Recently in Lake Elsinore Storm Category

I haven't posted here in a while, but here are some notes since the Cal League season ended about a month ago along with my perspective

• Lake Elsinore won the league title with a losing record (69-71), the first team to win the title with a losing record in league history. The previous worst record to win a league title? The 2006 66ers, who were 72-68.
• 66ers outfielder/first baseman Kole Calhoun was named Angels Minor League Player of the Year. He had an outstanding year on a team without a lot of offensive firepower, finishing with a .324 batting average, 22 homers and 99 RBIs. Not bad for a guy who only made the team because there were too many injuries in the Angels system.
• If you didn't see the article in the paper a few weeks ago, Tom Gamboa, who was the 66ers manager for the first two months of 2011, has a cameo role as a scout in the movie "Moneyball." Pretty cool, and there were some pretty cool real-life connections to the Billy Beane story, including Gamboa scouting Beane in real life when Beane was in high school, then later managing him when Beane was in the minors.
• The Angels dismissed Director of Player Development Abe Flores. Mistake, mistake, mistake. While Tony Reagins' mistakes as GM are well-documented, I don't see Flores as the problem. He had the Angels developing players as part of Mike Scioscia's system. Everyone was on the same page. He helped keep impressive consistency among the staffs, and players were ready, whether they were trade bait (in the Dan Haren deal) or whether they were contributing at the big league level (Jordan Walden, Peter Bourjos, Mike Trout). Flores wasn't the one who traded away Mike Napoli.
• Abe Flores will land on his feet, perhaps in scouting, which was his background before serving as assistant director of player development under Reagins. Some organization will get a great baseball man, who has an astute judge of talent and the ability to run an organizaton's player development system. Just my 2 cents. There are some good baseball people in the Angels minor league system. Lets hope the new director of player development doesn't clean house.

Lake Elsinore was 12 outs away from its first Cal League title in 10 years.

So close, but oh, so, so far.

Stockton scored four runs in the sixth and 11 in the seventh to blow out the Storm 15-1 in Game 3 of the Cal League Championship Series on Saturday night.

In the 11 run seventh, the Ports drew four walks and one hit batter. Three of the walks were with the bases loaded and there was a grand slam.

Lake Elsinore still leads the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at 6:05 at Stockton.

All-star Angelo Songco's 11th home run of the season, leading off the bottom of the 12th, lifted the Quakes to a 4-3 victory over Lancaster on Friday night at the Epicenter. The Quakes (40-32 overall) improved to 2-0 in the second half.

The Quakes entered their game on Friday tied for playing the fewest extra-inning games in the league, and with Friday's win improved to 3-1 on the season, including 2-0 at home. They have won their last three extra-inning games since dropping one in the second game of the year at the 66ers. Lancaster (28-43 overall, 0-2 second half) was the last team in the league to lose an extra-inning game this season, dropping to 4-1.

Trailing 3-2 in the seventh, the Quakes tied the score without a hit. Anthony Jackson led off with a walk, went to second on a groundout and took third on a passed ball. Songco struck out for the second out. J.T. Wise struck out as well, but the pitch was wild and Jackson scored the tying run. Wise homered in  the third inning and Songco had an RBI single in the first for the Quakes' other runs. Jordan Roberts (4-1) got the win with an inning of relief.

The Sixers played another long game, but unlike Thursday's 11-inning game, this one only lasted nine innings but went 3 hours, 22 minutes. Starter Manuel Flores (7-4) gave up runs in each of the first five innings (and six runs overall) and the Sixers lost to Lake Elsinore, 8-4. Kole Calhoun, Dwayne Bailey and Steven Irvine had two hits apiece for the Sixers.

After Game 1 of the South Finals when the Quakes lost 5-0 to Lake Elsinore and made seven errors in the process, Quakes fans were concerned. But the Quakes came back to win the next 3 games.

In Game 1 of the Cal League Championship Series on Thursday, the Quakes fell 10-0 at San Jose.

There were some similarities.

Both games the Quakes had defensive issues. They didn't have 7 errors on Thursday, but the 2 errors they did have led to six unearned runs. Both starters (Garrett Richards against Lake Elsinore and Orangel Arenas on Thursday) pitched well enough to win.

The defense and hitting were worse against Lake Elsinore (they showed little life on offense), but the pitching was worse on Thursday. Although an error by left fielder Eric Oliver opened the door to five unearned runs in the seventh, Arenas (and then reliever Christian Scholl) were unable to make the big pitches to mimize damage. Scholl then gave up three more runs (one unearned) in the eighth.

The bottom line is, the Quakes showed the ability to overcome 1 bad game. That Lake Elsinore game was more than double the previous most errors they had in any game this season (three), but they recovered. Game 2 Friday will be a good indication of whether they're able to repeat the magic of the Lake Elsinore series.

It looked like the Quakes were headed back to Lake Elsinore for a decisive Game 5.

But trailing 5-2, the Quakes rallied for a run in the eighth and then three in the ninth against Cal League record-breaking closer Brad Brach.

Angel Castillo's bases-loaded two-run double with two outs against Brach scored the tying and winning runs as the Quakes won 6-5 to advance to the Cal League Championship Series for the first time since 1998 by winning the series 3-1.

Eric Oliver started the rally in the eighth with an RBI single with two outs that meant Brach had to come into the game. But he had two outs and nobody on in the ninth, Alberto Rosario and Luis Jimenez singled. Gabe Jacobo, on the ninth pitch of his at-bat, eked out an infield single to just behind second base that scored Rosario to make it 5-4. Dillon Baird walked on five pitches to load the bases before Castillo hit a rocket to center that eluded center fielder Rico Noel, one-hopped the wall scoring two runs and set off a raucous celebration.

There was plenty of champagne in the dugout sprayed all over, dousing manager Keith Johnson in the process.

The Quakes will play Game 1 of the Cal League Championship Series at San Jose on Thursday. The best of five series will return to Rancho Cucamonga for Games 3, 4, and 5 Saturday-Monday. San Jose is the defending league champion, and also won in 2005 and 2007. But each of those times, San Jose had home-field advantage.

After the Quakes made a season-high seven errors (they hadn't made more than 3 in any game during the regular season) leading to four unearned runs in a 5-0 loss to Lake Elsinore in Game 1 of the South Division Finals, Quakes manager Keith Johnson had this to say.

"As bad as it was, there were positives," he said. "They only had one inning where they put up a two spot and it could've been worse. That says something about the compeitiveness of these guys."

"It's a wake-up call. We've been going so good for so long defensively."

Did the importance of the game get to them?

"I don't think so, but we'll know tomorrow (for Game 2)."

Game 2 is Sunday at 5:05 p.m. Lake Elsinore left-hander Juan Oramas (7-3, 3.00) will face Angels right-hander Joel Pineiro (10-7, 4.18 ERA) as part of a rehab assignment with the Quakes. Pineiro hasn't pitched since a July 21 loss at New York. Pineiro has been out with a strained oblique muscle and is scheduled to throw 75-80 pitches.

In what could be considered good news for Quakes fans, Pineiro has had four previous rehab stints (in 2005, 2007, and 2008) during his career, compiling a 2.05 ERA with 16 strikeouts in in 22 innings.

For the record, I thought before the playoffs began that the Quakes would meet Stockton in the California League Championship Series, because those were the 2 hottest teams entering the playoffs. Well, I'm already half wrong, as Modesto swept Stockton in the North.

But in the South, the Quakes are looking good in a surprisingly easy sweep of the Mavericks by 12-5 and 7-1 scores. Next up is first-half champion Lake Elsinore. That best-of-five series begins Saturday at Lake Elsinore. Games 3 and 4 are Monday and Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga.

Except for a hiccup in mid-August, the Quakes seem to be a team on a mission this season. They've got power (8 home runs in 2 playoff games), as well as a team that steals bases, bunts, has good pitching, and is the best defensive team in the league.

Lake Elsinore has some very good starting pitching including Anthony Bass (8-7, 3.13 ERA) and Juan Oramas (7-3, 3.00), who figure to start the first two games against the Quakes. The Storm has a slight advantage in starting pitching and their closer, Brad Brach is the best in the league. But the Quakes have some depth, too. The bullpen allowed only one run in 9 2/3 innings in the first two playoff games, so they can't be overlooked.

My pick: Quakes in 5 

There's still a few days left in the regular minor league season, but the Arizona Fall League rosters were announced this week. The AFL is designed for prospects to get some added experience, and many of the players are either current or former Cal League players or have local ties.

Seven Angels prospects will be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox, all of whom have experience with the Quakes. Only one is currently a Quake: closer Eddie McKiernan. Most of the others were with the team earlier this year or last year: P Ryan Brasier, P Robert Fish (Miller HS alum), P Steven Geltz, SS Andrew Romine, OF Jeremy Moore, and 2005 Quake, currently with the Angels, 3B Brandon Wood.

Dodgers prospects will be playing for the Phoenix Desert Dogs (managed interestingly enough by Don Mattingly), some of whom have previous experience with the 66ers: P Javy Guerra, P Justin Miller, C Matt Wallach, SS Ivan De Jesus Jr., OF Trayvon Robinson. P Jon Link (who played for Lake Elsinore) and 1B Jerry Sands (who skipped the 66ers)  are the other Dodger prospects. No current Sixers are in the AFL.

Others in the league include:

Mesa: P Kyle Smit, who was with the 66ers earlier this year before going to the Cubs in the Ted Lilly trade; ex-Dodger prospect OF Andrew Lambo, who went to Pittsburgh in the Octavio Dotel trade.

Peoria Javelinas: P Maikel Cleto, currently with the Mavericks; OF Nate Tenbrink, with the Mavericks earlier this season, Ps Patrick Urckfitz and Kyle Greenwalt, currently with Lancaster; and 1B Koby Clemens, son of Roger who led the Cal League in batting average and RBIs while with Lancaster last season.

Peoria Saguaros: 1B Chris Parmelee, a Chino Hills HS product who is currently batting .279 with six home runs for the Twins' Double-A New Britain squad; P Brad Brach, who set the Cal League record for saves this season for Lake Elsinore; 2B Cole Figueroa, also currently with Lake Elsinore.

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.

It's hard to understand the pitching moves the Sixers have made in the sweep at Lake Elsinore that ended Friday.

Whatever they are, they haven't worked.

In Game 1, they brought in closer Matt Sartor to pitch the ninth, protecting a 7-6 lead. Sartor gave up two runs, as the Sixers lost 8-7 on Jesus Lopez's sacrifice fly.

In Game 2, seldom-used Robert Boothe needs to get his work in, but protecting a 3-1 lead in the seventh? But after Boothe allowed four in the seventh and the Sixers fall behind 5-3, wasn't it time to pull the plug on Boothe while the game was still close? The Sixers didn't and Boothe allowed four more in the eighth in a 9-3 loss.

In Game 3, left-hander Miguel Sanfler came with a 3-2 lead and two on and no outs in the eighth. He pitched out of that jam. Instead of turning to Sartor for the ninth, the Sixers stuck with Sanfler. With two outs and runners on first and second, the right-handed Sartor was warming up. But manager Jeff Carter chose to stick with lefty Sanfler to face right-handed Lopez. Lopez delivered the game-tying single.

Then, having already pitched two full innings, Sanfler came out for the 10th and allowed a leadoff double to Adam Zornes off the wall in left-center that let to Bo Davis' walk-off single to left with one out.

You don't want to overwork the bullpen, to be sure. But surely there were other options out there than what Carter chose.