Reno Wins Final Game; 18 Innings Again

There were two games to discuss from Tuesday night’s action:

First of all, Reno won the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game by crushing Pawtucket 10-3 last night in Durham, NC.

Reno scored three runs in the first inning and added three more in the second. Soon they were up 8-0 against a PawSox team that looked a little sloppy on the field.

Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer did his wild-but-unhittable thing again. He was unable to get through five innings and earn the win, due to walks: he walked seven batters over 4.2 innings, even though he was pitching with a huge lead.

The Aces were able to shake off the frustrating start by Bauer and coast to the victory behind their outstanding bullpen.

A.J. Pollock was named the game’s MVP, hitting a double and a triple. Pollock was simply staying hot – he was also the MVP of the PC Championship Series.

The Aces had home runs from Brent Clevlen and Keon Broxton, and Tyler Bortnick roped a pair of doubles.

With that final, the Triple-A baseball season has come to a close.

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I got to watch the first two hours of the Triple-A game on television, and it was an excellent telecast. Kudos to Triple-A Baseball and the NBC Sports Channel for hiring long-time MLB broadcasters George Grande and Jim Kaat to call the game. They were highly prepared and ready for the early blowout; I enjoyed Kaat’s stories about minor league baseball in the 1950s.

Grande and Kaat talked long and respectfully about minor league baseball and the “baseball lifers” who work off the field in minor league towns and cities across the nation. Thanks, guys – we appreciate it!

Also, the Durham Athletic Park looked fantastic. I have not been there since I called the 1997 California – Carolina League All-Star Game and it looks like they have done a lot of upgrades to the facility. Back then it was one of the finest in Class-A, but they still had to expand it into a Triple-A ballpark.

—

So, I watched the first two hours of the Triple-A game, drove up to Seattle and went to a (fantastic) concert by a punk rock legend, got in the car to drive home – and the Mariners and Orioles were in the 12th inning.*

When I got back to Tacoma, it was the middle of the 15th. I kicked my feet up, enjoyed a cold beverage, and watched the final three innings – only to see the Mariners lose in the 18th, 4-2.

Tacoma’s most memorable game of the season was an 18-inning game at Cheney Stadium on July 18. Here is my recap of that one.

Because of roster shuffling, the following players played in two 18-inning games this season (one in Tacoma, and one in Seattle): Trayvon Robinson, Stephen Pryor, Alex Liddi, Carlos Triunfel, Mike Carp. Also, Luis Jimenez played in Tacoma’s 18-inning game and was on the Mariners bench but did not play last night.

Who logged the most innings in the 18-inning games? That would be Trayvon Robinson. He played all 18 in Tacoma, and then the final seven innings last night, for 25 total innings.

In an unusual bit of coincidence, Carlos Triunfel entered each 18-inning game in the 12th inning.

Alex Liddi watched the most innings in 18-inning games this year. In July, he came off the bench for Tacoma in the top of the 18th, when the Rainiers ran out of pitching and had to make defensive changes to put Scott Savastano on the mound. Liddi played one inning. Last night Liddi struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth – so he watched the first eight innings, and the last nine. Liddi watched 34 of a possible 36 innings from the bench in these two games!

And where was Tacoma 18-Inning Hero Scott Savastano during all of this? I have no idea, but I like to picture him sitting on his couch in Plymouth, MA, shaking his head and muttering to himself, “They should have called me up. I’m really good at 18-inning games.”

Links:

• Stories on the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game from: the Reno newspaper, the Durham newspaper, MiLB.com, and Baseball America.
• The Reno newspaper also has an entertaining column on the Aces win and the nature of Triple-A baseball.
• Subscription required, but Baseball Prospectus has a different look at the Triple-A title game.
• Larry LaRue stayed until the end of the Mariners 18-inning game and filed this blog report.
• Lost in the length of the game: Erasmo Ramirez pitched extremely well, and the win was absolutely huge for the Orioles.
• In the PCL, the El Paso city council narrowly passed a bill to continue progress on a new ballpark – but the mayor has 72 hours to veto it.

I’m going to the Mariners game tonight. Felix Hernandez is on the mound trying to prevent an Orioles sweep. Also, the Orioles called up super-prospect Dylan Bundy and he could make his MLB debut in relief tonight. Should be a good game!

* I briefly considered going straight to Safeco for the extra innings, but I was not properly attired for press box seating.

Triple-A National Championship Game Tonight

The last game of the minor league season is tonight in Durham, North Carolina. The PCL champion Reno Aces take on the International League champion Pawtucket Red Sox in a one-game, winner-take-all battle to claim supremacy of Triple-A Baseball.

The game will be televised live at 4:00 on the NBC Sports Channel (formerly Versus). Also, you can follow along online right here.

This is a game that feels like an exhibition when you are at it*: it’s played on a neutral field, in front of fans who don’t have a rooting interest.  Because it is just one game and not a series, it is hard to really believe that a true champion is crowned.

All of that being said, the teams on the field are trying to win. Reno is taking it seriously: the Aces are trotting top prospect Trevor Bauer out there to make the start, and he’ll be free to work deep into the game if he is throwing well.

Pawtucket is starting veteran right-hander Nelson Figueroa, who went 12-5 with a 3.89 ERA as a swing-man for the PawSox this year.

I’ll be watching for sure – here are some things to look for:

• The game is played at Durham Athletic Park, one of the jewels of the International League. Look for the “Hit Bull, Win Steak” sign.
• Bauer has electric stuff and is fun to watch.
• Pawtucket’s top prospect is young power-hitting outfielder Bryce Brentz. His at-bats against Bauer should be interesting.
• Remember former Tacoma reliever Josh Fields, who was once a Mariners first round draft pick? He’s on the PawSox.

Obviously, I’m rooting for Reno today – and you should, too. Let’s show some PCL pride!

Links:

• There is a preview of the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game on MiLB.com, and Baseball America has a preview as well. Reno manager Brett Butler clearly wants to win.
• Trevor Bauer has an unlikely connection to the Durham area due to his time with Team USA.
• The Mariners got roughed up by Baltimore last night, 10-4. Hector Noesi had an ugly start – any time the newspaper headline includes the word “meatballs” you know it was bad.
• Mariners reporter Shannon Drayer has a blog post regarding the Mariners 2013 starting rotation.
• The Mariners led all of baseball in best winning percentage in the minor leagues. Rainiers fans, I know what you are thinking: “Dang! Those lower-level teams must have been really, really good!”
• Well, I guess somebody has to be at the top of the list: according to this volcano expert, Cheney Stadium is the most likely ballpark to be wiped away by an erupting volcano in the USA. So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.**
• Former Rainiers slugger Bryan LaHair was a mid-season all-star, and now he’s just a pinch-hitter.
• Rob Neyer stuns us with an amazing bit of baseball trivia.
• In the PCL, the proposed move of the Tucson franchise to El Paso could hinge on a big city council vote tonight.
• It’s official: the Las Vegas 51s are the new Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. The Toronto Blue Jays linked up with Buffalo.

I’ll have a recap of the title game for you on Wednesday or Thursday. Which would you rather have: a Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game trophy, or two Nine Game Mega Series trophies?

* Tacoma played in the game in 2010, when it was in Oklahoma City. The radio broadcast is a mess, as the broadcasters for the two teams are required to work together and send their joint broadcast out to both cities – and usually, they have never even met each other until the day of the game.

** in all seriousness, he notes that we would probably have months of advance warning if Rainier were to erupt. It’s not like we’ll get swept away by molten lava in the middle of the third inning or something.

Reno Wins PCL Title

Congratulations to the Reno Aces, winners of the 2012 Pacific Coast League championship.

The Aces defeated Omaha on Saturday night, 8-2. That gave them the series victory, 3-1.

Reno split the two home games and then won two straight on the road to take down the defending PCL champions. Reno has only been in the league since 2009 and this is their first title.

Last night’s deciding victory was a one-sided affair. The Aces out-hit Omaha, 15-7. A.J. Pollock and Mike Jacobs each homered in the eighth inning off Omaha relief ace Donnie Joseph to put the game out of reach. Pollock was named MVP of the series.

Tyler Kuhn went 4-for-5 and scored three runs, and Jacobs had three RBI for Reno. Starting pitcher Charlie Brewer pitched into the seventh inning and allowed just two runs, striking out eight while earning the win. The Reno bullpen – which improved dramatically as the season wore on – tossed 2.2 scoreless innings.

Reno, of course, is a division rival of Tacoma’s. Reno is the first team from the Pacific-North other than Tacoma to win the league championship since Edmonton took the crown in 2002.

Congratulations to the entire Aces organization, with a special RG-to-RG congrats to Reno radio guy Ryan Radtke.

Reno has one game left to play: the Triple-A Baseball National Championship game, on Tuesday. It’s being played in Durham, North Carolina this year and will be nationally televised. Reno will send Trevor Bauer to the mound against International League champion Pawtucket.

Links:

• Hard-working Rob White wrote two stories: an Aces-related article for the Reno newspaper, and an Omaha-centric story for his own employer.
• After the game, Kansas City called up a number of Omaha players, including former Rainiers catcher Adam Moore and top starting pitching prospect Jake Odorizzi.
• Justin Smoak delivered twice late in the game and the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers on Saturday, 8-6. The M’s can win the series on the road with a victory today.
• Larry Stone’s Sunday baseball package is up at the Times: a column about the low-scoring environment in MLB these days, a notebook leading off with an item on former Mariners prospect Phillippe Aumont, power rankings, and thumbs up-and-down.

There will be no new blog on Monday – we’ll be back Tuesday, with a closer look at the Triple-A National Championship Game.

Reno Shuts Out Omaha; Can Win It All Today

Joe Martinez and the Reno Aces shut out Omaha last night, 3-0, taking a two-to-one lead in the best-of-five PCL Championship Series.

The Aces have two tries to win one game and take home their first PCL trophy.

Martinez went seven innings at Werner Park, allowing just five hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Sam Demel, Joe Paterson, and Jonathan Albaladejo finished off the combined shutout.

Reno scored all three runs in the third inning, and they did it with homers. A.J. Pollock hit a two-run shot, and Tyler Kuhn hit a solo blast. Those were the only runs allowed by Omaha starter Nathan Adcock, who lasted eight innings.

Game Four is tonight at 5:05 (Pacific), and you can follow along here. Reno starts RHP Charles Brewer (11-7, 5.99) against Omaha veteran LHP Doug Davis (9-4, 4.66).

Links:

• We start with the Omaha newspaper’s report on Game Three.
• The Mariners had an eighth inning meltdown in Texas last night. Manager Eric Wedge was not pleased.
• Double-A Jackson lost the Southern League Championship Series to Mobile in four games. Mobile took the trophy with a tight 1-0 win last night.
• No surprise here: Tucson Padres manager Terry Kennedy will not return next year. He seemed a bit frustrated as the season wore on.

That’s it for today. I’m too pre-occupied, watching my Cal Bears who are currently being shellacked by Ohio State. Ugh.

Game Three Tonight

After a Thursday off-day for travel, the PCL Championship Series resumes in Omaha with Game Three tonight at 5:05 (Pacific). The best-of-five series is tied, 1-1.

Reno is starting RHP Joe Martinez (10-11, 5.39) against Omaha RHP Nathan Adcock (8-6, 5.53). You can follow along here.

Links:

• The Omaha newspaper has a preview of Game Three.
• The Toronto Blue Jays avoided a sweep by beating up on Felix Hernandez and the Mariners last night, 8-3. I hate it when Felix gets knocked around – fortunately, it doesn’t happen very often.
• In the game, Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager pulled off the Manny Machado Play.
• The Mariners Double-A Jackson affiliate lost Game Three of the Southern League finals to Mobile, 4-2. It was a two-run homer in the tenth inning that did them in. Mobile leads the series, 2-1.
• The Mariners extended their Player Development Contract with every existing affiliate that didn’t already have one. Tacoma signed through 2014 in conjunction with the Cheney Stadium renovation two years ago.
• Four legitimate PCL players made Baseball America’s Minor League All-Star team. One Mariner is included: reliever Carter Capps. They have him listed with Tacoma even though he pitched in just one game for the Rainiers, and he never set foot inside Cheney Stadium. We’ll take credit anyway.
• Rosters for the World Baseball Classic qualifying teams are leaking out. The Mariners have a couple of Class-A players who are on Team Israel.
• The PCL’s move of the Tucson franchise to El Paso may hinge on a vote this Tuesday – and it appears that the mayor is getting fiesty.

Check back over the weekend for the results of the PCL championship.

All Tied Up

Omaha tied up the PCL Championship Series with a 9-6 win at Reno last night in front of 7,122 fans.

The best-of-five series is tied, 1-1, and the two teams are off today for travel. The final three games, as needed, will be played in Omaha over the weekend. Game Three is Friday at 5:05 (Pacific).

Omaha held a 2-1 lead after four innings before scoring five times in the top of the fifth, seemingly breaking it open with a 7-1 lead. Anthony Seratelli, Mitch Maier, and Max Ramirez each homered for Omaha in the fifth inning.

But this game was played in Reno, and the Aces immediately scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth, making it 7-5. Mike Jacobs hit a big three-run homer to bring the Aces back into the game.

Former Rainiers catcher Adam Moore hit a two-run single in the top of the seventh, giving Omaha a 9-5 lead. The Storm Chasers bullpen made that lead hold up, and the series is even.

Links:

• Full game stories on the PCL championship: from the Reno newspaper, and the Omaha newspaper.
• The Mariners made it two straight wins at Toronto, taking down the Jays 3-2 on Wednesday night. The M’s go for the sweep with Felix on the mound this evening.
• The Mariners announced their 2013 schedule and it appears to be quite friendly, Geoff Baker writes.
• Double-A Jackson lost to Mobile last night, and the Southern League Championship Series is tied 1-1. This is also a best-of-five – Jackson starts Taijuan Walker in Game Three, but the Generals must play the remainder of the series on the road. Weird note: former Rainiers infielder Matt Mangini is playing for Mobile, he hit a two-run homer last night. Mobile is the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate.
• Former Rainiers owner Nick Lachey is a daddy.
• We close with some fun stuff: the Seattle P-I posted a good number of 1969 Seattle Pilots photos from their archive.

We’re still not taking any time off* here at the blog – I’ll have the PCL finals covered over the weekend.

* don’t expect much in October, though…

Reno Takes Lead

Didn’t see this one coming: Reno absolutely ripped Omaha in the first game of the PCL Championship Series on Tuesday night, 13-1.

The offensive hero was Reno reserve catcher Ryan Budde, who is known for his defense. Budde hit .184 with one home run in 174 at-bats during the regular season, mostly as a back-up to starting catcher Konrad Schmidt.

Well, Schmidt took his Sal Fasano impersonation up to the major leagues, and now Budde is starting in the playoffs – and he went bananas last night at the plate, ripping a pair of home runs and driving in three during the blowout victory.

Reno’s offensive explosion came against Omaha ace Jake Odorizzi, who was tagged for nine runs and did not escape the fourth inning.

Meanwhile, Reno starter Trevor Bauer did his wild-but-unhittable thing, walking five but allowing only three hits and one run over 6.2 innings. He struck out five and earned the win.

Game Two is tonight at 7:05, and you can follow along via this link. Omaha will start LHP Ryan Verdugo (12-4, 3.75) against Reno RHP Daniel Cabrera (1-1, 3.00).

Links:

• We start with the Reno newspaper’s coverage of Game One, which focuses on Ryan Budde. There is a photo gallery with the story although it wouldn’t load up on my browser.
• The take from the Omaha paper focuses on how the game got away early.
• Our guy Erasmo Ramirez pitched a great game and the Mariners won in Toronto last night, 4-3. Ramirez went seven innings and allowed just two runs – it was his first major league win.
• The Mariners Double-A Jackson affiliate won the opening game of the Southern League Championship Series, blowing out Mobile, 8-1. James Paxton pitched into the eighth inning and struck out ten.
• Class-A High Desert is out of the California League playoffs after falling to Lancaster last night, 9-6. Jackson is the last remaining Mariners affiliate.
• Prospect analyst John Sickels reviewed Tacoma’s Carlos Triunfel on his blog.
• Lots of PCL teams renewed their Player Development Contracts in the last two days: Memphis re-upped with St. Louis, Oklahoma City extended with Houston, and Nashville remained with Milwaukee. I could be wrong, but I believe this leaves Las Vegas as the only unsigned PDC in the league right now.
• The Las Vegas 51s are trying to work out a lease extension on dilapidated Cashman Field while in the middle of an ownership change.

Championships Start Tonight

The Pacific Coast League Championship Series opens tonight in Reno.

There is a great match-up of pitching prospects in Game One: Omaha starts Jake Odorizzi against Reno’s Trevor Bauer. It starts at 7:05 – here is the link to the PCL scoreboard page, and from there you can go to audio, video, gamecast – whatever you want.

Series previews:

• From the Reno newspaper, a Aces-specific preview.
• Omaha’s Rob White writes that Game One is loaded with prospects, which is true.
• Speaking of prospects, Omaha flame-throwing lefty Donnie Joseph has been dealing from the bullpen in the playoffs.

I think this will be a very tight series.

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Two Mariners low-level affiliates are still rolling in the playoffs, too.

Double-A Jackson reached the Southern League Championship Series, a best-of-five series which opens tonight in Jackson, Tennessee. Left-hander James Paxton gets the start in Game One tonight, Generals announcer Chris Harris has a series preview on his MiLB blog.

Advanced Class-A High Desert is in the California League semi-finals right now. They trail Lancaster, 2-1, in a best of five series that continues tonight.

Low-A Clinton is done in the Midwest League. They won their first series but then lost in the league semi-finals to Wisconsin.

Links:

• The Seattle Times has a story on pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma and his desire to remain with the Mariners. He’s been pretty effective and seems to be a serviceable arm moving forward – I think they will re-sign him.
• Meanwhile, our guy Erasmo Ramirez is excited to make a start or two for the Mariners down the stretch. I always root for Erasmo – he’s one of the happiest players in baseball.
• Former National League MVP Jeff Kent is a contestant on the upcoming season of Survivor. Always smart and a little brash, Kent says a number of interesting things in this interview.
• The Albuquerque paper has a story on the strange saga of Jerry Sands, who starred for the Isotopes down the stretch despite being, essentially, a lame-duck Dodger. He’ll be announced as a part of the trade to the Red Sox soon.

Tonight I’m speaking at an event in Tacoma at the Grand Cinema, and it’s open to the public. There is a showing of the documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero at 6:45, and I’m hosting a discussion afterwards. The film is in very limited release and today is the only day it is being shown. More information here.

It’s Reno and Omaha In The Finals

The Reno Aces will meet up with the defending champion Omaha Storm Chasers in the PCL Championship Series starting tomorrow night in Reno.

Both teams won decisive Game Fives in the conference finals yesterday.

Sacramento and Reno were tied 3-3 in the seventh inning when Mike Jacobs connected for a three-run homer, leading the Aces to a 7-4 Game Five victory. The Aces are in the PCL finals for the first time in their brief franchise history.

The newspaper story from the Reno Gazette-Journal includes a photo gallery, if you want to check it out. There is a nice shot of Aces general manager Rick Parr getting doused in the celebration.

Sacramento’s season is over, and the retiring Wes Timmons summed it all up at the end of this story.

Omaha won on the road, scoring early and often in a 16-7 win at Albuquerque. Tempers flared when Omaha stole a base with a 10-1 lead.

Mitch Maier went 5-for-5 for the Storm Chasers, who had 19 hits in the game. My main man Wil Myers was 3-for-5 with a homer. Omaha’s attack was relentless – they scored in every inning except the sixth.

I went 1-for-2 on my conference finals predictions. I’m sticking with my original pick of Omaha to win the whole thing – but it’s baseball, anything can happen!

Other Links:

• In Larry Stone’s Sunday baseball package at the Seattle Times, he had a wrap-up of the Mariners minor league highlights (link fixed). He includes a quote from Jack Z about Danny Hultzen‘s season, and the way it ended.
• The Mariners had a tough weekend, getting swept by the red-hot Oakland A’s.

Both Series Tied

Both Pacific Coast League playoff series are going to a final Game Five today.

In the Pacific Conference, Daric Barton homered in the tenth inning and Sacramento won at Reno Saturday night, 4-3. The homer came off Aces closer Jonathan Albaladejo, one of the top relievers in the league.

Game Five is today at 1:05. Talk about an age gap: Sacramento is starting 22-year-old Sonny Gray against Reno’s 39-year-old Brett Tomko.

The American Conference series was tied in rather dramatic and classic PCL fashion. Trailing at home, 10-3, Albuquerque scored nine runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and beat Omaha, 12-10. Tony Gwynn Jr. hit the go-ahead three-run homer – his first of the year, anywhere. Former Rainiers catcher Adam Moore smacked two homers for Omaha in the losing cause.

Game Five starts at 12:35 today. Omaha is starting Justin Marks against Albuquerque’s Will Savage.

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While reading about the playoff games, I stumbled into this story on former Tacoma Tigers manager Ed Nottle. It details the time he was ejected, and dressed as the Tiger mascot and went back on the field.