
Then Sam Carter thought he was hit by a 3-2 pitch that would've loaded the bases.
But plate umpire Bronson Martinez ruled it a foul tip that was caught by catcher Carlos Santana, resulting in the first out. Manager Carlos Lezcano, coaching third base, argued to no avail.
"He was so wild and he's going to swing at that pitch? It hit him right here," Lezcano said, pointing to his forearm. "That changes everything."
Mitch Canham followed with an RBI single that made it 8-6. Left-hander Jacobo Meque, making his first Sixers appearance of the season entered and surrendered a run-scoring groundout by Jeremy Hunt that cut the Storm deficit to 8-7. Meque walked Rayner Contreras to put the go-ahead run on base, but got Robert Perry to fly out to end the threat.
The Storm had taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on Jeremy Hunt's RBI single, but an error proved costly to the Storm in the bottom half as the Sixers rallied against reliever Richie Daigle (1-4).
Christian Lara led off with a bloop single to left and was wild-pitched to second as Bridger Hunt was trying to bunt.
Hunt then bunted anyway and third baseman Contreras' throw to first went wildly into the right-field bullpen. Lara scored the tying run and Hunt, noticing that third base was uncovered, raced all the way to third.
A bloop single to right-center by Trayvon Robinson plated Hunt and gave the Sixers a 6-5 lead.
After a fly out, Robinson was caught stealing. Drew Locke walked and Carlos Santana and Eduardo Perez delivered back-to-back RBI doubles for an 8-5 Sixers lead.
The final three runs in the inning were all unearned.
Santana had three hits and three RBI to pace the Sixers attack, while Robinson, Perez and Matt Berezay each had two hits.
QUAKES 4-4, LANCASTER 3-0
Trevor Bell (2-2) pitched a four-hitter in the nightcap, striking out eight and walking none as the Quakes (10-18) swept a pair of seven-inning games at Clear Channel Stadium on Thursday. The Quakes swept the three-game series, winning on Tuesday while Wednesday's game was postponed to Thursday's doubleheader because of severe wind. The JetHawks (11-17) will be playing at the Epicenter starting tonight for the opener of a three-game series.
Abel Nieves had three hits and drove in two runs for the Quakes in the Game 1 victory.
David Herndon (1-3) earned the victory by allowing five hits and one
run in six innings.
In Game 2, Peter Bourjos had three hits and scored three runs while P.J. Phillips had two hits and two RBI.
SAN BERNARDINO - For the second time in as many home starts, 66ers
right-hander Tim Sexton was unhittable.
Unfortunately for Sexton, his teammates couldn't hit either, until it
was too late.
Lake Elsinore scored its first run without a hit, built an eight-run
lead, then barely held on for an 8-7 victory over the Sixers before
874 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park on Wednesday night.
It was the eighth loss in the last nine games for the last-place
Sixers (8-19). The Sixers had already set a franchise record for most
April losses the night before.
Sexton (2-4) had pitched six perfect innings against the Mavericks on
April 19, his last home start. On Wednesday, Sexton took a no-hitter
into the sixth inning but the Sixers still hadn't scored.
In the fifth, Lake Elsinore got a run without a hit when Jeremy Hunt
and Rayner Contreras walked, Robert Perry sacrificed them to second
and third and Jodam Rivera hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.
Lake Elsinore's first hit came leading off the sixth inning against
Sexton when second baseman Bridger Hunt and right fielder Tommy Giles
converged on a Cedric Hunter pop fly, then backed off and it dropped
in for a single. That led to two unearned runs in the inning.
Sexton went five-plus innings, allowing one hit, three runs, one
earned while walking five and striking out three. The Sixers pitchers
were done in by a season-high 11 walks.
The Storm (15-12) broke open a 3-0 game with five runs in the eighth
inning against relievers Jordan Pratt and Joe Jones.
The Sixers finally showed some offense in the eighth when they scored
four runs, including a two-run double by Carlos Santana. Left fielder
Javis Diaz also dropped an Eduardo Perez fly ball that allowed
Santana to score.
The Sixers made it interesting in the ninth when Josh Bell hit a
three-run homer with two outs against Dylan Axelrod. But R.J.
Rodriguez replaced Axelrod and struck out Drew Locke to end the game,
earning his fourth save.
Manager John Valentin was not around to see the end of the game. He
was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing with base umpire Bronson
Martinez when Bell was called out trying to advance to third on a
wild pitch. It was Valentin's second ejection this season.
LINEUP SNAFU
On Monday at San Jose, Sixers lost a run because they batted out of
turn.
Valentin said that he had an early lineup posted in the dugout. But
by the time he wrote down the final lineup that he gave to the
umpires, he had switched batting positions between Santana and Locke.
The problem was, he didn't change the lineup in the dugout.
"Unfortunately, we made a mistake," Valentin said. "Stuff happens,
but it's not supposed to happen."
BACK SOON?
Third baseman Bell, bothered by a knee injury, missed Tuesday's game
but was back in the lineup at designated hitter on Wednesday.
"We hope we'll be able to get him out there at third soon," Valentin
said.
With Bell out, first baseman Perez has been playing third and
outfielder Locke has been playing first.
"I wanted to try Carlos (Santana) at third too, because he's played
there before, but the Dodgers want him to keep catching," Valentin
said.
QUAKES-LANCASTER POSTPONED
The second game of a three-game series at Clear Channel Stadium was
postponed because of severe winds. The JetHawks reported on their Web
site that sustained winds were 38 mph with gusts of 49 mph. The game
will be made up as part of a doubleheader today at 6 p.m.
Last Friday (April 25), a rarity happened in the California League, when San Jose shut out the 66ers, Stockton shut out the Quakes and Visalia shut out Modesto.
So I asked MLB.com when was the last time three shutouts happened on the same day in the hitter-friendly Cal League?
The answer is April 21, 2006. On that day, the Quakes shut out Modesto, San Jose shut out Lake Elsinore and Visalia shut out Stockton.
It was a great idea at the time, but when plans didn't quite work out perfectly, the Quakes made the best of a tough situation.
In the off-season, they had planned on a Korean-American night. The occasion was that the Quakes were expected to have catcher Hank Conger on the roster. Conger, a second-generation Korean, is reported to be the first Korean-American to be drafted in baseball. And to top it off, Conger is from Southern California (Huntington Beach High School), and was a first-round draft pick and is the Angels' No. 4 prospect.
But Conger injured his shoulder in spring training and has not played yet this season. So the Quakes got permission to fly him in for last Saturday's game. Conger signed autographs (which he couldn't have done if he was playing) and there was Korean food and dance at the game.
"It was important that I be here," Conger said. "I get a lot of letters from people saying that I inspire them."
As of Saturday, Conger hadn't caught in any extended spring training games, but he had served as designated hitter. There is no timetable for his return, but it might not be until the second half before he joins the Quakes.
"It's great to come here and see what this is like," he said.
Well done by everybody to make sure it worked out.
It was interesting to watch what transpired when John Lackey came to the Quakes for a rehabilitation assignment earlier this week.
First of all, Lackey wears No. 41 with the Angels, but was wearing No. 39 for the Quakes instead because catcher Alberto Rosario is wearing No. 41. Sometimes, a player will give up his uniform for the major leaguer of his own volition or in some sort of a trade.
"I don't know if his uniform would've fit me anyway," Lackey said. "So I'm fine with 39."
Lackey is listed at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, while Rosario is 6-foot, 165.
It was interesting to notice that Lackey's name was on the back of the uniform for his first Quakes start on Thursday. However, outfielder Rian Kiniry, who joined the Quakes more than a week ago while they were on the road, was still waiting for his name on the back of his home jersey. Certainly, Kiniry has been in uniform every day, but it still shows who is the most important when a big-leaguer comes to town.
Last off-season, the Quakes and Hank Conger's family came up with a great idea: a Korean-American night at the Epicenter.
After all, Conger is the first-ever Korean-American baseball player drafted (first round in 2006), and is from Orange County. And the catcher, ranked as the Angels' No. 4-prospect, was expected to be with the Quakes for the beginning of the 2008 season.
But Conger, a catcher, suffered a labrum (shoulder) injury in spring training, and remains in extended spring training. Nonetheless, Saturday night against Stockton, Korean-American night will continue. There will be Korean food, some sort of special Korean dance, and Conger will be there, too.
Conger accepted the Quakes invitation to be there anyway, and the Angels approved the Quakes offer to fly in Conger just for the game from the Angels' complex in Tempe, Ariz.
Conger will be signing autographs at the ballpark during the game before he returns to Arizona. He is still likely at least another month away from joining the Quakes.
