|  | | The Farm Report -- 9/17/2009 | | By Scott Lucas September 17, 2009 | California League Semifinals, Game 5: Bakersfield 3, at San Jose 12
Win: Tanner Roark
San Jose wins series 3-2
Bakersfield led 3-1 at the 7th-inning stretch and stood poised to eliminate the team with the second-best record in the minors. Richard Bleier had allowed five baserunners in six innings. The Blaze had only five hits themselves but scored three off solid reliever-turned-starter David Mixon.
Then, like Sunday, they collapsed. In the bottom of the 7th, two singles and a wild pitch cut the lead to 3-2 and ended Bleier’s evening. Reliever Justin Miller unleashed three more wild pitches and walked a batter to tie the game, and a sac fly gave San Jose its first lead.
In the 8th, Adalberto Flores chose an inopportune time for his worst outing as a professional. Flores gave up a single, walked four (two intentionally), threw a wild pitch, and retired only one batter (on a sac fly). Tyler Tufts relieved Flores with the bases loaded and surrendered a two-run double followed by a wild pitch (the team’s 6th), two more walks, and two more singles. San Jose sent 13 to the plate and scored eight, matching its eight-run outburst in Sunday’s 8th inning.
2B Matt Lawson went 2-3 with a triple and batted .400/.432/.629 in the playoffs. CF David Paisano (.429/.448/.714 postseason) doubled twice. Davis Stoneburner (.344/.417/.375) had Bakersfield’s only other hit. Bakersfield scored a hearty 5.75 games per game in the postseason and batted .290/.343/.456.
In eight playoff games, the rotation performed admirably, posting a 2.88 ERA and averaging 6.1 innings per start. Inexplicably, the bullpen was a mess. In 18 innings, it allowed 37 baserunners (including 14 walks) and 23 runs. During the regular season, the Blaze pen was best among Texas’s full-season teams, and Bakersfield was 54-3 when leading after six innings. But against San Jose in the playoffs, the Blaze were only 2-2.
Nevertheless, the Blaze had a fine season, winning the most games since 2000 and advancing to the second round of the postseason for only the second time in 18 years. Had you told me in March that Bakersfield would win the most games and be the only playoff participant among Texas’s six US-based minor-league teams, I would have posted your email to the listserv and said, “look at this crazy person talking crazy.”
I correctly predicted the winner and number of games in both playoff series. This weekend, I’m headed to WinStar for some roulette.
World Cup
Team USA was off yesterday and faces Chinese Taipei (that is, Taiwan) today. Justin Smoak is batting .450/.542/1.450 with six homers in five games. I’ve been asked about the quality of competition. As you may remember, I couldn’t find a single Venezuelan who played in the US in 2009. I suggested via email to a few readers that some teams were of AAA quality (including the US), but some wouldn’t give low-A Hickory much of a fight.
For clarification, I posited that estimate to Baseball America’s John Manuel. He actually thinks I’m giving the worst teams too much credit, particularly because of the Eurocentric nature of the tournament. (Eight of the 22 teams are from Europe. Of the six playing in the first round [two had byes], four were eliminated.) He also noted that Japan, South Korea and Taiwan sent ‘less-than-full strength teams.” Manuel considers the US and Cuba the best teams “by far.”
So, frankly, the World Cup appears to be Smoak’s weakest competition all year. Smoak has faced Venezuela, Germany, Canada, Netherlands Antilles, and Japan. Still, better for him to do well than not.
And Finally
The end of the minor-league season is the end of my daily reports. Goodness knows I have plenty to do in the offseason. For example, Hulu has the complete first season of “Charles in Charge” available through next March. If you’re going to badmouth Scott Baio around me, you’d better be ready to back it up with your fists.
Thanks to Jamey for the opportunity.
Thanks to all the players, staff, and management for their efforts.
Thanks to you for reading.
And, most of all, thanks to my wife Courtney for supporting my hobby/obsession and making every day special.
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 Scott Lucas Scott Lucas was born in Arlington, Texas, to Richard and Becky Lucas. He lived mostly in Arlington before moving to Austin, where he graduated from The University of Texas. Scott works for Austin Valuation Consultants, Ltd., and has published several boring articles about real estate appraisal and environmental contamination. He makes a swell margarita and refuses to run longer than ten kilometres. |
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