CalL1 Visalia Rawhide

Oaks game notes

Published on June 12, 2008 under California League (CalL1)
Visalia Rawhide News Release


Day Time Opp Oaks Starter Opponent Starter (Probables) Fri 7:05p LAN RHP Wes Roemer (3-5, 5.19/69.1 IP/40 ER/92 H/55 K/21 BB) Travis Beazley (3-7, 5.48) Sat 7:05p LAN RHP Cesar Valdez (9-3, 2.59/87.0 IP/25 ER/79 H/66 K/14 BB) Tony Bajoczky (2-2, 4.92) Sun 1:05p LAN RHP Barry Enright (6-4, 5.09/74.1 IP/42 ER/92 H/58 K/17 BB) Adam Mills (7-4, 4.22)

Quick Hits: „P After committing 2 errors (that led to 2 unearned runs) in last night¡¦s loss to the Nuts, the Oaks .968 fielding percentage ranks T-8th in the League. The Oaks have allowed 52 unearned runs to score on the season, second most behind the High Desert Mavs. „P Thus far in June, the Oaks are 4-6 with a team average of .281 (26 doubles, 3 triples and 5 homers). „P The Oaks have lost the first two games of a series in each of the last 3 matchups and are now 5-14 in game ones. Visalia is 11-8 in game twos, 11-7 in third games, and 4-4 in 4-game series finales.

Tough as Nails: Cesar Valdez is coming off a victory in Lancaster, his League-leading 9th of 2008. His ERA rests at 2.59, 3rd best in the California League. Cesar is third in strikeouts (66), and leads all pitchers with 87.0 innings of work. Over his last 6 outings, Valdez has recorded 6 consecutive quality starts, going at least 7.0 innings in 5 of the 6 and not allowing more than 2 earned runs in any one contest.

We Must Protect This House: The Oaks are one of only 3 California League teams with a losing home record (the others: Rancho Cucamonga and Lancaster). Visalia is 13-18 here at Recreation Park, the fewest home victories in the League. The Oaks are quite proficient on the road, though, and possess the second best road record at 19-16 (Stockton is 20-16).

Believe me, if this note weren¡¦t so astounding, we¡¦d change it¡K: The Oaks start tonight at 32-34. This even-keeled bunch has now played 3 consecutive 4-game series, and has split all 3. Visalia has never been more than 4 games away from the .500-mark this year. They were 4 over after the season-opening sweep at Inland Empire, and were 4 under at both 7-11 and 14-18. The Oaks have won as many as 5 in a row, and lost as many as 4 straight. The Oaks are 20-19 against righthanded starters, and 12-13 against southpaws. Amazingly, Visalia kept the season record within a game of .500 from May 12th through June 4th, a span of 19 games, and the hometown bunch has not been more than 2 games away from break even since May 9th. Last Night: The Oaks dropped their 2nd consecutive game, losing to Modesto 5-2. Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki played his first competitive game in a month and a half, going 0-for-2 with a scoring fly ball and a rocket line drive right at Oaks third baseman Ricardo Sosa. Chase Christianson (2-5) pitched well, allowing just 2 earned runs in 6.1 innings, but was hurt by a pair of unearned tallies. The Nuts scored single runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th innings; Daniel Mayora was the only Modesto player with multiple hits, as they made the most of their opportunities. The Oaks scored both their runs in the bottom of the 4th; Pete Clifford and Ricardo Sosa hit back-to-back doubles, and Steve Mena knocked in Sosa with a 2-out single. But Modesto starter Esmil Rogers recovered to pitch 7 strong innings, scattering 7 hits. Will Harris pitched a scoreless 8th, and Andrew Johnston retired the Oaks in order in the 9th to nail down his league-leading 14th save of the season and lower his ERA to 0.39.

Now Pitching: Tonight¡¦s game features a matchup of emergency spot-starters. Chad Beck gets the nod for Visalia; a 6¡¦4¡¨ 251-pounder, Beck has made 10 appearances for the Oaks since his call-up from South Bend in April, and has compiled an ERA of 1.65. Beck¡¦s last appearance came on June 9th, when he threw a scoreless inning against Lancaster, striking out 2. The University of Louisiana-Lafayette product has held opponents to a .213 average so far. Modesto counters with Chris Malone, a 6¡¦4¡¨ 215-lb righty from Santa Clara, CA. Malone is making just his 2nd appearance for Modesto and his first start; in his only previous outing this year (June 9th), he pitched 2 shutout innings against Stockton. Malone pitched collegiately at San Joaquin junior college, and was recruited to pitch for the University of Tennessee before being drafted by the Dodgers in 2004. 2008 Numbers IP W-L ERA GS K/BB Beck at Home 7.2 1-0 2.35 0 9/4

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California League Stories from June 12, 2008


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