Quakes in thick of race, 66ers on the brink

It's going to be a very interesting final two weeks in the California League as teams make the final push to fill the league's final 4 playoff spots. The regular season ends on Labor Day.

In the South, the Quakes, Mavericks and Lake Elsinore are in a three-way tie for first place in the second half after Tuesday's game. Should any of those three teams win the second half, the Quakes and Mavericks would claim the final two playoff spots in the South. Lancaster is still lurking in the picture, three games back. The JetHawks have to win the second half to make the playoffs.

If you're still holding out hope for the Sixers, you're one of the few. They are nine games back with 13 to play. But they have even less wiggle room than that. Because the teams ahead of them play each other, a loss by the Sixers Wednesday or a win by Lake Elsinore would eliminate the Sixers.

It's even more interesting in the North.

After San Jose won the first half title, the other 4 teams are alive for the final 2 playoff spots. In the second-half race, Stockton leads Bakersfield by four games and Modesto and Visalia by seven. Should Bakersfield rally to win the second half, then the other three teams would be battling for the wild-card spot. Right now, Stockton leads the wild-card standings by one game over both Modesto and Visalia and by six games over Bakersfield.