There’s cold and then there’s ice cold, and make no mistake about it, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are ice cold.

For the second time in as many nights, the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate team blew a late lead to the Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) – this time after a brilliant six-inning performance by their 2013 first round draft pick Chris Anderson.

Chris Anderson’s brilliant 6-inning 4-0 shutout was wasted by the Quakes bullpen on Friday night.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Anderson did not allow a run in his six innings of work on Friday night and limited the Rawhide to only two hits and four walks while striking out seven. The 21-year-old Lino Lakes, Minnesota native handed a 4-0 lead to the Quakes bullpen only to see newcomer Jharel Cotton blow the save by allowing Visalia to score four runs in his only inning of work. The 21-year-old St. Thomas, Virgin Island native allowed three hits, walked two and struck out one in his Quakes debut allowing eight batters to come to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.

Cotton was relieved in the eighth inning by left-hander Matt Shelton, who did not fair any better. Shelton, who hails from Irving, Texas and is one of the senior statesmen on the Quakes team at 25 years old, allowed three runs on three hits with a walk in his one inning of work. The back breaker for Shelton and the Quakes was a devastating two-run triple by Rawhide’s shortstop Kevin Medrano followed by a double off the bat of right fielder Socrates Brito.

On Thursday night the Quakes blew a 3-0 lead after five strong innings by right-handed fireballer Fabio Martinez. The crushing blow in that game was a walk-off two-run home run by Brito off of 24-year-old right-hander Freddie Cabrera.

The Quakes have now lost five in a row and eight of their last 10 and now find themselves in last place in the Cal League’s South Division with a 5-11 record (.313). They are hoping that 17-year-old phenom Julio Urias can stop the bleeding on Saturday night, although Urias was roughed up in his last start – a 5-0 loss to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres). That being said, it is the Quakes struggling bullpen and their lack of offense that has led to most of their troubles.