To say that Sunday afternoon’s 14-9 loss to the first half Cal League North champion Bakersfield Blaze was a morale buster would be a gross understatement. The Quakes entered the top of the 9th with a 9-5 lead in front of the home crowd and appeared headed for a 4-game split with Ken Griffey Sr.’s squad. But as we all know, anything can happen in baseball… including a complete meltdown by the Quakes bullpen, who allowed a devastating 9-run inning for the Blaze. It was painful to watch and all started with a routine foul pop-up off the bat of Blaze DH Kurtis Muller that Quakes catcher Steve Domecus was unable to handle. Giving Muller another swing proved fatal as he promptly launched Scott McGough’s 3-2 fastball over the center field fence for a two-run home run and the wheels absolutely fell off for McGough and the Quakes. McGough left the game having given up 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits in his brutal 2/3 innings of work.

Quakes center fielder Leon Landry continued his hot hitting with this bases-clearing 3-run double off of the wall in the 4th inning of Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the Bakersfield Blaze. Landry missed hitting a grand slam by two feet.

Why did Quakes manager Juan Bustabad leave McGough in the game that long (or even bring him in to pitch the 9th inning at all) when he had his star closer Eric Eadington available in the bullpen you ask? Well the answer to that one is easy – Bustabad and his Quakes have a bigger fish to fry on Monday night… MUCH bigger. Because the Quakes and their Cal League South rival High Desert Mavericks finished the first half in a tie for first place, they must use their first meeting of the second half as a one-game first half playoff game (in addition to being a regular second half game). As such, the Quakes find themselves in the very difficult position of having to play the Mavericks on the road after coming off of a devastating loss when they virtually had Sunday’s game against the Blaze in the bag.

Quakes manager Juan Bustabad will have to get his team to put Sunday’s loss behind them and get them fired up for Monday night’s must-win first half title game at Mavericks Stadium.

Needless to say, Bustabad will have to pull a rabbit out of his hat to get his Quakes past yesterday’s crushing loss and fired up to play the most important game of the season tonight in Adelanto at Mavericks Stadium. But you know what? There is no better man for this seemingly impossible task than Busty, who won the Cal League’s Manager of the Year title last season and the Mid West League Manager of the Year title the year before. Although a very difficult hurdle, the Quakes have the right man for the job at the helm – the rest is up to them.