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The Rule 5 draft was held on Thursday during baseball's winter meetings, with several players with local ties selected.
The Rule 5 draft is held every December, with teams drafting players on other organizations they feel deserve a chance to play at a higher level than they are playing. They are then placed on the 40-man roster. Roberto Clemente was once a Rule 5 pick and more recently, Jose Bautista, Bobby Bonilla, Josh Hamilton, Johan Santana, Dan Uggla, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth were Rule 5 picks.
This year, 12 players were drafted during the Major League Phase, 23 during the Triple-A Phase, and two during the Double-A Phase. At the major league level, the player needs to be kept on the major league roster for the entire season by the drafting team and if they aren't they have to be offered back to the original team. It also costs some money to make Rule 5 picks. Minor Leaguers have to be kept on the 40-man roster. However, players with limited pro experience are not eligible to be drafted in the Rule 5.
First taken was ex-Miller High and Quake left-hander Robert Fish by the Atlanta Braves. It was the second straight year Fish was taken in the Major League portion of the Rule 5. Last year, he was drafted by the New York Yankees, but didn't make the club in spring training, then went to Kansas City, before being sent back to the Angels. Fish was 1-0 with two saves and a 3.25 ERA for Double-A Arkansas in 2011. Fish pitched for the Quakes in 2009 and 2010.
Another Angel farmhand, infielder Michael Wing, who went to Upland High and played for the 66ers last year, was drafted. Wing's 2011 season was solid, but limited to 73 games because of injury. He batted .317 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Sixers. Wing was taken in the Triple-A phase by the San Diego Padres.
Ex-66er left-hander Thomas Melgarejo (Kansas City) and ex-Quakes left-hander Barret Browning (St. Louis), outfielder Gabe Jacobo (Toronto) and third baseman Ricky Alvarez (Chicago Cubs) were taken in the Triple-A phase. Ex-Quake third baseman Matt Sweeney, who went to Tampa Bay in the ill-fated deal that brought Scott Kazmir to the Angels, was selected by Baltimore out of the Tampa Bay organization in the Double-A phase.
In the Sixers 5-3 victory over the Quakes on Monday, both teams had key players leave the game with injuries. With today's off day the true extent probably won't be known until Wednesday.
Upland High product Michael Wing, the hottest player on the Sixers, injured his shoulder sliding into second in the fourth inning and left the game. Wing has reached base in 27 consecutive games.
"We don't really know how serious it is right now," Sixers manager Damon Mashore said. "We'll have to see."
The Quakes meanwhile, lost right fielder Ramon Jean and center fieler Anthony Jackson when they collided going after Dwayne Bailey's fly ball in the sixth inning. Manager Juan Bustabad said Jean suffered a sprained ankle and Jackson's right hand was spiked by Jean.
Bustabad didn't consider either injury to be serious. "Hopefully we won't have to put them on the DL," Bustabad said. "He (Jackson) might be available for the next game."
Outside of the injuries, the Sixers won because they made smart plays and the Quakes made dumb plays.
--Quakes' Pedro Guerrero was doubled off first on a popup to third in the fifth inning. In the sixth, with the bases loaded and no outs, Rafael Ynoa hit a fly ball to right. Austin Gallagher held at third, but Angelo Songco wandered off second and Gallagher was caught in a rundown.
"He (Songco) should've realized Gallagher was on third. We weren't going to send him," Bustabad said.
--The Sixers meanwhile, executed the 9-2-6-1 rundown perfectly. With catcher Carlos Ramirez staying calm and shortstop Dwayne Bailey making a nice throw to Ariel Pena to get Gallagher.
--Second baseman Jon Karcich, who entered the game when Wing was hurt, made a great play in the eighth inning. Nick Buss hit a drag bunt. With first baseman Eric Oliver having to field the ball, pitcher John Wiedenbauer was late covering first. Karcich hustled over and Oliver threw to him to get Buss.
"That's a great play. That's a smart baseball play," Mashore said.
Yes, Saturday's Quakes 12-9 victory over the 66ers before 3,785 at the Epicenter was just one game, but the game seemed to be an indication of other trends for the team.
First, the recap.
The Quakes took a 10-2 lead in the fourth inning, thanks to two-run homers by Austin Gallagher (11th), Preston Mattingly (second) and Angelo Songco (19th). Gallagher and Mattingly are ex-Sixers and they hit the homers against starter Ryan Chaffee (2-10), an ex-Quake.
The Sixers rallied and Casey Haerther hit a pinch-hit three-run homer (his eighth) in the seventh inning to make it 10-8. After Michael Wing hit two early homers and Matt Long one, it was the fourth homer of the game. It was the first time this season the Quakes allowed four homers. They were the last team in the league who hadn't allowed at least four homers in a game.
The Quakes added two runs in the seventh to make it 12-8, but the Sixers weren't done.
Eric Oliver's RBI double in the ninth made it 12-9 and after a single by Haerther, Quakes manager Juan Bustabad summoned closer Logan Bawcom.
Bawcom walked David Harris to put the tying run on base, but Jose Jimenez hit into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game as Bawcom earned his third save.
Some things we learned:
1--The Quakes (56-43 overall, 18-11 second half) aren't playing like a team that already won the first half. They keep winning and winning.
2--The Sixers (45-54, 13-16) aren't the same team that lost the first nine games of the second half. They've won or split their last six series this season (5-0-1).
3--While the pitching matchup involved probably the two worst starters for each team, both bullpens have been suspect of late. Both teams have plenty of untested arms that will make for an interesting closing stretch to the regular season.
It was far from a thing of beauty, but it's understandable if the 66ers found a little more beauty in their second game of the season than the Quakes.
The teams combined for five errors and 18 walks and more than 4 1/2 hours after they started the diehard Sixer fans were rewarded with a 7-6, 12-inning Sixers victory over the Quakes at chilly, rainy, Arrowhead Credit Union Park on Friday.
Sixer second baseman Michael Wing, who lives in Rancho Cucamonga and went to Upland High School, would've had a chance to play for his hometown Quakes had he made the Cal League last year. But with the affiliation change, he's in San Bernardino instead of Rancho Cucamonga.
Wing's third hit of the game, a one-out, bases-loaded two-run single to center scored the tying and winning runs in the 12th inning to cap a Sixers comeback. The Sixers are 2-0 for the first time since 2003.
The Sixers rallied from a couple of deficits. They trailed 5-2 in the eighth before scoring twice in the eighth (one on an error and one on a bases-loaded walk) then scored the tying run in the ninth when the Quakes were unable to turn a double play on Dwayne Bailey's one-out, bases-loaded grounder to second.
The Quakes took the lead back in the top of the 12th. Jake Lemmerman led off with a double and J.T. Wise was hit by a Nick Pugliese (1-0) pitch. Blake Smith then bunted, but Pugliese alertly threw to third to force Lemmerman. After Travis Denker popped up, Angelo Songco singled to left and Angels rehabilitating left fielder Reggie Willits' throw the the plate was woefully short and Wise scored to give the Quakes a 6-5 lead.
The Sixers immediately threatened with help from the Quakes. Jose Jimenez led off with a walk and Kole Calhoun sacrificed. Calhoun was out at first, but second baseman Rafael Ynoa, covering first, dropped the throw and runners were on first and second.
Willits (1 for 4), then successfully sacrificed for the second time in three innings, putting runners on second and third. Jean Segura was intentionally walked for the second time in three innings to set the stage for Wing, whose grounder to second allowed Jimenez and Calhoun to score.
In the 10th, the Sixers missed a chance to win. Wing reached on an error to load the bases with one out, before Matt Long grounded into a fielder's choice at the plate. After a pitch to Terrell Alliman, catcher Gorman Erickson's throw back to pitcher Luis Vasquez got away and trickled toward second. Segura aggressively tried to race home, but was thrown out by Ynoa to end the inning.

Pete Marshall Pete Marshall has been covering sports in the Inland Empire, including the California League, since 1991. Since 2005, he has served as the beat reporter for both the Inland Empire 66ers and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.


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